Bulletin Resources Leading up to your
Stop Hunger Now Packaging Event
ARTICLE #1, Stop Hunger Now
Christmas and New Year celebrations were a wonderful time to enjoy the foods of the season. What if your fond memories of plentiful food were replaced with feelings of anxiety? What if you were unable to provide enough food for your family - tonight? What if your son or daughter says he or she is “starving,” but you can only respond with “I’m sorry”?
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that nearly 870 million people of the 7.2 billion people in the world, or one in eight, were suffering from chronic under-nourishment in 2010-2012. 852 million people in developing countries alone are hungry. Children are the most visible victims of inadequate nutrition. Children who are poorly nourished suffer up to 160 days of illness each year. These facts are difficult to comprehend – don’t we live in a world that has unparalleled wealth and food production capacity?
The task of trying to resolve the problem of hunger and poverty is by no means simple. It involves many layers of socio-economic and political structures and systems that may be difficult to influence or control. But as a church that follows Christ’s teachings, we have a responsibility to share the blessings that God has bestowed upon us!
In the face of tough economic times, it might be easier to tighten our own belts and make sure that we have enough. But Jesus called us to take care of others like they were our own mother, brother or sister. In the gospel account of the feeding the five thousand (Mark 6:30-37), it is Jesus that tells the disciples: “YOU give them something to eat.”
[Your Church] invites you and your family to make a financial commitment to Stop Hunger Now over the next few weeks and join us [time, date] to make a wonderful difference in the lives of hungry families. You’ll see a wonderful difference in yours, too!
Bulletin Resources Leading up to your
Stop Hunger Now Packaging Event
ARTICLE #2, Stop Hunger Now______
In 2008, a book club at Mt. Pisgah United Methodist Church, Midlothian, VA, reac Ending Hunger Now: A Challenge to Persons of Faith. It was written by Senator George McGovern, Senator Bob Dole and Rev. Donald Messer. Rather than simply move on to the next book selection, they responded to the challenge. Their goal was to act on the knowledge and awareness of the global hunger crisis, not to just file it away as interesting statistics. Through their efforts they:
§ Relieved hunger through the preparation and distribution of 50,000 meals for crisis-burdened areas and school feeding programs around the world
§ United the church and provided a family-friendly mission project (often ages 5-95)
§ Educated the community about the faces and statistics of hunger
Interested in a little (or a lot) of inspiration in your life? Want to join with others to read Ending Hunger Now, recommended by Stop Hunger Now as group study material? The more we know about hunger, the more we’ll care. Contact: ______
Bulletin Resources Leading up to your
Stop Hunger Now Packaging Event
ARTICLE #3, Stop Hunger Now______
Does the United Nations goal to cut hunger in half by 2015 seem like a pipedream? Consider this: there is more than enough grain alone in the world to feed everyone at least 3,500 calories a day. Mobilizing food to the hungry is possible. What has been lacking is the moral and political will to do so, sometimes called “political will and political won’t.” To be a Christian means more than hoping and praying for people to receive food. It means seeking out ways that they will gain food. When the numbers appear overwhelming, Jesus shows us that the miracle comes through sharing. (Matt. 14:13-21) A few loaves of bread, some fish, repeated by a “multitude” of committed faithful, renders enough for everyone. Jesus puts the responsibility of feeding on his disciples: “You give them something to eat.”
Michael Dec understands this. Michael was 10 the first time he packaged food at a Stop Hunger Now meal packaging event at St. Matthew’s UMC in Annadale, VA. Michael heard that $0.20 (now $.29) would cover the price of one meal for a hungry child and that day he witnessed 10,000 meals packaged in less than two hours. Touched and amazed, Michael donated $5 of his own money because he was convinced, by sharing, he could make a difference.
The next year Michael had saved even more. He knew exactly how many meals his donation would buy. After 20,000 meals had been boxed, Michael stood before an assembly of over 300 children and adults, and said, “One thing I’ve learned is that one person can make a difference.”
The miracle of sharing happens when any of us stop waiting for God or someone else to feed the hungry. It happens whenever we stop waiting for a miracle and decide to become one, like Michael Dec, like so many others. -- Lee Warren, Stop Hunger Now
[Add information about date and time of your event.]
Bulletin Resources Leading up to your
Stop Hunger Now Packaging Event
Brief bulletin inserts_leading up to your event ______
Stop Hunger Now meal packaging program Did you know that for as little as 29 cents, a bag filled with rice, soy, and dried vegetables can feed a family? What can you get for 29 cents? Join us on [date]. Please sign up to donate or package in the [name place].
Stop Hunger Now Meal Packing Event Did you know that for the cost of a family of four to eat one fast-food meal), nearly one hundred meals can be prepared and shipped overseas? Want to make a big impact? Eat at home and donate the cost of your dinner toward our Stop Hunger Now Meal Packing Event.
[Enter date here] Stop Hunger Now’s meal packaging program Bring your family to fill bags with rice, soy, and dehydrated vegetables to feed those in crisis-burdened areas and school feeding programs around the world. Families are encouraged to register to package meals together. Donations are needed to package [ ] meals. Consider donating the cost of a “dinner out” toward our [$____] goal.
Mission of Hope in Haiti is just one of the many schools that provide Stop Hunger Now’s meals for its school feeding program. After a year of documenting the difference it makes to feed a child at school, Mission of Hope had exciting statistics to share. The average weight for children outside the school not receiving the free lunch is 5 lb/year while children at Mission of Hope have an average weight gain of 10 lb/year. The GPA of children receiving meals is also double that of children not being fed at school. What a difference a meal can make. Join others on [date] in making a difference around the world.
Bulletin Resources Leading up to your
Stop Hunger Now Packaging Event
Easy ways Stop Hunger Now encourages you to make a difference:
· Let praying for those affected by hunger inspire you to:
o Help stock local food pantries
o Advocate public policy change through www.one.org or www.bread.org
o Plan a personal day or meal of fasting. Donate what you would spend toward hunger relief.
o Gather together to read and discuss the study book, Ending Hunger Now.
o Put $1/day in a jar for 30 days at meal time. Reflect on how little you miss $1, but in contrast that $1 will feed children in Haiti or Kenya. At the end of each month, donate $30 to Stop Hunger Now. Make it a family ritual. Teach your children how easy it is to give. Make it fun!
For more information, visit our website at www.StopHungerNow.org