(Photo courtesy of Christian Aid Mission)

“When we talk about World Food Day, we need to realize that many times we’re not aware of just the reality of people — literally around two-thirds of the planet — who often are food insecure. They don’t know when the next meal is going to come,” Edmonds explains.

“We are facing the worst humanitarian crisis since the end of the second World War. In parts … of East Africa and the Middle East, they are literally at risk. The numbers are astounding — 20 million people who are at risk of starvation right now.”

In addition to the global statistics on food insecurity, The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimated that one out of nine people in the world were suffering from chronic undernourishment between 2014-2016.

A Story of Hunger

Talking about the reality of hunger and food insecurity is one thing. But witnessing it will change your life.

For example, Edmonds was traveling in an African country and agreed to visit a community’s school. “They said, ‘You’re going to go into a school today where several children have been killed by classmates simply for the sake of obtaining the plate of food that their classmates possessed.’ And I thought, how horrific. That is just unconscionable.”

“They went on to say that…all of these children, they’re in families, they’re in home environments where many of them have not eaten for the past three or four days and so because of their desperation, they did something very desperate.”

(Photo courtesy of Food for the Hungry)

It’s time for the Church to step up. Christians in the United States are only tithing 2.5 percent per capita.

But if each professed believer in the American Church began giving 10 percent of their income, there would be another $165 billion for churches to put into missions and outreach initiatives. An estimated $25 billion of that could eradicate global hunger, starvation, and deaths from preventable diseases in just five years.

“We can do something about it. We can be God’s agents of compassion. We can be his agents of mercy and of justice for these kinds of people. We can bring the truth of the Gospel that God is a good God. God is a caring God. So I would say to us as a people right now…let’s respond. Let’s not be silent.”

Long-Term Solutions

Food for the Hungry works to foster food stability for 2,800 communities in over 20 different countries. Their ministry includes livelihood and agricultural training, nutrition and wellness education, clean water projects, and more!

(Photo courtesy of Food for the Hungry)

Edmonds shares, “We want to help people learn how to cultivate food. We want them to be food secure in the sense that throughout the course of the entire year they actually have access to food and foodstuffs to feed themselves, to feed their children at least a minimum of twice a day.

“We’re trying to restore them to a place of dignity, of health, and well-being for all that allows them to have the appropriate nutrition, that they can grow up to their full status and well-being, that they can get themselves educated, and that they can have a hope and a future in line with what would be God’s intent and God’s desire for them.”

FH also provides disaster response and emergency aid. “When people are on the edge of starvation, we are transporting food, we’re transporting water into literally feeding hundreds of thousands if not millions of people in certain situations. So you can be a help to stem the tide of those who are in desperate starvation states.”

Another major part of FH’s initiative is child-focused community transformation. Edmonds explains, “We have learned that the health, the well-being, the nurture, the educational opportunities of a child, it’s the quickest way to determine the health and relative well-being of a community, of a society. So we focus on children, not exclusively but with the understanding that children, if they’re cared for, if they’re loved in this kind of a way, then likely the community is going to be moving in a positive direction.”

(Photo courtesy of Food for the Hungry)

When a person or child is missing meals, it’s harder for them to go to school. It’s harder for them to get a job. It’s harder for them to take care of their loved ones.

Click here to sponsor a child with Food for the Hungry!

When you give to food initiatives that emphasize long-term sustainability and community growth, you are literally uplifting the lives of people who don’t know where their next meal will come from. You are showing them God’s compassion. And in Food for the Hungry’s case, this ministry is opening Gospel conversations.

To donate to Food for the Hungry, click here!

Finally, Edmonds asks, “Pray that God would be merciful, that he would move the minds and the hearts of his people, move the minds and the hearts of his Church in such a way that they would respond to this kind of a call for justice.”

(Photo courtesy of Food for the Hungry)

Mike Meyers, Chief Development Officer with Food for the Hungry, says, for example, they’ll work with fathers to find vocational opportunities, improve farming practices, and increase livelihood to provide for their kids. It’s all done in the context of the Gospel, and families are holistically changed.

“I visualize, as I’m saying this, dads I’ve seen along the way who couldn’t provide for their family, didn’t know what to do, and Food for the Hungry came on and walked with them down a journey on how to get to a spot where they can provide for their families. The smiles on their faces and the appreciation for the help along the way are great. So being able to see parents and fathers empowered like that is one of my favorite things about working with Food for the Hungry.”

Often, families and communities find themselves trapped in a cycle of poverty because of what FH describes as broken relationships — with God, with others, with self, or even with creation.

“People may have landed in that spot because a disaster happened in their country or in their city. They could be in that spot because they’ve just always lived poor and never knew anything different,” explains Meyers.

“So we just come alongside them and build hope. Then out of that, [we] get practical into things like how do you better work with the soil, and how do you do things that would provide a place for people to grow food, and how can they grow more food, and how can they have access to markets where they’re able to get better prices for whatever they’re creating.”

(Photo courtesy of Food for the Hungry via Facebook)

He has witnessed firsthand how FH’s sustainable practices to eradicate poverty have encouraged individual fathers and families.

For example, Meyers traveled to Bolivia and visited a struggling community where the children were so hungry, they were willing to eat dirt to quiet their grumbling stomachs. The Bolivian community and FH both brought ideas and resources to the table and began to work together in livelihood and agriculture training to improve the local economy.

He shares, “I went and met this papaya farmer who had increased his income by ten times. I’ll never forget this guy because he had such an awesome smile. He was showing us around his farm and how he even had a truck now to drive his papayas to market, and we were able to really help that family. It’s one of my great memories.”

Another story comes from Meyers’ time visiting Syrian refugees in Lebanon. “I met with a family there and sat down with them inside their tent and heard about their story…. This dad had to leave his family because of the conflict that was happening in Syria and go find a place for them to stay, and some work, and some way that they could make it once they got to Lebanon. [He] then got the notice to his wife that it was okay to come now. So she came across with four kids and had to come walking across the top of the mountains in January where there’s snow.”

Meyers reflects, “As this dad and mom were telling us this story, we just were telling them, ‘We’re so excited to work alongside you and really try to get you to a spot where life is better.’” The Syrian father’s joy and gratitude for the ability to provide for his family were very tangible, and served as another touching example of the impact that holistic service in the name of Christ brings.

So how can you support ministry to fathers through Food for the Hungry? First of all, as Christians who fully believe in God’s sovereignty, the biggest thing you can do is pray.

Specifically, says Meyers, “I think the refugee crisis is a big one to be praying for. I think also [pray] just for our U.S. government because the U.S. is a big part of funding some great things that are happening around the world. So just pray for wisdom for our leadership in the U.S., and then I think specifically people can pray for a country that’s on their heart.”

You can also give to Food for the Hungry’s outreach and help them be the hands and feet of Christ addressing “the physical, relational, and spiritual needs of vulnerable people”. Just click here to give!