Two rampaging squirrels break the silence of the thick forest as our group of 30 walk on a road made from tens of thousands of hand-laid bricks recovered from a landfill.
Ahead of us, on the crest of the road, stood another group. Under a canopy of long-leaf pines and hardwood trees was an old woman in a wheelchair, a young girl, three adult women, a boy, two young men, and Marcus Briggs-Cloud, who I had only met virtually before. All were wearing clothing incorporating multi-colored Maskoke patterns.
The two young Maskoke men held their two-foot-long wooden stickball sticks in front of our group, gently enforcing an invisible barrier. Across the gap between our groups, Marcus gave a traditional welcome speech in the Maskoke language for 10 minutes. Then we were asked to state the intentions behind our presence on their land.
In an effort to address the root causes of hunger and poverty around the world, the Advisory Committee of the Presbyterian Hunger Program has voted to approve nearly $1.2 million in new grants to fund projects in 25 countries, including the United States.
“Food Vision 2030: Food Justice is Racial Justice,” the draft document rolled out and explored during the recent People’s Summit on Food Systems and Urban Agriculture sponsored in part by the Presbyterian Hunger Program, maps out “strategies and organizing efforts necessary to create a truly just city and food system” in Louisville, Kentucky.
If you’re passionate about food justice and live in or near the Louisville area, now’s the time to register for the People’s Summit on Food Systems and Urban Agriculture, which will include the unveiling of an action plan for food equity and showcase local organizations tackling food access and food insecurity.
When a crowd was gathered on the hill to hear Jesus preach and the crowd was hungry, the disciples wanted to send them away. Instead, Jesus instructs them in Mark’s gospel, “you give them something to eat.”
As they neared the end of a time of training and team building at the Presbyterian Center and online on Friday, more than two dozen of the class of 2023-24 Young Adult Volunteers got to hear stories of both inspiration and encouragement from a panel of Louisville-based faith leaders and advocates.
Measuring congregational and mid council work to end systemic poverty was the topic of Thursday’s second in a series of Matthew 25 online workshops being offered to help local communities create empowerment, health and wholeness. About 70 people attended.
We say we want to end poverty, but how do we know if we are being effective?
That is a central question to be addressed in the second in a series of online workshops dedicated to the Matthew 25 focus on eradicating systemic poverty titled “End Poverty? Measuring Our Impact Holistically.”
