Days after Hurricane Matthew devastated Haiti, authorities are still trying to determine the extent of damage left behind. According to the latest report from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than 350,000 people are in need of assistance in Haiti.
Life starts early in Haiti. Market women, called madam seras in their native language, rise before dawn to sell produce along the streets or in village markets. Arriving at their spot to sell, they spread a cover on the ground and artistically arrange their wares, be they vegetables, sundries or household items.
“The most significant change brought about through the industrialization of farming and the green revolution in the ’60s is the gradual and insidious alienation of seeds from the farmers. So we don’t have our native seeds and we are almost totally dependent on company seeds, which include hybrid and GM seeds.”
When you go to the local grocery store or purchase a meal at a favorite restaurant how much do you know about how the food is grown, gathered and prepared? What is your church doing to end hunger and poverty in your community or across the globe? These are some of the questions Presbyterians and the public are asked to consider this October during Global Food Week of Action and World Food Day.
For the third year in a row, a group of avid cyclists between 30 and 70 years of age will take to the California roads this month to combat hunger. The Pedal for Protein ride is scheduled for September 18–22. The Presbyter of the Redwoods launched the ride two years ago to help community food pantries provide protein-rich foods to families in need.
The people of northern Cameroon are mourning the recent passing of Elias Gondji, the architect behind a food program that has made a significant impact in communities dealing with drought and hunger issues. Gondji worked with RELUFA, a nonpartisan network of ecumenical and secular nonprofit organizations and churches.
Deteriorating conditions in the South Sudanese capital city of Juba have left thousands of people in desperate need of food, shelter and health services. Fighting broke out between rival factions on July 8 and while a ceasefire is currently in place, the humanitarian needs have escalated.
If Jessica Fitzgerald asks your church to get involved in hunger and poverty issues in your community, be prepared to say yes. No is not an answer she will accept. Fitzgerald is the Hunger Action Advocate for the Presbytery of Eastern Virginia. It’s one of many hats she wears for the presbytery and she’s gotten quite good at it the past five years.
Congregation embraces organic gardening to combat hunger
The rolling, beautiful valleys of Marin County, California, provide the perfect backdrop for Sleepy Hollow Presbyterian Church. One look at this majestic landscape and it doesn’t take much to inspire people to protect and nurture it.
The Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF), an organization that promotes the sustainability and the well being of people, animals, and our planet through food and agriculture systems, held its 14th annual forum recently in Louisville, KY. Its work closely aligns with the Presbyterian Hunger Program (PHP). PHP Associate for National Hunger Concerns, Andrew Kang Bartlett, who serves on the SAFSF Steering Committee, helped introduce this year’s forum and was among an extensive list of speakers during the three-day event.