YOU CAN HELP CURE WORLD HUNGER

One out of seven Americans lives in poverty. The average daily per-person welfare payment is $4.00. More than 10,000 American children die every year from poverty-related causes. No one can single-handedly stop hunger. But everyone can, and must, do something to stem the tidal wave of hunger sweeping over our world.

What you can do to fight hunger:

• Pray for yourself. Ask forgiveness for the time you failed to see the hungry as individual souls instead of some faceless social problem. Thank God for calling you to be a servant; then ask God to show you your place in the battle against hunger.

• Pray for other servants. Intercede for those who are teaching farming techniques, feeding refugees, influencing policy, and doing all the other tasks God has called them to do.

• Pray for the powerful. Pray that government leaders will see their responsibility to the poor, and that justice will be done.

• Pray for the hungry. Pray that those desperately seeking a better life will find it. Pray for those who thought hunger would never happen to them, and are still dealing with the shock of their new reality. Pray that all the hungry will find the ultimate hope, Jesus Christ.

• Learn the facts about hunger. Never settle for stereotypes and misinformation about the causes and cures of hunger. (See links at the end of this article.)

• Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. Challenge those who don't have all the facts about hunger, or excuse themselves from responsibility. Pray for tact and courage when discussing hunger with the unconvinced, the uncertain, and the uncaring.

• Give your money to organizations that directly fight hunger. The Southern Baptist World Hunger Offering, as an example, sends 80% of each offering for overseas hunger relief, and 20% for hunger relief in the United States. None of the offering pays for administration or marketing.

• Give yourself. Volunteer in an outreach project. Get involved in programs that recover some of the millions of tons of unharvested crops left in fields annually, or those that collect excess food from restaurants, wholesalers, and supermarkets. Organize food drives with your food bank or set up a food pantry at your church.

• Simplify your lifestyle. Changing your lifestyle can be more than symbolic; it can be the first crucial step to relieving hunger. Don't waste food; don't eat more than you need. (Some people live, and often die, on 250 calories a day.) Teach your children not to waste food. (Don't use food for games or art activities: a child who fingerpaints with chocolate pudding will have a hard time understanding there are children who lack milk to drink.)

From Servants of the Banquet by Cathy Butler. Copyright (c) 1993 by New Hope, Birmingham, Ala., 1-800-968-7301. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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