Every other month, Westminster and the Presbytery of the James invite you to give five cents for each meal you enjoy to relieve hunger locally and globally. A small amount from each of us creates big change. In 2018 congregations in this Presbytery contributed $68,153 to the Hunger Ministry. On Sunday, March 31, an offering will be received during worship with the proceeds going to our support food relief for our neighbors locally and those across the world.
The majority of funds distributed provide emergency food relief to people in need. These include emergency food centers; school backpack programs, and county food pantries. Other funds support efforts to eliminate the causes of hunger, such as agricultural training so that recipients can become self-sufficient.
A small portion of donations support advocacy groups. Bread for the World, a faith-based network, campaigns nationally for policy change. Locally, Virginia Hunger Solutions works to improve food security through state programs and improved policy.
These are some of the programs you support through the Hunger Offering:
- Advocacy efforts to improve access to free breakfast and lunch programs for Virginia schools
- Community grain banks for food security in Cameroon
- Seeds for farmers in Haiti following hurricanes
- Snacks to support education for child laborers in Guatemala
Have you ever wanted to put a face, a name, and a story together to better understand the humanitarian crisis at our border? “Dinner with Maria” is your opportunity to hear about Maria’s personal journey of migration from Guatemala due to threats of violence, detention after crossing the border, making a new life in Virginia, and then facing deportation back to a violent situation.