What Some Synod Congregations Are Already Doing to Eliminate Food Insecurity

EFFA Hand’s On workgroup

What some Synod Congregations are already doing to eliminate food insecurity:

Congregation provides free garden plots with instructions and mentoring on how to garden, preserve and eat healthy

one Church provided community leadership and received a 3 year grant to provide assistance for seniors to stay in their homes longer and live well which also provides transportation to grocery stores

One farmer has dedicated one field to hunger relief; he gives the profits from that field to hunger ministries.

At a children’s sermon or in SS or VBS or any child-focused event, hand out lunch size paper bags with food pictures pasted on them. Ask children to return them full of food and coins. Discuss hunger insecurity.

SS kids collect money and supplies during Lent for school Snack cart or the backpack program

Host a weekly community meal; deliver hot meals to folks who are home bound.Coordinate with other community churches that have community meals so that meals are served on different days of the week. Food left over is given to a local homeless shelter or other group.

Frozen hot dishes are prepared then given to needy families

Food and cash drives during specific months or church seasons, repeated annually. E.G.: one church does an Undie Sunday to collect new underwear for all ages to donate to the Salvation Army or other group for distribution. Another church does a paper goods drive in July for the food shelf. Collect baby items – food, formula, diapers – during December to remember baby Jesus.

Panhandlers on the streets: Stock your car with small bags containing a power bar and bottle of water and a list of shelters, food shelves and feeding programs in the community. Pass out instead of cash.

For a family that eats out occasionally, make it a learning opportunity. Following the meal the family or couple would talk about hunger and food insecurity issues, and then donate the amount that the meal cost to a hunger project. Or they could donate the price of one of the meals. Or they could decide not to eat out, but have a simple and inexpensive meal at home where the discussion would focus on hunger and food insecurity, then donate the cost of what the restaurant meal might have been. Do this deliberately with discussion is critical to teach the children.

Create Community hotmeal programs and food shelves, working with as many other churches and organizations as possible in town, to regularly provide hot meals, supplies, food shelves for the needy.

Take hot food or food shelf boxes to persons known to be in need but for personal reasons are unable or afraid to come to the distribution center.

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