Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture hosted the 14th Annual Interfaith Ramadan Fellowship Celebration. Dianna Wright, director of Ecclesial and Ecumenical Ministries in the Office of the General Assembly, PC(USA) and I were invited to celebrate with them and make brief remarks. It was wonderful to be with, pray with, and reflect on hunger and… Read more »
April 30, 2021
Ramadan Mubarak! Interfaith Celebration of Food & Fighting Hunger
Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture hosted the 14th Annual Interfaith Ramadan Fellowship Celebration. Dianna Wright, director of Ecclesial and Ecumenical Ministries in the Office of the General Assembly, PC(USA) and I were invited to celebrate with them and make brief remarks. It was wonderful to be with, pray with, and reflect on hunger and… Read more »
This update comes from the Alliance for Fair Food, a Presbyterian Hunger Program grant partner. The coronavirus has put the newfound resilience of farmworkers on Fair Food Program farms to the test. Farmworkers across the United States are facing an unprecedented threat to their health and safety, a massive shortage of personal protective equipment, and… 
This reflection comes to us from AJ Bisesi, Community Engagement Coordinator for Garfield Community Farm, a ministry of The Open Door Presbyterian Church. Getting produce to our neighbors is an integral tenet of our organization’s mission. We distribute produce in multiple ways, including donating. Valley View Presbyterian Church, one of our church partners from the… 
This reflection comes from Bruce Kelsh, Chair of Earth and Social Justice Committee for First Presbyterian Church, in Cottage Grove, OR. Fifty percent of the people in our rural community are classified as being in poverty or ALICE (Asset Limited Income Constrained), that is, the working poor. There is a shortage of fresh produce for… 
This reflection comes from Rev. Kirk Perucca, Pastor for Covenant Presbyterian Church, in Kansas City, MO. Covenant Presbyterian Church, an urban residential congregation in Kansas City has a mission. We feed people. Period. We serve people in a dignified, caring and just matter. Jesus didn’t ask for two forms of ID, one could be a… 
Reflection on creating community and hope in the midst of Covid-19 This reflection comes from Rev. Amy Cantrell, Co-Director for BeLoved Asheville, a Presbyterian Hunger Program grant partner. Ana is a community leader and a part of our Community Leadership Network. We met her early in 2020 as the pandemic descended. She is an essential… 
The description on the United Nations website sounds wonderful! In 2021, UN Secretary-General António Guterres will convene a Food Systems Summit as part of the Decade of Action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. The Summit will launch bold new actions to deliver progress on all 17 SDGs, each of which relies… 
Fighting hunger is at the heart of our Presbyterian understanding of mission. Jesus fed the hungry and told his disciples to do the same. Yet, we know that hunger is an extremely complex phenomenon with economic, political and social causes. 51 years ago, when the Hunger Program begin, our founding mothers and fathers realized that… 
Cultivating Solidarity in Tough Times By John Peck, executive director of Family Farm Defenders The full article is here (pages 9-11) and includes great content on U.S. farm justice history. Family Farm Defenders is a strategic partner of PHP and a fabulous, farmer-led group that is committed to solidarity and movement building. You can find… 
Heat, a Common Denominator Out of control fires. Hottest decade on record. Hot oceans spawning super storms. Polarized politics. Heated debates. COVID fever. The discomfort is now hitting the middle class and even upper classes feel the encroaching heat. The unrelenting suffering from racism, hunger, poverty and injustice has spread from the invisibilized margins into…