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… Read more »
March 3, 2021
Community Sharing Garden Restoration Project
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… Read more » 
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… 
Living in The Sacrifice Zone This news comes from Climate Justice Alliance, a Presbyterian Hunger Program grant partner. A historic environmental justice (EJ) bill out of New Jersey, more than 10 years in the making, was signed into law this past year, thanks to the organizing work of CJA member Ironbound Community Corporation (ICC) and… 
Major food service company Aramark has made a public commitment to reject Genetically Engineered Salmon in compliance with demands from Tribal Nations. This comes before the first U.S. sales of AquaBounty Technologies salmon. The corporate consolidation of our seafood markets is pushing out community-based fishermen and BIPOC fishermen left and right and destroying our waters…. 
This reflection comes from Brenda Becerra, Senior Development Associate for Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO), a Presbyterian Hunger Program grant partner. Our world turned upside down in what seems like one day to another when the pandemic hit and we had to accept this new reality and try to adapt fast. We had no… 
While we work on long-term solutions to systemic injustices, we also are called to stay active in our local communities. On January 18, 2021 Rev. Frank Dew and other members of Salem presbytery worked with partners to raise awareness about hunger through a food drive and advocacy, as one of many ways to honor the… 
Defund the police reflection This reflection comes to us from Ashley Bair, who is working for Presbyterian Peace Fellowship during PPF’s deep focus on defunding the police. Ashley Bair It’s past time for a new way. That was the message my neighbors and I carried when we met on a lawn in late May. We… 
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…