Food Network: Four Ways to Feed the Hungry

Fully aware that over five million children starve to death every year, Dr. Winston explained that EarthCovenant is not huge by design. What they lack in size they more than make up for by being “incredibly focused and tenacious.” Rather than operating as a huge corporate entity with a distant board of directors, EarthCovenant is able to connect directly with struggling people by working exclusively through Catholic Missions. It is a very hands-on approach that models Jesus’ response, “Give them some food yourselves.” Dr. Winston explains, “I believe we must refuse to be paralyzed by the enormity of the tragedy.…Rather, we must allow our spirits to be lifted by the conviction that nothing is impossible for the Holy Spirit if we work together to create even small spaces that can be penetrated by the light of possibility.” She cites Saint Francis, who told us that if we first do what is necessary, then what is possible, we will soon find ourselves doing the impossible.

Not all of us can pick up our lives and go to Africa or India or Asia or Haiti or even Appalachia. We may not feel very safe when someone taps on our window at a traffic light, asking for help. But that should not stop us from taking stock of our own five loaves and two fish. It should not deter us from asking for a blessing on behalf of those who hunger. And it doesn’t even have to prevent us from feeding those who are hungry. If nothing else, we can empower others to feed them in our name. Countless organizations, in every country in the world, are trying to address this dire problem in a variety of ways. Some are giving away fish; others are teaching people to fish. Some are going high tech with genetically designed seeds; others are returning to the basics of organic farming. Some work through governments, while others work through religious organizations. Some help on a national level, others on a local level, and still others help one person at a time. Some are huge and highly organized; others are simply people helping people.

I’d wager to guess that everyone reading this has a little extra room at the table. We could each add a little water to the soup to stretch it a bit further. There might even be a few people like me for whom fewer desserts would be a healthy choice. Our Lord commanded us to go out to all nations and proclaim the Good News. We can each be more vocal. As mentioned earlier, even writing a simple letter can be a very effective means of change.

Which organizations you choose to help is not nearly as important as doing what you can. God has given each of us talents and treasures and affords each of us numerous opportunities to demonstrate our love and compassion. None of us would let our own children starve if we could do anything to prevent it, and I am sure many readers have made great sacrifices for the sake of their children and grandchildren. It is all about recognizing the worth of others. It is about opening ourselves and allowing their pain to touch us and move us to action, to make the sacrifice of time and treasure, to balance their need with our surplus and share our five loaves and two fish.

This article is the result of dialogue between Tony Hall and Father Rick Potts, editor of Liguorian.