Hunger Action Day in the Grand Canyon Synod
If you have been following out blog or keeping up with our newsletter, then you know that Friday, October 15 was Hunger Action Day! Across the country, food banks and advocacy groups double down on their mission to end hunger by spreading awareness and garnering support. Keep reading to see how folks around our synod participatied!
LAMA Office
LAMA staff showed our support for the cause by wearing orange! Much of our work already focuses on hunger awareness—from educating church communities, to advocacy, to hands-on work—and today we pulled out all the stops. As we continue working on our policy outlines for the upcoming Farm Bill, we also put special focus on the work happening here at home.
LAMA director Solveig Muus wearing orange
As LAMA’s Hunger Advocacy Fellow, my whole job revolves around this work! I had plenty to do on Friday. In addition to wearing orange, I spent my time reading about the status of funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. Stay tuned for a blog post on how the proposed Agriculture Funding Bill will affect the program and what you can do to help keep the WIC program fully funded. I also discussed plans for a food drive with University Lutheran Church’s Finance and Stewardship Chair, MaryBeth LaMoant.
LAMA Policy Council member Melanie Hobden shared a picture of her garden’s bounty to celebrate hunger action day. Gardening is a great way to learn more about food production, support local food systems, and decrease your household’s food waste. Growing a garden also helps break up food deserts and can strengthen community ties.
Arizona Food Bank Network
Arizona Food Bank Network Vice President Terri Shoemaker sent out an e-mail detailing what the organization is focusing on this month. This included resources on the federal Farm Bill and Feeding America’s 2023 Mind the Meal Gap Report. This is an amazing break-down of food insecurity in America! Take a minute and get educated! Readers were also invited to join the Network in wearing orange and checking out stories about Hunger Action Day on social media. To donate to the Arizona Food Bank Network, click here. For more information on supporting the organization’s amazing work, click here.
Hunger Action at University Lutheran Church
My home church, University Lutheran in Tempe, does quite a bit to combat hunger year-round. During ASU’s school year, the congregation provides two fresh meals a week at no cost to students. We also keep a student food pantry stocked with dry goods and non-perishables, so that no student has to go hungry. Over the years, Lutheran Campus Ministry has racked up countless stories from students who have relied on our congregation in order regularly access food or stretch budgets to the end of the semester, and we are grateful to continue ministering to this need.
Autumn at the ULC Student Food Pantry
In addition to our student food pantry, ULC also collects donations for ASU’s Pitchfork Pantry (which you can read more about here). We have had an influx of donations from our congregation since the beginning of the semester, so today I spent time sorting food between our in-house pantry and our Pitchfork Pantry collection box. There is even more food here than when I checked in on Tuesday! Our pantry has completely run out of space, and our collection box has turned into a mountain of medal and cardboard on our altar. I am genuinely astounded at the scale of this congregation’s generosity and the tenacity of their dedication to hunger relief.
Autumn sorting donations for Pitchfork Pantry
What You Can Do To Help
Community members Erin Smythe (ASU LCM) and Eartha Jackson (Grace Lutheran Church) show their support for Hunger Action Day by wearing orange.
Below are five things you can do to help the fight against foo insecurity here in Arizona:
Show up to hunger awareness and advocacy events. Wear orange and share a picture on social media. Tag @azfoodbanks and join the conversation using the tag #HungerActionDay
Donate to Arizona Food Bank Network or ELCA World Hunger
Schedule some time to volunteer at one of Arizona’s member food banks
Write to your elected officials
Sign Feeding America’s Petition for a Hunger Free America, which support funding programs like SNAP on the 2023 Farm Bill.
Every action, big or small, is one step closer to a country where none are left hungry. Until ALL are fed,
Your LAMA team
