“It is more than food and addressing hunger. For Native people, food is a part of addressing mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual wellness. Food is connected to ancestral teachings, language, and belief systems that are unique to each Native community.”

Hunger Action Month is a 30-day event each year, where people just like you, join together in the mission to end hunger. It’s typically held in September and is fast growing as a national event.

Congress is considering a new supplemental package to address the economic impacts of COVID-19. An ELCA priority in this package is addressing hunger increasing in our communities as unemployment and financial hardships rise. Urge Congress to include a temporary increase in the maximum SNAP benefit by 15% during this emergency.

Systemic inequality makes BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) communities, citizens without adequate access to healthcare and nutritious food, and slaughterhouse and food chain workers especially vulnerable to COVID-19 and other threats. If we want to create a healthier and more just society, abusive attitudes and extractive industries need to be transformed — starting with our broken food system. Exceptionally well documented article.

SNAP’s (food stamps) broad reach among low-income families with children and others who may struggle to afford an adequate diet makes it one of the most effective means of delivering food assistance. The economic crisis spurred by COVID-19 has resulted in an unprecedented increase in SNAP’s reach: 6 to 7 million more people have applied and been approved for benefits since February, state-reported data show.