About World Food Day

The WEA and its faith partners from around the world are pleased to provide these World Food Day resources for church and family. The theme for this year is, very appropriately, “Our actions are our future”. This is an important theme for our time as we face the continuing pandemic and its many consequences for church, family, and children. Especially for children who are facing hunger, malnutrition, loss of education, and more, they will live with the consequences for their lifetime. During the pandemic global hunger has increased 20%, with as many as 811 million people worldwide going to bed hungry each night. In 2015 the governments of the world committed to zero hunger by 2030. Now, the projection is that hunger will be higher in 2030 than it was in 2015.

For the church, this has been a struggle to care with those in need while dealing with lockdowns and loss of resources. Communities need churches to offer hope and support while facing civil conflict, loss of jobs, and loss of access to food.

For families and children, the struggle to have a healthy diet has never been greater. Hunger has increased in every region of the world.  People in rural regions far more likely to struggle with hunger and nutrition. Asia has the largest total number of hungry people, but Africa has the highest percentage of its population. It is estimated that 14 million children under the age of five suffer from malnutrition.

The resources WEA and its partners have provided are aimed at equipping faith leaders to speak to these issues. The videos display the faces and voices of those facing hunger and the response of church and faith leaders. There are resources to help people to speak about hunger and to talk with their families about the problem. The more we can engage people in talking and sharing about hunger the more we can bring the problem into the open and mobilize those who can help.

As we consider our response, we remember Matthew (25:35) For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me. And as the disparities between rich and poor, fed and hungry, have grown, we are also reminded of 1 John (3:17-18) But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.