1 August 2007

World Hunger Fund Surpasses 10 Million Dollars in Grants

There was excitement, even amazement, when the announcement was made at the 2007 World Conference, held in March, that the World Hunger Fund had passed the US $10 million mark in grants. Many were aware that the hunger ministries of the church have been growing over the years, yet some were surprised, perhaps, at the degree of success that has been achieved.

Although no one knew what to expect when the World Hunger Committee was first authorized in 1978, almost immediately contributions began to accumulate. Since that time, funds have continued to multiply, and the amount disbursed to various hunger programs and organizations now exceeds a half-million dollars a year. Approximately 80 percent of this annual amount is granted to two human development organizations, Outreach International and World Accord, both with historic ties to Community of Christ.

In the case of Outreach International, some of their more well-known and long-standing programs funded by the World Hunger Fund are the lunch programs in the Gumiguda School in Orissa, East India; the church-sponsored schools in Haiti; and the Zion’s Hope Day School in Brazil. In addition, field programs in several African countries, Bolivia, the Philippines, and Nicaragua all benefit from World Hunger grants.

World Accord, a human development organization chartered in Canada, has similar projects operating in many developing countries, including Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. One of the features of the grants to World Accord is that the funds are often matched by Canadian International Development Agency grants that have the effect of doubling their value.

The World Hunger Fund has also long supported Bread for the World, a Christian advocacy organization. Additionally, World Hunger funds support church jurisdictions seeking to develop community pantries and feeding programs, and several hundred thousand dollars have been granted in just the past few years for victims of natural disasters, wars, and other hunger-related conditions.

For hunger-related ministries, $10 million represents a remarkable response for Community of Christ, a relatively small denomination. I am pleased just to be a part of such a dedicated and committed body—a people who, in a desperately needy world, are seeking to become agents of reconciliation and healing of the spirit.

Visit www.CofChrist.org/hunger  for more information about World Hunger ministries and how to contribute. For more information about World Accord, go to www.worldaccord.org.

—Wallace B. Smith, chair