On World Food Day, Gospel for Asia-supported field partners joined other NGOs around the world to meet the needs of the hungry.
As part of the World Food Programme’s goal of #ZeroHunger around the world, many NGOs jumped into action to meet the needs of the hungry, especially in India. Notably, India’s Global Health Index took a hit recently, slipping from 94th in the world to 100th.
This news isn’t due to lack of effort or people willing to serve. There are hundrends of NGOs meeting the needs of families across the world.
GFA-supported field partners minister to leprosy patients
Gospel for Asia field partners celebrated WFD by serving some of Asia’s most overlooked people: widows and orphans, leprosy patients and slum dwellers, to name a few. National workers handed out food packages and served hot meals to groups of often-undernourished men, women and children as an expression of God’s love for them.
Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported Sisters of Compassion, specialized women missionaries, took meals to leprosy patients while other groups distributed food packets as they visited low-income communities.
The events were organized to mark WFD, honoring the founding of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, which spearheads efforts to beat world hunger. But as one group of Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported workers told those they served, “We distribute food not only to observe the day, but to show the love of God to people.”
Among the recipients were families living in a village accessible only by foot, who supplement their meager farming income by gathering bamboo shoots and herbs in a nearby forest to sell at a market.
After being served a cooked meal, an 80-year-old man living in the village thanked the Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported workers for the food.
“I feel so good that someone who does not know me cared for me and visited me,” he said.
Another villager said no one had ever shown such care before, and she had been prompted to follow their example.
“When they went and prayed for the sick people of our village, I felt that I too should visit the sick people in the coming days,” she said. “It is a great lesson that I have learned, to love and care for each other.”
Feeding India uses 60 trucks to deliver food
The HindustanTimes reported after talking with one NGO, “A lot of food is wasted during the festive season, so Feeding India works to mobilise food from donors to recipients. All food can be donated, as food is edible for a couple of hours. One just has to call on our helpline numbers, and the volunteers will collect the food. For WFD, we have introduced 60 magic trucks to deliver donated food. This World Food Week, #FightFoodWaste and help us set up Magic Wheels in your city,” says Arindam Kalra, President, Feeding India, an NGO that aims to work at solving the problem of hunger and malnutrition in the country. The team donates food received from individuals, weddings, restaurants, and offices to the needy.
What is World Food Day and How Did it Start?
Food and Agriculture organization of the United Nations (FAO) celebrates World Food Day each year on 16 October to commemorate the founding of the Organization in 1945. Events are organized in over 150 countries across the world, making it one of the most celebrated days of the UN calendar. These events promote worldwide awareness and action for those who suffer from hunger and for the need to ensure food security and nutritious diets for all.
The FAO created a series of videos about this issue as part of the #ZeroHunger initiative.
Here is a list of a few of the events that happened around the world for WFD, along with those mentioned above.
What Can We Do?
- Each of us can pray for those still in need of food. WFP provides a world hunger map which you can download here.
- Thank those nonprofits like Gospel for Asia (GFA), The Food Project, Feed India, WFP, FAO and many others who are reaching out to meet the needs of the hungry.
- Share this with others who don’t know and want to take action.
