THE ISSUE

“The greater Winston-Salem area was ranked the worst metro area in the United States in having families with children that had a hard time putting food on the table.”* This was the opening sentence of a Winston-Salem Journal article published last August. The Food Research and Action Center study reported that nearly 35 percent of households with children struggled to buy sufficient food. This information is consistent with Winston-Salem Forsyth County school data, which shows that more than half of their students – over 27,000 – receive free or reduced lunch. In addition Second Harvest Food Bank, which provides food for many local feeding initiatives, has struggled to keep their shelves stocked. As a result, they have had to cut back on the amount of food they can provide neighbors in need due to low supply. Clearly we have an issue in our community!

* Gutierrez, Bertrand.  “Hunger Study Calls Area Worst in U.S.”  Winston-Salem Journal.  August 16, 2011

This information is shocking, but reveals an opportunity for the church to have a loud witness by giving!

What can you do?  During Community:Serve you will have several ways to address the issue of childhood hunger:

Grab a yellow BII bag, fill it with requested items, and bring it to the kick off service on July 8th.  You can also bring in items to Command Central during the week of Community:Serve.

Runners are asked to donate food as part of their participation. Food collected through the race will support local hunger relief initiatives.

Learn how the public school system and Second Harvest Food Bank are addressing the issue of childhood hunger throughout the year.

May we have a loud witness because of our overwhelming care for neighbors in need of food!

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink”
Jesus from Matthew 25: 35