Faith and Health Summit 2022 Mindful Together
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

NC Council of Churches

Strength in Unity, Peace through Justice

  • Voices
  • About
    • Overview
    • Staff
    • Members
    • Covenant Partners
    • Issue Statements
    • Governing Board
    • Careers
  • Programs
    • NC Interfaith Power & Light
      • NCIPL Overview
      • Faith in Action NCIPL
      • NCIPL Articles
      • NCIPL Resources
      • Upcoming Events for NCIPL
      • Contact NCIPL
    • Partners in Health & Wholeness
      • PHW Staff
      • Mini-Grants
      • PHW Collaborative Pledge
      • Faith and Health Summit 2022 Mindful Together
      • The Overdose Crisis: The Faith Community Responds
      • Mental Health Advocacy
      • BIPOC Mental Health Grant
      • Growing Communities of Inclusion: A Faithful Response to HIV
      • Healthy Aging
      • Citizen Science
      • PHW Articles
      • FAQs
  • Priorities
    • Racial Justice
    • The Overdose Crisis: The Faith Community Responds
    • Gun Violence Prevention
    • Criminal Justice
    • Immigrant Rights
    • Public Education
    • Farmworkers
    • Legislative Advocacy
    • Christian Unity
    • Peace
  • Events
  • Resources
    • COVID-19 Resources
    • Publications & Reports
    • Raleigh Report
    • Lectionary
    • Sermons
  • Donate
  • Council Store
  • Show Search

Search NC Council of Churches

Hide Search

For I Was Hungry and You Gave Me Nothing

Chris Liu-Beers, Former Program Associate · September 9, 2013 · Leave a Comment

hunger in nc

Note: This article has run as an editorial in NC Policy Watch, the Jefferson Post, and The Mt. Airy News.

Have you ever gone to bed hungry? Have you ever skipped a meal so that your children could eat? Have you ever waited in a long line to take home a bag of leftover groceries that was no longer fit for store shelves?

Did you know that 1 in 6 North Carolina households reported serious problems affording adequate nutritious food at some point last year, according to new data released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture today. Of the North Carolinians experiencing this food insecurity, some 5.5 percent experienced very low food security – meaning that one or more household members had to reduce their food intake at least some time during the year. And North Carolina and Louisiana lead the nation with the highest percentage of children under 5 years of age who are food insecure on a regular basis: 1 in 4 (23.5%).

One of the most powerful weapons against hunger is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program (SNAP). Some 1.7 million people in North Carolina participate in SNAP and use its benefits to help put a basic diet on the table each day.

Have you ever refused to give food to someone who was hungry?

That’s exactly what the US House of Representatives will vote on as early as next week. One issue that’s flown under the radar this summer is the looming showdown in the House of Representatives over SNAP funding. SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, keeps millions of Americans out of extreme poverty and hunger, but it faces serious threats.

For one, benefits for every single SNAP recipient will be cut automatically in November as an emergency benefit increase begun in 2009 and renewed last year expires. At that point, SNAP benefits will fall to a meager $1.40 per meal.

How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?
I John 3:17

House Republicans plan to not only slash SNAP funding by an additional $40 billion, but also to make massive structural changes that permanently hobble the program’s ability to protect children, seniors, the disabled and struggling families from utter destitution. The proposed changes include rewriting eligibility rules to cut off recipients who can’t find work, incentivizing states to kick people off SNAP and undermining enrollment programs that help eligible families sign up.

The policy details are complex, but the big picture is clear – unless the House changes course, up to 6 million Americans who are barely getting by right now will soon experience greater food insecurity, hunger and extreme poverty.

Bringing It Home: The Community Lunch at St. Bart’s, Pittsboro, NC

Last week I had the honor of participating in St. Bart’s Community Lunch with the Council’s Rural Life Committee. The Community Lunch is one of the most diverse gatherings of people that you’ll find in a church, and it’s one of the most simple and beautiful expressions of faith-in-action that you’ll ever see. We were there to learn firsthand how churches are working to build community and fight hunger day by day across the state. Hunger is not an abstraction or a statistic for St. Bart’s and for the town of Pittsboro. Extreme poverty and hunger are real, and it takes a whole community – from churches to schools to the state and federal government – to make sure the hungry are fed.

It’s time to stop and ask ourselves and our elected officials: what are we doing? There are hungry children in our neighborhoods, and we are refusing to feed them. There are millions of families living at the brink of disaster and we’re going to deny them food?

Or, in the more eloquent words of Rev. Dr. Russell L. Meyer, executive director of the Florida Council of Churches:

Our nation has the means to feed the hungry and to address poverty successfully. Congress needs to find the will to fight hunger rather than use hunger to fight each other. After all, we do not live in an immoral universe that likes to make children go hungry. We live in a world in which religious leaders such as Jesus plainly say to us as he did to his disciples on the hillside with 5,000 hungry families: ‘You feed them.’

Additional Resources

  • Facts on Hunger in North Carolina
  • SNAPping the Safety Net (Faith in Public Life)
  • Breaking News: One in Six Households in North Carolina Struggled Against Hunger Last Year
  • Column: Don’t Cut Funding to Feed the Hungry
  • Lectionary Worship Resources on Hunger
  • House Leadership SNAP Proposal Would Eliminate Food Assistance for 4 Million to 6 Million Low-Income People (Report by Center on Budget and Policy Priorities)

Filed Under: Blog, In the Media Tagged With: Children & Youth, Food, Hunger

About Chris Liu-Beers, Former Program Associate

Chris worked on immigrant rights, farmworker justice, sustainability, worship resources, and the Council's website. He left the Council in 2014 to run Tomatillo Design, a company that builds affordable websites for nonprofits.

Reader Interactions

More Like This

Because of Jesus
The Perfect Gift for Mother’s Day
PHW Faith and Health Summit: Thank You

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Footer

Contact

NC Council of Churches
27 Horne St.
Raleigh, NC 27607
(919) 828-6501
info@ncchurches.org

Facebook

Partners in Health and Wholeness

Featured

For I Was Hungry and You Gave Me Nothing

Latest Tweets

Join us for our @healthandfaith Faith and Health Summit! Our theme for this year’s summit is Mindful Together. We want to acknowledge the need for mindful moments that hold our minds, bodies, & spirits. Join us and a well-rounded list of expert speakers: ncchurches.ourpowerb… pic.twitter.com/WSnA…

About 13 hours ago

RT @NCCADP We have so much planned to mark the anniversary of NC's last execution. Read all about it on our blog and make a plan to join us as we say: Never again! #deathpenalty bit.ly/3C0lZkf

About 3 days ago

With the growing threat of the climate crisis, NC is looking toward new ways to get to zero carbon emissions. Last week, @NCIPL staff members Susannah Tuttle & Ren Martin attended a public hearing in Charlotte. wfae.org/energy-envi…

About 4 days ago

RT @MomsRising Moms of color don't have adequate break time or private space to pump. Urge lawmakers to support breastfeeding & working mothers! moms.ly/3Qi3gnN _ Las mamás de color no tienen un tiempo de descanso adecuado o un espacio privado para bombear. #NBM22 #IPumpedHere #PUMPAct pic.twitter.com/V3Yw…

About 5 days ago

Welcome our newest staff member, Ren Martin, NCIPL & Eco-Justice Connection Program Coordinator! Ren aims to uplift and empower people to create a more sustainable future for us all. We are excited Ren has joined our team! pic.twitter.com/3VLZ…

About 2 weeks ago

Follow @ncchurches

Latest Tweets

RT @ncchurches Join us for our @healthandfaith Faith and Health Summit! Our theme for this year’s summit is Mindful Together. We want to acknowledge the need for mindful moments that hold our minds, bodies, & spirits. Join us and a well-rounded list of expert speakers: ncchurches.ourpowerb… pic.twitter.com/WSnA…

About 10 hours ago

Do you know what grant is right for your faith community? Check out the graphic below to learn about the differences between grants. Click here to learn more informationhttps://www.ncchurches.org/programs/phw/phw-mini-grants/ pic.twitter.com/umXb…

Last week

RT @FaithCompassWFU If we look at the HIV epidemic as an opportunity to bring healing, justice, and equity to those who have been marginalized and impacted by the health industry and society at large, we can generate more good in our communities. #breakthestigma #faithcompassWFU pic.twitter.com/FPIB…

About 2 weeks ago

RT @ncchurches This month we are excited to announce our @healthandfaith Interim Co-Directors: Jessica Stokes & Nicole Johnson. Jessica & Nicole have dedicated their hard work to supporting faith communities across NC. They will continue to do this work while overseeing the PHW program. pic.twitter.com/SU8Q…

About 2 weeks ago

RT @ncchurches This July, during BIPOC Mental Health Month, we invite faith communities of color to think about programs, initiatives, and ideas that will lift up BIPOC Mental Health and use the grant money @healthandfaith will offer to make that idea come to light! ncchurches.org/bipoc… pic.twitter.com/DMwT…

About 2 weeks ago

Follow @healthandfaith

Latest Tweets

RT @interfaithpower 🧵1/The Senate voted to pass the single biggest climate & clean energy investment in our nation’s history! Read statements on the passage from the IPL network: interfaithpowerandli… #Faiths4Climate #GetClimateDone

About 12 hours ago

RT @interfaithpower Join us tomorrow for a discussion about encouraging our #faith communities to #vote by offering sermons, divrei Torah, and khutbahs on the importance of #voting. Register at ow.ly/W6so50K5kqI #FaithClimateJusticeVoter #Vote2022 #VoteReady #Faiths4Climate #interfaith pic.twitter.com/6Ecw…

About 12 hours ago

Press Conference happening now #CLT #NCCarbonPlan #FossilFreeNC pic.twitter.com/Rizq…

About 2 weeks ago

RT @ClimateNexus Faith-based organizations, including @CreationJustice and @NCIPL, are hosting an evening of discussions and workshops on building climate resilience on August 18 from 5 pm to 8 pm ET. Register here: bit.ly/resiliencesum… pic.twitter.com/fuz8…

About 2 weeks ago

RT @averydavislamb Preachers and pastors! This weekend when you pray for and preach on the heat waves, wildfires, and other disasters, try mentioning that these are intensified by climate change. Here's what I've been praying...

About 3 weeks ago

Follow @ncipl

Latest Tweets

Copyright © 2022 NC Council of Churches · All Rights Reserved · Website by Tomatillo Design · Hosted by WP Engine