Enjoy the feast, feed the hungry
God has blessed our world. There is sufficient food on the planet to feed all of us. But many Canadians appear to be insulated from that truth. World Vision Canada recently commissioned an Ipsos Reid poll that revealed only 57 per cent of Canadians know that there is enough food to feed everyone in the world.
Yet there are close to one billion undernourished men, women and children, according to the United Nations. Ninety-eight per cent of them live in developing countries. And hunger is the world's number one health risk, killing more people every year than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined.
Why are people still going hungry? The answer is challenging, even when the solutions are right in front of us. In the Horn of Africa, the terrible effects of the drought have been compounded by high global food prices. This means farmers are not only struggling to grow food, but families can't afford to buy food even if it is available. The answer must go beyond simple handouts to include strategies for sustainability.
Duke Divinity School's Norman Wirzba, author of Food and Faith: A Theology of Eating, agrees. He says Christians ought to advocate for "food democracy" around the world.
"We need to help people grow the food for themselves that they want," he explains.
I saw the power of that kind of thinking in action in the fall, when I visited some of those families most affected by the drought in the Horn of Africa. At a therapeutic feeding centre in Kenya, aid workers cared for desperately malnourished children. In contrast, three hours away, the local community—with World Vision's help—has established a very simple irrigation system. It has enabled them to grow enough food for themselves and more to sell at the market.
As those who follow Christ, it's important that we wrestle with the issues and ask what we can do as individuals and communities to make a lasting difference.
CBC television host George Stroumboulopoulos, the World Food Programme's Canadian Ambassador Against Hunger, recently shared some thoughts with me to pass along to Canadian church leaders.
"There are lots of places to disagree," he said, "but the place we can agree on is, 'That person fell down, let's help them up.'
"Let's make sure people eat today," Stroumboulopoulos said, "but then also make sure they have the means to feed themselves tomorrow. Church or otherwise, that's something we can all agree on."
You don't have to work for a large NGO or have celebrity status to make a difference. Each one of us can adapt our diets and our lifestyles in simple yet effective ways that can ripple around the globe.
"We can eat in ways that promote justice in the world," says Wirzba. "But to do that, we first have to know what is going on in our food industries.
"Think always of food as a gift from God," he adds. "Don't ever take for granted clean water and healthy soil. They are quite literally the foundation upon which health and happiness depend. Remember that God is in the feeding and the hospitality business. God wants all eaters to know the delight of the feast."
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