The coronavirus pandemic is pushing vulnerable populations into unprecedented risk of starvation in North America and around the world. Through the work of Global Hunger Relief, Southern Baptists are equipped to respond to this humanitarian crisis.
“Hunger is on the rise,” the 2021 Global Humanitarian Overview states. The report projects the current number of “acutely food insecure people” around the world at 270 million. Food insecurity describes a household’s inability to provide enough food for every person to live an active, healthy life.
The overview reports that almost all food systems have been majorly disrupted in the last 12 months. Nearly every school-age child in the world has dealt with school closures this year, in some cases eliminating critical access to meals provided through schools.
In the United States, “more than 50 million people may experience food insecurity, including a potential 17 million children,” due to the pandemic, reports Feeding America.
Global Hunger Relief, an initiative of Southern Baptists, exists to serve those at risk for hunger around the world through Gospel-centered projects. GHR is prepared to meet immediate, crisis needs, but also provides long-term, sustainable solutions to end chronic hunger, such as job skills training, livestock and seed distribution, and clean water.
GHR is a collaborative partnership between seven Southern Baptist organizations: Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, International Mission Board, North American Mission Board, Send Relief, Women’s Missionary Union, Lifeway Christian Resources, and the SBC Executive Committee.
Southern Baptists have a long history of working together to combat global hunger and established the World Hunger Fund in 1978, which eventually became known as Global Hunger Relief.
Because of the Cooperative Program, all donations given to GHR go directly to hunger needs. Twenty percent of funds meet needs in North America and Eighty percent of funds meet needs around the world. Learn more about Global Hunger Relief at globalhungerrelief.org and sendrelief.org.
