Get Involved - has information about a number of ways that you can learn about and join efforts to end hunger: through donations, volunteer work, advocacy, public education, or a unique community-based method of finding and linking the unique skills of local community residents (Asset-Based Community Development).

What Churches And Synagogues Can Do

Goals:

1. Understand more about the experience of hunger and poverty.
2. Minister to the needs of hungry people.

Recommended Actions:

• (Continue) to provide emergency assistance, information, screening and referral services to low-income people who come to churches and synagogues for assistance:
  • Maintain current information on available services.
  • Participate in training volunteers to assist and refer people appropriately.
  • Organize and train teams of volunteers to provide these services for your church or synagogue, or in conjunction with other area congregations.
• Encourage members (to continue) to contribute food, funds and volunteer time to emergency food programs:
  • Ask for donations of specific kinds of high nutrition foods (e.g. baby food, peanut butter, canned tuna) -start a "food of the month" club.
  • Organize teams of congregation members who rotate working at food sites.
  • Organize and/or support projects which raise funds for local hunger programs along with international hunger relief and development projects.
• Provide opportunities for members to be educated about causes of domestic poverty, hunger and malnutrition:
  • Organize special events and programs in your church or synagogue.
  • Coordinate educational activities of several churches, synagogues and/or denominations and faiths.
  • Provide a list of available resources -materials, speakers and audio-visuals - for program and group leaders.
• Support and/or join local self-help and development projects which assist those who are able to reduce their dependence on emergency food programs:
  • Identify and adopt a family in need and provide support, job guidance, and other services as needed.
  • Develop a team of volunteers to create and coordinate self-help approaches using congregational contacts and resources.
• Urge mayors, city council members, county supervisors, and state and federal lawmakers to support legislation which addresses food and nutrition needs:
  • Write, call or visit individually or as a group.
  • Join and/or support a group or organization which works on policy improvements.
  • Ask policy makers to attend events and activities where issues and concerns are discussed.

[Top]