UNITED METHODIST MEN
UM Men provide food for hungry families By Wade Mays
2020 was a challenging year for millions of people around the country. The number of families struggling to put food on their tables doubled since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Families that managed to scrape by each month before COVID suddenly faced an unexpected crisis as layoffs, furloughs, and unemployment wrecked their carefully balanced plans. The pandemic and its effects have not gone away. In fact, the number of families experiencing hunger is increasing. Lower-income families are the most vulnerable. There’s a new wave of people who managed to make ends meet each month, before the pandemic, who are now struggling to put food on the table for their children. These families must make difficult decisions daily to give something up to pay for food. For some families that something might be electricity— for others, it might be clothing or medicine. To make their food last until the next paycheck, parents add an extra cup of water to soup, water down milk, or give children soda because it’s cheaper than milk.
Food waste In the time it will take you to finish reading this, 340,000 pounds of perfectly good food will go to
waste in the United States. Hard to believe, isn’t it? Yet, it is an astounding fact that more than 263 million pounds of food is wasted every day in this country. What makes that waste even worse, is that every day millions of Americans struggle to get enough food for their families to eat. It must break God’s heart to see so much waste in the face of so much need.
Bridging the hunger gap Fortunately, however, UM Men are working every day to bridge the hunger gap in the United States. Some volunteer to help in soup kitchens. Others go into farmers’ fields after harvest to pick up leftover food and deliver it to those in need. Still others help out at food banks and local pantries that serve the poor. All across this nation, the Society of St. Andrew (SoSA), with the support of UM Men, is doing something to address hunger in America. I truly hope the men in your fellowship are so engaged. Many UM Men reached out to SoSA looking for ways to help get good food to families in their communities. Even though many groups weren’t meeting during the COVID-19 pandemic, they saw the need and wanted to help. This is the heart of UM Men— a heart for serving and caring for their neighbors. We have seen it time and time again around our country as needs have arisen.
Action in St. Louis Wade Mays is director of Meals for Millions and Hunger Relief Advocates for the Society of St. Andrew.
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One UM Men leader saw the rising need in his community in St. Louis. Mark Shrader recognized the need and went all in to share nutritious food with families in his community. He saw the need and God
