January - February Feed the Hunger on the Go 2024

ON THE GO

January - February 2024

IN THIS ISSUE Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.

Proverbs 16:3

Finding Freedom in Kentucky Hallelujah, Haiti!

Meal Milestone—45 Million and Counting!

Thank You for Making a Difference New Ways to Serve

A Word from the CEO Our 2024 started months ago. Well, the planning did at least, so it feels like the new year is well underway. We appreciate your prayers this month as a mission team heads to Bangladesh and Vietnam. It will be a busy year of ministry travel, visiting the partnerships and people you’re impacting.

Feed the Hunger just celebrated another meal-packing milestone!

These moments are great because they’re a chance to thank the Lord for what He has allowed us to do together. It’s also a reminder that while quantity is great, quality is more important. We know that you want to touch a life with each and every meal. Thank you for your heart to serve and impact lives for Christ!

Another reminder of the privilege of being a conduit of blessings to others comes as we celebrate breakthroughs in Haiti and Kentucky.

One day, we may be the ones in need who must rely on others to respond to our call for help. Until then, we labor on!

Serving with you,

Joseph Williams, CEO

Scan the QR code to watch the powerful year-end message from Joseph at Times Square.

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FINDING FREEDOM in Kentucky

feedthehunger.org/prayer-cr-kentucky

Living in a broken world we all deal with life’s hurts, hang-ups, and habits. No one has the ability, nor should they attempt to face their hurts on their own.

—Celebrate Recovery Your donations to Bible Outreach provide healing and freedom around the world! Feed the Hunger Director of Field Ministries, Melinda Staples, recently visited with our partner Pastor Terry Tipton of Meridzo Ministries. He shared real stories of Celebrate Recovery participants whose hearts and lives have been transformed through the program and the power of God’s Holy Word. Thanks to you, the lives restored through this Christcentered addiction recovery program are rooted in the promises and truths of God. A biblical worldview releases people from the bondage of painful habits to live in freedom in a relationship with Jesus Christ. Having a study Bible tailored toward their needs allows those in Celebrate Recovery to experience God’s redeeming love in a personal and relevant way. Thank you for making this possible!

Hallelujah

HAITI! The news cycle typically lasts only a few days. Natural disasters and political unrest are covered heavily when they first occur, then the cameras move to the next breaking story.

We rarely hear any updates or resolutions and, therefore, can quickly forget the situation. At Feed the Hunger, we get to see “the rest of the story,” with a frontrow view of answered prayers and God’s provision.

For the past two years, Haiti has endured political and social collapse. With no functioning government, violent gangs have seized control of large sections of cities and roadways—including the Port Authority at one point. As a result, two containers of Feed the Hunger food were held in port, unable to be processed through customs.

Praise Jesus! Just recently, both containers were released in the same week! We are happy to share that, with a shelf life of two years, the meal packets survived in the Haitian heat and continue to be tasty and nutritious! Food insecurity is widespread amid the chaos, and now over 550,000 meals will reach Haitians in desperate need.

Our partner reports the following:

He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry…

Psalm 146:7

After about 14 months, we were in very great difficulty serving our partners the Feed the Hunger meal packs. It was a joy when I received a call saying our container should be released soon. Not only did I feel joy in my heart, but I was “healed,” because when I saw people keep calling and asking for food and I could not do anything for them, I had a constant headache. God did it! He answered our prayers.

Everybody tried to explain to me how they were praying for the containers to be released. The recent group prayer for the release of the food happened five days before I received the release call. God is great! We are almost done with the delivery of a container because everybody was in very great need of food. Thanks to everyone for making it happen. We play some role on our side, but without you, it would not be possible.

May the Lord keep blessing you, Maxeau Antoine, Feed the Hunger Haiti When God delays, don’t doubt his goodness. Persist in prayer, trust his love, and wait for His perfect timing to reveal His glory! Please join us in continued prayers for the safety of our partners as they distribute the food, and that the door will remain open for more shipments to Haiti.

45

MILLION MEALS and Counting

Feed the Hunger celebrated a major milestone in November: we packed our 45 millionth meal! Thanks to continued support and prayers from donors and volunteers, God made a way to pack 20 million meals in under four years (it took 10 years to pack the first 25 million). And now, because of you we will have packed 6,519,240 meals at 203 Packathons in 29 states in 2023.

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:10 Every part of a Packathon is important. Every role is significant. For some, participating makes as much impact on their lives as the meals do on those who receive them. A volunteer shared the story of his heart transformation that happened one day around the labeling table.

“I’m learning that I am God’s earthly vessel created for His purposes, and any good that I might do is really Him doing it through me.”

—David, Packathon labeler

After 14 years of volunteering at RockPointe Church Packathons, David experienced a radical change in outlook. While he doesn’t recall the exact number of events he has participated in, he said that until 2022 it was simply something he did as a service project. Now he knows God used this activity to impact his life forever.

“God used Feed the Hunger labeling to open my eyes to how many unseen people there are.”

He was sitting at the labeling station when four moms showed up with their special needs children and began to help. A self-declared perfectionist with high standards for label placement, he was unhappy with the quality of work they were doing. Then, he began to feel a nudging of the Holy Spirit. He had an overwhelming sense of knowing he should not be disappointed with these moms and kids who were having a wonderful time serving together.

The Lord opened his eyes to the condition of his heart, and he knew he should be loving them instead of judging them. Before they left, he was compelled to write each of them a note of appreciation. He saw how God uses everyone with a willing heart. He knew he needed to get involved in a way that lets them know that they are seen.

El Roi means “the God who sees me” (Genesis 16:13). When we feel most invisible and forgotten by everyone else, we can remember that God does see us. The Lord led David to use “YOU ARE SEEN” cards to engage with new people in new ways. “He is using me to know and love people in new ways and show people that they are seen and appreciated. Something I know I would have never done without God and my participation in Packathon labeling.”

THANK for Making YOU a Difference Katy Community Reflects the Love of God Thanks to everyone in Katy and the greater Houston community who contributed their time and resources in 2023! You surpassed the 1-million-meal goal for your region of Texas in 2023. Thank you for uniting with the single goal of meeting the physical needs of others by packing nutritious meals. You’re bringing “hope in a bag” and spreading the Gospel in your neighborhoods and to the nations.

“My favorite part of packing with Feed the Hunger is sharing in the genuine joy of the Lord. Out of the overflow of that time there is tangible evidence of God’s love, care, and provision in a universal language—food. Whether that food travels to places in the world that I never visit or remains local to nourish my immediate neighbors, it changes lives with the power and promise of the Gospel.”

—Leah, Katy Packathon participant

You Make It Happen!

We love our volunteers! Thank you for giving us your time and talents. You met us around the table to complete special packing and labeling projects, marched alongside us in Christmas parades, and you ALWAYS step up when there is a need. We appreciate all you do!

Christmas Packathon THANK YOU! You came. You saw.

You packed it all! More than 567 volunteers showed up in the spirit of Christmas to pack 139,680 meals.

Labelers, warehouse workers, and scoopers—we are so grateful for you all!

In the End – YOU Make It Happen!

We’re thankful for you and your prayers and support for Feed the Hunger programs around the world. Thank you for supporting our #GivingTuesday campaign. Bible funds have gone to Uganda, Nepal, India, Kenya, Pakistan, Togo, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Ethiopia.

“I am grateful to you for joining me in providing these Bibles for the needy most members of 17 churches located in various villages. It is my prayer that the printed Word of God would be available for each believer so that their lives would be transformed, which ultimately would impact the people in and around their villages to the glory of God.” —Partner in Nepal

Partner Gifts and Good Tidings You’ve made a way to bless our ministry partners in amazing ways.

Here are some words of gratitude from just a few of the people you’ve touched with your love this Christmas.

“Wow! What a great gift, my brothers and sisters in Christ. On behalf of my family and the church family too, I appreciate it very much with a lot of joy and great gratitude. Thank you, thank you, and thank you very much.”

—John N, Kenya “I would like to thank you, especially for the special Christmas gift you gave me. This would enable us to have an enjoyable Christmas moment.”

—Komivi, Togo

“We are delighted to share the warmth and joy we experienced with two groups of 75 children each.

During our first group’s program, just before the eagerly anticipated gift-giving, an air siren sounded, prompting us to swiftly gather in the basement to ensure everyone’s safety. We continued the program, distributing gifts, Bibles, and candy, and had a unique and memorable Christmas celebration. To all who lifted us up in prayer and supported us in various ways, your kindness and dedication have not gone unnoticed.”

—Vitaliy and Natalia, Ukraine

NEW Ways to Serve!

More opportunities to provide children around the world with basic needs!

The NEW Hygiene Packathon is a ministry tool that aligns with Feed the Hunger’s mission to meet the spiritual and physical hunger of those in need, particularly at-risk children. In every country we serve, people are living in conditions that make maintaining or even practicing good hygiene difficult. Hygiene Packs help decrease infections, reduce school absences, and improve oral health. Imagine the difference it makes being able to wash your hands with soap, brush your teeth, and clean and cover a wound.

Several of our partners have distributed Hygiene Packs to children in six different countries and to the Rohingya people living in the world’s largest refugee camp, located in Bangladesh.

Your church, business, or school can provide these basic hygiene items by hosting a Hygiene Packathon that includes the same fun, assembly-line-style process as our food Packathon (and at the same cost!). During a two-hour shift, participants will assemble four items that improve overall health: a bar of soap, a washcloth, a toothbrush, and adhesive bandages. Reach out to packathon@feedthehunger.org for more information!

P.O. Box 2347 Burlington, NC 27216-2347 feedthehunger.org | 1.888.772.9634

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