The following information comes from the Church Newsroom. To read the full report, CLICK HERE.
“Hungry children need food,” said Elder Gerrit W. Gong, an Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in January 2021. It’s a simple truth, but the pandemic has brought into sharp relief the fact that, too often, that need is not fulfilled.
But according to Elder Gong, “With one humanitarian partner, we are delivering 30 million meals to school children in nine developing countries. Each meal plate includes 482 life-sustaining calories of grains, protein, vegetables and fruits.”
That partner is Convoy of Hope, a faith-based nonprofit that provides nourishment and essential supplies to populations in need throughout the world. Latter-say Saint Charities is helping to fund its school feeding programs.
A difficult challenge to overcome in feeding the hungry is to not create dependency or get in the way of local, permanent solutions being put into place.
“Our program method ensures the food being distributed is used in a responsible and strategic way that invests in the lives of those eating and does not create dependency or hurt local markets,” said Convoy of Hope Procurement Director Paul Holzer.
Like so many other supply chains that have felt the effects of this pandemic, Convoy of Hope has not been totally immune, but they have remained strong and determined in the face of difficulty and growing needs.
“Because of the relationships with the schools we serve, the Convoy of Hope teams in the field have been successful in maintaining the flow of critical food to students through take-home rations,” Holzer said.
Another critical partner in the process is Feed My Starving Children (FMSC), an organization that provides the meals that Convoy of Hope distributes.
To read more about these efforts, read the full report on the Church Newsroom.
