Food for All

"We throw away over 96 billion pounds of food a year," said The Reverend Ken Horne, executive director of the Society of St. Andrew. If that food could be salvaged, hunger in the U.S., and around the world, could be eliminated.

More than 20 years ago, the surplus of good food, particularly potatoes, gone to waste led Rev. Horne and Rev. Ray Buchanan, two United Methodist ministers, to begin a small local hunger relief program from an unused sheep shed in Big Island, VA. Seed money to begin this ministry came from World Service and Conference Benevolence apportionment of the Virginia Conference.

The Society of St. Andrew is now a national organization which each year provides nearly 20 million pounds of food to the nation's hungry. In 20 years, 255 million pounds of potatoes and other produce or 765 million helpings have been served to those in need.

In late August, the Society of St. Andrew received a $300,000 grant from the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). UMCOR Deputy General Secretary Paul Dirdak presented the first installment of $150,000 to Rev. Horne. One of UMCOR's primary missions has always been to ease the suffering of the hungry and poor around the world.

At the September 11-12, 1999 United Methodist Men's national meeting, the Commission of United Methodist Men (UMMen) voted to match UMCOR's $300,000 grant in the next three years. UMMen have been active in hunger relief projects through their own Meals for Millions program which has provided millions of servings over the past 10 years.

The hunger-related ministries of the Society of St. Andrew are:

The Potato Project. Farmers donate good yet unmarketable potatoes and produce to relief agencies across the U.S. The Society of St. Andrew transports and delivers this produce.

The Gleaning Network. After harvest, food that is not caught by mechanical farm equipment is gathered by volunteer hands. The Society salvages this produce and coordinates its distribution.

Harvest of Hope. In weekend or week-long events, youth and intergenerational groups work together in the field. They study the Biblical basis for gleaning and issues of world hunger.

In the coming months, the Society of St. Andrew, UMMen and UMCOR will be joined by representatives from the Bishops' Initiative on Children and Poverty and various United Methodist general church agencies to continue the momentum of providing church-wide resources for the work of ending hunger. The joint program will hire one full-time hunger relief advocate and part-time workers in all of the UM annual conferences.

In the words of Bishop Joe E. Pennel, Jr. of the Virginia Annual Conference when he spoke to hundreds of participants at the Children's Summits held in July, 1999 in Woodbridge, Lynchburg and Williamsburg, VA:

"Within 15 minutes of all of our churches, there are children whose lives contradict God's dream for every child in the world. But you know, for the first time in the history of the human race, we have the resources and the know-how to do something about it. Take some time to see where children are in pain and then take some time to organize your church around that pain because that's where God is. God is right up there in that pain."

With the help of the Society of St. Andrew, The United Methodist Church is organizing and mobilizing to serve those who suffer the pain of hunger and poverty by gleaning, distributing and sharing the wealth of the land.

To learn more about the Society of St. Andrew/General Commission on UMMen/UMCOR Hunger Relief Advocate Program, contact Ken Bradford at the Society of St. Andrew, (800) 333-4597 or Sosachurch@aol.com The Society of St. Andrew is funded through the World Missions Advance Special (#801600-0). To learn more about the Society of St. Andrew, you may visit their website at: http://www.endhunger.org.

December 16, 1999