This Lent, remember those who go without food – and help us tackle hunger
This is the appeal from the Church Poverty website in the United Kingdom. The following contains much food for thought (pun intended) for people outside the United Kingdom and seems to enter into the spirit of the Lenten reading which ask “Is this the kind of fact I desire?”
Over half a million people in the UK are now dependent on food banks. Many have been left completely destitute by changes to our benefits system. It is a national disgrace that, in the sixth richest country in the world, we no longer have a reliable social safety net that ensures nobody goes hungry.
Meanwhile, during Lent, tens of thousands of people go without by fasting as an expression of faith, to bring them closer to God and their neighbour.
End Hunger Fast is an invitation for as many people as possible to declare this fast in sympathy with the half a million who go hungry week to week.
Numerous church leaders and public figures will be taking part. Could you join the Fast too, and help us call for an End to Hunger?
- Spend some time during Lent fasting. You could live on the same food provided in parcels by food banks, cut out expensive foods, or even go completely without food for some time. You could fast for a day or two, a week, or the whole of Lent
- Encourage your whole church to get involved, by holding a prayer and fasting event or inviting everyone to fast on a particular day.
- The Fast will culminate with a Vigil in Parliament Square on the Wednesday of Holy Week, where as many as possible will be gathered to stand in sympathy with the half a million Brits who go hungry week to week and to call on the government to act to end hunger in the UK.
- Organise a ‘Question Time’ event in conjunction with your local food bank – to give people going hungry locally the chance to speak out, and invite your local MP and other public figures to debate the reasons why people are going hungry.
- Use your fast to raise funds for our work to tackle hunger. You could ask people to sponsor you, or just donate the money you would otherwise have spent on food. Your donations will pay for us to run a series of public hearings and events across the country, where people testify about their experiences of going hungry. Their evidence will form part of an Independent Inquiry, which will make recommendations for how we can tackle the scandal of hunger.
Find out more, sign up, and get free resources for your fast, by clicking the links below.
Tags: Advocacy, Anti-poverty strategies, Fast, Hunger, Lent, UK
