Hunger in Georgia is a Stark Reality.
Some 16.2% of Georgians — 1 in 6 —live with food insecurity, meaning that they sometimes do not know where they will find their next meal. According to food bank and hunger organization statistics, nearly 1 in 4 children in Georgia live in food insecure households. The problem is not limited to any one area of our state, as both urban and rural areas north and south face food insecurity related to poverty, lack of transportation, and unemployment or under employment. In all areas of Georgia, food insecurity and particularly child food insecurity is well above national averages. Indeed, as recently as 2014, Georgia was rated as the fourth-highest state in the nation in childhood hunger.
Hunger disproportionately affects our youngest and oldest populations, with some 700,000 children and 300,000 seniors in Georgia living with food insecurity, lacking access to necessary and nutritious food on a regular basis. Food insecurity also deeply affects working poor, who because of underemployment are often not eligible for assistance from federal food nutrition programs.
On Facebook we will be exploring how CBF/GA congregations, large and small, rural, small town, and urban, are already responding to the hunger crisis in their communities. Their responses are varied and creative, and they often demonstrate the value of partnerships with community agencies and with other churches in the fight against hunger.
From community gardens to summer feeding programs to food drives, many CBF/GA churches are actively working to fight hunger, but we can do more! Our hope is that all CBF/GA churches will be challenged and encouraged to act in their own communities in response to these shared stories, so that we can truly live out the gospel message in Matthew 25: “I was hungry and you gave me food.”