Today is World Food Day!

Oct. 16 is a day when people around the world raise awareness and take action toward food security for all. World Food Day is one of the most celebrated days on the United Nations calendar, with opportunities in more than 150 countries and more than 50 languages to raise awareness of hunger.

Why does World Food Day matter?

Five facts to know about Hunger in 2025

1. Today, the futures of many communities are in jeopardy as the global hunger crisis persists. Amid the rising costs, global conflict, the lingering impact of COVID-19, and intensifying effects of climate change, decades of progress have been undone.
2. According to the United Nations, 1 in 11 people around the world faces hunger. That as many as 720 million people worldwide who can’t put food on the table for their families.
3. Food prices rose throughout 2024 and continue to increase in 2025, which makes it harder for many families to access a healthy diet. Worldwide Conflict and turmoil have only increased the cost of food.
4. In the United States alone, over 47 million people face food insecurity.

What can we do about it?

The situation is dire, but we know that God is at work in the world. When you support ELCA World Hunger, you join in the work our church does around the globe to address hunger from all angles:

HEALTH CARE: ELCA World Hunger supports health programs around the world where your gifts fund clinical care, maternal and child health, education of health professionals, and community health care workers as they provide early screenings and education in disease prevention.

EDUCATION: When children can attend school, they can secure better opportunities for their futures. Your gifts support teachers and educational programs around the world, ensuring that kids can do their best learning and reach their full potential.

NUTRITION: Feeding ministries provide immediate support to those in need. With community gardens and agricultural programs, communities grow food to nourish themselves and build stronger futures.

LIVELIHOOD: You support programs, including education and vocational training, that help people facing hunger, homelessness and other challenges to access jobs, increase their earning potential and break the cycle of poverty for good.

And much more!

Get Involved

Learn more about ELCA World Hunger

For over 50 years, we have joined together as Lutherans through ELCA World Hunger to address the root causes of hunger and poverty and to foster sustainable futures in more than 60 countries around the world. Learn more about projects in these communities in ELCA World Hunger’s new documentary “Intersections: Justice Ministry With ELCA Partners.”

Support ELCA World Hunger

This World Food Day, you’re invited to join ELCA World Hunger in taking action for a just world where all are fed. When you make a gift today, it can go twice as far! All gifts in honor of World Food Day will be matched until we reach $30,000. This work isn’t possible without people such as you — will you join the 26,000-plus members of our community who are already making a difference to end hunger?

Take action in your local community and nationally with ELCA Advocacy

ELCA Advocacy works for change in public policy on behalf of the biblical values of peacemaking, hospitality to strangers, care for creation, and concern for people struggling with hunger and poverty. Sign up for action alerts to stay up to date on ways to get involved.

Today, you can take action through a World Food Day action alert urging Congress to protect international food aid in the farm bill. The farm bill, which Congress needs to reauthorize every five years, is a critical policy tool that the U.S. government employs to fight global hunger. The legislation authorizes several international food aid programs. As policymakers work to finalize the next farm bill, urge your members of Congress to ensure programs that feed hungry people around the world are protected.

Share with your congregation

Gather your congregation to learn more about hunger in your community and around the world, and discover how you can make a difference together. ELCA World Hunger offers Advent resources, educational experiences, action guides, Vacation Bible School resources and much more to mobilize your congregation in the work to end hunger.

The Esmeralda 7 proposal—a collection of seven large solar projects in southern Nevada—was expected to generate enough electricity to power nearly two million homes.

This week, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) updated the project’s status, noting that the environmental review has been canceled. The project was part of a broader federal initiative to expand solar energy development on public lands as a way to address climate change.

The change comes as federal leaders debate the future of clean energy investments, including proposed reductions in funding for renewable projects and changes to electric vehicle tax credits.

The Trump administration wants to eliminate “conservation” as a use of our public lands — giving oil, gas, and mining companies free rein and taking away access from the public and from wildlife!

The Public Lands Rule protects nature, wildlife, and cultural sites across 245 million acres. We worked hard to win it, and we’re not backing down now.

Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy in Nevada (LEAN) is collecting stories about how the recently signed One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 will impact SNAP recipients.

This new law includes changes to eligibility, benefits, and program administration that may directly affect recipients under the age of 65. We’re hoping to hear from anyone in our community who may lose benefits or experience other changes because of this bill.

If you’re willing to share your story with a reporter today (Thursday, Oct. 9), please:
📩 Reply to this post
or
📧 Email us at paullarson@leanforjustice.org

Your story helps us advocate for fair and compassionate policies that ensure no one goes hungry.

Support reauthorization of international food assistance.

This week on Oct. 16, many around the world will together commemorate World Food Day through various civic engagement activities. The theme for this year is “Hand in Hand for Better Foods and a Better Future.” Ending hunger and malnutrition around the world is one of the major challenges with which we are faced and which we must address. According to a recently released report by the United Nations examining the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, between 638 and 720 million people are estimated to have faced hunger in 2024, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa. 

The farm bill, which Congress needs to reauthorize every five years, is a critical policy tool that the U.S. government employs to fight global hunger. The legislation authorizes several international food aid programs. As policymakers work to finalize the next farm bill, urge your members of Congress to ensure programs that feed hungry people around the world are protected, especially the following programs: 

1. Food for Peace (Title II): Supports a critical lifeline for communities with emergency food assistance during humanitarian crises such as famine and conflict, in addition to the non-emergency support used to enhance communities’ resilience to hunger and malnutrition.
2. McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Nutrition Program: Provides food donations to support school meals programs and maternal and child nutrition in low- and middle-income countries facing hunger.
3. Food for Progress: Helps developing countries strengthen their agricultural sectors. Under this program, donated U.S. agricultural commodities are sold locally, and the proceeds are then used to support agricultural, economic or infrastructure development programs. 

As Lutherans, we are committed to work towards a just world where all are fed. “We are called to be stewards of what God has given for the sake of all. This stewardship includes holding economic, political, and social processes and institutions responsible for producing and distributing what is needed for sufficiency for all,” reads the ELCA social statement Sufficient, Sustainable Livelihood for All. Farm bill provisions can assist our siblings in great need.  

Urge international food aid inclusion to contribute to the well-being of God’s people and creation. Please contact your members of Congress to protect international food programs in the farm bill. You are encouraged to customize your message to reflect your own voice and values. Thank you for your faithful advocacy!