Failing the Hungry: A Call to Justice and Action

The grade is out - and once again, it’s a big fat F! 

World hunger remains staggeringly high. For millions, food remains unavailable, unaffordable, and inaccessible. While many individuals and organizations are working tirelessly and earning a “passing” grade through their efforts, collectively - as humans, as a nation, and as the church – we have failed. 

The Numbers Speak Loudly

Globally:

• Over 673 million people are facing hunger.

• More than 294 million people experience acute hunger daily - 1 in 28 people! (FSIN and Global Network Against Food Crises, 2025)

• In 2025 alone, 118 million children plunged into hunger; 63 million due to conflict. (Save the Children)

• 1.4 million people are experiencing catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity. (Global Report on Food Crises 2025)

• Famine has been confirmed in parts of Sudan – the first official famine since 2020. (IPC Famine Review Committee)

Closer to Home:

• In the United States, nearly 50 million people face food insecurity (1 out of 7 people), including 14 million children (1 out of 5 children). (Feeding America)

• In Canada: 10 million people (25.5% of the population), experience some form of food insecurity, including 2.5 million children. (Statistics Canada)
  Note: Food insecurity is measured differently in Canada and the U.S. If Canadian metrics were applied to the U.S., the percentage of food insecure households would be even higher. (Comparisons of food insecurity US and CA)

• In September, the U.S. Department of Agriculture discontinued its annual Household Food Security Report – a critical tool used to shape policy and combat hunger.

What’s Fueling the Crisis?

The hunger crisis is driven by a complex web of:

• Conflict (the leading cause of severe hunger in recent years) 

• Climate change 

• Economic instability

• Funding cuts (Global Report on Food Crises 2025)
  Funding cuts by western countries and donors could push 14 million people into emergency hunger levels. (UN World Food Program, AP News, October 15, 2025)

World Renew’s Response

World Renew partners with communities to increase food security through:

• Access to food

• Tools and training

• Sustainable farming practices to increase food production

• Economic Programs

• Conflict Resolution

We do a lot and receive high marks from our partners, but we cannot do this work alone.

A Call to the Church

Providing resources is not enough. As Christ followers, we must commit to doing something different. On World Food Day, Pope Leo XIV called world hunger a “collective failure,” reminding us that behind the numbers and statistics is “a broken life and a vulnerable community."

"This is not a coincidence, but the clear sign of a prevailing insensitivity, of a soulless economy, of a questionable model of development, and of an unjust and unsustainable system of resource distribution... 

Failure to act, even for individuals, is to be complicit in the promotion of injustice."

-Pope Leo XIV

How Can We Respond with Justice?

Act

It is estimated that this year more people will face food insecurity, and more help is needed. Volunteer with organizations that address the root causes of food insecurity – not just distribution. Build relationships. Listen and learn from those affected. 

Need help moving your church or ministry towards justice? l’d love to help.

Give

Support World Renew’s Hunger Campaign this November. Give out of abundance toward lasting food justice. 

Visit here to learn more: https://worldrenew.net/world-hunger.

Advocate

Justice requires systemic change. Hold leaders accountable. Contact your local, state, and federal representatives and ask them what they are doing to address food insecurity – locally and globally. Urge them to support policies that promote justice in food access but also poverty, farming practices, climate, health, and conflict. 

Reflect

Scripture tells us that God gives abundantly. It warns us not to hoard or “oppress the poor and crush the needy.” It reminds us that the land “should rest and not be abused,” and that true worship is to “share our food with the hungry.” Let scripture guide our practices – how we eat, waste, grow, and share. 

Bartholomew of Constantinople shared this Statement on Hunger in 2016:

“Hunger is not primarily a problem of underdeveloped nations, but of overdeveloped nations. The problem of hunger is a deeply spiritual challenge. It has more than merely financial, agricultural, or social dimensions. And it is not a matter of emptiness, but of excess. Unfortunately, our discernment and vision have become blunted or blurred by our insensitivity and greed. We must recall and realize that, when one person is hungry in our world, in our nation and in our neighborhood, there is an emptiness that spreads in our own hearts.” 

I want to do better. We all have a role to play – but charity alone won’t move the needle. We need justice. We need transformation. Together, we can rewrite the story of hunger – from failure to justice.