Staff Report

No one should be hungry.

The archdiocesan Catholic Social Action Office, in partnership with the Office of the New Evangelization, Catholic Charities Southwestern Ohio and Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley, is sponsoring Food for All: Be Multiplied, launching July 1. The effort localizes Pope Francis’ “One Human Family, Food for All” vision to eliminate hunger by 2025.

A number of events are planned throughout the next several months. Parishes, schools, and businesses and other organizations such as St. Vincent de Paul are challenged to pledge food to the Food for All Campaign. Many parishes and schools already organize successful food drives throughout the year.  Each parish is challenged to pledge 5,000 pounds of non-perishables to be donated to their local food pantry. Food can be collected any time and include regularly planned 2015-16 food drives. A social media campaign will highlight the parishes, schools, and businesses making a pledge. The goal is 1,000,000 food items pledged. For more information, call Sean Ater at 513 421-3131, ext. 2733.

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Cincinnati and Food for All have come together to build a home honoring Pope Francis for his commitment to the poor. A kick off celebration for the home was held June 20 with an invocation by Auxiliary Bishop Joseph R. Binzer. Construction on the four-bedroom room is expected to be completed in early September. The house, being built for Ebony Bureau and family, is located in Millvale at 1620 Hopple Court. For more information and to volunteer contact Monica Human, volunteer coordinator, at 513-482-5614, or [email protected].

The Office of the New Evangelization and the Catholic Schools Office are hosting a family Obstacle Run, 5K, food drive and after party for the whole community on Sept. 5 at Summit Park in Blue Ash. The event will feature fun for all ages. For more information, call Sean Ater.

Catholic Charities Southwestern Ohio, Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley and the Catholic Social Action Office will provide parishes with the opportunity to host educational presentations on the subject of living in a food desert or facing a food hardship. Speakers and study materials and refreshments will be provided. Call Lisa Edward at 513-672-3720 for more information.

During his visit this fall, Pope Francis will speak to the U.S. Congress. The archdiocese is encouraging local Catholics to advocate for the protection of Child Nutrition Programs in the federal budget. Parishes can participate in the Offering of Letters designed by Bread for the World, an ecumenical Christian voice, which is supported by the USCCB, urging national leaders to end hunger at home and abroad. Between now and early September, parishes are encouraged to conduct an Offering of Letters and to consider including a moment of education on domestic hunger. These resources can be accessed at http://www. bread.org/ol/2015/downloads/, or by contacting the Catholic Social Action Office
at 513-421-3131, ext. 2660, or
[email protected]. Collected letters should be sent to the Catholic Social Action Office, so that they can be included with letters from Catholics throughout the entire archdiocese, blessed by the arch bishop, and delivered together to Congressional representatives.

Learn more about hunger during an evening with World Food Prize laureate Rev. David Beckmann, one of the foremost U.S. advocates on behalf of hungry and poor people, on Oct 21 (Dayton) and 22 (Cincinnati). He has been president of Bread for the World since 1991, leading large-scale and successful campaigns to strengthen U.S. political commitment to overcome hunger and poverty in the country and around the world. The event will include a dinner that incorporates a hunger awareness exercise (i.e. different meals served to represent range of food available to world populations). Call 800-300- 2937, ext. 1141 for information on the event.

More information about the campaign, ways to get involved and upcoming events can be found HERE. 

This Body & Soul feature originally appeared in the July 2015 print edition of The Catholic Telegraph.