December 5–7 fast materials
Agrofuels (biofuels)
United States and Guatemala
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Fasting options
The typical fast would begin after a simple meal Friday evening, refrain from food Saturday and break the fast with Communion or a communal meal on Sunday.
Those who are not fasting from food can choose to eat simple meals, skip a meal or design a fast that fits their circumstances.
Fasting from food should be avoided by those with health-related conditions, such as diabetes, heart problems and pregnancy. Anyone with questions about their health condition should consult with their doctor before beginning. Those fasting should read the guidelines in “Fasting 101.”
Friday evening
Preparing and Focusing
Fasting is Just One Spiritual Discipline
Reflection by Anitra Kitts
We fast for all kinds of reasons. Sometimes we abstain from food for medical tests or surgery. Sometimes we fast as a way to “cleanse” or give rest to our digestive system. Sometimes we fast as a form of protest, a dramatic way of saying “this is broken and I can not even go about in a normal day to day manner until this is addressed.” And sometimes we fast for spiritual reasons. Fasting, as a spiritual practice in the Presbyterian Church, faded away in the last century. Recently, it has returned along with an interest in other spiritual disciplines.
Howard Rice’s book Reformed Spirituality (Westminster/John Knox, 1991) reminds us of the role fasting played for Calvin and the Reforming Church. Calvin saw fasting as a counterbalance to our unending desire for food and luxuries, things that get in the way of our desire for God. Rice is careful to note that fasting is healthiest when it used as way to cut through distractions and return to God as a central focus in our life.
Recently, another Presbyterian minister, Lynne Baab, published a short book focusing on the practice of fasting, Fasting: Spiritual Freedom Beyond Our Appetites (2006, InterVarsity Press). In her book, Baab calls attention to the problem that a strict and unexamined interpretation of fasting can pose to women in general and to men and women struggling with eating disorders. For generations, women have been held to a nearly impossible standard of beauty that includes a slim, almost boyish figure. It could be said that a great many American women, grown and adolescent, are already constantly engaged in some sort of food fast for reasons centered around weight anxiety. If the quality of our spiritual identity also becomes connected to the practice of eating or not eating, then a fast from food can easily contribute to the already deep guilt and negative messages that confront women whenever they shop for groceries or load the cafeteria lunch tray.
Eating disorders are not limited to women. In a society that increasingly treats food as simply a form of medicine, too much weight can limit job options and cut off raises. The National Institute of Mental Health reminds us that men, grown and adolescent, are also at risk for eating disorders. Furthermore, if fasting is strictly interpreted as the renouncement of food, then fasting as a spiritual practice is lost to those who are diabetic, pregnant, nursing or have other physical concerns.
Perhaps we should follow Rice’s lead and consider the call to fasting first of all as a desire to make room for God, as a way to step out of the never-ending exhortation to consume. In that desire to make room then we can consider fasting from whatever it is that is most blocking us from sensing God, even the discipline of fasting itself. It is easy to focus more on the “not eating” then on the “seeking God.”
The 218th General Assembly commissioner’s resolution invites “… all Presbyterians to join in the church-wide practice of spiritual disciplines, such as monthly fasting for repentance and reflection, which may lead to meaningful coordinated actions to accompany those who are poor and hungry around the world.” (italics added)
In other words, perhaps our job is to interpret fasting as just one form of repentant discipline. Another form might be meditation, a time of silence, a withdrawal into solitude or a gathering into worship or service toward others. All of these are disciplines that can also make room for hearing God’s voice, God’s call toward us without becoming entangled with the complicated relationship we have in this century and in this culture with food.
And, if we chose to promote fasting, we need to interpret it carefully. As a church, we’re way out of practice with the discipline of fasting although it is in the roots of our Reformed Faith. We need to relearn the context for this practice. Rice lists three general categories. First, fasting pulls the activity that is blocking us from God off to the side and out of the way. Second, once the distractions have been removed, we can enter into a deeper awareness of God’s presence. Third, fasting can help us see where we have fallen short of God’s will for us and come into not just a place of repentance but also a chance to start fresh again.
Perhaps we turn off the TV or shut down the video games. Perhaps we set up a tent in the backyard and sleep outside for the night. Baab talks of turning the radio off in her car for a week in order to learn to be comfortable with the silence and the thoughts in her head. Perhaps we should make all meals for the first weekend each month from scratch or eschew all forms of shopping or figure out how to walk, or use the bus and leave the cars in the driveway. Perhaps for 24 hours we turn off the lights and learn how to live without electricity. There are many ways to fast that do not involve eating or not eating. There are many ways to be faithful to the call from the 218th General Assembly, to God, and to our brothers and sisters around the world.
Fasting from food or other forms of consumption can be an important part of our path, our ongoing growth as followers of Christ — but only if it is wisely and carefully chosen, if a fast is what God is calling us toward.
No matter our choice around fasting or not fasting, it is important to remember that at the center of the Reigndom of God is the Great Banqueting Table. The table where all are welcomed and all share in the never ending wedding feast. The fast is not the destination; it is but one path among many.
Anitra Kitts is a writer and certified candidate for the Ministry of the Word and Sacrament.
Book Review
Fasting: Spiritual Freedom Beyond Our Appetites by Lynne M. Baab (InterVarsity Press, 2006). Read the review in Presbyterians Today.
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Demand for agrofuels in Guatemala
The demand for agrofuels is reaching deep into forests around the world, including in Guatemala where mission co-workers Roger and Gloria Marriott are based. They have been serving as PC(USA) mission co-workers in Guatemala since January 2002. In 2006, they began their work in Cobán with the Maya-Kekchis (or Q'eqchi'), the indigenous people of that region.
Roger and Gloria Marriott. Photo courtesy of Mission Connections Here is an excerpt from their October letter, which describes the deforestation and land grab happening in order to grow African Palm oil for agro-diesel. The Rev. Pastor Jane Larsen-Wigger uses this example from Guatemala in her sermon from October 26.
Even today, only 39 percent of the kids who enter school will graduate with a primary education, and the north of the country, Kekchi country is the area that has the greatest inequality in all these areas.
A well-to-do Guatemalan (the top 10 percent in income) earns more in a year than a campesino will earn in 70 percent of his life. 80 percent of the productive land is in the hands of only five percent of the producers, and this has been the case since the middle of the last century.
Another problem facing our Kekchi friends has to do with the increase of land devoted to the planting of the African palm oil tree. The oil from this tree is now used in bio-fuels as well as cooking. The land use has grown from 31,000 hectares in 2003 to more than 83,000 so far this year due to the increase in bio-fuels. The people this impacts the most are subsistence farmers, especially Kekchi, since most of this increase has come from land in the municipalities (comparable to counties) of El Estor, Ixcán, Sayaxché, Chiséc, Panzos, Chahal and Fray.
Reports indicate that companies take advantage of poorly educated campesinos by offering amounts of money for land a campesino can only dream — Q25,000 (approx. US$3,324), which is a standard amount for a piece of land, even though the land is worth far more. The campesinos then become landless and are forced to look for new land. This leads to invasions in protected areas, often in the Petén, where entire groups of people will squat and then agitate to have land given to them by the government. The governor of the Petén told some PMT and Rotary visitors during dinner recently that these groups often have previously sold their land, are encouraged, if not taken to these areas to invade, by unscrupulous companies where they hope to get the government to cede land to campesinos which will, in turn, be sold to the companies at bargain prices and the cycle starts again. Ecologists indicate the damage is worse than any benefit since vast amounts of land need to be cleared and vast amounts of fertilizers and herbicides must be used to produce the product in quantity and the chemicals lead to contaminating sources of water that are already at risk.
So much land devoted to this one product has increased the alarm about food security here in Guatemala. It is always the poorest countries and the poorest people that efforts like these affect. Those who have visited will recall the village of Progreso in Sayaxché, which we have visited many times. But about two years ago the entire village was sold and is now devoted to palm trees and palm oil fabrication and friends like Antonio Cucúl now live in El Estor or other parts. Now and then he calls me seeking funding to open yet another tienda (shop). I saw him not long ago and he told me his son, 10 years old, had quit school because he didn’t like it. Antonio will not insist he go to school since he sees little value in it. The future for Antonio and his family is grim.
Friday evening prayer
God of abundance, as I begin this period of fasting, open me to your presence. May this fast draw me closer to you. As I fast and reflect and pray, remind me of the needs of my sisters and brothers. Particularly during this time of fasting, remind me of those who hunger in the United States, in my own community, in my neighborhood. Illuminate how my living impacts my brothers and sisters here and in other countries. Inspire me with ways to reshape and reorder my living so that I might more faithfully follow Jesus Christ and love my neighbors in the United States and around the world. Amen.
Saturday: fasting and integrating
Early morning prayer
God of my going out and my coming back, I thank you for the gift of this day. As I choose to fast this day, remind me of my sisters and brothers who have no choice about what to eat or even whether to eat. Help me reflect on all the choices I make and the impact those choices have on others. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Breakfast-time prayer
God my rock and redeemer, creator and sustainer of all that is, I ask you to pour your powerful Spirit into all who are empty this day: Fill the spirits of persons who are troubled. Fill the minds of men and women who are confused. Fill the stomachs of children and adults who hunger for food. Fill the souls of people who are feeling lost. Fill the hearts of all who have too much. Fill the lives of all who need you, but do not know you. Fill my spirit and mind and stomach and soul and heart that I may reach out to sisters and brothers in need. May your Spirit fill us all to overflowing, dear God and inspires us to work so that will be no more empty hearts and minds, stomachs and souls. I pray all this in the name of Jesus Christ, who fills lives with your endless grace. Amen.
— Bread for the World, adapted
Lunch-time prayer
In the midst of war and violence,
May I celebrate the promise of justice and peace
In the midst of oppression and tyranny
May I celebrate the promise of service and freedom.
In the midst of doubt and despair
May I celebrate the promise of faith and hope.
In the midst of fear and betrayal
May I celebrate the promise of joy and loyalty.
In the midst of hatred and death
May I celebrate the promise of love and life.
In the midst of sin and decay
May I celebrate the promise of salvation and renewal.
In the midst of hunger and need
May I celebrate the promise of plenty and shared abundance.
In the midst of death
May I celebrate the promise life in Jesus Christ of Jesus Christ
— Presbyterian United Nations Office, adapted
Supper-time prayer
Loving God, your hand is open wide to satisfy the needs of every living creature. We thank you for your good grace that provides for us. Guide us to share your gifts wisely so that all may have enough to eat. Fill our hearts with compassion like your own that we may faithfully serve you by responding to the needs of those whom it would be easy for us to forget. In this and every land, break down the barriers of ignorance, indifference and greed that those who hunger may share your bounty. Amen.
— Blue Water/Port Huron, MI Area CROP Walk, adapted
Evening prayer time
Loving God, I pray that all of your children might share in the bounty and goodness that you provide. May the day soon come when no children go to bed hungry. Use me to help bring about that day. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Biblical reflection
“It’s Hard to Glean from Agro-Diesel!”
Reflections on Leviticus 19:9 and 23:22; Deuteronomy 24:17-22
By the Rev. Jeffrey S. Siker
A man harvests fruit from a palm oil tree. Photo by Andrew Kang Bartlett, PC(USA) Just when we think we’re doing the right thing as First World consumers by shifting from oil to agrofuels, along come Roger and Gloria Marriott raising a question or two from their experience as mission co-workers in Guatemala, working with groups of indigenous people in the region. Subsistence farmers in the area are increasingly finding themselves and their food crops displaced by the growth of corporations buying up the land for the purpose of growing African Palm Oil Trees, which in turn is used primarily to produce biofuels (agrofuels) that help to power automobiles. In short, there is a “fuel for food” swap taking place whereby foreign industrial nations (including the United States) get agrofuel at the expense of native populations producing food for local consumption. It’s not the best exchange for many poor farmers.
This situation brought to mind the biblical passages about gleaning — especially Leviticus 19:9-10; 23:22; and Deuteronomy 24:17-22. The Leviticus 19:9-10 passage reads: “When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.” (Leviticus 23:22 is much the same.) Deuteronomy 24:17-22 gives a deeper theological rationale for this legislation:
Do not deprive the alien or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you from there. That is why I command you to do this. When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow. When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. That is why I command you to do this.
Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. Remember that you were once poor and without sufficient food. Remember that God has a special place in God’s heart for those who are hungry. In other words: share some of the produce of your land with those who have little or nothing. Be generous with the food supplies with which God has blessed you. Do not reap to the very edges of the field, for all of the harvest belongs to God, and God has designated the edges of the field for the poor among you. This is why the gleaning legislation figures significantly in the biblical witness.
When we reflect upon these passages in light of what is happening to poor farmers trying to produce food in the face of the growing agribusiness desire for profits from agrofuels, the starkness of the fuel for food swap takes on more sharply defined lines. Those who live on the land should be able to live from the produce of the land, whether from harvesting their own crops or whether the food belongs to another farmer who intentionally leaves some food behind for those who are poor and must glean food from the harvest. Such organizations as Second Harvest have long understood the importance of this notion of gleaning within the United States. But with trans-global corporations in the picture it is important for us to ask whether our consumption of agrofuels makes the biblical understanding of gleaning impossible for those who live off the land.
Should fuel take precedence over food? How can we be better at not reaping our harvest to the edges of the fields? How can we leave the gleanings behind for those in need? It is hard, indeed, to glean from agrofuel trees!
The Rev. Jeffrey S. Siker is orofessor and chair of Theological Studies at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles. He teaches and writes in the area of early Judaism/Christianity and in the history of biblical interpretation. Ordained in the PC(USA), Prof. Siker enjoys a good matzah ball soup as one of his favorite comfort foods.
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“The stage is now set for direct competition for grain between the 800 million people who own automobiles and the world’s 2 billion poorest people.”
— Lester Brown from the Earth Policy Institute speaking at a briefing to the US Senate in June 2007
… unless civil society, including people of faith, and government create policies that promote sustainable production of agrofuels that benefits family farmers, the environment and the 2 billion most impoverished people in the world.
Agrofuels and the Global Food Crisis
Palm oil tree fruit. Photo by Andrew Kang Bartlett, PC(USA) Increased demand for meat and dairy and rising energy costs are driving food prices up. Prices also are rising due to increased use of croplands to produce biofuels, or agrofuels. The United States and Europe have created policy incentives for agrofuels. In response to agribusiness lobbying, agrofuel producers receive significant government support in the form of fuel use mandates, tax incentives, and loan and grant programs. Forests are being clear-cut or burned to plant agrofuel crops, including corn and sugar cane for ethanol, and soybeans and palm oil for agrodiesel.
Biofuels is another term for these fuels. Why we use agrofuels?
Biofuels is problematic partly because the prefix bio implies something that is healthy and life-giving it (in Europe bio can mean organic), when in fact biofuels have contributed to the rise in food costs and increased starvation. Biofuels is being used by industry as an umbrella term to present all fuels derived from biomass as sustainable and "green." It is critical, for farmers and for the environment, to make a distinction between large-scale, industrial production of fuel from biomass versus fuel grown and harvested sustainably on a small scale for the benefit of family farmers, entrepreneurs and local communities. Use of the term agrofuels also makes it clear that agricultural resources are being used and thus imply a cost-benefit relationship with resources and land that could be instead used to grow food for hungry people.
(3:32)
"Palmed Off" is based on community testimonies and covers the impacts of oil palm plantations on indigenous peoples in Indonesia.
Presentation on agrofuels, deforestation and sustainable options
Frequently Asked Questions
Agrofuels 201
Faced with dwindling fuel reserves and the intensifying impacts of climate change, society’s hopes for the future of our food and energy systems rest on the notion that we can produce renewable fuels. Yet a global debate has erupted over the best sources of renewable energy. “Biofuel” proponents speak of meeting future energy needs while raising farm incomes and renewing rural economies. Critics, however, warn that what we are getting are “agrofuels,” produced in industrial farming systems that extract wealth out of communities and pollute the environment. Expand your understanding with Agrofuels 201.
General Assembly Report — "The Power to Change"
2008 Report from the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy.
Final paragraph on agrofuels:
There is clearly a great need for alternative fuels but the norm of precaution needs to be exercised, especially when genetic engineering is employed to develop new crops for biofuel production. Just as government incentives to spur corn-based ethanol production have had unforeseen and deleterious consequences, so too could genetic engineering of biofuels feedstocks if this research is not conducted carefully and regulated closely.
Read the excerpt on agrofuels from “The Power to Change.”
Ethanol craze endangers U.S. Plains water
KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) — The U.S. craze for ethanol could severely strain an already ailing aquifer in key farm states, increasing demand for scarce water supplies by more than 2 billion gallons a year, according to a report issued Thursday by the nonprofit group Environmental Defense. [Read the short article]
Three Different Positions on Agrofuels
- Increase production of agrofuels to ensure a supply of fuel while decreasing our dependence on foreign oil. See Agrofuels Proponents section of Food Crisis Resource Center for articles and videos backing this stance.
- Halt agrofuels expansion. Suspend international agrofuels trade and investment. Maintain current tariffs on all agrofuels imports to the United States to curb expansion of agrofuels imports that threaten the food supplies of developing countries as well as the dwindling reserves of the world's biodiversity. Halt any expansion of government-supported agrofuels programs and immediately revise all renewable fuels mandates, tax incentives and other subsidies. Any support for domestic production of bioenergy must at least ensure: communities' right to local food and renewable energy; a significant net life-cycle reduction of greenhouse gases; local ownership of bio-refineries by farmers and other community members; fair prices for farmers and a living wage and humane treatment of farm workers and other laborers; incentives for regional and ecologically appropriate feedstocks that enhance biodiversity and a substantial improvement in environmental quality and the maintenance of existing conservation programs. See Agrofuels Critics section of Food Crisis Resource Center for articles and videos backing this stance.
- Impose a moratorium on agrofuels trade. The call for an agrofuels moratorium in Europe has forced European Commission officials to acknowledge the dangers of agrofuels expansion, leading to a re-evaluation of Europe's own agrofuels mandates. A coalition of progressive environmental and social justice groups in the United States recently launched a global call for a U.S. moratorium on agrofuels. Read more on the Rainforest Action Network Web site. See Agrofuels Critics section of Food Crisis Resource Center for articles and videos backing this stance.
Sunday: breaking the fast and responding
It's important to break a fast carefully. Eating too much too soon will overload your digestive system, causing uncomfortable and disruptive reactions.
Early morning prayer time
God of the hungry, Shelter of the homeless, we are in need of your mercy. I ask your blessing on all your children who are in danger today. Bless all who are hungry and homeless, all who suffer from injustice. Provide them with the food they need; shelter them in the warmth of your love, and safeguard them from the evil that rages around them. Turn my eyes and hearts to their needs. Give me courage to act for their good. I ask this, relying on your compassion and confident of your love. Amen.
— Bread for the World, adapted
Breakfast-time prayer
Patient God,
waiting for the table to have a place for all,
waiting for the sharing so everyone can eat,
waiting for us to learn to wait,
forgive us when we go ahead and leave others behind.
Turn us around when we take more than what we need
confining many others with less than they need.
Transform our minds when we choose willful ignorance
about the impact of what we buy, bargain, or trade.
Give us hands and hearts to challenge the rules
so that none of your children are ruled out,
and no part of your body goes hungry,
through Jesus Christ. Amen.
— The Rev. Terry MacArthur, adapted
Break the Fast with Holy Communion
A majority of Presbyterian congregations have communion on the first Sunday of each month, but some do not. If your congregation doesn’t celebrate the Eucharist on the first weekend of the month, you could break the fast with a breakfast or a lunch before or after worship. Alternately, another time of the month can be chosen to do the fast.
Liturgical materials for the December 2008 fast
Sermons related to the food crisis:
Break the Fast with a Meal After or Before Worship Service
Bring local foods (as much as possible), perhaps create a prayerful ritual or simple worship liturgy, and share your fasting experience.
You might wish to begin or end your meal with the Communion or liturgical materials from above.
Bringing it home
Friends,
The call to simple and sustainable living has been with us for as long as God has been with us. Scriptures from the Hebrew texts speak to us about not accumulating or using more than we need, about not hoarding, about sharing with our neighbors, about living justly.
Today in modern society and in the United States particularly we are bombarded with messages of “more, more” and “bigger is better” and “you will be happy if you have this.” Advertising, marketing and media industries work together to convince us that we are not happy, that we have yet to outshine our neighbor, that we are not safe. They play on our fears and exacerbate the simple needs we do have so that we no longer have a sense of proportion with the world, so that we no longer know what it means to have enough.
Recently such industries have jumped on the green bandwagon, and in some ways this is good news, as large corporations have great potential to be leaders in affecting positive change. However, in many cases the marketing messages we receive about “going green” masquerade as innocent opportunities to feel good about ourselves while convincing us to purchase and consume and spend even more. What gets lost in “going green” is our ability to think deeply and critically about what it really means to purchase responsibly, be good stewards and live simply. Consider the following:
- Is an organic cotton t-shirt really green, if it was sewn in China under sweatshop conditions, shipped halfway around the world and purchased at a big-box store?
- Is a hybrid vehicle really green, if it is an unnecessarily luxurious SUV used only by one person?
- Is a solar-powered house really green, if it is 4,000 square feet, houses only a few people, and was constructed of virgin-forest hardwoods and marble or granite mined thousands of miles away?
- Is an agrofuels option for powering our cars really green, if its production produces high waste output, does not pay workers fairly, and diverts precious agricultural resources away from people that could otherwise be fed?
God’s call to us gets lost in the cacophony of voices ever vying for our attention, time and money. Particularly in this season of Advent we are faced with not only consumer dilemmas but spiritual dilemmas. On one hand we want to observe Advent and wait for the Christ child; on the other we want to shop for the perfect thing and wrap and bake and run ourselves ragged with all the trimmings.
As we live into Advent and Christmas this year, I invite you to find ways to turn away from those voices and messages and to listen intently for God’s call. Whether you are fasting from food or something else, I invite you to consider those who do not have enough. I invite you to consider those who do have enough. I invite you to imagine a world where everyone has enough and no one goes without. I invite you to imagine an Earth that is whole, species that thrive, and skies, waters and lands that go unpolluted. I invite you weave God’s ancient, steady call for justice, simplicity and sharing into your Advent meditations, practices, gatherings and celebrations.
Two resources to expand your fasting experience and embody just living this holiday season:
Whose Birthday is it Anyway? from Alternatives for Simple Living provides excellent resources for navigating the holidays, listening for God’s call, celebrating creatively and getting our focus back on the reason for the season. Use it in devotions at church and home, give copies to loved ones as a pre-holiday gift, or use it as a guide to shape a more meaningful holiday season. Order online (PDS Item #25432-08-302) or call (800) 524-2612. Copies are $1.50 each (or $1.00 each for orders of 50 copies or more).
Ideas for Reclaiming Advent and Christmas from the new Just Living Series helps families and individuals shape seasonal celebrations centered on the true meaning of Christmas. Prepare for the holiday by simplifying life, incorporating prayers, giving alternative gifts and serving sustainable foods. Visit Just Living to download this resource, read the Enough for Everyone blog and learn about ways to practice simple and sustainable living all year long.
Advent blessings,
Melanie Hardison
Associate, Enough for Everyone
Responses to the global food crisis
These responses are steps towards solutions; they are ways we can engage in our food system and learn ways of working toward the deeper changes needed. Consider choosing one or two to do during the month as part of your faith practice.
Personal responses
Communal responses
- Plan a pre-holiday get together with friends, family or coworkers to discuss ways in which this holiday season can be less consumptive and more giving. Gather several resources to inform your discussion and distribute them through email or another online communication tool before your gathering. Provide simple snacks to your guests as they discuss ways in which holiday celebrations can be less energy intensive.
- Help your faith community establish a carpool to and from service. Many members commute to church with one or two people in their vehicles. Share the ride and save fuel. You can use the commute time to discuss food and energy policy and their relationship to the food crisis. Rotate research responsibilities, emailing articles and/or Web sites on Monday to be discussed the next week.
- Use your congregation or community's buying power to bring about positive change. Encourage institutions such as churches, hospitals, workplaces, schools or city councils to make purchases based on shared concern for the the world's hungry and the environment. Enough for Everyone has resources for reshaping consumer habits. The Community Food Security Coalition provides is a great place to learn more about bringing fresh, local and organic foods into your school or other institution.
- Find one or more members from your faith community to visit your congressperson's district office and express your concern about the hungry in the United States and abroad threatened by increasing food prices and advocate for price stabilization and national food reserves.
 Share on Facebook
Once you have shared with each other, share with other Presbyterians on Facebook and learn what others are saying and doing.
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Palmed Off
