Television images of starvation in Africa and severe poverty in Appalachia stirred the compassion of Americans in the 1960s, Cook said.

"It was in the churches, however, that concerned people geared up for the long run," he said. "Led by the Presbyterian Women, both of our predecessor denominations began to organize for a battle against hunger."

In 1969, the Presbyterian Church in the US declared hunger "a major priority" and gave birth to the PHP, he said, but by end of the 1970s the hunger programs of the PCUS and the United Presbyterian Church in the USA were working together. They merged their operations before 1983, when the reunion of the two denominations created the Presbyterian Church (USA).

At its founding, Cook said, the program adopted five approaches to fighting hunger and its causes, which still guide its work:

• Feeding people in immediate need;
• Helping people help themselves;
• Educating people about the causes and cures of hunger;
• Mobilizing people to advocate governmental and social action to alleviate hunger;
• Challenging Christians to live simpler lives and to share what they have with others.

PHP, which addresses hunger in the United States and overseas, has given nearly $100 million to partner churches, grassroots organizations, community ministries and educational and advocacy programs, Cook said.