ELCA World Hunger is a comprehensive and sustainable program that uses multiple strategies—relief, development, education, and advocacy—to address the root causes of hunger and poverty. ELCA World Hunger responds to neighbors around the corner and around the world. The international work of ELCA World Hunger is carried out with our trusted partners, notably Lutheran World Relief (LWR) and The Lutheran World Federation (LWF).
ELCA World Hunger is a comprehensive and sustainable program that uses multiple strategies—relief, development, education, and advocacy—to address the root causes of hunger and poverty. ELCA World Hunger responds to neighbors around the corner and around the world. The international work of ELCA World Hunger is carried out with our trusted partners, notably Lutheran World Relief (LWR) and The Lutheran World Federation (LWF).
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LifeLines newsletter features articles about topics related to world hunger, including ELCA-supported relief and development projects throughout the world. Browse recent issues in PDF format:
2009
Winter
- Africa: A Bountiful Harvest
Summer
- Caring for God's Creation
Spring
- Microfinance
2008
Winter
- Global Food Crisis
Fall
- Fair Trade
Summer
- Health Care
Spring
- Long-Term Recovery
LifeLines newsletter features articles about topics related to world hunger, including ELCA-supported relief and development projects throughout the world. Browse recent issues in PDF format:
2009
Winter
- Africa: A Bountiful Harvest
Summer
- Caring for God's Creation
Spring
- Microfinance
2008
Winter
- Global Food Crisis
Fall
- Fair Trade
Summer
- Health Care
Spring
- Long-Term Recovery
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When you give to ELCA World Hunger, where do your gifts go? These personal stories represent the work of the ELCA in combating hunger in the United States and throughout the world. This work is carried out through grants, companion church relationships, and international organizations like Lutheran World Relief and the Lutheran World Federation.
Bangladesh
 Eight years ago, Salma and her husband, Ali, didn’t have enough money to feed their children and still put a little aside as savings. In fact, they were frequently hungry.
Salma’s two cows make a big difference.
Salma sells milk from the cows and raises a few other animals as well. Within a couple of years she has saved enough to buy a small plot of farmland where the family grows rice. Now they always have enough to eat and each of her children is enrolled in school. "I hope my son will pass [master’s degree coursework]…so that we can live better in the future," Salma says. Salma is now thinking about running for a seat on her village council because she wants to help people in her community who are still struggling with hunger.
Mexico
Esperanza used to sell small goods door-to-door to make a living. On the outskirts of Mexico City, where millions of people live in extreme poverty, she struggled to provide for herself and two teenage children. When the price of tortillas and other staple foods skyrocketed, she feared that her children would go hungry.
Then Esperanza received a small loan from a microfinance association in her neighborhood that is supported by ELCA World Hunger. This microfinance program gave Esperanza an opportunity to become an entrepreneur. She started a small store in her home, which now generates enough income to support her family. Each week she hosts meetings on her patio with other members of the program.
Members of the microfinance program are involved in all aspects of its operation, including administration of the loans. Members support each other in paying back the loans; the repayment rate is over 90 percent. Because of this program, Esperanza sees real change in her community and is able to sustain her family.
U.S. - Illinois
 I was born in Korea but am now a United States citizen. In 2004, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and at the same time my husband and I unexpectedly lost our business. Soon after that, the bank foreclosed on our home, and we had to use our entire savings to pay my medical bills.
A friend of mine told me about the Belvidere/Boone County Food Pantry in Northern Illinois. At first, I was ashamed that I had to visit the pantry. But I had no choice. I decided to go, and for the first time in a long while I had hope. I realized there were people who cared for me and cared about what I was going through.
During my first visit to the pantry, I was treated with great respect. I left with a lot of quality food products, and I have been using the pantry for one-and-a-half years now. Some day, I hope we will be stable enough to stand on our own financially, but until that day comes, I know there is hope for me.
Now I volunteer at the pantry. I want to give back to the community because I want others to feel less burdened when things go badly in their lives. The Belvidere/Boone County Food Pantry gave me not only hope but the strength to go on.
--Jay Iguchi
A resident of Boone County, Illinois
Your gifts to ELCA World Hunger help support the Belvidere/Boone County Food Pantry and many other ministries like it through the ELCA Domestic Hunger Grants Program.
When you give to ELCA World Hunger, where do your gifts go? These personal stories represent the work of the ELCA in combating hunger in the United States and throughout the world. This work is carried out through grants, companion church relationships, and international organizations like Lutheran World Relief and the Lutheran World Federation.
Bangladesh
Eight years ago, Salma and her husband, Ali, didn’t have enough money to feed their children and still put a little aside as savings. In fact, they were frequently hungry.
Salma’s two cows make a big difference.
Salma sells milk from the cows and raises a few other animals as well. Within a couple of years she has saved enough to buy a small plot of farmland where the family grows rice. Now they always have enough to eat and each of her children is enrolled in school. "I hope my son will pass [master’s degree coursework]…so that we can live better in the future," Salma says. Salma is now thinking about running for a seat on her village council because she wants to help people in her community who are still struggling with hunger.
Mexico
Esperanza used to sell small goods door-to-door to make a living. On the outskirts of Mexico City, where millions of people live in extreme poverty, she struggled to provide for herself and two teenage children. When the price of tortillas and other staple foods skyrocketed, she feared that her children would go hungry.
Then Esperanza received a small loan from a microfinance association in her neighborhood that is supported by ELCA World Hunger. This microfinance program gave Esperanza an opportunity to become an entrepreneur. She started a small store in her home, which now generates enough income to support her family. Each week she hosts meetings on her patio with other members of the program.
Members of the microfinance program are involved in all aspects of its operation, including administration of the loans. Members support each other in paying back the loans; the repayment rate is over 90 percent. Because of this program, Esperanza sees real change in her community and is able to sustain her family.
U.S. - Illinois
I was born in Korea but am now a United States citizen. In 2004, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and at the same time my husband and I unexpectedly lost our business. Soon after that, the bank foreclosed on our home, and we had to use our entire savings to pay my medical bills.
A friend of mine told me about the Belvidere/Boone County Food Pantry in Northern Illinois. At first, I was ashamed that I had to visit the pantry. But I had no choice. I decided to go, and for the first time in a long while I had hope. I realized there were people who cared for me and cared about what I was going through.
During my first visit to the pantry, I was treated with great respect. I left with a lot of quality food products, and I have been using the pantry for one-and-a-half years now. Some day, I hope we will be stable enough to stand on our own financially, but until that day comes, I know there is hope for me.
Now I volunteer at the pantry. I want to give back to the community because I want others to feel less burdened when things go badly in their lives. The Belvidere/Boone County Food Pantry gave me not only hope but the strength to go on.
--Jay Iguchi
A resident of Boone County, Illinois
Your gifts to ELCA World Hunger help support the Belvidere/Boone County Food Pantry and many other ministries like it through the ELCA Domestic Hunger Grants Program.
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World Hunger Facts
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· 963 million people are hungry
Developing nations
- 947 million people are undernourished
- 1 billion people live on less than $1/day
- 146 million children under age 5 are underweight
- 10.1 million children under age 5 die every year, over half of hunger-related causes
- 1 in 7 people is hungry
- 1 in 6 people lacks safe drinking water
Industrialized/developed nations
- 9 million people are undernourished
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· 6.7 billion people
Developing nations
- 5.6 billion people (approx.)
- Over 83% of world population
- 103 low/middle-income countries
- $3,705 GNI per capita
Industrialized/developed nations
- 1 billion people (approx.)
- Less than 1/6 of world population
- 65 countries (including the U. S.)
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- 35.5 million people (including 12.6 million children) experience hunger or the risk of hunger.
- This is roughly 10.9 percent of the 301 million people (July 2007 estimate) in the U.S.
- 4.0 percent of households (11.1 million people, including 430,000 children) experience hunger. Some families skip meals, eat too little, or go a whole day without food.
- 1 out of every 8 households in the United States has reduced the quality of its diet to utilize money elsewhere (rent, clothing, day care).
- 6.9 percent of households (24.4 million people, including 12.2 million children) are at risk of hunger.
- In 2007, an average of 26.5 million people participated in the Food Stamp Program each month (8.8 percent of the U.S. population).
- In 2006, requests for emergency food assistance increased 7 percent. Of those requesting emergency food assistance, 48 percent were members of families with children, and 37 percent of adults requesting assistance were employed.
- America’s Second Harvest, the nation’s largest network of food banks, reported that an estimated 24 to 27 million people turned to its agencies in 2006.
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- In the U.S., 12.6 million children are hungry or at risk of becoming hungry.
- In the developing world, 20 million low-birth-weight babies are born each year. They are at risk of dying in infancy or suffering lifelong physical or cognitive disabilities.
- 3/4 of all deaths in children under age 5 in the developing world are caused by malnutrition or related diseases.
- Each day in the developing world, 16,000 children die from hunger or preventable diseases such as diarrhea, acute respiratory infections, or malaria. Malnutrition is associated with over half of those deaths. That is equal to 1 child every 5.4 seconds.
- Hungry children are more likely to be ill and absent from school.
- Hungry children suffer from 2 to 4 times more individual health problems—such as unwanted weight loss, fatigue, headaches, irritability, inability to concentrate, and frequent colds—than low-income children whose families do not experience food shortages.
Facts on HIV and AIDS; Facts on Africa
- In 2006, 4.3 million people became infected with HIV, and 2.9 million people died of AIDS.
- 1% (ages 15-49) of the world is HIV prevalent (2005 data).
- 90 percent of children who have HIV live in Africa.
- In sub-Saharan Africa, 24.9 million people live with HIV or AIDS, which is 63% of the world's
39.5 million total cases.
- In half of the countries in sub-Saharan Africa, per capita economic growth is estimated to be falling by between 0.5 and 1.2 percent each year as a direct result of AIDS.
- The Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that there are 236 million people (2007 figure) who are hungry in sub-Saharan Africa. This region accounts for 13 percent of the world’s population, yet it is home to almost 25 percent of the world's undernourished population. One in three people in sub-Saharan Africa are hungry.
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Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – www.fao.org
Bread for the World – www.bread.org
UNICEF – www.unicef.org
Updated March 2009
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World Hunger Facts
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· 963 million people are hungry
Developing nations
- 947 million people are undernourished
- 1 billion people live on less than $1/day
- 146 million children under age 5 are underweight
- 10.1 million children under age 5 die every year, over half of hunger-related causes
- 1 in 7 people is hungry
- 1 in 6 people lacks safe drinking water
Industrialized/developed nations
- 9 million people are undernourished
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· 6.7 billion people
Developing nations
- 5.6 billion people (approx.)
- Over 83% of world population
- 103 low/middle-income countries
- $3,705 GNI per capita
Industrialized/developed nations
- 1 billion people (approx.)
- Less than 1/6 of world population
- 65 countries (including the U. S.)
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- 35.5 million people (including 12.6 million children) experience hunger or the risk of hunger.
- This is roughly 10.9 percent of the 301 million people (July 2007 estimate) in the U.S.
- 4.0 percent of households (11.1 million people, including 430,000 children) experience hunger. Some families skip meals, eat too little, or go a whole day without food.
- 1 out of every 8 households in the United States has reduced the quality of its diet to utilize money elsewhere (rent, clothing, day care).
- 6.9 percent of households (24.4 million people, including 12.2 million children) are at risk of hunger.
- In 2007, an average of 26.5 million people participated in the Food Stamp Program each month (8.8 percent of the U.S. population).
- In 2006, requests for emergency food assistance increased 7 percent. Of those requesting emergency food assistance, 48 percent were members of families with children, and 37 percent of adults requesting assistance were employed.
- America’s Second Harvest, the nation’s largest network of food banks, reported that an estimated 24 to 27 million people turned to its agencies in 2006.
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- In the U.S., 12.6 million children are hungry or at risk of becoming hungry.
- In the developing world, 20 million low-birth-weight babies are born each year. They are at risk of dying in infancy or suffering lifelong physical or cognitive disabilities.
- 3/4 of all deaths in children under age 5 in the developing world are caused by malnutrition or related diseases.
- Each day in the developing world, 16,000 children die from hunger or preventable diseases such as diarrhea, acute respiratory infections, or malaria. Malnutrition is associated with over half of those deaths. That is equal to 1 child every 5.4 seconds.
- Hungry children are more likely to be ill and absent from school.
- Hungry children suffer from 2 to 4 times more individual health problems—such as unwanted weight loss, fatigue, headaches, irritability, inability to concentrate, and frequent colds—than low-income children whose families do not experience food shortages.
Facts on HIV and AIDS; Facts on Africa
- In 2006, 4.3 million people became infected with HIV, and 2.9 million people died of AIDS.
- 1% (ages 15-49) of the world is HIV prevalent (2005 data).
- 90 percent of children who have HIV live in Africa.
- In sub-Saharan Africa, 24.9 million people live with HIV or AIDS, which is 63% of the world's
39.5 million total cases.
- In half of the countries in sub-Saharan Africa, per capita economic growth is estimated to be falling by between 0.5 and 1.2 percent each year as a direct result of AIDS.
- The Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that there are 236 million people (2007 figure) who are hungry in sub-Saharan Africa. This region accounts for 13 percent of the world’s population, yet it is home to almost 25 percent of the world's undernourished population. One in three people in sub-Saharan Africa are hungry.
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Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – www.fao.org
Bread for the World – www.bread.org
UNICEF – www.unicef.org
Updated March 2009
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Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute, Columbia University on global hunger solutions
 The Kettle Moraine Food Pantry served it's first clients in 1983. Its mission is to provide supplemental food to those in the Kettle Moraine school district who are in need. The current site, inside All Saints Lutheran Church in Wales, has been occupied since the fall of 2001.
The Kettle Moraine Food Pantry is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 10 - 11 am. For more information visit the Client Services and Donations pages or call 262-968-6466. The address is 705 W. Tomlin Road, Wales, Wisconsin 53183
 The Mt. Meru Coffee Project’s mission is to develop and grow justice based relationships between the Meru coffee growers and US coffee consumers, building on fair trade practices.
The Mt. Meru Coffee Project, Inc. is incorporated as an independent not-for-profit business entity and is a part of and supported by the Greater Milwaukee Synod. The Project is managed by an all volunteer board of directors. The day-to-day operations in the US are managed by a Project Coordinator.
An average of 9 tons of Mt. Meru Select Tanzanian Coffee are imported, roasted, packaged and sold annually. Sales are made through “Ambassadors” and “Missionaries” in church congregations and through the support of civic organizations as well as retail and wholesale operations having a desire to support the Project’s justice based objectives.
From Crop to Cup: the LWR Fair Trade Coffee Project video 
Join Lutheran World Relief in a cup of fellowship! Travel with us to Latin America to meet coffee farmers who grow and harvest the Fair Trade coffee Lutherans enjoy through the LWR Coffee Project.
By using Fair Trade coffee, like Mt. Meru, Lutherans help farmers earn the income they need to feed their families, educate their children, seek medical care and improve their communities. Learn what it takes to create a great cup of Fair Trade coffee – from their crop to your cup – and see how the LWR Coffee Project closes the gap between your church and the kinds of communities where LWR works.
Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute, Columbia University on global hunger solutions
The Kettle Moraine Food Pantry served it's first clients in 1983. Its mission is to provide supplemental food to those in the Kettle Moraine school district who are in need. The current site, inside All Saints Lutheran Church in Wales, has been occupied since the fall of 2001.
The Kettle Moraine Food Pantry is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 10 - 11 am. For more information visit the Client Services and Donations pages or call 262-968-6466. The address is 705 W. Tomlin Road, Wales, Wisconsin 53183
The Mt. Meru Coffee Project’s mission is to develop and grow justice based relationships between the Meru coffee growers and US coffee consumers, building on fair trade practices.
The Mt. Meru Coffee Project, Inc. is incorporated as an independent not-for-profit business entity and is a part of and supported by the Greater Milwaukee Synod. The Project is managed by an all volunteer board of directors. The day-to-day operations in the US are managed by a Project Coordinator.
An average of 9 tons of Mt. Meru Select Tanzanian Coffee are imported, roasted, packaged and sold annually. Sales are made through “Ambassadors” and “Missionaries” in church congregations and through the support of civic organizations as well as retail and wholesale operations having a desire to support the Project’s justice based objectives.
From Crop to Cup: the LWR Fair Trade Coffee Project video
Join Lutheran World Relief in a cup of fellowship! Travel with us to Latin America to meet coffee farmers who grow and harvest the Fair Trade coffee Lutherans enjoy through the LWR Coffee Project.
By using Fair Trade coffee, like Mt. Meru, Lutherans help farmers earn the income they need to feed their families, educate their children, seek medical care and improve their communities. Learn what it takes to create a great cup of Fair Trade coffee – from their crop to your cup – and see how the LWR Coffee Project closes the gap between your church and the kinds of communities where LWR works.
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