Seeds of Hope Publishers

06/25/2025

Here's more from our friends at Food Research and Action Center:

"Millions of people could lose food assistance if the Senate passes its budget bill that includes devasting cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), our nation’s first line of defense against hunger. Senate Leader Thune (R-SD) intends to move the bill this week.

SNAP not only supports vulnerable children, older adults, and working families, it also boosts local economies. Cuts to SNAP will deepen food insecurity, raise healthcare costs, and strain states and municipalities, all to fund tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy. "

FRAC and other anti-hunger groups have organized a protest fast. The fast officially started a few days ago, but it's not too late to check it out:

Join the - a national relay fast protesting budget reconciliation bill cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, WIC, Child Tax Credit. Fast for justice June 23-28, 2025.

06/25/2025

Our friends at the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) report that recent gains in Community Eligibility Participation (CEP) are at risk from proposals to cut CEP and SNAP. Check out FRAC's report:

This year’s event will highlight the future of school meals and our vision that all students have access to the nutrition they need to learn and thrive.

06/09/2025

We are delighted to share the Spring/Summer issue of Hunger News & Hope. This is a double issue, including articles about the recent US cuts in humanitarian aid, a feature cluster about food insecurity in Cuba, two articles including ways you can help, and news briefs about work in Syria, North Carolina, Myanmar, Hawaii and Gaza—and about the group to whom Pope Francis left his money. Because the news in this issue is frustrating and hope is sometimes hard to find, we have included a meditation on the Parable of the Persistent Widow. Check it out now:

We are pleased to announce that Hunger News & Hope received a “Best in Class” Award of Merit (that’s second place) and Honorable Mention (third place) for Sara Alexander’s story “Turning the Tide of Climate Change in Oromia, Ethiopia: Building Livelihoods for Resilience,” in the new “S...

05/30/2025

Here's a free webinar from the Franciscan Action Network. It airs on June 4, but it will be recorded for those who miss it.

https://franciscanactionnetwork.salsalabs.org/whatcanwedo/index.html?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=707b3432-23c7-49ba-9f79-679c82c44536

05/29/2025

Laudato Si' (the Catholic environmental movement inspired by Pope Francis' encyclical by that name) is celebrating its 10th anniversary this month. It is named for the first two words in the Canticle of the Creatures by St. Francis of Assisi. Here is some encouraging news from a Kentucky parish that is taking the challenge to heart:

The Lexington Diocese's implementation of Laudato Si' is "one of the most comprehensive and inspiring examples of ecclesial commitment to integral ecology," said Alonso de Llanes of the Laudato Si' Action Platform.

05/27/2025

Here's an article from the BBC about a new, US-backed humanitarian group delivering aid to Gaza. According to National Public Radio and Reuters, the group has caused concern in the international community, but famine-stricken people in Gaza are not asking questions. Read more here:

Hundreds of Palestinians collect food from a site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, whose work the UN calls a "distraction".

05/15/2025

From our friends at National Catholic Reporter:

The new pontiff made an offer to world leaders engaged in wars, during an audience with Eastern Catholics at the Vatican May 14.

05/14/2025

The folks at Seeds learned last week that Hunger News & Hope received three Associated Church Press awards: I will post them below, along with ACP judges' comments:

1. We received the Honorable Mention award for last fall's theme Issue: "What Should We Do about Homelessness?"
Judge's comment: "Well researched and comprehensive - especially love the article sharing how to talk with young people about homelessness."

2. We received the Honorable Mention award for John Garland's story: "Participating in a Miracle: A Story of Hospitality"
Judge's comment: "Raw account of working through radical hospitality. Extremely gripping story told from the heart, authentically, rooted in Biblical teachings."

3. We received the Award of Excellence (first place) in Best in Class for Newsletters.
Judge's comment: "A very informative and well thought out format for audience engagement. Articles were well written and covered a broad range of topics both within the thematic lead article and to other issues beyond."

To see these issues again (or for the first time), go to www.seedspublishers.org/news.

We are pleased to announce that Hunger News & Hope received a “Best in Class” Award of Merit (that’s second place) and Honorable Mention (third place) for Sara Alexander’s story “Turning the Tide of Climate Change in Oromia, Ethiopia: Building Livelihoods for Resilience,” in the new “S...

05/12/2025

Here is some discouraging news from our friends at Word & Way:

A long-simmering dispute over a proposed homeless shelter at a New Jersey church turned ugly last week, as leaders of Toms River voted to try to seize the church’s property.

05/03/2025

This article from the New York Times is about an extensive global survey of human happiness, and the results are profound. Its findings "challenge the widespread assumption that flourishing increases with material prosperity, and they prompt us to reconsider the potential trade-offs of a myopic focus on economic growth above all else." In other words, as St. Francis would have said, "Wealth will never make you happy." Read on:

Material prosperity isn’t everything.

05/02/2025

The World Hunger Relief Training Farm is looking for group leaders for Farm Camp this summer. The farm staff is looking for high school or college students who will be in the Waco area between May 26 and June 20. Volunteers can sign up for a single day, one week, or the full four-week session. They’ll help lead small groups of campers in daily activities, games, and hands-on learning around the farm.

If you are interested, email [email protected] or call 254-799-5611.

05/01/2025

Here's an article from the Cherokee Phoenix about new initiatives for unsheltered people in Northeast Oklahoma:

Within the Cherokee Nation, there are likely thousands of people homeless, a living condition linked to reduced life expectancy.