Feeding the Hungry: A Christian Response to Food Insecurity

The dining room table in my childhood home holds a lot of memories. It was where we ate dinner every night, celebrated birthdays, and where I cried over homework—and over whether or not I had to finish my broccoli. When my husband and I bought our first house and started our family, the table was the one piece of furniture I wanted to invest in. For me, the table wasn’t just a place to eat—it was a place of connection.

Meals are a central part of life. They mark both celebrations and mourning. Eating together is a shared human experience—something we all need and desire to do. And yet, in urban neighborhoods and rural towns, the table remains empty for far too many.

Food insecurity—the lack of reliable access to enough nutritious food—quietly affects children, families, and older adults. It hides behind closed doors, where a parent skips meals to feed their kids, or a senior stretches a tight budget between medicine and groceries. Even in a society with so much, this year 47 million Americans, including 1 in 5 children, will go hungry.

As Christians, our response to food insecurity should reflect the hospitality and abundance of God’s kingdom. Going without food contradicts the created order and God’s desire for human well-being and flourishing. In her blog post, Mary McKenzie DeGroot reminds us, “Although we live in a fallen world, we were meant to live in a garden!” The garden was not only a place where man walked with God, but it was a place abundant with food.

Jesus makes the connection between care for the hungry and faithful discipleship clear in Matthew 25:35-36 when he says:

For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you took care of Me; I was in prison and you visited Me.

However, addressing a problem as complicated as food insecurity requires more than individual compassion. It calls for coordinated efforts from the church, government, and social institutions working to ensure everyone has access to the food they need.

Federal and state governments currently play a leading role in food relief efforts. Since its inception, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has been central to helping American families who struggle to access food. Originally established as the Food Stamp Program in 1939, SNAP now assists an average of 42 million low-income individuals, each month, to afford a nutritional diet.

Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and the national free lunch program further support vulnerable, low-income Americans. These public programs provide resources to pregnant women, young children, and school-aged children, helping ensure they have access to essential nutrition for healthy development. In addition, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) supports farmers and addresses food insecurity through various initiatives, including The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), which distributes federal grants to help supply food to those in need.

Food insecurity is not just about hunger—it is a complex issue rooted in economic instability, health disparities, and systemic barriers. While government programs play an important role in addressing food insecurity, they should not bear all the responsibility. Community leaders and organizations must also recognize the impact of food insecurity within their areas and actively engage in developing and supporting relief efforts, even beyond what the federal and state governments are doing. More specifically, as Christians, we should advocate for and support the organizations and faith communities that work to meet the basic needs of our neighbors.

In my community, a small, local congregation noticed that students at one nearby elementary school—where many families have lower incomes—were coming to school on Mondays hungry. While most of the students qualified for free and reduced lunch during the school week, their nutritional needs over the weekend were going unmet. In response, the church partnered with the school to launch a weekend backpack program. Children receive discreet bags filled with easy-to-prepare foods each Friday to help them get through the weekend. What began as a small outreach effort has grown into a vital church ministry where they currently provide boxes of food to over 100 families a month.

In a small town just north of my community, a pay-what-you-can café provides holistic care for those facing food insecurity. One of the café’s leaders describes its mission as twofold: to provide opportunities for individuals experiencing food insecurity to engage with dignity and to foster stronger community bonds by offering a space open to all. Here, guests receive more than just a meal; they are welcomed into a place where they can receive connection and support. The café invites its patrons to contribute in whatever way they can, whether through volunteering or financial donations and in addition to feeding the body, the café offers spiritual encouragement, opportunities for community-building, and access to mental health resources.

A few years ago, my son’s Cub Scout troop committed to planting and maintaining a garden from May through October. They built and painted raised garden beds, planted seeds, watered, weeded, and eventually harvested cucumbers, potatoes, zucchini, corn, and strawberries—donating their bounty to a local church’s food pantry. This small act of service became a meaningful way for young children—and their families—to engage directly in the work of feeding their neighbors. This act of service reminded me that addressing food insecurity isn’t limited to policymakers or large organizations; it starts with each of us noticing, caring, and then doing.

These grassroots efforts are examples of responding to Jesus’ call to care for the hungry.

We might wonder how to identify opportunities to make meaningful contributions to caring for the hungry. It starts simply—asking questions. Where is there hunger near me? Who at my church, school, or neighborhood might be struggling in silence? And how might I, in partnership with others, help set a table where all are fed? From there, we can seek opportunities to advocate for just systems and support creative community efforts.

Caring for the hungry is part of what it means to follow Christ. It’s how we reflect God’s love and work for a world where everyone has enough.

Author’s Note: This piece was written in tandem with my Social Work Capstone course. Students completed a semester-long research project on Food Insecurity and content for this essay was pulled from their project and paper. Thank you to my BSW students, Michelle Porter, Anna Walker, Mikaeli Slack, and Amber Wartman for their contributions to this blog.