October is Global Hunger emphasis month. I encourage you to support the Global Hunger Offering and worldwide efforts through Baptist Global Response, the Southern Baptist relief agency. Your gifts provide direct hunger relief as well as seed, livestock, and agricultural training to help people feed their families. But it is also important to know that the Eliza Broadus Offering assists with hunger relief here in Kentucky through grants which provide food though Baptist ministry efforts.

Monroe Baptist Church WMU (Monroe Association) sponsors the Monroe Backpack Program. A $1,500 grant is helping to provide food to approximately 200 children. The food packs allow the church to make contact with school leaders and other children who may not have a relationship with Christ.

Feed the Hungry, a ministry of Central Kentucky Network of Baptists, was established to provide sack lunches and hot meals to those in the community who are homeless and/or in need of food assistance. “Our hope,” said David Stokes, associational director of missions, “is that by providing meals to families in need, we will have opportunities to share with them the hope we have found in Jesus Christ.” A $1,000 EBO grant helps with ministry expenses such as food handler certification for volunteers, paper products, sandwich bags, and food items.

Plum Springs Baptist Church Food Pantry (Warren Association) requested a $500 EBO grant this year to help them buy Bibles and tracts to go in each food basket that they distribute to needy families. “The food pantry is open at the same time as the clothes closet where friendly, caring people greet guests and share Jesus,” said Deborah Reno, missions director at Plum Springs. “Our ministry objective is to be the church in the community with the community at its heart. We pray that as people see a genuine love and concern for them, they will then be open to hear what we say about Jesus and His love for them.”

Other EBO grants for hunger ministries this past year include Fellowship Baptist Church (Mercer Association), Trinity Baptist Church (West Union Association), Kentucky Sacks of Love (Upper Cumberland Association), and Blackford-Breckinridge Association Food Pantry. EBO also helped Haven of Rest (Enterprise Association) feed families visiting inmates at the federal prison and assisted West Kentucky Association build the shelving for a new food bank and clothing exchange established this year.

The words of Jesus, “For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat” (Matthew 25:35), still resonate through the Eliza Broadus Offering!