Feeding the Hungry Is Holy Work: A Call to Justice in a Season of Scarcity 

This November is different for many families across the United States. Between inflation, the longest federal government shutdown in US history, and the expiration of SNAP and WIC last week, countless families will be hungry this Thanksgiving season.  

As Christians, we hear God’s call to feel the hungry resound through the gospels: “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 invited me in” (Matthew 25:35). The actions of our current government deny this call.  

When we allow children to go hungry in our nation of abundance, we fail our sacred call to love our neighbors as ourselves.  

For decades, the United Church of Christ has spoken boldly on issues of hunger and poverty, both here in the United States and abroad. God calls us to address hunger in on a local and global level, and we call on our elected officials to do the same. 

No one in the wealthiest nation on earth should face food insecurity. Yet as of November 1^st, 42 million Americans are at risk of losing critical SNAP benefits due to the ongoing government shutdown and the administration’s refusal to use dedicated contingency funds to keep these critical programs funded.¹ Nearly 1 in 8 people, including 16 million children and 8 million people with disabilities, will go without critical food assistance.²  

Last month, the administration, via the United States Department of Agriculture, moved $300 million to WIC, the nutrition program that serves women, infants, and children.³ It’s time for the administration to do the same for SNAP, especially since people across the country are facing rising grocery costs.  

But continued federal inaction leaves families vulnerable. Even as two federal judges ruled the U.S. Department of Agriculture must use their contingency funds to cover SNAP benefits, it remains unclear when and if the administration will do so.  

The deep cuts to SNAP represent more than a fiscal decision: they are a wound to the moral fabric of our beloved community. Cuts to SNAP not only increase food insecurity but also shift costs to local governments and charities, which cannot fully meet the critical need. While emergency food programs help, they provide only one meal for every nine that SNAP provides.⁴ Feeding families is a federal responsibility.  

The United Church of Christ joins advocates and faith partners across the nation in urging immediate restoration and protection of SNAP benefits. Feeding the hungry is an act of covenantal justice, rooted in our shared faith and our understanding that every person deserves dignity. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Helen Nwabara (she/her) is the International Policy Advocate for the United Church of Christ Office of Public Policy & Advocacy in Washington D.C.

1 Political Will and Administrative Priorities Political Will and Administrative Priorities – Food Research & Action Center (frac.org) 

2 The Trump Administration Can and Should Take Available Steps to Ensure SNAP Participants Get November Food Benefits The Trump Administration Can and Should Take Available Steps to Ensure SNAP Participants Get November Food Benefits | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (cbpp.org) 

3 USDA tells lawmakers WIC will be funded through October USDA tells lawmakers WIC will be funded through October – Live Updates – POLITICO 

4 Lapse of Funding Plan USDA 

5 Food Stamp Benefits May Run Out in November, Officials Warn Food Stamp Benefits May Run Out in November, Officials Warn – The New York Times (nytimes.com) 
6 Food Bank Legislative Agenda 2024: Speaking up to fight hunger Food Bank Legislative Agenda 2024: Speaking up to fight hunger (foodbankccs.org)