Our thoughts these days are often on the plight of people all over the world who are desperate for food. As an organization rooted in the shared belief that God does not want anyone to be hungry, our supporters, our staff, our members, and our project participants are united in the desire to make this a reality.
Yet we wrestle with increased conflict in many regions of the world, with abuses of power both big and small, with a less friendly climate, all of which mean that there are more hungry people in the world today than there were yesterday. Our hope for a world free from hunger can be fleeting.
Although it has just been a month, the hope that we carried throughout Advent for the incarnation of Divine Hope, deserts us as we recognize that the problems of the past year are still present in the new year. We cry out with Longfellow in his poem Christmas Bells, ‘there is no peace on earth… for hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, goodwill to all.’
But hope is what we are called to. Hope is the good news that Jesus brought to the world – hope for a just kingdom where everyone has a place at the table and there is food enough for all.
Hope may not be the easiest to find when we look at the dire straits of many of our brothers and sisters around the world, but that is our mission.
Everyone who plays a part in Canadian Foodgrains Bank – from supporters to staff to project implementers – everyone is part of the message of hope that each food ration carries.
Longfellow concludes his poem with this hope-filled message: ‘God is not dead, nor doth He sleep.’ My prayer is that we can be faithful together in sharing hope for a better tomorrow with each other, and with each one who is hungry.
Sol Janzen
Director, human resources and administration
This story was originally published in the 2024 Winter edition of Breaking Bread.
