February 01, 2021
Southeastern Synod 40-40-40 Lenten Walk for ELCA World Hunger
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, poverty and food insecurity in the Southeastern Synod are increasing. A Census Bureau survey conducted in December found that 18% of Mississippi households, 14% of households in Tennessee and Alabama, and 13% of households in Georgia didn’t have enough to eat. Many synod congregations with food ministries have now found themselves on the front lines of a hunger crisis and have stepped up efforts to address the needs of hungry people in their communities. As more people sought food and assistance, many food ministries struggled to find enough volunteers to serve meals and to implement safety procedures to protect their volunteers and those whom they serve. But thanks to the generosity of the ELCA World Hunger group and to Lutherans all over the country, 32 Southeastern Synod congregations or their nonprofit partners, received Daily Bread or Domestic Hunger grants in 2020 to help these congregations purchase additional food, masks, and to meet other needs.
To raise funds for ELCA World Hunger to support their efforts to end hunger, during Lent Southeastern Synod congregations are invited to walk 40 miles in 40 days to raise $40. You can sign up at www.elca-ses.org and a link is provided for the ELCA World Hunger giving page. Please consider signing up so that we can meet Bishop Strickland’s challenge that at least 40 congregations participate in the 40-40-40 Lenten Walk (so far there are 15 congregations signed up!). Send selfies of yourself walking/running to Cheryl Bopp at cherylbopp@hotmail.com, or post on social media with #404040 for inclusion in the newsletter.