Working Together to End Global Hunger
How fitting that on a Sunday when this faith community, and indeed this country, was celebrating Thanksgiving, that the focus of our morning worship was on those around the globe who do not have enough food to eat.
With thanks to the Social Justice & Outreach Committee, the service was focused on the message brought to us by Henry Reinders, who has been the Ontario/Quebec Representative for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank since 2020. Henry graduated from the University of Guelph with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture degree in 1981 but after seven years of work in sales and marketing in the plastics industry, Henry returned home to Meaford to take over the family dairy farm. After retiring from active farming in 2017, he went on learning tours with Canadian Foodgrains Bank to Malawi and India. In 2020, he joined the staff and is now coordinator and treasurer of the Bighead River growing project in Meaford which started in 1997. Henry attends Knox Presbyterian Church in Meaford where he is an elder and a trustee. His message in full is attached below and it is definitely worth reading with much information about the Foodgrains Bank as well as his experience around the world and the incredible need globally, especially during these difficult times. Here is an excerpt from his message, this part explaining exactly what the Foodgrains Bank is:
"The mission of Canadian Foodgrains Bank is working together to end global hunger, and our vision is a world without hunger. We are rooted in the belief that all of humankind is made in God’s image, and it is God’s desire that no one go hungry. We are made up of 15 Canadian churches and church based agencies representing 30 denominations all working together to feed the hungry. The United Church of Canada is one of those churches which means you are a member of the Foodgrains Bank. Indeed, it is this aspect of working together that gives us our strength, because no one person, no one church or no one denomination could achieve what we are able to accomplish together.
Last year, through the support of our growing projects, churches, donors like yourself, the Canadian government, and other supporters, we were able to program $63.8 million into 35 countries to help almost 975,000 people."
The Canadian Foodgrains Bank has been been at the heart of Glen Morris United Church's outreach and giving and we are currently in our 31st year of supporting this wonderful organization. We support hrough monetary donations and the donation of the Sharp family (Bill and Martha) with proceeds from crop sales on a portion of their field that they work on East River Road. The church support for the Canadian Food Grains Bank was originally championed by Tom Ingall along with Don and Mary Sharp and has continued for 30 years. Over this time, our church financial contribution has been $53,630.45. The marvellous part of this is that the Canadian Government provides matching funds up to 4:1 and the combined total could be as much as $268,000. We are committed to continuing our support to The Canadian Food Grains Bank. This year’s soybean crop has just been harvested. Our thanks to Bill and Martha and the entire Sharp family for continuing their support. On December 1, the Communion special offering will be for the Canadian Food Grains Bank and the church total contribution for the year will be sent in then.
Henry recognizes that feeding the hungry appears to be a daunting task but shares this:
"I want to close with a quote from Mother Teresa, whose house of worship I was so privileged to visit when I was in India. These are her thoughts on helping the millions of people in the world from a book entitled Words to Love by ... Mother Teresa.
I never look at the masses as my responsibility.
I look at the individual. I can love only one person at a time. I can feed only one person at a time
Just one, one, one.
You get closer to Christ by coming closer to each other. As Jesus said, “Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do to me”
I picked up one person –
Maybe if I didn’t pick up that one person, I wouldn’t have picked up 42,000.
The whole work is only a drop in the ocean. But if I didn’t put the drop in, the ocean would be one drop less.
Same thing for you
Same thing in your church family
Same thing in the church where you go
Just begin . . . one, one, one."
Photo above at the Sharp Farm: from left - Martha Sharp, Bill Sharp, John Graham, chair of Social Justice & Outreach Committee, Henry Reinders, Ontario/Quebec Representative for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, Brenda Totten and Joan Sims, both members of the Social Justice and Outreach Committee.