03/30/2020
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
First of all, I want to express a deep gratitude on behalf of all the families you have supported through the "I was hungry" ministry. Your generosity has enabled more than 500 disciples over the last 5 years to be able to eat daily.
Secondly, I must appeal for your help even more urgently than before. The churches in Central America are in the beginning stages of the Covid-19 spread. They face tremendous and unimaginable challenges ahead as they now must deal with more widespread hunger while having to fight for access to very limited and or inadequate medical services. Many of the “I was hungry” recipients have diabetes, high blood pressure, immune deficiencies and many of them are also seniors, making them all high risk for complications.
This last week I was moved to tears after talking to leaders of our church family in Central America. Most of them are in stricter curfews or quarantines than we are in the United States. The police and the military are also starting to arrest people who try to go out and get food. Many “I was hungry” recipients did not have sufficient funds to stock up on food in advance of the pandemic and now they must risk run-ins with the authorities as they try to purchase what little they can. As you read this, these families are running out of food.
Disciples in Central America are acting in faith, however. At the end of this past week, the church in Honduras appealed to the government and got permission to let certain people from the church to go out and buy food in bulk to distribute to the church members. Business owners in the church who had savings and were financially better off and who have gone into their reserves to share their money to purchase food. Our Hope worldwide volunteers in Honduras are risking their lives to feed the hungry amongst them amidst the real possibility of being robbed or targeted by gangs while risking exposure so the virus.
I want to reassure you that “I was hungry” is rising to meet the present needs of the churches in Central America during the CoVid-19 pandemic. While our mission remains to feed the hungry in our congregations, in response to the crisis, the approach will change temporarily. The “I was hungry” stipends will not be distributed to individuals but to the local churches to buy food in bulk and distribute it to any families in the church in need of food. Sadly, at this time, this may mean the majority of the church. We believe this approach will both provide safer access to food for the “I was hungry” recipients but also allow for food distribution to a greater number of disciples.
Finally, the main challenge we face and one which we need your help to address, is getting funds to the churches in Central America to buy food in advance, while food is still available for purchase in their countries. Understanding that many of us may be facing our own financial challenges, I appeal to those who can to donate now as one-time contributions or by supporting an additional family (see link below).
This is a time for the love of Christ to shine in the time of crisis. Let us imitate the following:
2 Corinthians 8:2-4
In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people.
Thank you so much,
Horacio Piccininno
One-time donations or the support of additional families can be made at the following site: https://www.cjcoc.org/iwhungry
Thank you,
Horacio Piccininno
Many attend schools where less than 34% of teachers are qualified to teach and gang violence takes the lives of children.
