During the Beans & Rice Challenge October 16-20, we are asking people to join with us in eating like others do, to “walk a mile in another man’s shoes,” to eat for a week from someone else’s bowl. For five days, we ask you to forgo your typical fare and instead eat beans and rice for one to three meals a day. Then we ask you to donate the money you save. Whether it’s $20 or more for the entire week, every little bit matters when it comes to the cause of feeding hungry people around the world.
So, why should you join the challenge? Because together we are feeding refugees, including families who have fled Iraq. The following is a thank you letter we received from one of our partners who is on-the-ground, helping feed these refugees:
I have been here working with children and women coming out of ISIS as sex slaves. We will soon be finished building a safe house for 28 of these women. Also we will have a sewing factory with a program for 50 ladies.
The situation here is close to starvation. I hear stories of families of 12 sharing one egg a day. I have lived among this people now for several months and have seen the desperation and the hunger.
When we received the gift from FTN, we wanted to target the widows and the orphans. Out of all that suffers, they are the ones that suffer most.
These families are living through the unimaginable. But when we join together to be Christ’s hands and feet, we can make a difference in their lives. We can give them food, hope and the love of Christ.
Need more reasons to join the Beans & Rice challenge? Try these 10:
10) Hunger is the number one cause of death in the world, killing more people than HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined.
9) Just $1 can provide 20 meals for hungry children.
8) 1 in 9 people on our planet go to bed hungry each night.
7) Poor nutrition causes nearly half (45%) of deaths in children under the age of five. That’s 3.1 million children each year.
6) Because you have a stocked pantry at home.
5) “Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which he has given you.” ~Deuteronomy 16:17
4) Nearly half of the world’s population lives on less than $2.50 a day. That’s more than 3 billion people who, each day, try to survive on the cost of a medium fast food milk shake.
3) “Never be so busy as not to think of others.” ~Mother Teresa
2) One out of six children—roughly 100 million—in developing countries is underweight.
1) “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
Commit to joining with us, and challenge your friends and family to take part by sharing this page via social media. Follow us on Pinterest to find recipes for your five-day challenge. Stay up-to-date with us on our Facebook and Twitter pages. Together we can make a difference. Together we can feed nations of hungry people.
For more information, take a look at these frequently asked questions.
*Source for some statistics: WFP and https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-global-poverty
