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Augustinians Support UN World Food Day

October 16, 2011

Augustinians of the Midwest are encouraged to mark the United Nations' World Food Day, October 16, 2011, in their communities and ministries. The Augustinians invite and encourage all who identify with Augustinian spirituality and traditions to do likewise. This annual day meshes well with the themes of the Augustinian Campaign Against Hunger and Millennium Development Goals. (Opens new window)

“For I was hungry and you gave me no food.” - Mt. 25: 14

These words of Jesus enable us to understand the deep significance in God’s eyes of meeting the fundamental needs of every man and woman. Care for the hungry and needy is an essential part of the Christian message and of traditional Catholic moral teaching.

2011 Theme: Food Prices - From Crisis to Stability

World Food Day for 2011 focuses on the theme Food Prices - From Crisis to Stability.

This theme was chosen to shed some light on the current trend to higher and higher prices for basic food items and what can be done to lessen its impact on the most vulnerable, the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization said.

F.A.O. data show that in 2009 the global financial crisis and rising food costs pushed the number of hungry persons in the world over the 1 billion mark. F.A.O. Director-General Jacques Diouf called this situation a “tragic achievement in these modern days.”

The F.A.O. Food Price Index averaged 234 points in June, 2011, one per cent higher than in May and 39 per cent higher than in June, 2010.

The Index, a compilation of price data for grains, dairy products, meat, oils and sugar, has been rising since July, 2010. The World Bank said that 44 million people have fallen into extreme poverty and hunger because of increasing food costs.

Anger about high food costs and frustration about the resulting hunger have already sparked violent reactions in several developing countries. Leaders fear that more violent demonstrations may follow. Approximately 36 countries face social unrest as a result of rising food and fuel prices, Robert B. Zoellick, President of the World Bank, said. High food prices are a problem especially for poor countries that must import food.

World Food Day 2011 is an opportunity for learning, reflecting, praying, acting against hunger. “On World Food Day 2011, let us look seriously at what causes swings in food prices, and do what needs to be done to reduce their impact on the weakest members of global society,”, F.A.O. urged.

Both works of charity -- getting food to those who do not have it -- and works of justice -- moving beyond the “benevolence model” of food aid by learning about rising food costs and other factors that reduce food security, addressing these issues at their root causes, and supporting actions that will empower people to feed themselves. As St. Augustine said, “You give bread to a hungry person; but it would be better if no one were hungry.” - Tractate 1 John 8,8

World Food Day Prayer

       » World Food Day Prayer Service
             Suggested Augustinian prayers from International Justice and Peace Secretariate, Rome

More Information and Resources

From F.A.O.

       » World Food Day: Get Involved (Opens new window)
             Information from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization

       » Food Prices: From Crisis to Stability Leaflet (. pdf file - Opens new window)
             Some causes of high food prices and some ways to overcome them - from F.A.O.

       » The Human Right to Adequate Food (Opens new window)
             Helping to build a food-secure world for present and future generations

       » Food Security Information for Decision Making (Opens new window)
             Linking Information and Decision Making to Improve Food Security

       » How to Feed the World in 2050 (Opens new window)
             High Level Expert Forum - October 12-13, 2009

       » F.A.O. - Hunger (Opens new window)
             Statistics, Internactive hunger map, Frequently asked questions

From Other Sources

       » World Food Day U.S.A. (Opens new window)
             How you can use World Food Day more effectively

       » Looking Beyond the Current Food Price Crisis (Opens new window)
             A dialogue on overcoming hunger and poverty - from Bread for the World Institute

       » Feeding Minds, Fighting Hunger (Opens new window)
             For educators: Lesson plans and other resources for exploring hunger

       » Food Aid Experts: 'World Hunger Can Be Eliminated' (Opens new window)
             N.C.R. report on April, 2009 International Food Aid Conference

       » Millennium Campaign (Opens new window)
             Goal 1 - Reduce by half by 2015 the number of persons who die of hunger

Act Against Hunger

       » Play “Free Rice” (Opens new window)
             World’s only vocabulary game that feeds the hungry

       » 1 Billion Hungry: Petition to End Hunger (Opens new window)
             Unite: Add your name to ask politicians to make defeating hunger a priority

       » End Hunger: Walk the World (Opens new window)
             An annual global action to help end child hunger

       » Hunger x Half
             Hunger facts and steps you can take to cut hunger in half

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Other UN Days Reflect Christian Values

      » Augustinians Support International Days
             Seven U.N. Days reflect Catholic Christian values