Children’s Hunger Fund shows how children can deliver hope to suffering children through gospel-centered mercy ministry. From praying for families who receive Food Paks, to getting informed through Poverty Encounter, volunteering at Distribution Centers, and participating in Project Coin Pak and Project Food Pak, kids can play a powerful role in serving children in need while learning to live out their faith.
In “A Whole New Worldview,” the story of the Neri family unfolds at the end of a long dirt path outside San Antonio, Texas, where an isolated structure, a water container, and a generator provide for their most basic needs. After Hugo’s accident left him unable to work, Food Paks delivered by Jorge Ramirez and Bethesda Church of God offered practical help and opened the door for gospel-centered mercy ministry in a home once devoted to the Santa Muerte cult. As altars come down and the family grows more open to the gospel, Children’s Hunger Fund continues delivering hope to suffering children by equipping local churches for mercy ministry that can transform hearts, minds, and entire worldviews.
When resilience meets faith in Bacolod City, the story of Celeste Panganiban shows how Filipino resilience shines amid poverty as a mother juggles several part-time jobs—washing clothes, working as a masseuse, and selling avocados and mangoes—just to help feed her nine children. Through the weekly Food Pak ministry of Bible Baptist Church, supported by Children’s Hunger Fund, the family not only receives practical help in their crowded urban neighborhood but also encounters the gospel, leading Celeste, her husband, and two of their children to new faith in Christ and fresh hope for tomorrow. Surrounded by friendly neighbors, supported by a caring congregation that even provides transportation and buys produce from her stand, Celeste now sees God’s goodness despite their poverty and trusts that He is in control.
Thailand truly lives up to its reputation as the “Land of the Free,” a beautiful country filled with fascinating contrasts—from the tiniest bumblebee bat to the massive whale shark that swims in its tropical waters. With more than 35,000 Buddhist temples, the joyful Songkran Festival (the world’s largest water fight), and even an annual festival of monkeys in Lopburi, Thailand offers a unique blend of culture, history, and fun. Once known as Siam and now visited by tens of millions of tourists each year, this “land of smiles” is also a place where Children’s Hunger Fund partners with local churches to deliver Food Pak ministry, bringing hope and regular food to over 28,000 people.
Anita Alvarez and her family have faced jail, abuse, foster care, robbery, gangs, and even a debilitating injury, yet God has used the local church to encourage their unbreakable spirit through tangible mercy and ongoing hope. Through regular Food Pak deliveries, personal visits, and gifts like a much-needed dresser, we at Children’s Hunger Fund have watched Pastor Netza and Iglesia Casa de Dios Palmdale walk with Anita’s family from crisis toward stability, forming a lasting relationship that brings food, fellowship, and the hope of the gospel right to their door.
At our Children’s Hunger Fund Distribution Center in Sylmar, CA, we recently experienced a fresh take on food distribution as rows of pallets were stacked high with boxes of bananas, honeydews, pineapples, and mangoes. While we typically send out non-perishable packaged foods and canned goods, the early months of the pandemic opened the door for us to provide fresh produce for local distribution through generous donations from Del Monte Foods—more than 1,151 pallets of fresh fruit in 2020 alone. Through our Distribution Centers in Los Angeles, Dallas, and San Antonio, pastors and church volunteers were able to deliver fruit, tortillas, onions, frozen waffles, and Food Paks directly to families in need, and even though many things changed about the way we delivered food, our mission to share the good news never wavered.
In Rwanda and across our international Mercy Network countries, we have witnessed unexpected blessings during a time of great need as churches remained closed and many families went hungry. Thanks to generous support from Children’s Hunger Fund donors and corporate partners, emergency food relief allowed local church pastors like Pastor Godfrey in Kigali to visit families such as Felix and Chantal Asiimwe in their homes with much-needed food, encouragement, and the hope of the gospel. In the midst of lockdowns, these monthly visits showed families who often went to bed hungry that they are loved, respected, and not forgotten.
Our Record-Breaking Generosity Mobile Food Pak event at Fielder Church began in the early hours of November 14th, as volunteers gathered in an empty church parking lot in Arlington, Texas, ready to serve. What started in 2017 with 5,000 Food Paks grew each year—7,000, then 10,000, then 12,000 during the pandemic—as Fielder Church lived out its missional vision to “live sent” and exhale the gospel into their community. This year, across three campuses, volunteers filled 15,000 Food Paks in under two hours, a true record-breaking display of generosity that helped make children in need feel seen, known, and loved. At Children’s Hunger Fund, we are grateful for our friends at Fielder Church and their commitment to deliver hope to suffering children through every Food Pak they pack and every family they reach.
At Children’s Hunger Fund, we rejoice to see Emmanuel and his family discovering hope and a better future after leaving the violence of Honduras for San Antonio, Texas. Through the faithful care of Pastor Villastrigo’s church, Food Paks, diapers, and personal visits are easing Alina’s daily struggle to provide food for her children and her nephew. Because generous supporters make this ministry possible, Emmanuel, his sisters, and his cousin are not only receiving practical help, but are also hearing that they are beloved children of a loving God.
Your support is truly making a difference in the Philippines, especially in the mountain villages surrounding Cebu City, where children like Jericho once relied on selling fruits and vegetables during the pandemic just to get by. Through the Food Pak ministry, our church partners are able to visit these remote communities, share the gospel, and lead Bible lessons for around forty children who gather each time Ruben and his wife arrive. Because of the dedication of local churches, the diligence of volunteers, the faithfulness of prayer warriors, and the generosity of donors like you, families who depended on a meager fruit vendor’s income are now experiencing Christ-centered hope.