Emily Baca and Jalyn Boado

Consider this: nearly half of all child deaths worldwide are linked to malnutrition. Hunger and malnutrition are problems that cross many global borders. It is an issue that affects some of the world’s most vulnerable populations, such as women, children, farmers, and those experiencing poverty. The issue of hunger is something that is expansive, as it extends to problems including food availability, insecurity, malnutrition, and developmental issues. It is widely recognized that hunger is a problem that affects a vast number of the world’s population. There are extreme amounts of work to be put in to help solve this problem. 
The Catholic Relief Service ambassadors at Saint Martin’s University have partnered with an ambitious organization called Bread for the World. They have a goal to end world hunger by 2030 through implementing policy changes. Bread for the World wants to take a bipartisan approach, an approach that crosses party lines to advance global nutrition. One of the campaigns that Bread for the World is currently taking up is a Congressional letter-writing campaign to increase funding in the U.S. federal budget. The choices that our government makes affect how much food is put on a family’s table. 
To help combat the plight that so many of our global brothers and sisters face with hardships related to world hunger, we invite the entire campus community to join us in our Lenten journey. Catholic Relief Services (CRS) leads the Rice Bowl Program to assist in an essential pillar of Lent: almsgiving. A simple cardboard box is provided and serves as a tool for collecting Lenten alms. The Rice Bowl also comes with a Lenten calendar that guides individuals through the 40 days of Lent with activities, reflections, and stories. By participating in the calendar activities provided, our campus community also has the opportunity to be united through the other two pillars of Lent: prayer and fasting. One of the calendar activities that we would like to highlight is a movie night that we are hosting, where we will show the film “A Place at the Table” to provide a deeper understanding of world hunger and the issues that surround it. At this CRS event, we will launch our campus’ contribution to Bread for the World’s letter-writing campaign with a goal of 50 letters to be sent in. This event is to take place on March 22. Location and time are to be determined. Please consider attending this event, and help us do our part to end world hunger.