This is National Hunger Awareness Day.

“I’m starving!” When’s the last time you said that to a friend or parent. Probably not too long ago. What you really meant was that you hadn’t eaten for a couple of hours and would appreciate a snack or an early meal.

But have you ever had excruciating hunger pains? Probably not. Yet every night, millions of people—men, women, and children—go to bed hungry, even in the United States, the land of plenty. And in some countries, torn apart by war, devastated by hurricanes or earthquakes, or wiped out by famine, thousands are truly starving—starving to death.

That seems almost hard to believe in a land with restaurants on just about every corner and strip mall and grocery stores with millions of food options. Just think of the food available to you right now and what you have already eaten today. Then think of a small boy or girl living in a sheet metal shack, digging for roots of plants or hunting for insects to eat. That’s sure different than a Big Mac, fries, and a Coke!

Some people are trying to make a difference, to take food to starving families. You’ve probably heard of World Vision, Compassion, Samaritan’s Purse, Bread for the World, World Relief, mission agencies, and other similar organizations. And your church and other ministries in the community work hard to assist poor people.

So the next time you’re tempted to say, “I’m starving,” remember what that truly means and think of what you can do to help.

Feed the hungry and help those in trouble. Then you light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as day. (Isaiah 58:10)

To Do

Find out the location of a local food pantry. Then take a bag of canned goods there as a gift from your family, to help feed the hungry people in the community.

Also on this day . . .

This is World Environment Day.

1968—During his campaign for the presidency, Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in Los Angeles, California.

1977—Apple II, the first personal computer, went on sale.

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005). Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.