Fighting Hunger and Providing Hope

As Patricia prepares lunch, smoke rises from her wood stove, signaling to her children that the meal is ready. Today’s lunch combines three of her children’s favorite ingredients: lentils, tuna and spaghetti. It has been a tremendously difficult year for Patricia, but the emergency food packs from her son’s Compassion center have eased their burden — and their hunger pangs.

Patricia’s hometown of Colosó is still reeling from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people in Colombia have lost their jobs and are now faced with the harsh realities of poverty for the first time. In 2020, it was common to see red rags in the windows of homes around the country, signaling that the people inside had nothing to eat. Compassion center staff traveled the streets delivering emergency food packs full of grains and protein.

These days, as inflation rises and the global food crisis spreads like a new virus, emergency food packs are even more essential to survival for families in need. Centers are working to deliver food packs for these immediate, desperate needs while they plan sustainable solutions for the future.

Patricia’s son, Angel, is enrolled at the Compassion center in Colosó. Mealtime at the center was always a highlight of Angel’s day, but when COVID-19 forced the centers to close, the food packs became a necessary source of nutrition and hope.

Patricia is grateful for the center’s support. She is overwhelmed by the generosity of supporters around the world since, through Compassion, they are helping children like Angel have a future.

Angel’s grandfather is the family’s breadwinner. He works as a laborer on a farm, but his income is insufficient to meet their needs. That is why receiving a food pack from the center has been a blessing for this family. “I’m raising my children without their father’s support,” says Patricia. “There are moments when I have nothing to give them. But then, the center calls me to receive food for Angel, and there is rice, beans, eggs, which helps me to feed my children.”

In Patricia’s hands, basic ingredients from the emergency food packs — like spaghetti, lentils and tuna — become a delicious lunch. After cooking the spaghetti, she puts it in a frying pan with oil and salt to enhance the flavor and then adds the tuna. Once the lentils are ground, she kneads little pancakes into circles that she fries in the oil.

The family gathers around colorful dishes of spaghetti. Gratitude fills their hearts as the meal fills their stomachs. Mealtimes are no longer reminders of what they lack but celebrations of God’s faithfulness. They are strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.