New Journey in Fountain Hills continues work to reduce hunger
Easter projects provide shelter and sustenance
Posted 5/13/24
New Journey Lutheran Church in Fountain Hills recently wrapped up two Easter season projects, raising funds for two programs that provide shelter and sustenance for those in need.
A total of …
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New Journey Lutheran Church in Fountain Hills recently wrapped up two Easter season projects, raising funds for two programs that provide shelter and sustenance for those in need.
A total of $760 raised will go to Casa de la Misericordia y de Todas las Naciones, a shelter for asylum seekers in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, that supports mainly women and children while their asylum claims are processed.
A donation of $465 will go to the ELCA Good Gifts program which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year to support sustenance needs worldwide including farm animals, environment-friendly water filters and cookstoves and family mosquito netting.
The “Casa M” support is part of a Northeast Valley Consortium (NEVC) annual collaboration to support the shelter, according to a press release from New Journey.
Letter-writing campaign
A letter-writing campaign on April 7 also garnered signatures for Bread for the World’s advocacy to U.S. legislators in support of hunger components of the U.S. Farm Bill.
The farm bill, an omnibus piece of legislation addressing hunger, farm support and environmental programs, continues to await five-year approval by the U.S. Congress.
Fortunately, the “Bread” campaign helped forward a temporary extension of SNAP and other hunger provisions of this legislation.
The New Journey letter-writing also petitioned Fountain Hills’ state legislators to support supplementary funding for free and reduced school meals.
The Arizona Legislature provided $12 million in supplementary funding for 2023-24, but those dollars expire in June 2024, according to the release.
“Members and friends of New Journey care deeply about addressing hunger in our local and global communities, “ New Journey Pastor Elizabeth Gallen said. “Our congregation is beginning to explore and deepen our communal impact on reducing hunger through advocacy efforts.
“It is the combination of collecting funds/goods and raising our voices in the public square that reduces hunger. We will continue to engage both approaches in our ministry and programs because we believe Jesus calls us to feed the hungry (Matthew 25).”
Gallen continued: “In our society, following Jesus means collecting goods, raising funds, and connecting with our legislators who have the power to pass policy that reduces hunger.”
Next on the docket are New Journey’s 2024 summer heat respite lunch packs, this year also joined by the additional NEVC churches, to provide food and water weekly from June through September to the Grace in the City heat respite project in central Phoenix.
For more information about New Journey Lutheran Church and its efforts, visit njlc-fh.org.
