Presence, not Panic
How Churches Can Respond to Growing Food Insecurity with Courage and Care
Dear Friends, this is just a friendly reminder that this Substack is an independent publication. I appreciate each person who reads weekly and I am so grateful for a space to write what is on my heart each week. Thank you for supporting my work. As always, I invite your comments!! Recently I’ve been posting about trauma informed pastoral care and faith and politics. This does not represent the view points of any particular parish.
Parenting during these days can be a challenge. My husband and I were left feeling the despair that many are carrying. Particularly in light of the most recent budget bill. And yet, we are called to create a safe and meaningful life for our daughter, each day we try to maintain joy and a sense of normalcy in our home as it matters for the life of our own daughter. For us, this meant she dragged us out to a nearby shoreline where we could see Narragansett bay and the providence and Narragansett sky line here in Rhode Island. And in the end we were both grateful she did! We watched the sunset and marveled at the beauty all around us as we watching the fire works let off from a number of RI cities in the distance. But this was a difficult 4th for us. And I suspect we may not have been alone.
I seem to recall that in my American Church History course with Rev. Dr. Lauren Winner, we touched on the origins of tax-exempt status for churches in early America. I can’t cite the exact source, but I remember the broad sketch: that many of the first churches granted tax exemptions were expected to live out the social gospel—to care for their neighbors in tangible ways through food, housing, and basic needs.
Fast-forward to today, and I’ve recently spoken with several churches running food programs. I feel buoyed by the history and legacy of these programs that seek to meet the needs of those who are near by—think community meals, grab-and-go groceries, food pantries. Across the board, one truth keeps coming up: the need is growing. Food insecurity is on the rise. And while churches are doing faithful, on-the-ground work, the capacity of these ministries is being stretched to its limits.
That’s what makes the new budget bill so devastating.
The latest proposals moving through the House and Senate (at the time of this writing, things may have progressed by the time you read this) include significant cuts to SNAP benefits (formerly known as food stamps). According to the Center for American Progress (which I chose intentionally as a source because it is known as a non-partisan organization) about 40 percent of SNAP recipients are children—the most vulnerable among us. They can’t vote. They don’t write policy. They depend on the adults in the room, to act in their best interest.
Instead, we’re watching legislation advance that deliberately does them harm.
Let’s be clear: churches cannot feed everyone. But we will be among the first to feel the ripple effects of these cuts. If families can’t access food through public programs, where will they go? To us. To the pantries in the parish hall, to the churches that hand out brown bags of groceries, to the congregations doing their best with what little they have.
And here's the thing: we should not be surprised.
We should be grieved, but not surprised.
Because when an administration seeks for us to be in a emotionally deregulated state they win, it’s what they want. What they are actually doing is offloading care from the state to the individual. The public chaos, the Twitter tantrums, the smoke and mirrors, all of these are designed to distract you from what’s really happening: structural abandonment. What used to be guaranteed as a public good is now being handed over to whoever can cobble together a few volunteers and some canned goods (or the private sector).
But that doesn’t mean we have to flounder.
We can and must be measured. We can and must be clear-eyed. We can and must prepare.
I don’t have all the answers but I think when possible, Churches may want to begin now to anticipate rising need. Some ideas may include:
Strengthen your food ministries.
Recruit and care for volunteers.
Build sustainable fundraising streams.
Partner with local schools, nonprofits, and mutual aid groups.
Keep your eyes on policy—because it’s pastoral.
And never forget:
Taking food from children is not neutral.
It is not a budget decision.
It is a moral decision.
And it is designed to take away their future.
Children who are hungry can’t learn. Teachers become first responders. Black and brown communities, already historically underfed and underfunded, will bear the brunt of these policies. This is not just a poverty issue. It’s a racial justice issue. It’s a faith issue.
When children can’t eat, they can’t dream. And if they can’t dream, they can’t build. And if they can’t build, we are robbing not just their present, but also the possibility of their future.
This is how competitive authoritarianism works: it pits the haves against the have-nots and tells each of us to look out only for ourselves. But as people of faith, we are called to something else. This is the body of Christ coming alongside those in need.
So to those of you serving in churches—especially those with community food programs:
Do not let the chaos cloud your vision.
Keep your head clear.
Keep your heart soft.
Be the leader your people need.
Our neighbors don’t need panic.
They need presence.
They need grace.
They need food.
And they need you.
I invite you to Pre order my book Sanctuary of Healing: Turning Churches into Trauma Informed Spaces.