Give a gift of hope

The poem'Twas the Night Before Christmas reads "The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there." It was the real life St. Nicholas, a 4th century bishop known for his secret gift giving, who inspired the poem and the creation of the "Santa Claus" we know today.

But if we want to be true to the real Santa, St. Nicholas, we should give food to the world's starving people this holiday. For St. Nicholas was known for his work in feeding the hungry. It was St. Nicholas who provided food to the poor during times of famine. Legend has it that St. Nicholas was able to convince others to share food to help those in hunger. The lesson was there is enough food and wealth in the world to feed everyone. Sharing is the true Christmas spirit.

With foodbanks seeing high demand at home and unprecedented hunger emergencies worldwide, the best Christmas gift we could give is food to those in desperate need.

The starving child in a refugee camp in the D.R. Congo wants a basket of food more than anything right now. Families in war-torn Gaza, Sudan, Yemen and Syria are desperate for food amid horrible conflicts. But yet there is not enough funding to reach all those suffering in hunger.

For the coming year the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) is appealing for “$16.9 billion to address global food needs and the alarming gap between needs and resources.” That figure is what the world spends drinking coffee for two weeks according to WFP.

There are mothers in Sudan, Madagascar, D.R. Congo, and other countries who want a box of Plumpy’Nut this holiday because this enriched food will save their child’s life. There is a major shortage of lifesaving food for infants right now.

UNICEF, the U.N. Children’s agency, recently issued an appeal for $165 million because supplies of Ready-to-use-Therapeutic-Food (RUTF) to treat infant malnutrition are running low in 12 nations. These alarming shortages are a disaster as small children will suffer lasting physical and mental damage from malnutrition, or death. Mali, Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Pakistan, Sudan, Madagascar, South Sudan, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda are all at risk of running out of food to treat infant malnutrition.

The charity Mary’s Meals gives school lunches to children in some of the most impoverished countries in the world. These school lunches are a precious gift to children, giving them life and hope for the future.

“Through our collaborative school feeding programs in 17 countries, we see firsthand the hope these initiatives bring to families and communities. Even in the direst circumstances, when children are nourished and able to attend school, these programs provide a sense of stability and hope that with an education, there’s an opportunity for a better future,” said Mary's Meals USA Executive Director Terry Bonet.

What an amazing Christmas it would be if everyone who is facing starvation got lifesaving food. That would be what St. Nicholas would do, giving gifts of food to the hungry.

You can send a donation to charities like WFP, UNICEF, Mary’s Meals, Save the Children, Catholic Relief Services, Mercy Corps, CARE, Edesia and many others. You could even make the donation in someone’s name to honor them this holiday season. You could leave them a card so they know that the gift of food is on the way to the starving children.

That would be in the spirit of St. Nicholas, a Happy Christmas with food for all, and to all peace and a good night.

William Lambers is an author who partnered with the U.N. World Food Program on the book “Ending World Hunger.” His writings have been published by the NY Times, Washington Post, Newsweek, History News Network, Cleveland Plain Dealer and many other news outlets.

Local Nonprofits providing food

HACAP https://www.hacap.org/contactus

Horizons (Meals on Wheels) 319-398-3943

Feed Iowa First 319-775-0149

Mission of Hope https://missionofhopecr.org/contact

Together We Achieve 319 432 9754

Green Square Meals 319-601-0458

Linn Community Food Bank 319-364-3543

Freedom Foundation 319-826-2010

CommUnity Crisis Services and Food Bank 319-351-2726

Table to Table 319-337-3400

North Liberty Community Pantry 319-626-2711

Coralville Community Food Pantry https://www.coralvillefoodpantry.org/