Written by William Lambers
According to the poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” the stockings were carefully hung by the chimney in the hopes that St. Nicholas would arrive soon. The poem and the modern Santa Claus were inspired by the real-life St. Nicholas, a bishop from the fourth century who was well-known for presenting gifts in secret.
However, we should feed the world’s hungry this season if we wish to be true to the actual Santa, St. Nicholas. Because St. Nicholas was well-known for his efforts to provide food for the hungry. During hunger, St. Nicholas was the one who fed the underprivileged.
According to legend, St. Nicholas was successful in persuading people to donate food in order to aid the hungry. The lesson was that the world has enough money and food to feed everyone. The true spirit of Christmas is sharing. The greatest Christmas present we could offer is food to people in need, especially since food banks are experiencing a surge in demand domestically and there are enormous hunger crises occurring globally.
A basket of food is what the famished child in a DRC refugee camp is most in need of at the moment. In the midst of terrible battles, families in Yemen, Syria, Sudan, and Gaza are in dire need of food. However, there isn’t enough money to help everyone who is hungry.
The UN World Food Program (WFP) is requesting $16.9 billion for the upcoming year in order to satisfy the world’s food needs and the concerning disparity between resources and needs. According to WFP, that is the amount of time spent drinking coffee worldwide for two weeks.
This holiday season, several moms in Sudan, Madagascar, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and other nations are requesting a box of Plumpy Nut because they believe it will save their child’s life. There is currently a severe scarcity of newborn nourishment that can save lives. A recent request for $165 million was made by UNICEF, the UN agency for children, as supplies of Ready-to-use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), which is used to treat infant malnutrition, are running short in 12 countries. These severe shortages are disastrous because hunger or death will cause long-term physical and emotional harm to young children.
Food supplies to treat newborn malnutrition are in danger of running out in Mali, Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Pakistan, Sudan, Madagascar, South Sudan, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Uganda.
Children in some of the world’s poorest nations get school lunches from the nonprofit organization Mary’s Meals. Children receive these school lunches as a priceless gift that gives them hope for the future and life. We have direct experience with the joy these programs offer to families and communities through our joint school feeding programs in 17 countries. According to Terry Bonet, executive director of Mary’s Meals USA, these initiatives give children a feeling of security and optimism that an education will lead to a better future, even in the most severe situations when they are fed and able to go to school.
If everyone in danger of starving received food that could save their lives, what a wonderful Christmas that would be. Giving food as gifts to the hungry is what St. Nicholas would do. Donations can be sent to a variety of charities, including Mercy Corps, CARE, Edesia, Catholic Relief Services, WFP, UNICEF, Mary’s Meals, Save the Children, and many more.
This holiday season, you might even commemorate someone by making the donation in their name. To let them know that the food donation for the hungry kids is on its way, you may leave them a card. That would be in keeping with St. Nicholas’s wishes for a good night, peace, and a happy Christmas with food for everyone.
The UN World Food Program collaborated with author William Lambers on the book Ending World Hunger.
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