Since 2020 the number of people facing moderate or severe food insecurity has risen to approximately 2.3 billion people globally. An estimated 864 million of those individuals face severe food insecurity, which is when people do not have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food.¹ In Sudan, over half of the population currently faces a conflict-induced famine. In response to this hunger crisis, large organizations are uniting and focusing their hope on the rising generation’s power to get involved and make an impact.
At the invitation of the Ballard Center for Social Impact, Barron Segar, president and CEO of World Food Program USA, and Sharon Eubank, director of Humanitarian Service, Welfare and Self-Reliance Services for The Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-day Saints visited campus in September 2024 to share their insights. Over 400 attendees came to hear their remarks at the US Against Hunger live event, with others joining via YouTube livestream.
Eubank emphasized that “President Nelson and his presidency . . . chose the well-being of children under the age of five and global nutrition as their global priority.” Faith-based organizations play a unique and powerful role in solving social problems. Eubank explained one way the Church can mobilize and scale quickly: “President Nelson [says], ‘All right, this is going to be our priority,’ and then, instead of just one person caring about zero hunger, we . . . have 17 million people and their friends caring about that."
Segar expressed his appreciation for the Church and stated, “There is no other faith-based organization that does as much and has as great of an impact.” Segar said that other faith-based organizations are seeing what the Church and World Food Program USA have accomplished and are asking how they can help too.
Through the aligned efforts of the Church, World Food Program USA, and now a two-year focused commitment by the Ballard Center for Social Impact, young adults worldwide can join with a global community of changemakers to work toward ending hunger.
The organizations collaborate to increase the well-being of men, women, and children by co-creating solutions with those whom they serve. One of these individuals is Matea—a woman from Liberia who used the aid she received to become a local farmer. Segar recalled that Matea became emotional when she was asked how the aid helped her. Rather than expressing her gratitude with phrases like “They were kind to me” or “They helped me,” she instead said. "You have transformed me. You have transformed my community.”
Despite the fact that food insecurity has recently been on the rise, there is hope. Jill Piacitelli, associate director of the Ballard Center, and Rebecca Middleton, chief advocacy and engagement officer of World Food Program USA, shared how student and young adult engagement can benefit this work. After surveying the crowd and asking about their specific majors, Middleton said, "That's one of the really exciting things about hunger work, whether it's global or domestic—there is something for everybody.” She continued by explaining that each individual can utilize their skills and talents to make an impact on ending hunger.
During the event, Segar described how World Food Program USA is launching a youth engagement initiative that can serve as a resource for the Ballard Center and the Church. Segar said,
We're now going to be creating . . . this amazing [young adult] initiative that is going to be extraordinary, [focusing on] how we're going to amplify the voices of those in need—where we want to educate the world about what's happening with food and hunger around the world. So it goes beyond hunger—it is friendships, it is ideas, making sure that we're providing the maximum benefit for those who are hungry.
Eva Witesman, director of the Ballard Center, added, “No single program or organization needs to have all the solutions—the most powerful approach for eradicating hunger is a collective effort rather than an isolated approach.” Through the aligned efforts of the Church, World Food Program USA, and now a two-year focused commitment by the Ballard Center, young adults worldwide can join with a global community of changemakers to work toward ending hunger.
No single program or organization needs to have all the solutions—the most powerful approach for eradicating hunger is a collective effort rather than an isolated approach.
