A Hungry World

The total amount of food worldwide is more than enough for everyone, yet one-sixth of the world’s population often goes hungry. To help adult ed participants grapple with this issue, Dumbarton’s Joan Countryman invited them to share what extreme hunger they had witnessed and when—if ever—they had been severely hungry themselves.  Many foreign travelers had viewed horrific scenes of hunger, such as residents of a Nigerian shantytown setting each other on fire for food-stealing. Few had experienced it on their own.

Dumbartonian Peter Nye highlighted some of the many causes of world hunger and described its primary effects.  According to Nye, our nation’s decisionmakers are doing little to end hunger. “The recurring theme with food policy is not based on the best way to meet people’s needs,” he said. “Instead, it’s based on a combination of historical accident and how to benefit certain small groups.”

In a lively, provocative discussion on Bible passages in Amos,Proverbs, and Second Corinthians, Dumbartonians heard a different view on “food policy.”What’s more, they got some practical ideas on how they could help end world hunger as Nye described the work of Dumbarton-sponsored Bread for the World.