More than half a million children in Michigan suffer from hunger and food insecurity. The 2021 Michigan Conference 5K is just the beginning of an initiative to help our kids in crisis.
KAY DEMOSS
Senior Content Editor
The 2021 Michigan Annual Conference includes a Faith in Action Day on June 6. The focus is the traditional 5K, which will take place again this year wherever participants choose.
The 2021 5K will energize people around Child Hunger Relief in Michigan. Child hunger and food insecurity in Michigan have increased 63% since the pandemic began in March 2020. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately 1.3 million Michiganders faced food insecurity, and now, it is estimated that approximately 1.9 million individuals are food insecure in Michigan, 552,400 of which represent children.
No child should go to bed with an empty stomach. But that’s not all. Children facing hunger may struggle in school and beyond. They are more likely to have less energy, be more easily distracted, repeat a grade, come to school late or miss school entirely, and have more social or behavioral problems.
United Methodists in Michigan can make a difference for kids in crisis. Individuals, groups, and churches are invited to organize a walk/run/ride and sponsor those who do.
The 5K registration starts now and runs through April 30. Click here to sign on. Registration fee is $35 for adults and $25 for children, 5 -12. The fee includes a shirt mailed prior to June 6.
Thanks to generous sponsors, 100% of the funds raised will go to child hunger relief in Michigan. Dollars will be disbursed as quickly as possible to all areas in the state through Blessings in a Backpack, Weekend Survival Kits, Meet Up and Eat Up, Kids Food Basket, and more.
This is just the FIRST step. Child Hunger and Food Insecurity is a wider initiative launching at the 2021 Annual Conference and will continue through months ahead.
Kathy Pittenger, Coordinator of Children’s Initiatives for The Michigan Conference, has developed resources to meet this urgent need. Click here for small, medium, and LARGE ideas to use to address child hunger in your community. These ideas can help organize your 5K effort and create a sustained ministry to feed hungry kids. Begin now and you can mobilize your entire community.
Last Updated on October 31, 2023