Food is one of the most basic human needs.  Without dependable access to food for a safe and nutritious diet, no one can lead a happy and productive life.  Yet there are many people in our communities who do not have enough to eat, or who worry about where their next meal is coming from.  It is not God’s will that people suffer hunger.  God “has filled the hungry with good things” (Luke 1:53) and Jesus had compassion on the hungry crowd (Matthew 15:32).  We are to pray for our daily bread (Matthew 6:11).  Caring for the poor and feeding the hungry is a basic responsibility of God’s people (see, for example, Proverbs 22:9). 

Hunger on Our Doorstep is a new resource from the Wisconsin Council of Churches to help congregations learn about – and respond to – hunger in their communities.

Basic questions about hunger provide the starting point for the curriculum:  Who is hungry in Wisconsin?  What are the impacts of hunger?  What are its causes?  What can be done about hunger?  What does the Bible say about hunger?

Answering these questions is just the beginning.  This curriculum is called a study-action guide because it aims to lead congregations to take concrete steps to help their hungry neighbors, in partnership with others in their community.  Participants will learn about the particular needs of hungry people in their own community, and what is – or is not – being done to meet those needs.  The curriculum culminates in a brainstorming session to develop an action plan for local anti-hunger ministry and public policy advocacy.

PDF and Printed Copies

To download and view or print a 60 page PDF file of  Hunger on Our Doorstep: A Study-Action Guide for Wisconsin Congregations  click here.

To download and view or print color hunger posters and ads click here.

Facilitator Training Workshops

While there are many other resources dealing with the issue of world hunger, this list focuses on domestic hunger issues. Click on an index heading to view the details below.

• Anti-Hunger Organizations
  • Wisconsin
  • National
• Educational Resources
  • Hunger and Poverty Simulations
  • Hunger Curricula for Young People
• Hunger and Poverty Information
  • Wisconsin
  • National
• State and Federal Assistance Programs 
• Community-Based Food Assistance
• Community Food Security Assessment
  • Community Food Security Assessment Toolkit
  • County-by-County Data
• Public Policy
  • Information on Legislators and Legislation
  • Advocacy Resources
  • Organizations
• Activities and Events

Hunger Prevention Coalitions (variously called "hunger task forces", "food resource networks", "hunger prevention councils" and the like) exist in growing numbers around the state. This site provides access to an interactive database of local hunger coalitions in Wisconsin. Use the search or browse features to find out what others are doing to reduce hunger.

An interactive online exercise by the San Francisco Food Bank where the player takes on the role of a hungry person looking for food.

A  nine-session, interactive multimedia curriculum that raises awareness of the root causes of poverty and homelessness as the first step in establishing community-based responses. 

A flash movie by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development presenting the difficulties of budgeting for a family at the poverty line.

Offers  5 modules, which can be downloaded and used free of charge, for a variety of age groups. 

A six-unit social studies curriculum geared toward high school youth and designed to inspire teachers and students to take action.

An educational program for middle- and high school students which focuses on the root causes of hunger and poverty, the people most affected, solutions, and how students can help.

Extension offices and their staff, including Family Living Educators and Nutrition Coordinators, are an excellent source of local resources and information on hunger and poverty issues.  Additional resources on the Extension website include:

A calculation of how much income working adults need to meet their basic needs without subsidies of any kind, taking into account how the costs of living and working vary by family size and composition and geographic location.

Reports and analyses of food assistance programs and policy developments.

A nonprofit and nonpartisan research and public policy center that serves as the hub of an anti-hunger network of thousands of individuals and agencies across the country.

Return to Hunger  Index

An on-line tool to help Wisconsin families see if they might qualify for FoodShare benefits, Medicaid, BadgerCare, SeniorCare, and other health and nutrition programs by answering a few simple questions about their household’s income and bills. 

Information and resources on food stamps, school meals, summer food service and other food and nutrition programs.

Wisconsin Connections   http://www.uwex.edu/ces/connections

A guide to 20 key federal assistance programs to help provider and families understand the basics.  Each one-page summary in Wisconsin Connections gives an overview of a single program, including benefits, eligibility and how to apply.  A reference sheet for each county with the contact phone numbers for all profiled programs can be downloaded.  By WISCAP and UW Cooperative Services.

Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services Hunger/Nutrition Programs   http://dhfs.wisconsin.gov/programs/nutrition.htm 

Information on FoodShare (Wisconsin's Food Stamp Program), Elderly Nutrition Program, Emergency Food Assistance and other programs.

Return toHunger Index

Community-Based Food Assistance

An action strategy for more effectively and efficiently employing community resources for the elimination of hunger.

A manual designed to assist faith-based and community-based organizations in setting up or expanding their food pantries.   Produced by Dale Heights Presbyterian Church, Madison, Wisconsin, and The Lutheran Office of Public Policy in Wisconsin (LOPP-W).

Available from LOPP-W, 322 East Washington Ave., Madison WI, 53703, 608/255-7399 for $5.00 each (Check first to see if your local food pantry has a copy.)

This all-ages curriculum creates awareness about hunger, food quality, food security and community gardening and empowers participants to pursue community gardening projects and empower gardeners to assist anti-hunger organizations.   From the Atlanta Community Food Bank.

A nonprofit food buying club that offers good, nutritious products at reduced cost through a volunteer-run, community-based distribution system.

Return to Hunger Index

The United States Department of Agriculture’s extensive and detailed guide for collecting and analyzing information to evaluate a community’s food security.

Statistics on the cost of renting or owning a home.

Includes the population in poverty, Food Stamp participation, and self-sufficiency wage information.

Profiles poverty in the county, with poverty rate, median earnings, housing affordability, and unemployment rate.

Data on population, employment, wages and income from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development

Return to Hunger Index

Enter your address to find the name and contact information for your representatives in the Wisconsin Legislature and the U.S. Congress, or call the legislative hotline, 1-800-363-9472.

Information on the Governor, the Wisconsin Legislature, proposed legislation, state agencies, and local and federal government.

The website of the Wisconsin Ethics Board has information on lobbying regulations and activity at the state level.

A basic overview of the legislative process in Wisconsin.

Published every two years, the Blue Book provides extensive information about Wisconsin government and elected officials.  Copies may be purchased from Document Sales Unit, Department of Administration, 202 S. Thornton Avenue, Madison (P.O. Box 7840, Madison 53707-7840). VISA or MASTERCARD orders may be made by telephone at (800) 362-7253 or (608) 264-9419 (local calls). For pricing information, call (608) 266-3358.

A four-page guide for why and how to do public policy advocacy.

A comprehensive manual with advocacy tips and suggestions and explanations of the policies, laws and best practices governing the federal school nutrition programs.  $35 from Food Research and Action Center, 1875 Connecticut Avenue, NW Suite 540, Washington DC 2009, (202)986-2200 

Atlanta Community Food Bank.  This curriculum for Junior High – Adult is an introduction to becoming an anti-hunger advocate.  It offers resources and tools for developing a strategy, identifying the problem, and gives tips on testifying and information about how a bill becomes law and about the budget process. 

BFW members are organized by congressional district into local networks nationwide to write, call and visit members of Congress, and generate media attention about national legislation and other efforts that address hunger.

Operates as both a food bank and an advocacy organization to combat hunger in Wisconsin.

Reports and analyses of food assistance programs and policy developments.

A nonprofit and nonpartisan research and public policy center that serves as the hub of an anti-hunger network of thousands of individuals and agencies across the country.

Return to Hunger Index

Community-based fund raising events to raise money for local hunger-fighting agencies as well as the international relief and development efforts of Church World Service.

An effort to raise awareness of—and donations to help end—hunger in America, sponsored by America's Second Harvest and first held on June 5, 2002.