Rural-Urban Churches Partner in Corn Project to Combat World Hunger

Congregation members from First Congregational Church UCC of Western Springs, Ill., joined members of Park Street Congregational UCC of rural Mazon, Ill., on Oct. 20, 2002, to celebrate the harvesting of 40 acres of corn. The proceeds from the joint “Growing Project,” expected to total $25,000 after the sale of the corn, have been pledged to combat world hunger.

The idea for this project came from Foods Resource Bank, a non-government organization headquartered in Kalamazoo, Mich., and a grantee of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. While the project’s main purpose was to raise money for world hunger, it also built rural-urban connectedness, appreciation among urban residents for farming, and awareness of the problem of world hunger. Of the 250 people who gathered for the Harvest Celebration, 110 were from the suburban congregation. Children were involved in a number of activities to build farm awareness, including the opportunity to ride on combines as they harvested the crop.

For more information on Foods Resource Bank and its Community Growing Project, call (616) 349-3467, or visit www.FoodsResourceBank.org.