The day was drawing to a close, and the twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away, so that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside, to lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place.
But he (Jesus) said to them, “You give them something to eat.”
They said, “we have no more…”
–Luke 9:12-13
Dear APUMC Family,
This miracle story of Jesus is looming large in my mind this morning as the church prepares to offer itself in service to the Joseph Project this morning. For days and weeks now, there has been a heightened concern for the increasing number of neighbors who are suffering from food insecurity.
As of November 1, 2025, millions of Americans are facing a pause in SNAP benefits due to the ongoing government shutdown, impacting over 42 million people nationwide.
Occasionally, the assumption has been made that churches or charities could handle hunger if SNAP ended.
The fact is, while food banks and churches do tremendous work, the scale of the federal SNAP program is far greater: in 2024, SNAP served about 41.7 million people and cost about $100 billion.
Feeding America reports that the charitable food-bank network provides roughly one meal for every nine provided by SNAP, meaning it would require many years of full effort from that network alone to match SNAP’s annual reach (www.ers.usda.gov).
And while churches and faith-based organizations give and serve widely, recent data show religious organizations received well over $140 billion in U.S. charitable giving in 2024, but that is still distributed across many causes, and cannot simply be redirected to match SNAP’s scale. (www.philanthropyroundtable.org)
For those who argue that SNAP spending has been out of control, it is worth noting that SNAP makes up approximately 1.8-2% of total federal expenditures in recent years. The program is designed as a counter-cyclical safety net: it grows when economic conditions worsen (more need) and shrinks when conditions improve (less need). In that sense, it functions as a stabilizer that helps families stay afloat during downturns. (www.pgpf.org/articles/what-is-snap)
When I think about the origins of a program like SNAP, or any initiative of aid that seeks to respond to real world needs, I am struck by the level of compassion and creativity that must have been present from the beginning.
The protocol of self-preservation says to send the hungry away to fend for themselves. So often, the narrative is that food and housing are easily accessible for the masses if they would just plan for it. Without actual assessment, we are too often content to declare that poverty does not really exist in America, or that the poor ought to be able to handle it on their own, and that we, in this “deserted place” could not possibly be a means to a more fulfilling end.
Much like the disciples, I realize that you and I have tried to explain such things to Jesus many, many times. As if we understood the situation better than he does! And yet, even so, he says “you give them something to eat.”
That said, I do not know exactly what will happen at the Joseph Project distribution today. Yesterday, volunteers worked hard to prepare what we have available (as far as we know). I do not know if there will be enough to meet the need or not. But I do know that it is time for me to go and find out.
There is a reason, I believe, why this miracle of Jesus’ feeding shows up in all four gospels. Is there anything more central to his identity and ministry than this?
And all ate and were filled… (Luke 9:13)
Until Then,
Darren