By Jenn Hosler
Did you know that the Church of the Brethren’s Global Food Initiative (GFI) grants can help churches address hunger in their communities? GFI grants can support church-based community gardens, nutrition education, cooking classes, food pantries, community meals, blessing boxes, and more.
GFI is the primary way that the Church of the Brethren addresses hunger and food insecurity in the US and around the globe. Donations to the GFI fund enable grants supporting food security and hunger-related initiatives around the world. GFI also funds local church projects in the United States by supporting Church of the Brethren congregations as they seek to be “Jesus in the neighborhood.”
In 2025, GFI is welcoming grant requests that include direct food purchases (e.g., groceries for food pantries, supplies to stock blessing boxes, groceries for community meals, etc.), something that has been excluded in the past. Grant applicant budgets can include direct food purchases to a maximum of $2,500 per application. Applicant budgets also may include other non-food items such as supplies, equipment, support for training or workshops, and more, beyond the $2,500 cap on direct food purchases.
Thus far in 2025, the GFI fund has allocated $31,668 to eight Church of the Brethren congregations in four states (Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Washington). These projects include community gardens, food pantries, blessing boxes, garden education, church-based community meals, and more.
Meeting emergency food needs is an important issue for followers of Jesus. The present moment is one of rising hunger and food insecurity in the US (USDA Economic Research Service, 2025). At the same time, there is reduced eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly called Food Stamps) and increased uncertainty whether eligible recipients will receive SNAP payments. GFI grant allocations toward direct food purchases allow it to support congregational emergency food projects while also maintaining a priority of investing in long-term solutions that strengthen food security and community resilience.
For more information on the GFI grant application process find overview documents in English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, and French at www.brethren.org/gfi/eligibility. Eligible organizations (which includes all Church of the Brethren congregations in the United States) can email jhosler@brethren.org to receive the GFI application and inquire further about GFI support.
GFI has been part of our denominational ministry for over 40 years, empowering our siblings in Christ to meet their nutritional needs, farm sustainably, feed children, and create livelihoods. Find out more at www.brethren.org/gfi
Donate to the GFI fund at https://churchofthebrethren.givingfuel.com/gfi
— Jenn Hosler is manager of the Global Food Initiative of the Church of the Brethren.
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