Dear john, 

When you’re facing hunger, it’s difficult to think about anything else. For many of us, the global pandemic we face today is all-encompassing, bleeding into every conversation we have throughout the day and into our thoughts in the middle of the night when we’re meant to be sleeping. But when your stomach is empty, and you’re 7 years old, what does a global pandemic mean to you? 

It could mean that your school is closed, and the hot lunches your mother counted on you receiving there are now in jeopardy. It likely means that because your community is already vulnerable due to poor hygiene and a lack of access to nutritious food, COVID-19 is bearing down as an intensifying threat every single day. Either way, your hunger is ever-present.

Children like Joanna, age 7, her sister Mica, age 3, six other siblings and her mother Marialyn in the Philippines are counting on us now more than ever in this time of crisis. The UN has reported that the number of people facing acute hunger could DOUBLE in 2020 as a result of COVID-19, and the World Food Programme has warned of “famine of biblical proportions.” 

Rise Against Hunger is working around the clock to implement our comprehensive COVID-19 Relief & Resilience Plan worldwide, and I’m asking for your help to ensure that we meet our commitment to provide nutritious meals and critical aid for 2 million people in urgent need, including Marialyn and her family.

This is our moment to be a shining light for families in need in a time of darkness. Children in 14 countries are waiting for our assistance now. Will you help reach vulnerable communities facing hunger by supporting our COVID-19 relief efforts today?