New York diocese’s ‘one day’s food for Gaza’ effort in two weeks raised enough for 100,000 meals

A woman and child in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza, receive food from World Central Kitchen. Photo: World Central Kitchen/WCK.org

[Episcopal News Service] The Episcopal Diocese of New York reported on Aug. 15 that its “One Day’s Food for Gaza” campaign had raised $50,000 since the effort was announced on July 30.

That is enough to provide 100,000 meals through World Central Kitchen, to which money raised by the initiative has been designated. World Central Kitchen is a nonprofit started in 2010 by chef José Andrés and provides food to people affected by natural disasters, wars and humanitarian emergencies worldwide.

Food security experts backed by the United Nations on July 29 said that “the worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in Gaza,” noting that widespread starvation, malnutrition and disease are leading to a rise in hunger-related deaths.

The diocese’s statement, which was made on its Facebook page, added, “Supporting World Central Kitchen is a way that we can make a difference in a catastrophic situation. Care for each other reflects God’s love for us.” It had encouraged people to donate the amount they spent for one day’s worth of food for themselves.

In an Instagram video the day after the effort began, New York Bishop Matthew Heyd reported that $28,000 had been raised in its first 24 hours.

He also noted that the only miracle that is in all four Gospels is of Jesus feeding the 5,000, and that the response to people who are hungry “crosses all major faith traditions.”

In an Aug. 12 interview with the Christian Post, Heyd said the diocese’s effort to feed people in Gaza is just one element of its work that began after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas that killed nearly 1,200 Israelis, with 251 people taken hostage. The Israeli military offensive that followed has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians in Gaza, including 18,000 children and minors, according to Gazan health officials, who do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

“There’s been so much pain since the Oct. 7 attacks,” Heyd told the Christian Post. “We’ve spoken out since Oct. 7 about all the people affected – condemning Hamas and calling for the release of hostages, calling for a free flow of aid into Gaza, speaking up with partners in New York against antisemitism and Islamophobia.”

The story notes that last summer, the diocese provided financial support for Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, which is a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem. It also plans to host Jerusalem Archbishop Hosam Naoum later this year when he visits New York.

In an Aug. 1 post to its website, World Central Kitchen said that while its situation changes rapidly, it can get some ingredients and supplies into Gaza, which its cooks use to provide a limited number of hot meals for families and medical facilities in the central Gaza community of Deir Al-Balah, the only area where it currently can work.

It is also baking bread to distribute in Deir Al-Balah, along with clean drinking water. World Central Kitchen also supports approximately two dozen community kitchens, which prepare meals for vulnerable individuals in their areas using aid supplies from the organization.

— Melodie Woerman is an Episcopal News Service freelance reporter based in Kansas.