history of food for the hungry and emergency relief

FH Grows From One to Many

FH was founded in 1971 by Dr. Larry Ward on the premise that the hungry “die one at a time, therefore they can be saved one at a time.” He traveled wherever the needs were greatest, paying most of his expenses himself until Food for the Hungry grew from a one-man army to an international relief organization.

FH continued to work with people affected by disasters throughout the seventies and early eighties. FH helped refugees in Bangladesh, earthquake victims in Managua and Nicaragua, famine victims in Somalia and Africa’s Sahel (the border between the Sahara Desert and the fertile Sudan region), earthquake victims in Guatemala and Romania, and Cambodian refugees. As the emergency needs subsided in many of these countries, FH saw a need to establish long-term development programs to continue moving people out of hunger and poverty.

Serving Now, Serving for the Future

During times of great calamity, chaos, and turmoil, the essentials for life are often lost. FH is mandated to serve those who have lost their ability to support themselves, their families, and their communities. FH respects long-term development goals by designing relief projects that take into account the communities’ pre-disaster plans. Our goal is to implement and administer purpose-driven programs that serve the disaster-affected community. In this way, we aim to be an accurate and glorifying reflection of Jesus Christ, who taught us to love our neighbors.

Food for the Hungry’s approach to relief is driven by a process of transformation – from dependency to dynamic interdependence. Our aim and expectation is to help establish sustainable processes that will continue as the victims recover or return to their homes.