Leveraging our connection and loving our neighbors
Hunger: it exists in every corner of our conference. In Tennessee and Western Kentucky, 1 in 6 adults and 1 in 5 children are facing food insecurity – that’s over 900,000 Tennesseans and 750,000 Kentuckians who are struggling with access to nutritious meals on a daily basis. When schools break for summer, we know our hunger crisis will only worsen, as children lose access to free and reduced-price lunch and families face higher grocery bills amid rising food costs and reduced SNAP benefits.
Across the TWK Conference, congregations are already faithfully feeding their communities through food pantries, meal ministries, and partnerships that reflect Christ’s love. Every day, United Methodists are sharing meals and building relationships around the table.
Our 2026 Annual Conference offering will support TWK local church feeding ministries across our area.
Thanks to the generosity of Encore Ministries Foundation, every dollar raised through our Annual Conference offering will be matched dollar-for-dollar. This means that a gift of $50 becomes $100; a gift of $1,000 will become $2,000, and so on.
As people of faith, we know our calling is clear: to feed, to welcome, to care. Jesus reminds us in Matthew 25, “For I was hungry and you gave me food…” — an invitation to love our neighbors in real and tangible ways.
God has already been at work. Congregations across our connection have already been providing food to our neighbors, and we, members of the TWK, have the opportunity to join together in supporting this response to our call. Together. Grounded in grace and strengthened by our connection. We are responding with generosity, hope, and deep love for our neighbors.
Donate
Collect an Annual Conference Offering with your local congregation. Funds may be donated online, via the QR code below, or brought to the annual conference and placed in the offering basket.
Volunteer
For individuals or congregations looking for ways to serve, we invite you to explore and support the food ministries already active in your area: TWK Food Ministries List.
- Identify a nearby TWKUMC food ministry or local organization in your area and inquire about how to get involved.
- Contact a nearby TWKUMC food ministry or local organization and find out what their needs are, and host a food drive.
- Contact your local schools or school systems to ask whether there are ways you can join their efforts to meet the needs of students who may be experiencing food insecurity.
Advocate
Church and Society Call to Action
As Christians, we understand our call to feed the hungry. As United Methodists, we recognize this call “not simply as a matter of charity, but of responsibility, righteousness, and justice.—-United Methodist Book of Resolutions, 4051
As people of faith, we must raise our voices and defend nutrition programs as an important lifeline for our most vulnerable neighbors. Our elected officials should support policies that strengthen these programs and put us on a path to eliminating hunger in the United States and around the world.-General Board of Church and Society
“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me…” -Matthew 25:35
Learn about what our United Methodist Social Principles say about our call to respond to hunger.