Sep. 25—GRAND FORKS — For Jo Martin and her granddaughters, Khloey and Brinley, Wednesday’s food insecurity event in Grand Forks was an opportunity to participate in the ministry of their church, Sharon Lutheran.
The three sat filling in pre-written letters to U.S. Sen. John Hoeven, U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer and U.S. Rep. Julie Fedorchak, encouraging them to support food assistance programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which have faced federal funding cuts.
Brinley Martin said she wanted to write a letter because “children need nutritious food.”
Khloey Martin said she enjoys helping the area Lutheran churches — and other children her age — in as many ways as she can.
They were a few of the many people who gathered in Town Square Wednesday evening, Sept. 24, for
a free community meal
organized by the Eastern North Dakota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Members of the group include United, Calvary, Sharon, University, St. Mark’s and Evanger Lutheran churches; Central Valley Parish of Buxton/Reynolds; and Northwood/Washington Lutheran Parish.
Phyllis Johnson, of Calvary Lutheran Church and member of the planning committee for the event, which was called “God’s Work, Our Hands: Combating Food Insecurity Together,” organized the letter writing station.
“There’s so much need,” Johnson said. “This is the time of year when Congress needs to be working on appropriations bills, and so we wanted to remind members of Congress that
rather than cutting any food support programs, they need to be putting more money into them, because the need is increasing.”
Attendees who were interested in writing to lawmakers were asked to add a couple of sentences about why they believe it’s important to support food assistance programs, sign their name and share if they’re a member of a Lutheran congregation. Johnson said people are often nervous about reaching out to lawmakers, or just don’t know how, so the hope with this option was that it would make the barrier as low as possible and encourage more participation.
There was a steady flow of people stopping by to write letters, which Johnson said was encouraging.
After the event, the letters would be sent to ELCA advocacy staff in Washington, D.C., who would personally deliver them to the offices of Hoeven, Cramer and Fedorchak.
“So they’re not going to be just random mail showing up, but someone will actually speak to a staff person,” Johnson said.
This was one of two activities at Wednesday’s event. The other was a food packing station through the East Grand Forks Food Shelf, which asked volunteers to remove canned pears off a pallet, label and re-package them for distribution.
Myah Nicola was joined by Fran Halvorson, her confirmation mentor, in the volunteer activity. Nicola, a member of Calvary Lutheran Church, said service activities like this one are part of the process of being confirmed, a religious practice she expects to complete in 2026.
Halvorson said she’d never been to an event like the one held Wednesday, but she planned on signing up for email notifications so that she could participate more in the future. She said food insecurity is a big issue in the U.S., and it’s great to see local churches getting together to do important work.
“It’s just amazing,” Halvorson said.
Also during the event, the second iteration of “God’s Work, Our Hands,” Everett C. Jones Sr., executive director of the Mission, spoke to all those in attendance, telling them a bit more about the Mission, which he said is “not simply an organization” or emergency shelter.
“We are a ministry, a testimony, a living witness of what God can do when his people walk in faith,” Jones said. “At Northlands Rescue Mission, we do more than provide food or shelter or clothing. Those are essential, yes, but at the core, what we truly offer is hope — hope rooted in Jesus Christ.”
He said everything done at the Mission is faith in action, and staff are not just building shelter walls.
“We are building a bridge to eternity, and as long as the Lord gives us breath, we will proclaim there is hope, there is mercy, there is Christ,” Jones said. “And that, my friends, is the ‘Mission.'”