Seeds of Hope

Walking alongside faith communities dedicated to alleviating food insecurity among older adults.

Of the 100+ food access resources listed on SeniorHungerSolutions.org, more than half are affiliated with a local church. There are even more congregations throughout the Texas Panhandle who donate, volunteer, and provide other support to our neighborhood food pantries, congregate meal programs and home-delivered meal providers.

The Mary E. Bivins Foundation is here to create pathways for congregations to enhance their food ministries and amplify giving to local food access organizations.

Become a Seeds of Hope Congregation and join the growing network of faith communities answering the call to feed the hungry in the Texas Panhandle.

Make the Commitment Today

Seeds of Hope Congregations fulfill our shared mission of supporting older adults through:

Raising awareness of senior food insecurity and the resources available to assist hungry older adults and families in our local communities;

Effectively advocating for systemic changes to increase food access;

Volunteering time and money to qualified food programs and partners; and,

Extending the reach and impact of existing, valuable resources to help achieve hunger-free communities.

Congregations in the designation program access the following:

A Regional Network

of like-minded congregations sharing best practices for strengthening food access.

Sermon Starters

with faith-informed guidance on how to talk about hunger-related issues with congregants.

Website Listing

on Senior Hunger Solutions displaying your commitment to helping end hunger in our region.

Matching Funds

on eligible donations to qualified food programs with a listing on the Senior Hunger Solutions site.

Activity
Ideas

tailored to congregants of all ages and all desired levels of engagement to get involved.

Advisory Committee

of local ministers providing guidance from fellow faith leaders on hunger initiatives.

Priority Consideration

when applying for up to $50,000 for eligible projects under the Healthy Senior Grant Program.

Print Materials

available to order with county-specific resources ready to distribute to older adults in your community.

Annual Report

distributed to all member congregations with a recap of the year's activities highlighting successes.

Seeds of Hope Logo

to display your designation on church materials, website, social media, etc. to show your support.

Quarterly Newsletter

for information relevant to the Seeds of Hope network staying connected on projects and more.

Garden
Party

annual event recognizing the outstanding efforts of member congregations in their communities.

There are five aspects to achieving and maintaining the Seeds of Hope congregation designation:

Informational Meeting

Each prospective congregation may contact the Bivins Foundation to schedule an informational meeting either with the church leadership team or the entire congregation.

The meeting will provide:

an overview of Seeds of Hope;
an explanation of how congregations can receive and maintain the designation;
data on the number of food insecure older adults in the Panhandle and their county;
information on the drivers of food insecurity;
a basis for why addressing food insecurity and food systems matters to the entire community - especially the church community;
resources for food insecure older adults in their county (Senior Hunger Solutions website demo and brochures); and,
how individuals can help by supporting existing programs or seeding new ones.

Request a Meeting

Letter of Commitment

Knowing all that the program entails, the congregation or church leadership team decides on whether to pursue the designation and commit to alleviating food insecurity in their community through their internal decision-making processes. The congregation will then provide the Bivins Foundation with a Letter of Commitment.

Seeds of Hope Congregations commit to:

providing a service or event related to feeding the hungry as their Inaugural Event;
performing at least two hunger-related activities in a calendar year including a sermon or equivalent;
publicly affirming the role of the church in alleviating food insecurity; and,
sharing resources for food insecure older adults in their county.

Sample Letter

Ongoing Hunger-Related Activities

To maintain the designation and uphold their commitment, congregations must perform two hunger-related activities per calendar year. At least one activity must be a congregation-wide sermon or equivalent on a hunger-related topic (the Inaugural Event counts as this activity for the first membership year).

Activities are organized into six different Seeds of Hope categories which reflect the many ways congregations can engage with the mission to end hunger among older adults in their communities: