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His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon, in a letter dated November 20, 2016, announced that the Stewards of the Orthodox Church in America [SOCA] and FOCUS North America are partnering to address the problem of hunger in the US by launching a special appeal during the week before Thanksgiving.
FOCUS North America is a national movement of Orthodox Christians, united in faith and joined by a desire to provide action-oriented and sustainable solutions to poverty in communities across America. FOCUS has operations and youth volunteer experiences in more than 20 US cities.
Donations may be made on-line—and will be received with gratitude—throughout the coming week.
“As we gather this week with family, loved ones and friends for this Thanksgiving holiday let us keep in mind those who are less fortunate, and most importantly those who will go hungry this week,” Metropolitan Tikhon wrote. “In our nation of abundance nearly 14.5 million children live in poverty and in food-insecure households.
“In today’s Gospel from Saint Luke, our Lord tells us the parable of the rich fool to remind us that ‘a person’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions’ [Luke 12:15],” Metropolitan Tikhon continued. “We are to look outside ourselves, give thanks to God for the material blessings bestowed on us and offer our gifts to those in need. We do not know when our soul will be required of us, but we can take solace that in giving thanks to God and providing for those who are hungry, we are preparing our own souls for a blessed end.
“Today we can act,” he added. “This week the Stewards of the OCA announced a special partnership with FOCUS North America this Thanksgiving holiday to tackle the problem of child hunger in the United States. Beginning today through Thanksgiving, the Stewards of the OCA is launching a special appeal with 100% of donations going to FOCUS North America’s feeding programs.
“I encourage you to take a moment to watch the FOCUS video and reflect on a gift to FOCUS North America to help overcome the awful plague of child hunger,” Metropolitan Tikhon concluded. “The holiday season provides many opportunities to give to many worthy causes, but I can think of none more worthy of our treasures than the children of our nation who are hungry and in need. Please consider a gift today, not tomorrow, not next week, children are hungry and in need of your help today.”
