The One Item In Every Food Bank Box That's Actually Making The Hunger Crisis Worse

The cold doesn’t just bite at your skin; it seeps into your bones. It’s a deep, persistent chill that the weak winter sun can’t seem to touch. I saw him huddled in a doorway, a worn blanket pulled tight around his shoulders, a cardboard sign resting against his knee. His eyes weren’t pleading or angry; they were just… empty. Hollowed out by a fatigue that goes far beyond a single sleepless night. It’s the exhaustion of not knowing where your next meal will come from. It’s the relentless ache of hunger.

As I walked by, our eyes met for a fleeting second. In that moment, I didn’t just see a man on the street. I saw a person. A soul, beloved by Adonai, created in His image, weathering a storm of circumstances I could scarcely imagine. My heart clenched. I’d just come from the grocery store, my trunk full of food. I had a home to go to, a warm kitchen, a full pantry. The disparity was a physical weight on my chest.

Many of us, moved by that same holy nudge of compassion, respond by donating to food banks. We fill bags with cans of green beans, boxes of pasta, jars of peanut butter. We feel a flicker of warmth, knowing we’ve done a mitzvah, a good deed. And we have. These donations are a vital lifeline.

But what if I told you that there is one item, found in nearly every charitable food box across America, that is secretly making the hunger crisis worse?

It isn’t a type of food. It isn’t a can or a box.

It’s distance.

It’s the physical and emotional space we allow to exist between "us" and "them." It’s the act of dropping off a bag of food without ever making eye contact with the person who will receive it. It’s the subtle, unconscious belief that hunger is their problem, and our job is simply to throw a temporary solution at it from a safe, anonymous distance. This distance allows systemic issues to persist and, most tragically, it robs us of the divine opportunity to see the face of Yeshua in the face of the hungry.

God’s Heart for the Hungry: A Covenant of Compassion

Our God is not a distant God. From the very beginning, He has embedded a concern for the poor, the hungry, and the marginalized into the fabric of His covenant relationship with His people. This isn’t a secondary theme in Scripture; it is central to His character.

“If there is among you a poor man, one of your brothers within any of your gates in your land which Adonai your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother. But you shall surely open your hand to him and shall surely lend him enough for his need, whatever he lacks.” (Deuteronomy 15:7-8)

The instruction is active and personal: "open your hand to him." It requires proximity. It demands we see the recipient as a "brother," a part of our community, not a stranger on the other side of a divide.

The prophets echo this call with fiery passion, making it clear that true piety is measured by how we treat the most vulnerable.

“Is this not the fast I choose: to release the bonds of wickedness, to untie the cords of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free and tear off every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor who are outcast into your house? When you see the naked, to cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh?” (Isaiah 58:6-7)

Isaiah’s words are a thunderclap. God’s chosen fast isn’t just about abstaining from food; it’s about actively sharing it. Notice the verbs: share, bring, cover. These are hands-on, relational actions. And He ends with a powerful rebuke against the very distance we so often create: "do not hide yourself from your own flesh." The hungry are not "other." They are our flesh and blood, part of the human family God has created.

What Yeshua Teaches Us: The Compassion That Moves

Our Messiah, Yeshua, was the perfect embodiment of this divine compassion. He never healed from a distance when He could touch. He never taught in abstractions when He could meet a practical need. His ministry was one of radical proximity.

The Gospels are filled with accounts of His heart for the hungry. He fed the 5,000 not because He was impressed by their theological questions, but because He saw their physical need and was moved with compassion.

“And Yeshua called His disciples and said, “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have stayed with Me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry—they might collapse on the way.” (Matthew 15:32)

Yeshua saw them. He felt for them. His compassion (rachamim in Hebrew, a word rooted in the tender love of a mother) moved Him to tangible action. He didn’t just feel bad; He did something about it.

In His famous description of the final judgment in Matthew 25, He makes the stunning declaration that how we treat the "least of these" is how we treat Him.

“For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in.” (Matthew 25:35)

When we give food, we are not just performing a charity; we are serving Yeshua Himself. This truth annihilates the distance. It transforms the act of feeding the hungry from a social program into a sacred encounter.

The One Item We Must Remove: How to Bridge the Distance

So how do we, as a Messianic community, remove the "distance" from our giving? How do we move from anonymous charity to covenant community?

It starts by shifting our perspective. The goal is not just to provide calories, but to offer dignity, relationship, and a genuine expression of God’s love.

1. Give Relationally, Not Just Rationally.

Instead of only donating to a large,impersonal bin, consider partnering with a local soup kitchen, homeless shelter, or Messianic outreach ministry that serves meals. Volunteer to serve the food yourself. Look people in the eye, learn their names, and listen to their stories. Break bread together. You are not just serving a meal; you are building a mishpacha (family).

2. Give Thoughtfully, Not Just Conveniently.

When you donate,think about nutrition and dignity. Instead of just clearing out the old, unwanted cans from the back of your pantry, buy an extra bag of hearty, healthy food during your weekly shop: canned tuna or chicken, peanut butter, whole grain pasta, low-sodium soups, and fresh fruit when possible. Ask your local food bank what they need most.

3. Advocate and Empower.

Sometimes the need is greater than a meal.Support ministries and programs that offer job training, addiction recovery, and mental health services. Lend your voice to advocate for policies that protect the poor and provide a safety net. This is a form of "loving your neighbor" that seeks long-term shalom (wholeness and well-being) for their lives.

A Call to Compassion: You Are His Hands and Feet

Beloved, the hunger crisis is vast and complex. It can feel overwhelming, and the enemy would love to use that feeling to paralyze us into inaction. He whispers, "What difference can your one can of soup make?" But we serve the God who took five loaves and two fish and fed a multitude.

Your small act of compassion, when offered in faith and love, is placed in the hands of Yeshua. He will multiply its impact in ways you may never see.

You are the hands and feet of Messiah in a hurting world. You are the answer to the prayers of the hungry who cry out to God. You are the one He has chosen to "open your hand" to your brother and sister.

An Invitation to Join In

If your heart is stirred, if you feel that holy nudge to move closer, we welcome you to join in this work. There is a place for everyone in this mission.

· Pray: Pray for the hungry by name if you know them. Pray for the volunteers and staff at relief organizations. Pray for wisdom for our leaders.

· Share: Share this article. Talk about this issue within your small groups and congregations. Break the silence and break the distance.

· Act: This week, choose one way to bridge the distance. It could be:

  · Volunteering to serve a meal at a local shelter.

  · Putting together a box of high-quality food and delivering it to a family in need you may know.

  · Researching and financially supporting a Messianic ministry that is on the front lines of this crisis.

You don’t have to do everything. But you are called to do something. Let’s be a community known not just for our correct doctrine, but for our radical, compassionate, hands-on love—a love that feeds the body and nourishes the soul.

Together, let’s remove the one item that doesn’t belong and replace it with the presence of the Messiah.

Baruch ha'ba b'Shem Adonai. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. And blessed are we who get to be the ones through whom He comes.