World Hunger Fund: second-highest in ’99

World Hunger Fund: second-highest in ’99

NASHVILLE — Giving to the Southern Baptist World Hunger Fund finished last year on an upswing, reported Steve Nelson, director of hunger concerns for the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.

Receipts for hunger and relief in 1999 increased 2.8 percent over the previous year, Nelson said. Hunger fund receipts for 1999 were the second highest in SBC history; at $10,732,302, receipts were 60 percent above the giving three years earlier. The goal for 2000 is $12.2 million.

Gifts to the SBC’s World Hunger Fund are used exclusively for ministry within North America and around the world, Nelson explained, noting that nothing is taken from the fund’s proceeds for promotion or administration.

Missionaries and churches already in the field utilize the funds. He noted that when giving drops, hunger and relief resources are not available and the opportunity to reach people in need can be lost.