I Was An Hungred, and Ye Gave Me Meat

An article released yesterday made this announcement: “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has now delivered truckloads of food to all 50 U.S. states as part of its effort to commemorate the United States’ 250th anniversary. The milestone was reached with a food delivery to Hilo, Hawaii, on June 13, 2026, and was highlighted at events in Hawaii and Boston, as well as volunteer efforts in Alaska.” The Church is delivering 250 truckloads of food to people in need across the United States and has now sent a truck to every state. A religious leader in Boston said this: “This wonderful donation from our friends of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints demonstrates that food insecurity knows no boundaries of faith, race, or socioeconomic level. As we approach the 250th anniversary of the United States on July 4, when our nation adopted the Declaration of Independence, we owe it to people struggling now and in the future to eliminate food insecurity in this country. Every child deserves an opportunity to be fed and grow up healthy. Every family should be able to have enough food on their table.” I love this way of celebrating the 250^th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This goal of seeking to give to as many people as people, including those from every state, matches the universality of the principles this country was founded on. As the Declaration of Independence states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” All should have the right to a life in which they pursue happiness with protected freedoms, and this massive effort to give food surely helps in making that possible for people who struggle just to find enough food to survive.

The universality of this effort to give also matches the declared purpose of the American founding by the Lord: “According to the laws and constitution of the people, which I have suffered to be established, and should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles; That every man may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to futurity, according to the moral agency which I have given unto him, that every man may be accountable for his own sins in the day of judgment” (Doctrine and Covenants 101:77-78). He also said this, “And that law of the land which is constitutional, supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before me. Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land” (Doctrine and Covenants 98:5-6). That freedom or agency was not given so that in America we can just do whatever we want; rather, we are to choose to do good and to serve our fellow man. In fact, if we want to preserve that freedom, we need to choose to follow Jesus Christ. Moroni declared this, “Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written” (Ether 2:12). I believe that applies to us today in the United States, and this initiative of the Church is surely an attempt to serve the God of this land and emulate Him. One of His most well-known miracles in mortality was that of feeding the five thousand: “And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children” (Matthew 14:19-21). We may not be able to feed as many as He did, but collectively we can each use the freedom we have been given to help and serve those in need as He did. That is surely the best way we can celebrate the 250^th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. And then we can hope to hear His voice some day as we continue to try to emulate Him: “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in” (Matthew 25:34-35).