Food Impact

Filling Stomachs and Restoring Hope With Nutritious Food

Our world faces the largest food crisis in modern history with up to 828 million people suffering from hunger. In direct response, U.S. Catholics have linked arms with Cross Catholic Outreach’s global feeding programs and have helped us pack and ship protein-rich Vitafood meals to hunger-prone communities around the world.

In fiscal year 2022 alone, Cross Catholic Outreach supporters funded 23 feeding projects in 17 countries, blessing thousands of needy families with both practical aid and the spiritual sustenance of the Church. Supplying food is important because it also frees up limited resources of poor families, allowing them to fulfill other important needs, such as obtaining medicines, making house repairs and providing for their children’s education.

In Guatemala, you helped the Diocese of Suchitepéquez-Retalhuleu reach rural communities with 769,290 Vitafood meals, protecting the most vulnerable children and families from malnutrition. In Mozambique, you helped Association Cross Mozambique provide dry food items to 460 families, and in Zambia, you fed children three nutritious meals a day at a school for children with disabilities.

Our approach of working through parish and diocesan missions whenever possible means our efforts also have a spiritual impact. We are dedicated to Christ and to the building of his kingdom, for “one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).

23
Projects
17
Countries
Grants Provided
70,585
People
Fed Through Community Feeding Programs
25.9
Million
Vitafood Meals Shipped
55,825
People
Fed in Response to Disasters

FEEDING FAMILIES IN NICARAGUA

RAINBOW NETWORK

Nicaraguan children with plates of food.

In rural Nicaragua, many children only eat one or two small meals per day. As a result, tragic nutritional deficiencies begin to stunt their growth, impair their cognitive development and prevent them from succeeding in school.

Fortunately, faithful friends like you have had an incredible impact by supporting Church-based ministries that nourish both body and spirit. In La Paz Centro and Nagarote, Nicaragua, our ministry partner, Rainbow Network, provided 1.1 million Vitafood meals at 505 feeding centers during the 2022 fiscal year. The centers also provided therapeutic feeding for children, pregnant women and elderly adults who were suffering from severe malnutrition. With this support, their bodies are gradually recovering and hope is being restored.

Rainbow Network reports that malnutrition rates typically decrease by 80% in the communities that have feeding centers. This incredible success would not be possible without compassionate Catholics like you, who choose to fill plates and hearts with God’s love.

Fast Facts

History

Cross Catholic Outreach began partnering with Rainbow Network’s feeding programs in La Paz Centro and Nagarote in 2013.

Education

Many of Rainbow Network’s feeding centers are based at after-school programs, ensuring children don’t go through the school day hungry.

Community

On any given day, Rainbow Network will have 1,500 or more volunteers and committee members working on projects within their own communities.

Other Outreaches

In addition to feeding programs, Cross Catholic Outreach partners with Rainbow Network to provide clean water and safe housing in Nicaragua.

Donations from this campaign will be used to cover any expenditures for this project incurred through June 30, 2024, the close of our ministry’s fiscal year. In the event that more funds are raised than needed to fully fund the project, the excess funds, if any, will be used to meet the most urgent needs of the ministry.