Dear Editor:
World Food Day, Oct. 16, is a time to reflect on the problem of hunger and to explore solutions that people of faith and of good will are promoting so that all may eat and know God's abundance. In his World Food Day 2011 message, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI reminded the world that: "Freedom from the yoke of hunger is the first concrete manifestation of that right to life which, although solemnly proclaimed, often remains far from being effectively implemented."
In his message in 2013, Pope Francis reminded us: "It is a scandal that there is still hunger and malnutrition in the world. It is not just a question of responding to immediate emergencies, but of addressing together, in all areas, a problem that challenges our personal and social conscience, to achieve a just and lasting solution."
The students at Helias Catholic High School are being challenged on this World Food Day to respond locally to this urgent need through a food drive. In doing this they are joining many other groups and individuals in the community who have responded in similar ways.
May the commemoration of World Food Day be a catalyst for all people of good will to continue to work to ensure the right to food for all people of the world, a right many are still waiting to enjoy.