August 31, 2004

NEW YORK CITY - "Hunger No More: Faces Behind the Facts," a new TV documentary, takes an unflinching look at the persistent problem of hunger in the 21st century and offers solutions.

A program of the National Council of Churches USA for the ABC-TV "Vision and Values" series, the one-hour, closed-captioned special will begin airing on ABC affiliates on October 24, 2004. (Check local listings).

Most of us don't often ask where our next meal is coming from. But for millions of Americans and nearly a billion people worldwide, such food insecurity is a daily reality.

"Hunger No More: Faces Behind the Facts" approaches hunger from the perspective of faith, declaring that hunger is more than a social issue. "It is a moral issue that needs immediate resolution," says Burton Buller, President of Mennonite Media, who produced the program for the NCC. "The program brings to life the moral dimension of this thorny issue, and offers up a vision for a new day when hunger is eradicated from the face of the earth."

Featured interviewees include:

. Senator Elizabeth Dole,

. former Senator and presidential candidate George McGovern,

. renowned ethicist Jeffrey Sachs of The Earth Institute at Columbia University,

. Bread for the World CEO David Beckmann,

. Church World Service Executive Director John McCullough,

. NCC General Secretary Bob Edgar,

. Joan Holmes of the United Nations-related Hunger Project,

. Ken Horne, CEO of the Society of St. Andrew,

. Joe Young, Director of Community Development, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America,

. June Kim, Executive Secretary for World Hunger of the United Methodist Committee on Relief, and

. leaders from several other hunger programs mobilized by NCC member communions.

These key figures in the movement to end hunger in America and overseas provide insight on the political, economic and cultural factors that allow hunger to grow, and conclude that the problem can be solved if enough people take action.

NCC General Secretary Edgar said the TV special is being produced as part of the National Council of Churches' commitment "to address significant issues of faith and public policy and to pursue concrete solutions to the persistent challenge of poverty in a time of great wealth and capability in our society."

Former Senator McGovern says in the program, "Every religion in the world instructs its adherents to feed the hungry." A multitude of faith-based efforts to end hunger enact this teaching b everything from community gardens to campaigns for equitable agricultural trade policies. The documentary highlights specific programs that point the way out of the hunger crisis.

After airing, the program will be available on DVD and VHS video, along with a study guide. Call 800-999-3534.

In addition to Mennonite Media, the NCC's sponsoring partners for the production are the United Methodist Committee on Relief, the World Hunger Program of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Society of St. Andrew, and the ecumenical humanitarian agency Church World Service, with cooperation from Bread for the World and United Methodist Communication.

The National Council of Churches, founded in 1950, is America's leading ecumenical organization, whose 36 Protestant and Orthodox member denominations comprise 45 million adherents in more than 100,000 local congregations in all 50 states.

National Council of Churches USA