DOMESTIC HUNGER FUNDS

POLICY AND GUIDELINES

The North American Mission Board’s Domestic Hunger Funds are used to demonstrate Jesus’ love by assisting people who do not ingest adequate amounts or kinds of food that would ensure the possibility of normal physical maturity and/or maintenance of good health. The funds are used to purchase food as well as help people achieve the ability to feed themselves. (Ps.107:9)

OBJECTIVES

• To purchase and distribute nutritious food in the name of Christ to people deprived of adequate amounts or kinds of food.
• To provide assistance to chronically hungry people for developing life skills that will increase ability to feed themselves.
• Develop and practice responsible partnership with churches, associations, state Baptist conventions, SBC entities, and other evangelical groups that share NAMB’s commitment to fulfillment of the Great Commission through hunger ministries.

IMPLEMENTATION

1. The Community Evangelism Unit administers the Domestic Hunger Funds within normal fiscal provisions.
2. Project proposals and requests for Domestic Hunger Funds will be received from state conventions.
3. Funds will primarily be channeled through appropriate personnel in the state convention.
4. When appropriate, grants will be made on a matching basis with the ratio being determined in each individual situation.
5. All gifts to NAMB’s Domestic Hunger Funds are acknowledged as promptly as possible.
6. Strict adherence to any designations for particular projects, need or geographical location will be observed.
7. General administrative costs of the program will not be taken out of NAMB’s Domestic Hunger Funds.

TYPES OF MINISTRY

FEEDING MINISTRIES
This category of response is designed for acute hunger relief and is available for ministries that are directly related to feeding the hungry.

• Senior citizens’ feeding programs
• Soup kitchens, hospitality houses, Baptist rescue missions
• Stocking food pantries
• Food in disaster situations when disaster funds are not available, or not adequate

DEVELOPMENT MINISTRIES

This category of response seeks to enable people to participate in alleviating their immediate hunger-related problems and deal with the underlying causes of hunger. An example for a development ministry would be nutrition classes.

LIMITATIONS

1. Domestic Hunger Funds are used to meet hunger needs of persons whose primary problem is hunger related.
2. Cooperation of the Baptist constituency in the area of the hunger ministry project is strongly encouraged. Domestic Hunger Funds should complement available resources of the recipient community.
3. Every possible effort will be made to cooperate fully with other welfare and helping agencies (both government and private), always maintaining the identity of the North American Mission Board and/or the local Baptist entity.
4. Funding is provided on a projected budget of three-to-six months. At no time will funds be used to reimburse previous expenditures.
5. Receipt of funding is predicated on timely, accurate reporting of funds previously received. Simply stated: no report, no funds.
6. Funding for developmental purposes shall be limited to 10 percent of NAMB’s annual Domestic Hunger Funds.

FEEDING MINISTRIES

Hunger relief, through feeding ministries, seeks to provide food for people who do not ingest adequate amounts or kinds of food that would ensure the possibility of normal physical maturity and/or maintenance of good health.

REQUESTS

• Initiator secures approval from the associational office if required, and/or submits request to State convention hunger relief coordinator.
• State convention hunger relief coordinator processes request according to state guidelines.
• If approved, the state convention hunger relief coordinator submits request to NAMB.
• Requests received in the Ministry Evangelism office by the fifteenth of the month will normally be processed by the tenth of the following month. Disbursement will be included in NAMB funds wired to the state convention as scheduled.

REPORTS

• Initiator of request submits regular reports to state convention hunger relief coordinator as required by the state.
• State convention hunger relief coordinator submits quarterly reports on hunger.
• Accurate and timely reporting ensures continued funding of new and continuing feeding ministries. Reports will be matched with requests for cost accounting purposes. Reports are to meet state convention requirements.

DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

Development Projects are those, which when completed, will have decreased the number of hungry people by helping them achieve the skills and ability to feed themselves.

REQUESTS

• Initiator completes a Proposal for Development Project Form and any other documentation required by the state convention.
• Initiator secures approval from the associational office if required and/or submits request to state convention hunger relief coordinator.
• State convention hunger relief coordinator processes request according to state convention guidelines.
• If approved, the state convention hunger relief coordinator submits the request to NAMB.
• Proposals received at NAMB’s office will normally be processed within 21 working days.
• Disbursement will be included in NAMB funds wired to the state convention as scheduled.

REPORTS

• Initiator of proposal submits regular reports to state convention hunger relief coordinator as required by the state.
• State convention hunger relief coordinator submits to NAMB an annual report on project results. This report is due no later than 25 working days from completion of the project.