Sunday marked the start of Ramadan, the holiest month of the year for Muslims. During Ramadan, Muslims abstain from food and drink (even water) from dawn to sunset to learn and practice self-control, gratitude, and compassion. Ramadan is a month of contemplation, devotion, and spiritual rejuvenation. While we contemplate our own hunger, we become mindful of the hunger our neighbors face every day throughout the year.

The prophet Muhammad taught that Muslims cannot let their fellow neighbors go to bed with empty stomachs while their own stomachs are full.  Despite these seemingly simple teachings, people are as hungry as ever—not just around the world, but here in Virginia. 670,000 Virginians need help putting food on the table. Over 240,000 Virginia children live in food insecure homes. The prophet Muhammad also taught that your neighbors are those who live in the 40 houses around you. With one out of 10 Virginians struggling with hunger, that means that within our neighborhood of 40 homes, at least four people are going hungry.

With these teachings in mind and with the state of our hungry neighbors, we’re taking this Ramadan to get the community involved in our mission to end hunger in Virginia. From now until the end of Ramadan on June 4^th, VPLC’s Virginia Hunger Solutions will meet with Muslims and visit mosques throughout the state to discuss the issue of hunger in Virginia.

Your support this month will allow us to continue our research, enhance our educational outreach, and strengthen our policy work. With your support, we will reach our low-income neighbors in the Commonwealth and ensure their schools and communities have implemented the right programs to make sure no family goes hungry. Join us in our effort.

Virginia Hunger Solutions works to protect and strengthen the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which currently serves over 700,000 Virginians; and increase participation in the National School Breakfast Program, which reached 63 percent of students who qualified for free or reduced-priced meals during the 2017-2018 school year. To learn more, visit www.vahungersolutions.org.