On Oct. 16, people across the world from 150 countries will celebrate World Food Day, and the National Association of Evangelicals is asking its members to join by sharing a meal with family and friends and discussing poverty issues.

“In America, we have been blessed with abundance. Most of us worry more about eating too much than whether we will have anything to eat at all,” NAE President Leith Anderson said. “But every day, nearly one billion of God’s children around the world face hunger and starvation as a result of failing crops, loss of farmland, and extreme poverty.”

The NAE created several resources for participating members including a discussion guide, a placemat, bulletin inserts, a children’s lesson and videos that could be shown at church or before a meal. The materials are available at NAE.net/WorldFoodDay.

World Food Day was established by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s Member Countries at the Organization’s 20th General Conference in November 1945. Its primary purpose is to raise awareness of the issues behind poverty and hunger.

“World Food Day is a chance to reflect on what God has given and prayerfully consider how to address the underlying causes of food scarcity around the world. We hope many evangelicals will set aside a meal on October 16 for this purpose,” Anderson said.