NEW YORK / Elkhart, IN –"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.

Just as Church World Service CROP Walkers march to raise funds to fight hunger, the agency’s executive director and CEO, the Rev. John L. McCullough, joins Senator George McGovern and others in this documentary to bring awareness of the enormity of the issue of hunger and issues related to hunger throughout the world.

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 people in the United States 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. “World hunger exists for a variety of reasons,” says McCullough. “Certainly one of these we’ve learned over time is the constancy of instability around the world … I think we underestimate the magnitude of conflict and the kind of impact that it creates.”

The program includes footage of CROP Walks.

In addition to Rev. McCullough, featured interviewees include:

• former Senator and presidential candidate Ambassador George McGovern,

• Senator Elizabeth Dole,

• ethicist Jeffrey Sachs of The Earth Institute at Columbia University,

• Bread for the World President David Beckmann,

• NCC General Secretary Bob Edgar,

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

• Ken Horne, Executive Director 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 CWS 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.

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 – 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. For information, call 800-999-3534.

In addition to Church World Service and 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, and the Society of St. Andrew, with cooperation from Bread for the World and United Methodist Communication.

Church World Service is a cooperative ministry of 36 Protestant, Orthodox, and Anglican denominations, providing sustainable self-help and development, disaster relief, and refugee assistance in more than 80 countries.

To join a CWS CROP Walk in your area, log on to http://www.churchworldservice.org.

Media Contact:
Christina Bahamonde Ali

Tel: 212 870 2658