October 16 is World Food Day, and October 17 is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, which have been observed since 1979 at the recommendation of the United Nations. This significant event, which effectively spans two days, serves as a reminder that, unfortunately, the world’s food supply is still far from perfect. Although there is overproduction of many products and thousands of metric tons of food end up in the trash each year, hundreds of thousands of people still go hungry or must do without any healthy food on their plates.

We at Food for Life, in partnership with the Hungarian Food Bank, are working to ensure that as little food as possible ends up in the trash, and that everyone—whether a child, an elderly retiree, unemployed, or sick, can live a dignified life and have nutritious, healthy food on their tables. We strive to ensure that everyone can enjoy food that has been offered to God—food that is healthy, delicious, and consecrated—which is good for the soul, the mind, and the body.

We go from one crisis to the next; after a pandemic, we now find ourselves in the midst of an energy crisis. And these situations always affect the poorest segments of society. The greater the need, the more firmly we must hold the hands of our fellow human beings who have fallen on hard times.

More than 800 million people worldwide are going hungry, and that number is rising sharply as a result of armed conflicts.

31% of the food produced on our planet ends up in the trash or is otherwise wasted, and this waste has a significant impact on climate change.

Most food waste occurs in households, and unfortunately, the general public is unaware of the steps that could be taken to prevent it.

Unfortunately, skyrocketing food prices hit the most vulnerable social groups the hardest.

The primary purpose of food is health! We don’t just want to fill people’s stomachs at our food distributions; it’s also important to us that they eat food that extends their lives and makes our guests feel healthy and strong. In addition to food, we serve tea every day to those waiting in line. We’ve found from past experience that, instead of the usual lemon tea, people arriving appreciate a cup or two of warm, flavorful herbal tea.
We use Uncle Gyuri’s immune-boosting tea blend recipe during the cool fall and winter months, all the way through to summer. It contains thyme, ribwort plantain, chamomile, and many other herbs. The proportions make this tea blend very flavorful, and we’re happy to prepare it every day for our food distribution sites in Budapest. This way, we can do a little something extra every day for our guests’ health.