Hunger Offering partnering with Refuge and Hope for #GivingTuesday

By Abby Hopkins

Love, peace, and hope embody the character of the holiday season for believers in Christ. It is a wonderful reminder to those who long to embody those same qualities in their personal character. Jesus said,  “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13, NRSV).

While Jesus provided the ultimate sacrifice and perfect gift, he calls us to imitate his actions by laying down our priorities, desires, and needs for the sake of others. We, at Texas Baptist Hunger Offering, would love for you to join us in this “laying down” of self as we participate in #GivingTuesday.

#GivingTuesday is an annual event on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and Black Friday. This year it falls on Nov. 28. Its purpose is to encourage people from around the world to unite together to give back in some way — with time, money, and/or resources — to bring about change in communities.

On that day, we will partner with Refuge and Hope International to raise funds for their ministry. RHI is a non-profit organization in Kampala, Uganda, that serves more than 1,000 refugees a year by targeting language and unemployment barriers. It provides educational, professional, and personal development programs to rebuild lives and focus on sustainability.

Additionally, RHI has a women’s rehabilitation and empowerment program that serves young women who have been exploited, a youth leadership program, and more programs serving needs. Information on the ministry can be found here.

Our goal for #GivingTuesday is to raise $20,000 for Refuge and Hope International, with 100 percent of donations supporting the ministry, which provides emergency food bags for transitioning families, funds the women’s shelter food and transition costs, and feeds lunch to students within the DREAM (Developing Royal Emissaries for All Nations Mentorship) program. Overall, the funds will be #GivingHope to refugees by incorporating the gospel in their everyday lives.

Donations may be made online. We will post updates on social media, so check frequently to stay up-to-date. We are excited about the opportunity and hope you will be, too.

Abby Hopkins is an intern with the Texas Baptist Hunger Offering. She is a freshman at the University of Texas in Austin.