Bringing the Bread of Life to children in Nicaragua

NICARAGUA – One of the most powerful programs Lutheran Church–Canada (LCC) offers is its feeding program for children in Nicaragua, now called Pan de Vida (Bread of Life). Far more than just a feeding initiative, Pan de Vida offers nourishment for both body and soul, addressing the physical and spiritual needs of disadvantaged children and their families in some of the most economically depressed areas of Nicaragua. 

For many years, LCC has operated this program in three of the most impoverished communities in Nicaragua, where access to a healthy meal is a rare luxury. Several times a week, children come together to receive what might be their only nutritious meal of the day. The largest site within the program is in the community of Rancheria, where the church feeds more than 130 children three days a week.  

But the program is not just about providing nutritious meals; it also gives our sister church, the Lutheran Church Synod of Nicaragua (Iglesia Luterana – Sínodo de Nicaragua) the opportunity to share with children and their families the greatest gift of all: the Bread of Life, our Lord Jesus Christ and His saving Gospel. With the dual purpose of providing spiritual sustenance alongside physical nourishment, pastors and deaconesses are feeding children with the Living Bread from heaven.

With the dual purpose of providing spiritual sustenance alongside physical nourishment, pastors and deaconesses are feeding children with the Living Bread from heaven.

Thanks to the generous support of partner organizations, congregations, and individual donors, LCC has successfully expanded this program into five additional communities. The Pan de Vida program is now being offered alongside a Christian Education program in eight congregations. As the children in these communities gather together for daily catechesis, they are now also receiving meals, giving the church the opportunity to care for both their spiritual and physical needs.

At the core of this program’s success are local volunteers, especially the women of the congregations, who understand what a blessing Pan de Vida has become. These dedicated volunteers help to prepare and serve meals for the children. Their inspiration comes from recognizing that by serving these children they are also serving our Lord Jesus, who says: “For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink… Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did it to Me” (Matthew 25:35, 40).

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