How Your Gift Feeds Families in the Holy Land: Inside the HLM Food Distribution Initiative

If you've ever read about Jerusalem or Bethlehem, you probably picture ancient streets, holy sites, and places you've read about in Scripture your whole life. What you might not picture is the families living there right now who are struggling to put food on the table.

For many Arab Christian families in Israel and the Palestinian territories, life is hard. So how does Holy Land Missions help? One of the most direct ways is through our Food Distribution Initiative. Here's a look at how it works and what your support makes possible.

Who We Serve

Holy Land Missions exists to connect the worldwide church to the suffering Arab Christian communities and others in the Holy Land. Christians are a small minority there, and many families face poverty and persecution.

Think about what it means to be a believer in the land where Jesus walked, yet feel forgotten by much of the world. That's the gap HLM works to close.

What the Food Distribution Initiative Does

The idea is simple: get food to families who need it most.

Distributions happen through our partners on the ground in places like Jerusalem and Bethlehem. HLM partners with one of the largest Arab ministries in the region.

The Impact So Far

Here's what your generosity has already done. In 2024, supporters helped Holy Land Missions provide food for over 500 families.

That's not just a number. Each one is a household with a table, a parent who didn't have to choose between groceries and rent, and kids who went to bed with full stomachs.

More Than a Meal

Food meets an urgent need, but it also opens a door. When local believers show up with groceries, they're showing up with hope, too.

That's why food distribution sits alongside HLM's other work, including:

• Faith studies

• Community outreaches

• Medical outreach

• Leadership training for young believers

• Printing and distributing the Word

Every gift is a way of saying, "You are not forgotten."

How Your Gift Makes a Difference

100% of your gifts go toward Christ-centered projects through a trusted ministry with more than 40 years of history.

You can give in a few ways:

• Online through our secure giving page (one-time or monthly)

• By check to Holy Land Missions, P.O. Box 14200, Springfield, MO 65814

• By phone through our Ministry Line at 1-800-456-2231

Holy Land Missions is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization (27-2905400), and donations are tax-deductible where allowed by law.

Life for Christians in the Holy Land Today

For many people, the Holy Land feels like a place from the pages of Scripture. But for Arab Christian families who live there today, it's home, and life can be very hard.

Christians make up a small minority of the population. Many families face economic hardship, limited job opportunities, and pressure that makes daily life a struggle.

When families can't meet basic needs, some feel they have no choice but to leave. Every family that's able to stay helps keep a living Christian presence in the land where the church began.

Why Food Matters So Much

Food is one of the most basic needs there is. When a family's grocery budget runs dry, everything else gets harder: school, work, health, and hope.

Think about what one box of groceries means to a family in a hard month. It might mean a parent can pay rent. It might mean kids eat breakfast before school. It might simply mean one less worry for a week.

That's why the Food Distribution Initiative sits at the heart of HLM's work.

How a Distribution Comes Together

Every distribution takes planning and partnership. In general, the work involves:

• Identifying families with the greatest need through local partners

• Purchasing food and supplies

• Packing and organizing distributions

• Delivering food or hosting distribution days

• Following up with families through local churches and ministries

Local believers are the hands and feet on the ground, and your support gives them what they need to serve their neighbors.

The Holidays in Bethlehem

There's something powerful about supporting families in Bethlehem at Christmas. It's the town where the story began, yet many families there face real hardship during the season.

Holy Land Missions supports Bethlehem ministry programs and the Nativity Encounter. Year-end gifts help families celebrate with dignity and hope.

Ways to Get Involved Beyond Giving

Giving is vital, but it's not the only way to help. You can also:

• Pray for Christian families in the Holy Land

• Share HLM's stories with your church or small group

• Encourage friends and family to support the mission

• Join a Holy Land Encounter Trip to see the work firsthand

HLM's Holy Land Encounter Trips take you to Jerusalem and Bethlehem with a representative from HLM, with 7-day, 10-day, or custom trips available. Seeing the land and meeting the people changes how you read Scripture.

How to Pray for Families in the Holy Land

Prayer is something every supporter can do, no matter their budget. If you're not sure where to start, here are a few simple ways to pray this season:

• For daily provision. Ask God to meet the practical needs of families who are stretched thin, from groceries to rent to school supplies.

• For parents. Pray for moms and dads carrying the weight of providing for their kids during a hard season.

• For local churches and ministry partners. Pray for strength, wisdom, and joy for the believers who organize distributions and care for their neighbors.

• For children. Pray that kids would grow up knowing they are loved by God and not forgotten by His church.

• For peace. Pray for peace in the land and in the hearts of the people who call it home.

You might pick one of these each day of the week, or pray through the whole list with your family at dinner. Small, steady prayers add up, and they keep the needs of believers in the Holy Land in front of you all season long.

Monthly Partners Make Planning Possible

One-time gifts make a real difference. Monthly gifts do something extra: they let partners on the ground plan ahead. When the team knows support is coming each month, they can commit to families with confidence.

You can set up a monthly gift online in just a few minutes, and you can designate it to the Holy Land Missions Fund, Bethlehem Ministry, or another program that's close to your heart.

Where Your Gift Goes

When you give to Holy Land Missions, it's natural to wonder where the money ends up. HLM's commitment is that 100% of your gifts help transform lives through Christ-centered projects.

You can direct your gift to the area that matters most to you:

• The Holy Land Missions Fund (where help is needed most)

• The Jerusalem Landmark Campaign

• Bethlehem Ministry

• Printing the Word Ministry

• Calvary Church's Jerusalem Church

A Ministry With Deep Roots

Holy Land Missions partners with a ministry that has a rich history of over 40 years of impact in the region. That kind of track record matters. Long-term relationships on the ground mean help reaches the right families, and it keeps reaching them year after year.

Why Now?

Needs don't take a break, and the end of the year is often one of the hardest seasons for families who are already stretched. It's also a season when many supporters think about year-end giving.

A gift this season goes right to work in places like Jerusalem and Bethlehem, helping families through the winter and into the new year.

The Practical Details of Giving

Is my gift tax-deductible? Holy Land Missions is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization (27-2905400), and donations are tax-deductible where allowed by law.

Can I give without a PayPal account? Yes. Online gifts go through PayPal, but you can give with a credit card without a PayPal account.

Can I give by check or phone? Yes. Mail checks payable to Holy Land Missions to P.O. Box 14200, Springfield, MO 65814, and note your designated program. You can also give by credit card through the Ministry Line at 1-800-456-2231. Bank wire information is available on request.

However you give, your gift reaches families who need it.

Stories Worth Sharing

One of the simplest ways to help is to tell someone. Many HLM supporters first heard about the ministry from a friend, a pastor, or a church mission night.

Think about who in your life cares about the persecuted church or has always wanted to see Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Sharing this story could be the start of their own partnership.

Faith Put Into Action

Scripture is full of calls to care for the hungry, the poor, and the stranger. Feeding families in the Holy Land is one practical way to live that out. Every distribution is a reminder that the global church is one family, and when one part hurts, the rest of the body can respond.

Help Us Feed More Families This Season

As the holidays approach, families in the Holy Land need help more than ever. Your gift puts food on a table and hope in a home, in the very place where the story of Christmas began.

Ready to make a difference? Donate today at holylandmissions.org and help us reach the Holy Land's hurting!