Churches Partner with IDES to Reap ‘Harvest of Talents’ to Feed Hungry Worldwide

Harvest of Talents started 39 years ago at Lincoln (Ill.) Christian Church when they brought church members and people of the community together by collecting handmade items and selling them via auctions and purchases. All of the proceeds—100 percent—through the years have gone to International Disaster Emergency Service (IDES) Harvest of Talents hunger projects. 

This year’s participating churches were Lincoln Christian Church, Fortville (Ind.) Christian Church, Michigantown (Ind.) Christian Church, Unity Christan Church of Marion, Ind., Milford (Ill.) Christian Church, and First Christian Church of Carmi, Ill. Combined, these churches raised close to $190,000. 

Since its start 39 years ago, Harvest of Talents has contributed $4,329,307.99 to IDES’s World Hunger feeding programs. 

Harvest feeding programs have been held in several countries, including India, Myanmar, Philippines, Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan, Zimbabwe, El Salvador, Brazil, Haiti, Syria, Dominican Republic, Togo, Honduras, Mozambique, Ghana, Thailand, Romania, Egypt, Israel, and Russia. 

In 2023, to celebrate IDES’ 50th anniversary and Harvest’s 40^th year, IDES is partnering with the Marc Adams School of Woodworking in Franklin, Ind., to invite anyone interested in woodworking or learning a new skill to participate in a weeklong class, said executive director David Stines. All proceeds will go toward the Harvest of Talents food program. Learn more at ides.org. 

Any church, school, or company in any town can host its own Harvest event. Or, people may personally donate handcrafted items or services directly to IDES or to another group’s event.  

Besides the annual Harvest of Talents, IDES meets world hunger needs in many different ways—from GAP (God Always Provides) food pack events (more than 3 million meals packed in 2022) to emergency aid, and through contributions that come from the ministry’s Son Fish Banks. 

IDES, which is headquartered in Noblesville, Ind., has five main focus areas around the world: evangelism, disaster response, hunger relief, community development, and medical care. 

Some of its latest disaster recovery operations include providing aid and coordinating volunteers in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in Florida, helping with recovery from flooding in Eastern Kentucky, and providing 11 shipping containers of aid (food, medical, and personal care items) to Ukraine. Volunteers are always needed.