Location: Nicaragua

In rural Nicaragua, where poverty and food insecurity affect many families, children often suffer from chronic malnutrition due to limited access to balanced, nutritious meals. This lack of proper nutrition not only weakens their physical health—stunting growth, lowering energy, and increasing vulnerability to illness—but also hinders cognitive development, school performance, and overall potential. The emotional toll on parents and caregivers is heavy, as they struggle daily to provide enough food, leaving little room for hope or spiritual focus.

Twelve Churches, a faith-based ministry founded in 2009 after a mission trip to León, partners with local pastors and congregations across the region to equip them for deeper gospel outreach. By encouraging spiritual maturity, leadership training, and community empowerment, the organization helps churches multiply God's kingdom work. A key part of this is addressing physical needs through feeding programs at partner churches, where nutritious meals draw children and families into a safe, Christ-centered environment—opening doors to hear about Jesus as the ultimate Bread of Life.

Angela Sanchez (9th grade) and Luke Sinclair (11th grade), who have supported Twelve Churches for five years and participated in multiple mission trips, built strong relationships with the local community. Passionate about this work, they applied for and were awarded a $10,500 grant from Ten Thousand Reasons to build a new kitchen for Twelve Churches' feeding efforts.

This grant enabled Twelve Churches to construct a dedicated, functional kitchen equipped for preparing nutritious meals—addressing outdated or inadequate current conditions and significantly increasing the number of days the ministry can feed 325 malnourished children. With reliable facilities, cooks can efficiently prepare balanced, wholesome food, providing consistent nourishment that restores children's health, energy, and ability to thrive physically and engage in spiritual activities.

The new kitchen not only combats immediate hunger but sustains long-term community impact: Food attracts families to church programs, where they encounter Jesus' love, discipleship, and hope. By meeting physical needs alongside spiritual ones, Twelve Churches fosters holistic transformation—helping children grow stronger, families find stability, and local congregations grow in their mission to share the gospel.

The grant empowered Twelve Churches to provide:

• A fully equipped new kitchen to prepare nutritious, balanced meals safely and efficiently for 325 children.

• Expanded feeding days, ensuring more consistent access to food that combats malnutrition and supports healthy growth.

• A welcoming, Christ-centered space where meals open doors to spiritual nourishment, relationships, and the life-changing message of Jesus as the Bread of Life.

Thank you, Angela Sanchez and Luke Sinclair, for your five years of dedicated support, mission trip involvement, and passionate advocacy—helping Twelve Churches nourish bodies and souls in Nicaragua through faith, relationships, and compassionate service!