Wade Mays, national coordinator of the Meals for Millions Fund (left), presents a plaque to Dan Dietze, prayer advocate for the Virginia Conference.

NASHVILLE, Tenn.––UM Men of the Virginia Annual Conference contributed $21,713 to the Meals for Millions Fund of the Society of St. Andrew, the highest total of all U.S. annual conference organizations.

Wade Mays, national coordinator of the Meals for Millions Fund, listed the top ten contributors to the 17-year-old fund, during a March 7 meeting of conference presidents of UM Men and conference prayer advocates.

Detroit Conference finished a close second with $20,351. Northern Illinois Conference followed with gifts totaling $19,171.

Indiana Conference finished fourth with $18,896; Baltimore/Washington Conference was in fifth place with $13,842, followed by Missouri Conference with $12,108.

Susquehanna Conference finished in 7th place with $9,250 and it was awarded the “Bud the Spud Award” for highest increase from 2013; the conference increased funding by a whopping 311 percent.

North Carolina was in 8th place with $5,707, followed by Iowa Conference with $5,205, and Upper New York Conference with $5,080.

The fund establishes gleaning networks, raises awareness of the extent of hunger in America, and funds hunger relief advocates in 18 annual conferences.

In 2014, hunger relief advocates led 2,320 volunteers into farmer’s field to pick up 748 pounds of produce. Gifts to the Meals for Millions Fund provided another 8.2 million servings of fresh produce to the hungry.