Buddhist Global Relief (BGR) has announced that its 2025 Buddhist Action to Feed the Hungry online gathering will take place on 25 October, from 1–3 p.m. Eastern (10 a.m.–12 noon Pacific) under the theme “Transforming Compassion Into Action.” The event will be hosted by BGR founder and chair Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi and will feature Dharma talks, guided meditations, and presentations by BGR project partners introducing their work in hunger relief.
This year’s honored Dharma speakers include: Ven. Thubten Chodron, founder and abbess of Sravasti Abbey in Newport, Washington; Ven. Dhammadipa, founder and guiding teacher of Dassanaya Buddhist Community in Alexandria, Virginia; Joan Hogetsu Hoeberichts, Roshi, founder of Heart Circle Zen in Hackensack, New Jersey; and writer and Zen teacher Prof. David Loy, a founding member of the Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Retreat Center near Boulder, Colorado. BGR described the gathering as its annual call for action, uniting its global community in both spiritual engagement and philanthropic purpose.
BGR was founded in 2008 by Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi and his students after writing an essay titled “A Challenge to Buddhists,” urging Western Buddhists to extend their practice into social engagement. From an initial handful of projects, BGR has grown into an organization sponsoring dozens of initiatives addressing hunger, malnutrition, women’s education, and sustainable livelihoods in Asia, Africa, and the Americas. In recent years, the organization has also provided emergency grants to areas of crisis, such as Gaza and Ukraine, often in partnership with international agencies including the UN World Food Programme and UNRWA.
Reflecting on the motivations for the organization’s work, Bhikkhu Bodhi noted:
Many middle-class American Buddhists seemed barely aware of the misery that overwhelmed ninety percent of the world’s population—misery due to poverty, social and political oppression, militarism, and economic globalization. It seemed Buddhism itself was being taken up as a comforting path to personal fulfillment rather than as a means of tackling the deepest roots of suffering both for oneself and for others. It occurred to me, with some dismay, that while Buddhism extols such qualities as loving-kindness and compassion, too many contemporary Buddhists have tended to pursue these virtues primarily as subjective internal states rather than as spurs to transformative action. (Barre Center for Buddhist Studies)
One of BGR’s longstanding methods of fundraising has been its “Walk to Feed the Hungry,” held in various cities across the United States and around the world. During the COVID-19 pandemic, such walks were suspended or scaled back, leading to the development of online events that brought together Dharma teachers, activists, and project partners. BDG has reported on these efforts over the years, highlighting BGR’s adaptability and ongoing commitment to its mission.
The October event will continue this approach, combining teachings and meditative practice with updates on relief projects. Supporters and members of Buddhist communities, temples, or meditation groups are encouraged to create fundraising pages in support of BGR’s mission. All who donate through such fundraisers will receive an invitation to the Buddhist Action online event. Questions about fundraising or donations can be directed to [email protected].
While attendance is free, the event serves as BGR’s major annual fundraiser and a focal point for its ongoing efforts to address global hunger and poverty. The program underscores how socially engaged Buddhism is continuing to evolve in the 21st century, pairing contemplative practice with organized responses to systemic suffering. By offering both spiritual guidance and concrete examples of work in the field, BGR aims to inspire participants to translate compassion into meaningful action.
Over its 17 years of existence, BGR has grown from modest beginnings to supporting more than 60 projects worldwide. The upcoming gathering is expected to bring together Buddhists across traditions and geographies in shared reflection and mobilization for those most vulnerable to hunger and poverty.
See more
Buddhist Global Relief
A Challenge to Buddhists (Lion’s Roar)
Buddhist Ethics for a World in Crisis (Barre Center for Buddhist Studies)
Related news reports from BDG
Buddhist Global Relief Approves Emergency Donation to Help Those Suffering in Gaza
Buddhist Global Relief Announces Upcoming “Walk to Feed the Hungry”
Buddhist Global Relief Expands Spending with Most Projects in its History
Buddhist Global Relief Continues Efforts Toward the Eradication of Hunger and Poverty
Fundraising Continues after NYC Buddhist Global Relief Hunger Walk Canceled
