Photo credit: mripp via Visual Hunt / CC BY

Joining Forces to End Poverty

You are gifted and you are called. So when you’re ready to partner with a charity, find one you can trust.

Jeremy Affeldt
Jul 28, 2017 · 3 min read

We’re called to all kinds of different ministries. We’re the Body of Christ! Some of us are His hands, some of us are His feet, some of us are His eyes, some of us are His ears, and some of us are His voice. Working together as one, we can bring light to the world.

Some of us conduct studies on problems like poverty and slavery, and others come up with programs or ministries to alleviate those problems. If no one did those studies or created those ministries, I wouldn’t know about the problems of the poor. This is the influence of the Body of Christ!

There are a lot of people called to help and they don’t even know it yet. We don’t always know it right away. I didn’t begin to fully understand my calling until I was pitching for Colorado. I’m not sure I fully understand it yet, because I’m continually growing in it.


I know that part of my calling is to make sure that people know just how much we can do. There is so much that we can do to free the slaves, feed the hungry, bring water to the thirsty, and build homes for orphans. I’m passionate about bringing awareness of these problems to as many arenas as I can. I’m passionate because when I first heard about the suffering of others, I felt it. I felt their suffering.

In other words, I was called.


A lot of people want to help but they don’t know where to start. They don’t know where to give their trust! Think about all the different well-digging organizations. Which ones can you trust? We have heard about the ones that put in a well, but they never go back and check on it. They did their “good deed,” so they stopped paying attention. Now, when the well breaks and no one comes to fix it, people have to go back to drinking dirty water.

There are also people that promote good in order to steal. That’s the worst. They make a lot of promises, you give them money, and they walk away with it in their pockets. There was a guy in Oakland proclaiming Christ’s return on some particular day. He told people, “Give me tons of money so I can help promote this.” People gave up their life savings and nothing happened. Meanwhile, he ran away with their money.

That’s why I get the word out about groups that I know personally. I believe that I carry a Spirit upon me that is true and good. When I partner with a company it’s because I truly trust the people involved. I see what they’re doing and I know it’s sustainable.


If you want an introduction to some of my partners in social justice ministry, you can check out the website of Generation Alive. Generation Alive is the youth ministry my wife and I founded in order to empower young people to respond with compassion to the needs of their communities. You can also follow me on Instagram & Twitter: @JeremyAffeldt. I tweet a lot about partner organizations and community events.

I want to do my part, and I want to do it well. I don’t want to just build a well somewhere and then forget about it. I don’t want to just build one orphanage and then say, “There, I built an orphanage. I’m good for life. Now I can live just for me.” There are too many opportunities out there! How could I say I’m done?

As long as I can help people, I’m going to try.

I am the author of To Stir a Movement: Life, Justice, and Major League Baseball (2013), and my second book is in the works. Visit my Huffington Post page here. I blog here. Follow me on Instagram & Twitter: @JeremyAffeldt.

Jeremy Affeldt

Written by

Athlete, Humanitarian, Author. Public Speaker, Family Man, Believer. Three time World Series Champion with the San Francisco Giants.

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