In 1946, seventeen denominations formed Church World Service (CWS) as a relief agency. Churches throughout the United States provided over 11 million pounds of food and medical supplies to communities in Europe and Asia that were affected by World War II. Over the course of the next two decades, CWS expanded its work into Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East, and the mission of the organization shifted from providing immediate disaster relief to creating long-term development projects in partnership with local communities. CWS also began to work in the United States to provide aid after natural disasters and established refugee resettlement offices around the country.

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Featured image: Hurricane Flora aftermath, Haiti, 1963.