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Bread for the World When charity is not enough
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Each year, churches and private charities provide thousands of tons of food to hungry and poor people across the world. Relief supplies provide essential nutrients for malnourished children in countries in crisis. Soup kitchens staffed by church volunteers serve hot meals to hungry families across the United States. But despite these donation efforts, almost 800 million people in the world suffer undernutrition. Even in a richly blessed nation such as the United States, one family in 10 struggles to put food on the table. Hunger is one problem we can actually solve. However, churches and charities can’t do it all. By joining together, people in the United States can ensure that the government does its part to end hunger. A Place at the Table Twenty-seven years ago, a small group of church people led by Arthur Simon, pastor of a church in a low-income neighborhood in New York City, came up with a simple plan for the complex problem of hunger. These people were feeding hungry people in the city. But the group decided that they also needed to change laws and policies that contribute to hunger and poverty. That idea became Bread for the World, which today is made up of 46,000 members who share the vision of providing a place at the table for all. Bread for the World’s membership spans the spectrum of Catholics, evangelical and mainline Protestants and Orthodox Christians. It also includes people of other faiths and people who are drawn by the effectiveness of the advocacy. Each year, Bread for the World members write tens of thousands of letters to Congress through Offerings of Letters, special church services and other events to encourage advocacy on hunger legislation. People who share Bread for the World’s vision of a just world without hunger have four basic ways to get involved: becoming a member, becoming an activist, involving their local churches and contributing financially. Whether speaking to hundreds of people from a pulpit, writing a personal letter to Congress from home or showing support in other ways, Bread for the World members are a voice of faith for policies and laws to reduce hunger. Offering of Letters—Blending Faith and Action Each year, Bread for the World promotes a nationwide Offering of Letters. Bread for the World members, hundreds of churches and allied organizations send roughly 100,000 letters to Congress on a specific hunger issue. In 2001, Bread for the World members lobbied Congress for significant new poverty-focused development assistance to sub-Saharan Africa in the Africa: Hunger to Harvest campaign. The Hunger to Harvest resolution, passed by both houses of Congress, also called for President Bush to work with other world leaders to dramatically reduce hunger and poverty on the continent. In 2000, A Fair Share: Working to End Hunger campaign worked to pass the Hunger Relief Act and to increase the federal minimum wage by $1 over two years. President Clinton signed into law two provisions of the Hunger Relief Act, which were included in the agricultural spending bill. Throughout the years, Bread for the World’s annual Offering of Letters has helped pass laws to strengthen the government’s response to hunger at home, shifted policies to encourage peace and development in war-torn countries, and won targeted assistance to struggling people. Resources for Local Congregations Individual churches can strengthen their hunger ministries through a Covenant Church relationship with Bread for the World. A congregation commits itself to integrate hunger concerns into its corporate life. Bread for the World provides tools that will equip the church to learn more about hunger, to pray about it, and to take action to end hunger through advocacy. Tools include education, worship, and action resources focused on hunger, including the annual Offering of Letters Kit; Hunger Sunday, a monthly newsletter for Covenant Churches; and a complimentary copy of Hunger No More, an educational resource for adults and youth. For additional information, contact Bread for the World at (800) 82-BREAD, bread@bread.org, or www.bread.org
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