Bread’s 4/2012 Update

Religious Leaders Fight Malnutrition On February 1, more than 40 religious leaders from denominations and relief organizations around the country filled Bread for the World’s conference room in Washington, DC. The goal? To build the advocacy voice of church leaders for improved nutrition for mothers and children. Read more »

Act Now Urge your members of Congress to form a circle of protection around programs for hungry and poor people. Read more »

Multiplying Goodness One of the Lenten season’s treasured readings is the story of the loaves and fishes. In it, a few loaves and a couple of fish not only feed thousands of people but there is an overflow of leftovers! It speaks to the kind of abundance that comes with sharing in the life and vision of Jesus. Read more »

Taxes and Budgets—’Tis the Season As tax season gears up, Capitol Hill is also immersed in budget negotiations as key congressional leaders present their ideas for how the country should spend its tax dollars. Read more »

Teamwork—for Hungry People Bread is truly a grassroots organization—and nowhere is that more obvious than in the work of Bread Teams. These groups are organizing events and leading Offering of Letters workshops in churches and communities across the country, spreading the word about effective ways to advocate for hungry and poor people. Read more »

Bread 2012-01 Update

We Need a Surge of Advocacy in 2012 With the help of Bread activists, we got through 2011 without major cuts to programs focused on hungry and poor people. We’re thankful to all those who called, wrote, and visited their members of Congress to help protect these programs. But the fight is far from over. Read more »

Can We Learn to Live with Less? Families in Zambia, Malawi, and Tanzania live with regular “hunger seasons,” writes Ines Torres Davis, director for justice at Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Read more »

Success Paves Way for 2012 Our 2011 legislative work focused on two tracks—urging Congress to protect annual funding for programs for hungry and poor people, and influencing the Super Committee’s decisions for reducing our federal deficit. Here’s a review. Read more »

Gyude Moore: A Leader for Liberia Bread member Gyude Moore’s early experiences of poverty and war inform his work as special assistant to Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Read more »

Bread Activists Part of Nationwide Day of Action Seattle’s gusty winds and a soaking rain might have kept less passionate people at home, but people of faith joined to call attention to drastic cuts some lawmakers proposed to anti-poverty programs. Read more »

What’s at Stake with the Super Committee? Everything.

What’s at Stake with the Super Committee? It’s up to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (or Super Committee)—a group of 12 members, three from each party in each house—to create a proposal that will cut trillions from the deficit. We want them to protect funding for programs for hungry and poor people.

Act Now Urge your members of Congress to form a circle of protection around programs for hungry and poor people.

The ‘Two Feet’ of Ministry It takes two feet to walk and keep our balance—one foot focused on institutional change and the other on direct service, writes Msgr. Marvin Mottet, of Davenport, IA.

2012 Offering to Keep Pressure on Congress You’ll see materials for Bread’s 2012 Offering of Letters in early January, but this campaign will include a new twist. The Offering—called “Expanding the Circle of Protection”—will continue to rely on the work of Bread activists and partners, but the format will be slightly different.

Leota Ester Advocates for Basic Needs “When I turned 80, I decided I would make every single year count,” Leota Ester likes to say. It’s clear she didn’t wait until she turned 80.

Bread Teams Send Message to Congress The newest iteration of Bread’s organizing efforts are Bread Teams—groups of trained local community activists who work with Bread organizers to mobilize their neighborhoods for specific changes in legislation that affects hungry and poor people.

Bread Congressional Update – 9/20/11

Inside
Washington

• The House and Senate are in session this week.
  They will likely recess from September 26 to 30.

Bread’s
Issues

Poverty Increases

• The U.S. Census Bureau released its annual poverty
  numbers last week. In 2010, the poverty rate increased to 15.1 percent, up
  from 14.3 percent in 2009, with 46.2 million people living in poverty. That’s
  nearly one out of every six Americans—the highest rate since the Census began
  tracking poverty data in 1959.
• The poverty rate increased for children younger
  than 18 from 20.7 percent in 2009 to 22 percent in 2010.
• The number of people ages 18 to 64 living in
  poverty increased from 24.7 million in 2009 to 26.3 million in 2010.
• The poverty rate increased for non-Hispanic
  whites (9.9 percent in 2010, up from 9.4 percent in 2009), Hispanics (26.6
  percent in 2010, up from 25.3 percent in 2009), and African-Americans (27.4
  percent in 2010, up from 25.8 percent in 2009).
• Despite the increases in poverty, the U.S.
  Department of Agriculture’s annual hunger data released September 7 showed that
  the number of families struggling to put food on the table remained unchanged
  for the third consecutive year. This data shows that nutrition programs like
  SNAP and school meals are effectively keeping hunger at bay. Still, these
  numbers are the highest on record with one in five children at risk of hunger.

Deficit Reduction

• The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction
  (or “Super Committee”) had its first meeting September 8, during which members
  gave opening statements and the committee adopted its rules of procedure. At a
  September 13 meeting, members heard testimony from Doug Elmendorf, director of
  the Congressional Budget Office, on the drivers of the deficit.
• Many Super Committee members want to look at the
  work of past commissions, including the Simpson-Bowles Commission, the
  Rivlin-Domenici Commissions, and the “Gang of Six” proposal.
• The Super Committee must submit its
  deficit-reduction proposals to Congress by November 23, 2011.

Appropriations

• Congress is putting together a continuing
  resolution to keep the government running beyond October 1, 2011—the start of
  the 2012 fiscal year. A vote is expected this week.
• The continuing resolution is expected to last
  through November 18, giving Congress more time to finalize the appropriations
  process.
• The Senate Appropriations Committee approved the
  fiscal year 2012 agriculture appropriations bill the week of September 6. The
  bill is a major improvement over funding levels passed by the House in June. The
  Senate bill includes $19.78 billion in discretionary funding, compared to $17.25
  billion provided by the House. But the Senate and House must agree on a funding
  level in conference committee before the bill can become law.
• Funding levels for international and domestic
  nutrition programs in the Senate agriculture appropriations bill:
  • Funding for P.L. 480, which provides emergency
    food assistance to the most vulnerable areas in the world, increased by 4
    percent over fiscal year 2011—to $1.562 billion. This reflects the increased
    demand for humanitarian assistance, especially in the Horn of Africa.
  • The McGovern-Dole International Food for
    Education and Child Nutrition Program, a global school feeding program, was
    funded at $188 million, compared to $199 million in fiscal year 2011.
  • The Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
    Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) was funded at $6.582 billion,
    enough to cover current and projected caseload.
  • The Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which
    primarily serves low-income seniors, was funded at $176.8 million, enough to
    continue serving existing caseloads though it doesn’t provide $5 million needed
    to expand service to six USDA-approved sites.
• The full Senate Appropriations Committee will
  mark up several bills tomorrow including the State/Foreign Operations
  appropriations bill. We are advocating now for no further cuts to this critical
  appropriation that funds all poverty-focused development assistance.

Foreign Assistance Reform

• On September 8, Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA),
  ranking member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, released a draft of
  the Global Partnerships Act of 2011, which would make foreign assistance more
  efficient, more effective, and better at serving America’s interests abroad.
  This draft proposal will serve as the foundation for building a consensus in
  Congress on how to modernize U.S. foreign aid.

Act
Now

On Monday, September 26, Bread for the World and more than
120 organizations will mobilize for a national call-in day to urge Congress to
protect funding for lifesaving poverty-focused foreign assistance. Join us to
ask your representatives and Senators in Congress to prevent deep and
disproportionate cuts to the fiscal year 2012 International Affairs Budget.

Stay tuned for an email from Bread for the World with more information about
this national call-in. On September 26, call Congress using this number:
1-800-826-3688. Ask the operator to connect you to your
representative’s or senators’ offices.

 

Points we’ll make:

• Deep and disproportionate cuts to this budget
  would limit the United States’ ability to help the world’s poorest and most
  vulnerable people.
• Further cuts would put us on the sidelines in
  influencing rapidly transforming regions of the world.
• Cuts to the international affairs budget would
  signal a dramatic decline of U.S. leadership in promoting a more stable
  world.

To learn more about why and how to participate in Bread’s continuing efforts
on the budget, visit www.bread.org/budget.

Breads Summer Newsletter 2011

	July-Aug 2011 | www.bread.org
Creating a Circle of Protection Thousands of Christians, people of other faiths, heads of denominations, corporations, and nonprofit organizations have formed a Circle of Protection around funding for programs that are critical to hungry and poor people. These programs are threatened by budget cuts proposed by Congress.   Act Now Visit or call your senators and representatives at their local offices this summer. Urge them to protect funding for programs for hungry people.   Moses: Our First Biblical Advocate We can’t speak up for poor people without speaking up to the powerful, writes Rev. Joel Edwards, director of Micah Challenge International.   Beyond Charity to Advocacy May Shen of Arlington Chinese Baptist Church in Arlington, TX, is helping her church move toward advocacy.   Rallying to Change the Politics of Hunger Hundreds attended Bread’s National Gathering 2011 in June, which included a special meeting on maternal and child malnutrition. Check out our report.

Breads 2011-06 newsletter

The Cost of Hunger and Poverty When millions of children don’t have enough nutritious food to concentrate in school, the country’s future becomes bleaker. Read why cuts to vital programs that help hungry and poor people will not make a difference in reducing the federal deficit.

Finding New Ways to be God’s Voice and Agent Suzii Paynter of the Christian Life Commission of the Baptist General Convention of Texas reflects on learning new ways to speak out for God’s people in need.

Budget Cuts: Who Loses? An update on budget decisions, who will suffer as a result, and who remains vulnerable.

Two Decades of Advocacy to End Hunger How longtime Bread activist Peter England got involved and stays motivated.

Offerings Engage Young Activists, New Church Members Two California Lutheran churches draw in new Bread activists with Offerings of Letters.

Background Paper: Better Foreign Assistance, Fewer Hungry People How is the United States moving toward policies that will bring more rapid progress against hunger and poverty? How will these changes help hungry people?

Bread 2011 May Congressional Update

Deep cuts in anti-hunger programs win supports in Congress.

Congress Must Protect Hungry People Bread for the World is deeply concerned about House proposals to drastically cut funding for safety-net programs such as WIC and food aid.

A God of Liberation Rev. Gary Cook reflects on the Exodus story and God’s call for Moses to help his people.

Hungry People Overseas Hit Hardest by Proposed Cuts A proposal passed by the House would eliminate food aid for 15 million refugees and school meals for three million schoolchildren in poor countries—almost overnight.

‘Bring the Kingdom of Heaven to This Earth’ Katie Gerry describes her experiences at Bread’s Lobby Day and the impact of her Catholic faith on her advocacy.

Reconnecting: Bangladesh in 1976 and 2011 Bread President David Beckmann finds reasons for hope on his return trip to northwest Bangladesh, where he worked in 1976.

The Federal Budget: Myths and Realities How useful are cuts to programs for hungry and poor people in reducing the budget deficit? Shouldn’t low-income people sacrifice along with everyone else? This issue’s background paper considers six common budget myths and how advocates can respond.

Act Now! Urge your members of Congress to stand firm against budget cuts to programs for hungry and poor people.

Washington Update on the 112th Congress – 2011-02-14

Inside Washington

• Congress is in session in Washington until the President’s Day recess the week of February 21.

Bread’s Issues

2011 Budget

• Currently, the federal government is operating under a continuing resolution that funds operations at FY10 levels through March 4, 2011. Congress must act before then, either by finalizing the 2011 budget or by passing another short-term continuing resolution.
• House Republican leadership announced its plan for FY11 spending, which cuts non-security discretionary spending by more than 15 percent compared to current levels (more than 19 percent compared to the administration’s FY11 budget).
• The next step is for Rep. Harold Rogers (R-KY), chair of the House Appropriations Committee, to prepare a draft of the budget for the remainder of FY11 and send it to the House floor for passage.
• Although the Rogers bill is expected to pass the House, the Senate is not likely to approve it. This means that Congress would need to pass another short-term continuing resolution to fund the government after March 4.

2012 Budget

• The week of February 14, President Obama will send the administration’s FY12 budget request to Congress.
• In the president’s State of the Union speech on January 25, he called for a five-year spending freeze on non-security discretionary spending. He called on Congress to reduce the deficit, but he also advocated against doing so “on the backs of our most vulnerable citizens.”
• Bread for the World issued a press release with our reaction to the State of the Union. Bread President David Beckmann said, “As a nation, we must address our ballooning budget deficit. Yet at the same time, we must ensure that hungry and poor people do not bear the brunt of deficit reduction efforts….Cutting or reducing our investments in programs that benefit the least among us is morally wrong.”

Act Now

Congress is looking for programs to cut in the budget. Call your representative in Congress and tell him/her to enact a responsible budget that protects programs for hungry and poor people.

Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121

Save the Date!

Please hold the dates for Bread for the World’s National Gathering 2011: June 11-14, 2011, in Washington, DC. We have something new for the National Gathering an international meeting with experts on reducing malnutrition among the world’s children. Lobby Day on June 14 will also be part of the National Gathering.

Please put June 11-14 on your calendar now.

Update from Bread in New Mexico

Dear Bread members and friends: On this second week of Advent, I want to share the links to the latest posts in the Bread New Mexico blog.  (And as always, if you have any ideas on subjects, any thoughts on the posts, feedback and suggestions are welcomed).

 Advent Resources from Bread for the World
Bread for the World offers us a great set of reflections for the season.  The links lead you to bulletin inserts, prayers, etc.  in .pdf format
The Most Complete Fair Trade Catalog I’ve Ever Seen
If you’re still shopping…This is the most comprehensive list of online Fair Trade sources I’ve ever seen.  It came from the back of my fair-trade calendar, and I added a couple more, including local entities Peacecraft and One World Flowers.
World AIDS Day is Also a Day of Celebration. Here’s Why….
A piece about Swaziland Arts for Education (S.A.F.E) and founder Kristin Wetzler (who happens to be my niece on my wife Karen’s side)
Celebrating the Start of Advent with the Taize Community
Great short video set in Taize, France
Advent Conspiracy: worship fully, spend less, give more, love all
A movement to simplify our lifestyle and enhance our spiritual life during the Advent season

And I forgot to share this link about the Bread for the World Institute’s Hunger 2011 report when I sent out the Thanksgiving blog posts. 

Our Common Interest: Ending Hunger and Malnutrition

Carlos Navarro
Volunteer State Coordinator, New Mexico
Bread for the World
breadnm@gmail.com
Local website: http://www.breadnm.org
Local blog: http://breadnm.blogspot.com/
National website: http://www.bread.org

November Enews

 
MONTHLY UPDATE – VOLUME 6 ISSUE 03  – Nov 18,  2010

Greetings!  My name is Mike Hiland, I live in Sherwood, and am a local activist with Bread for the World. This is our monthly Oregon newsletter. Please check below for upcoming events and current action alerts and contact me if you have any questions or comments. I am available to speak to your church or group about the issue of hunger and the moral call to take action. Visit our website at www.breador.net, also follow us on facebook. Please also forward this to whomever might be interested. God bless and thanks for your time.   Call Congress today: Child Nutrition must pass Time is running out. The Senate passed its child nutrition bill in early August, and the House must act before December 3. Heartbreaking new data released this week shows that nearly one in four children in our country — that’s more than 17 million kids — live in families that struggle to put food on the table. It’s now up to Congress to make a difference in the lives of these children, but time is running out. Hungry kids can’t wait any longer for improvements to breakfast, after school, and summer meal programs. Call your US House congressman at 800-828-0498 or email using the email form links below! Congress needs to hear from you that hungry kids and families need their help. The House must pass child nutrition legislation. The next few days are critical. This is Congress’ last chance to pass child nutrition legislation before it adjourns its 111th session. Message and Key Points – Pass S. 3307, the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act. – The need for strong, accessible child nutrition programs has never been greater. – Nearly one in seven children in Oregon struggle to put food on the table.