Food Stamped: A Deep Look at America’s Broken Food System with Congressman Earl Blumenauer

Monday, February 20, 2012

7 – 9 pm at the Bagdad Theater

3702 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd

Free admission with donation to Oregon Food Bank

Congressman Earl Blumenauer, a leading advocate of shifting farm subsidies away from agribusiness to the small farmer, is our guest speaker. He will discuss one of the most important pieces of legislation to counter hunger that very few Americans know anything about: The Farm Bill.

There will also be a brief video presentation about Southeast Portland’s

Abernathy Elementary: “Planting Seeds of Change, Growing Healthy Kids”

Join us for a screening of the hour-long documentary “Food Stamped,” an informative, entertaining and inspiring film about the challenges to low-income families and individuals trying to eat healthy while living on food stamps.

(view trailer at www.foodstamped.com)

Presented by

CommunityRelationsCommittee

with

Oregon Faith Roundtable Against Hunger, Tuv Ha’Aretz, Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon and Oregon Area Jewish Committee

On December 17th 1971, 47 Catholic Sisters from many orders and from all over the country gathered for a weekend meeting in Washington, DC, where they voted to create a “NETWORK” of Sisters who would live out the Gospel call to work for justice.
These sisters were united by a faith-filled vision: by taking action together to lobby our government, concerned citizens can end policies that keep people in poverty and develop new policies that instead create paths of opportunity.
NETWORK began as a powerful example of what we can achieve as a community of engaged people who care deeply about the common good. As NETWORK celebrates its 40th anniversary year, we know that we’ll need to stay strong as a community to meet the challenges of this special year.

Happy, Happy Birthday to a like-minded organization.  And as the saying goes after one sings Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday to You..   And Many More….

Campaign to Increase the Oregon Earned Income Tax Credit

Near-Term Goals for the EITC Coalition

Our EITC coalition can achieve important wins next year, despite the fact that continuing budget constraints make it unlikely that the 2012 legislative session will seek to improve Oregon’s Earned Income Tax Credit.

One such win would be to obtain an extension of the credit’s expiration date. The Oregon EITC currently is scheduled to sunset January 1, 2014. Unless the legislature extends the sunset date, the EITC will expire by that date, with serious economic consequences for low-income working families with children. Now is a good time to push for extending the EITC’s sunset, a move that would have no impact on the current biennial budget.

Another important step is to make sure that improving the EITC is a part of any state strategy to reduce poverty. Governor Kitzhaber’s office has indicated that in the coming months it will release a plan to address poverty. Our coalition will encourage the Governor’s office to include improvement of the EITC, one of the most targeted and effective ways to make work pay for low-income working families with children, in any such plan.

For updates on efforts to improve the EITC go to www.oregoniansforworkingfamilies.org.

Defend TANF and Other Safety Net Services

Cuts made in 2011 to Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) and JOBS services are impacting hundreds of struggling low-income families in Oregon. These cuts also affect many EITC coalition members, who work to address the impacts of poverty and build Oregon’s middle class.

Learn how your organization can help defend and strengthen TANF and other safety net programs in the 2012 February session and beyond at the Oregon TANF Alliance website.

Endorse the Oregon TANF Alliance campaign online here.

9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. at St. Rita Catholic Church,
10029 NE Prescott St. Portland, 97220.
Click here for flyer.

To come up with $1.2 trillion in cuts over 10 years, everything – EVERYTHING
– is on the table. Funding for programs for hungry and poor people in the United
States and abroad is at serious risk. You must tell Sen. Merkley and Sen. Wyden
and  Vacant not to let the Super Committee sacrifice these programs to reach a
budget deal.

Programs such as SNAP (formerly food stamps), the Earned Income Tax Credit,
and the Child Tax Credit are working to keep hunger and poverty at bay for
millions of Americans in this recession. Emergency food aid and development
assistance provide sustainable and lifesaving support for children and mothers,
including in the famine-stricken Horn of Africa. These and many other programs
are on the chopping block. The budget must not be balanced on the backs of poor
people.

The Super Committee members have been in negotiations, but they need to hear
your call of overwhelming support for these critical programs. Use our
toll-free number to call Sen. Merkley and Sen. Wyden and  Vacant today
at 1-800-826-3688, or no later than Nov. 17. Ask them to
urge the Super Committee to create a circle of protection around funding
for programs for hungry and poor people in the United States and
abroad.

Remember, the next 48 hours are critical. Thank you for your support.

More details:

Tell Sen. Merkley and Sen. Wyden :

• Don’t sacrifice
  programs for hungry and poor people in order to reach a deal. Combating
  poverty and hunger is both a Christian and an American value. Congress should
  hold firm to this principle as it seeks ways to address our deficits.
• The Super Committee
  should protect programs for hungry and poor people from budget cuts.
  Programs such as SNAP and poverty-focused development assistance are effective
  and give people the tools they need to pull themselves out of poverty.
• The Super Committee’s
  recommendations for budget cuts must be balanced and include revenues.
  Poor people didn’t create the deficit, and the budget shouldn’t be balanced on
  their backs.

The Super Committee will finalize its recommendations
this week. The next 48 hours are critical. Please call Sen. Merkley and
Sen. Wyden and  Vacant at 1-800-826-3688 today or no later than Thursday,
November 17.

- exactly one week before the Super Committeeʼs recommendations to cut
deficts by $1.5 trillion are due -

people of faith and conscience will stand together across the nation to call for a
“Circle of Protection” around programs that impact people experiencing poverty at home and abroad.

Circle Flyer

WHERE: Tom McCall Waterfront Park at
the Rose Festival Fountain, just north of
the Hawthorne Bridge

• WHEN: 12:00 NOON on November 16th

• Over 20,000 people have signed on
You can too, by visiting
www.circleofprotection.us

• Portland gathering sponsored by
Oregon Center for Christian Voices
Bread for the World
The Office of Life, Justice and Peace of the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland

9th Annual
HARVEST OF HOPE  BREAKFAST
and presentation of the
2011 Harvest of Hope Awards

Keynote Speaker – Congressman Kurt Schrader

Tuesday, November 8 from 7:30 – 9:30  AM
(doors open at 7:15)
Congregation Beth Israel, 1972 NW Flanders

How to Register:
Tickets for the breakfast are $12
Registration Deadline – November 4

Mail your check to :
OFRAH c/o Oregon Area Jewish Committee
7410 SW Oleson Rd., PMB #190
Portland, OR 97223
Call –  503-295-6761
Email  – info@oajconline.org

2011 Harvest of Hope Award Winners

Mike Hiland (Bread for the World)
Over the years, Mike Hiland has dedicated thousands of volunteer hours to Bread for the World. (Frankly, we all thought he worked for Bread!) He has organized countless offerings of letters in churches throughout the region. Most recently, Mike spearheaded the event “Hunger and the Budget Crisis: A Faith-based Call to Action’” which was attended by nearly 100 people from a wide variety of religious groups.

Farmers Ending Hunger
Farmers Ending Hunger begins with Oregon farmers and ranchers who raise hundreds of acres of produce, grain and cattle. With a little extra effort, each farmer donates an acre or two to feed the hungry and suddenly their network had thousands of tons of fresh food!

HomePlate Youth Services
HomePlate supports the positive development of young people experiencing homelessness or housing instability through community building, education, access to services and resources, and youth empowerment.  They do this primarily through a drop-in every Monday and Thursday, which includes a free weekly meal and access to a variety of resources.

Portland First United Methodist Church—Special Award
For as long as any of those involved in serving the hungry, the poor or the vulnerable can remember,  Portland First United Methodist has reached out and served other faith communities and not for profits with the same compassion and dedication as it has in its direct service. If the interfaith community needs a place to celebrate, to mourn, or to learn together, they welcome us. Their welcoming community extends beyond bricks. Their pastors, their staff, and their community make space in their building and space in their hearts.