Longtime Activist Sees Progress, More Opportunities 

Beth Lepinski (third from left) plays the role of a member of Congress during an Offering of Letters at Memorial Presbyterian Church in Appleton, WI.  Photo courtesty of Beth Lepinski

"It's encouraging just knowing that when I started working on hunger issues, there were 40,000 children dying every day, and now we're down to 30,000," said Bread for the World activist Beth Lepinski. "Immunizations, child survival initiatives, and all the other efforts really have led to progress."

Lepinski first learned about Bread for the World at a church conference on hunger in 1975. After moving to Appleton, WI in 1976, she helped start a BFW chapter there. Since then, she has worked faithfully on many anti-hunger fronts – everything from regular volunteer work at the Salvation Army's food program and collecting food for local food pantries, to serving two terms on the BFW board of directors and supporting our work financially, to conducting a community food security survey using a BFW resource. She works actively in her church, Memorial Presbyterian in Appleton, a longtime Covenant Church which has held Offerings of Letters every year since 1979.  

One of Lepinski's most memorable Bread for the World experiences came in 1997, when she was part of a team visiting South Africa and Uganda. "Seeing poverty is one thing, but seeing people working to help themselves is quite another. In a poor area on the outskirts of Cape Town, a community agency had signs on the wall talking about how to set "smart objectives," just like where I worked in Wisconsin…. Women were making rugs and wall hangings using scraps from a T-shirt factory. Everywhere in South Africa there were small self-help groups – the transition to democracy was underway and people were excited to be able to meet and make plans without police crackdowns…. Uganda had just begun to offer universal primary education, so all the schools were packed full of kids wanting to learn."

Lepinski is an effective ambassador for Bread for the World – a number of people have become activists and donors after hearing her talk about our work. "I'm confident when I promote Bread for the World to others, because I know that it's an organization that gets the facts straight. But I was surprised when I started seeing names I knew on the donor lists," she said.

"I've taken early retirement – I was a chemist – and I want to spend more time working with Bread for the World. I hope to learn more about fundraising and also to help strengthen Bread for the World's efforts in Wisconsin." Thank you to Beth Lepinski for her stalwart work on behalf of hungry and poor people, no matter where they live!

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