Seeking Justice for Our Country's Low-Income Families

It’s time to take action. In the next few weeks, Bread for the World members must urge Congress to make fair decisions on the nation's 2006 budget, particularly for food stamps and other nutrition programs. The end of the legislative year is fast approaching. Adjournment until January could come early in October, as soon as Congress makes these final budget decisions.

Our country must preserve national nutrition programs and move decisively toward ending hunger Photo by Margaret W. Nea

The congressional budget resolution passed in April requires a cut of $3 billion over five years to agriculture programs, which include farm subsidies, conservation and nutrition initiatives such as food stamps. Lawmakers are now poised to allocate the cuts among these three programs.

The fact that nutrition programs are threatened by budget cuts at a time of rising hunger and poverty reflects mistaken priorities: military expenditures, along with $2 trillion in tax cut extensions that benefit mainly the very wealthiest people, at the expense of programs that help low-income people care for their families and build better futures. In addition to food stamps, budget cuts to Medicaid, student loans and perhaps the earned-income tax credit are on the table. Put simply, war and tax cuts are threatening our country's progress against hunger and poverty.

Bread for the World members and other people of faith and conscience must continue to urge Congress to reconsider these priorities, reminding senators and representatives of their responsibility to protect the most vulnerable people in our society. More than half of all food stamp beneficiaries are children; virtually all of the rest are elderly, disabled, or making the transition from welfare to work.

An editorial in The New York Times on August 17, 2005, pointed out, "Government studies show that the food stamp program is one of the most vital and tightly run federal services, affording an average subsidy of $1 per meal…For once, a Congress that has so unapologetically favored upper-bracket Americans with tax cuts can show a modicum of concern for the poor."

The Hunger-Free Communities Act of 2005, the legislation for our Offering of Letters campaign, Make Hunger History, also defends national nutrition programs, calling on Congress to ensure that these vital programs have adequate funding and to maintain the entitlement nature of programs such as food stamps and school meals. The bill is proactive as well, affirming U.S. commitment to two very attainable goals: cutting hunger in the United States in half by 2010 and eliminating it by 2015. The bill would establish a grants program for community anti-hunger organizations and require annual reports on progress toward the 2010 hunger goal. The Hunger-Free Communities Act continues to attract cosponsors. As of August 17, there were 98 cosponsors in the House (H.R. 2717) and 25 cosponsors in the Senate (S. 1120).

The United States must preserve the national nutrition programs and move decisively toward reducing hunger. Thank you to all who are keeping this message before Congress. In the coming weeks, representatives and senators need to hear this message from many constituents. Widespread hunger and poverty should simply not be tolerated in a country as rich and resourceful as ours.

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Bread for the World Sunday: Keeping Us Mindful

by Sarah Turner

Every day in the United States, prayers of thanks for food ascend to heaven from dining rooms and campfires, from fellowship halls, coffee shops, cafeterias and soup kitchens. Many include a blessing for those without food, both in our own country and around the world. One familiar line, “Keep us ever mindful of the needs of others,” echoes laws commanding the people of Israel to remember the poor and those in need in the midst of harvest celebrations.

Churches celebrate Bread for the World Sunday to give thanks for God’s blessings and to raise up the needs of those still living without enough food. It is both a harvest celebration and a time to recommit to the vision of a world without hunger. On Sundays between World Food Day (October 16) and Thanksgiving, churches around the country will show forth this commitment in many ways, from worship to study, service, advocacy and giving.

Fort Street Presbyterian Church in Detroit, MI, celebrated by holding a special bread and water coffee hour to remember what a feast that would be for many hungry people. Parishioners of St. James Lutheran Church in Belle Forche, SD, brought loaves of bread and placed them on the altar. All were invited to take bread and give a gift to Bread for the World. These simple actions make harvest celebrations meaningful for the congregation and make a real difference for hungry people.

“The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand, satisfying the desire of every living thing.” (Psalm 145:15-16) As people of faith and as hunger activists, this we believe. May God’s Holy Spirit kindle a new fire in our churches, and raise up congregations dedicated to ending hunger.

Sarah Turner is local church outreach associate at Bread for the World. Resources to help you and your congregation plan Bread for the World Sunday are available by calling 1-800-82-BREAD.

Partners Against Hunger and Poverty

After joining Bread for the World in 1982, activists Doug and Gail Seebeck moved to Africa. From 1983 until 1997, the couple lived in Uganda and then Kenya, working on agriculture and healthcare projects. Their five children -- three of whom are former war orphans from Ethiopia – were born in East Africa.

Whether living in East Africa or Michigan, Doug and Gail Seeback (shown here with their children) have been faithful advocates for hungry people.

Doug and Gail are active in Bread for the World's Offering of Letters campaigns and other efforts to fight hunger. They are also longtime financial supporters of our work (according to Doug, "With five kids and tons of bills, right now it's more about activism and less about money.")

"My worldview was profoundly changed by working in Bangladesh in the late 1970s, fresh out of college," Doug recalled. "I saw how God was at work in a very tough situation. I also began to realize that the very talented Bengali farmers around me could not work themselves out of poverty, no matter how productive they were, because they only had a quarter-acre or half-acre to farm. I knew then that I would work for justice over the long haul."

Doug and Gail feel encouraged by the significant progress made against global hunger in recent years. "If the developing world could reduce its hungry population from 1.2 billion to 800 million in the past 25 years," said Doug, "then surely an organized all-out effort can spell the end of hunger."

In 1997, the Seebecks returned to the United States to start Partners Worldwide, which builds partnerships between businesses in an effort to alleviate hunger and poverty. Partners Worldwide also advocates for a "level playing field" for small businesses in poor countries and provides access to capital for private sector initiatives. "We knew a lot of businesspeople who wanted to get involved but felt out of place," said Doug. "It's good to see them visit Kenya and say, 'Hey – I want to do something to help here.' We have 45 team leaders who have started their own partnership initiatives. We're not trying to raise money from our members, but rather to help them share their knowledge." Thank you to Doug and Gail Seebeck for their faithful work on behalf of hungry and poor people!

Be the ONE!

Nearly 2 million people have now joined the ONE Campaign! Are you ONE of them?

Bread for the World is one of the founding organizations of the ONE Campaign. ONE is an effort by Americans to rally Americans – ONE by ONE – to fight the emergency of extreme poverty, chronic hunger and global AIDS. We want every Bread for the World member to add his or her voice to this important effort by signing the ONE Declaration, calling for an additional 1 percent of the U.S. budget to help poor countries fight extreme poverty.

If you have not yet signed the ONE Declaration, please do so today.

Sign the declaration

If you have already signed the declaration, or if you have access to the Web, tell-a-friend to a friend or relative and ask them to sign. It’s an easy way to double our efforts.

ONE by ONE, wherever we are, we each have the power to make a difference for hungry and poor people. When we act as ONE, we can change the world. Please use that power today. Thank you!

The ONE Campaign calls for greater assistance for African farmers in their efforts to feed and educate their families. Photo by Margaret W. Nea

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