Congress Moves Rapidly to Write the 2007 Farm Bill
|
Building strong rural communities should be a top priority of the 2007 farm bill.
photo by Rich DuBose |
All year, Bread for the World activists have been bringing concerns about the U.S. farm bill – food stamp benefits, rural development, commodity payments -- to the attention of Congress. Our 2007 Offering of Letters, Seeds of Change, calls for improvements in the farm bill which will reduce hunger and poverty.
We have reached a critical time for the Offering of Letters. As the farm bill moves closer to its final House and Senate votes in the coming weeks, Congress needs to keep hearing the Seeds of Change message from people of faith and conscience.
The farm bill is taking shape rapidly. Bread for the World urges our members of Congress to ensure that any final version of the farm bill contains these essential improvements:
- provides more targeted and equitable support for U.S. farmers;
- strengthens communities in rural America;
- provides an adequate, nutritious diet for hungry people in this country; and
- removes obstacles to poor farmers in developing countries working to earn their way out of poverty.
The farm bill is drafted in the House and Senate agriculture committees and then sent to the floor of each chamber. So far, the House Agriculture Committee has signaled its reluctance to reform the farm bill. Chair Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN) released his farm bill "mark," or proposal, on July 6, and the full Agriculture Committee is scheduled to consider it before Congress begins its August recess. The mark makes only minor changes to the current farm bill. It does not make the reforms needed in the farm bill's commodity title. It includes provisions for $17.5 billion in additional resources over five years, including new money for food stamps and conservation -- but this additional spending is contingent on finding "offsets" (items that would be cut from elsewhere in the federal budget). No offsets have been identified.
|
Increasing food stamp benefits would help parents like DeEtte Peck buy healthy foods for their families.
photo by Brian Duss |
Bread for the World president David Beckmann said, "The chairman's bill does not show marked improvement for farmers of modest means or for the millions of hungry and poor families in this country and around the world. Without a guaranteed source of funding, the proposed expansions in nutrition programs and conservation are just items on a wish list. To address the problems of small and medium-sized farms in our country, and to remove the barriers our current policy puts in the way of struggling farmers overseas, the 2007 farm bill must reform the commodity payments system."
Bread for the World activists have been faithfully communicating the importance of broad reform to members of Congress. Roughly 1,000 Offerings of Letters have taken place so far this year. On Lobby Day, June 12, more than 500 activists visited 220 congressional offices in Washington, DC, while 1,200 activists at home placed phone calls to their members of Congress that day. As Bread went to press, Bread for the World had just sent an Action Alert asking all members to contact their senators and representatives, calling additional nationwide attention to our campaign for reform.
Members of Congress pay close attention to the media in their districts. Articles and editorials can influence congressional as well as public opinion. Bread for the World media activists regularly generate news stories, submit opinion pieces and meet with newspaper editors to explain the farm bill improvements we are seeking. These put positive pressure on Congress to make necessary changes to the farm bill.
Across the country, media activists are getting letters to the editor published. In the Rocky Mountain News, Crystal Espinoza called on her senators and representative to enact "broad reform of the farm bill to make progress in the fight against hunger and poverty."
The Los Angeles Times printed a letter from Holly Hight which urged California's congressional delegation to "take the moral high ground and support measures to reform the farm bill so that it helps those who need it the most."
On July 2, the West Central Tribune of Minnesota described the Lobby Day visits of two local activists. Vicki Poier is a farmer north of Montevideo, MN, and Allison Hutchens is a teacher. The Tribune is located in the district of Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN), chair of the House Agriculture Committee; after mentioning that Poier and Hutchens returned from Bread for the World's Lobby Day "convinced of the power of the faith community to bring change," the article concluded, "Along with bringing their message to area churches, they are looking forward to having [Rep. Peterson's] ear as well."
Let’s keep up the good work--calls, letters, visits, media coverage--and make farm bill reform a reality.
|
Join our media activist team and make your voice heard. Contact BFW Grassroots Media Associate Shawnda Hines to learn how. |
back to top
Plan Now for JustFaith This Fall
A partnership between Bread for the World and JustFaith Ministries offers our members a new opportunity to deepen their spiritual grounding for advocacy on behalf of hungry and poor people. Bread for the World is supporting the development of an ecumenical version of JustFaith's 30-week intensive study program, which explores the biblical call to justice and compassion.
"I hope that Bread for the World members and churches begin the JustFaith curriculum in their churches this fall," said BFW president David Beckmann. "We know that JustFaith is transformative for its participants. Many of Bread for the World's Catholic members have already completed the program and we are happy to be able to help introduce it to a broader Christian audience."
There is still time to form a JustFaith group in your congregation or community for this fall. One idea is to hold your first class on Bread for the World Sunday. For more information, contact JustFaith Ministries at info@justfaith.org or 502-429-0865, or visit www.justfaith.org.
back to top
"How Do the Hungry Get to the Gates of the Wealthy?"
The following is an excerpt from the sermon given by Dr. William Shaw, president of the National Baptist Convention USA, at the Interfaith Convocation on Hunger.
"There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. There was a certain beggar, named Lazarus, who was laid at his gate, full of sores, desiring to be fed with the crumbs, which fell from the rich man's table…." Luke 16:19-21a
Deliberate pairing is a part of this story. The poor man was brought to the gate of the rich man, not just once but daily. Persistent effort. Who will bring the poor, in this country and around the world, to the attention of people of plenty? Who will bring the poor to Congress? Who will bring the poor to the attention of the executive office?
Who will bring the poor to the attention of the religious community? Television brings the gates of the rich to the dwellings of the poor. But how do the poor, how do the hungry get to the gates of the wealthy?
The poor are people. They suffer the ravages of poverty: hunger, bad health. All of these things need to be addressed. In order to do that it’s going to take more than an act of charity. It’s going to take some drastic action. Those of us who are people of faith and claim to follow our Lord need to look at what he did. For the record says that he who was rich, for our sake became poor and dwelt among us. He did so not just for a little bit of change, but so that we might share in the fullness of life that was his and that is desired for all of us.
back to top
Terry Meehan: The Time Is Right
|
Jim Stipe photo |
Terry Meehan, Bread for the World board member and donor, received the gifts of philanthropy and activism from his mother, Mimi Meehan, at an early age.
"You could not have been raised by our parents and not cared about those who had less. As a young boy, I heard about the famine in Ireland and about our great-grandparents, who ran from Ireland to escape the poverty."
As part of The Gathering 2007, the New York native spoke at the Leadership Circles Dinner, talking about his own efforts to work against hunger. These efforts were reinvigorated after September 11, 2001. Below are excerpts from Meehan's remarks.
Thirty years ago, the Sahara desert was expanding. There were pictures of children's extended bellies from starvation appearing on magazine covers. I wanted to try to do something. I founded a loose coalition of organizations, such as the Rockefeller Foundation and the Ford Foundation and some individuals. Over three years we had events in New York, including a gathering of 200,000 in Central Park. It was called Food Day. We were trying to do for hunger and malnutrition what Earth Day had successfully done for the environment. Most of you probably have never heard of Food Day. The time to focus on hunger and malnutrition had not come. The spaghetti would not stick on the wall.
Twenty-five years later, 9/11 happened. I was lucky. A month earlier, I had moved a 300-person meeting in Windows of the World to a different location. At a funeral of a friend of mine who died on 9/11, his wife said, "If you walk out of this church today and do not do something different, then something is wrong." It was like a guardian angel had taken a 12-by-10 and whacked me in the back of the head.
I decided to see if the time had come for the spaghetti to stick on the wall. I discovered Bread for the World and worked with them to fund a national survey of voters' opinions on hunger, both nationally and internationally. The polling was conducted by one pollster from the Democratic side and one from the Republican. They had literally never worked together. The pollsters were shocked at how high a priority hunger had become for the American public. Voters wanted their elected officials to address this issue, but not in the old ways that had failed.
During the next several years, Bread for the World and its sister organization, The Alliance to End Hunger, researched new and more effective approaches to fighting hunger. We delivered these and the results of the polls to our elected officials and the press. How effective are we as an organization? Five years ago Hillary Clinton called up [BFW President] David Beckmann and said, “You are so effective in helping others overcome poverty. I want to raise money for you.” That is not a telephone call that a lot of politicians make. This was one sign that the spaghetti was beginning to stick. We can and are making a difference.
“Terry Meehan is making a huge impact on Bread for the World’s work for hungry people,” said Bread for the World president David Beckmann. “He is contributing financially and he is also mobilizing political leaders and his friends to help. He is a valuable partner in the fight against hunger, and we thank him for his faithful efforts.”
back to top
Bread for the World Sunday Is Coming Soon
|
Members of Church of the Holy Cross in Hilo, HI--a BFW Covenant Church--write letters to their members of Congress
photo by Holly Hight |
Have you been wondering how to get your church more involved in hunger activism? Maybe you made a commitment at June's Interfaith Convocation in Washington, DC, to help other people learn about hunger advocacy. Or you'd like to plan a fall activity to reinvigorate your hunger ministry.
Bread for the World Sunday is a good way to take that next step. It's a time for churches to renew their commitment to ending hunger in God's world. Celebrated on October 21 or a Sunday of your choice between World Food Day on October 16 and Thanksgiving, Bread for the World Sunday is a chance to reflect on God's gifts, pray for people in need and take action to help reduce hunger.
Each year, Bread for the World offers a resource kit to help your church celebrate. This year's reflection piece will be written by Fr. Ray Kemp, a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington and a senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown. For the first time, a children's reflection, suitable for a Sunday school class or children's sermon, will be included. It will be written by Ann Davis, Director of Children's Ministries & Discipleship for the Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Last year's Bread for the World Sunday was celebrated by nearly 1,000 churches of every denomination and stripe, in towns and cities across the country. Here are a few of the many activities they enjoyed:
- Some churches organized an Offering of Letters to coincide with their BFW Sunday celebration, emphasizing advocacy as a way for churches to get involved in overcoming hunger.
- Other churches combined service with their BFW Sunday celebration by helping those in their communities who are hungry. Many churches collected canned goods and presented them as part of the offering that week, while others organized service trips to their local soup kitchen.
- Churches also coordinated the timing of Bread for the World Sunday to complement other activities and celebrations going on in their church, such as World Communion Sunday. A Lutheran church timed its BFW Sunday celebration to follow a weeklong ELCA Hunger Appeal emphasis and the Thanksgiving meal they serve for poor people. As the pastor wrote, "Hopefully some hearts stirred by the first two events found a new opportunity for education and action through Bread for the World."
- Many churches included children in their BFW Sunday celebrations. Some Sunday school classes focused lessons on hunger in God's world, while other churches invited children to speak to the congregation about hunger. The children at one church led the worship service around hunger and Bread for the World with the theme 'What must I do?'
- Some churches held a special offering and donated the gifts to Bread for the World and/or local agencies working to end hunger.
Order Bread for the World Sunday materials online or call our Church Relations department at 1-800-82-BREAD.
In addition to the main reflection piece and the children’s reflection, the resource kit also includes prayers, litanies and music selections. Bulletin inserts and pew envelopes are available as well.
back to top
Millennium Development Goals: Where Are We?
In the year 2000, 189 countries, including the United States, agreed to a set of eight measurable goals and targets for combating poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation, and discrimination against women by 2015. Summer 2007 is halfway through the timetable to reach these Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Progress is being made, although at different rates in different regions and sectors around the world. Here's a look at where we are on hunger.
For an interactive online map of each of the MDGs and the progress being made, visit the World Bank’s Web site at http://devdata.worldbank.org/atlas-mdg/
back to top
Check www.bread.org for the most recent legislative action.
|
For the complete newsletter in its print version, please contact:
|
|
Publications, Bread for the World
50 F Street, NW, Suite 500
Washington, DC 20001
| Telephone: 202-639-9400
Fax: 202-639-9401
Email: publications@bread.org |
