Contents of the October - November 2009 issue: Download

Washington's Engagement in Hunger Issues is Growing Significant Offering of Letters Victory Act Now On Faith: A Pastor Explores Advocacy Covenant Churches on the Map Bread Slices Order Bread for the World Christmas Cards Planning a Mission Trip Next Summer? In the News: Faith Leaders: Economic Recovery Must Include Poor People From the Field: Crowd Turns Out for Art Simon Member Profile: Busy Couple Put Faith Into Action through Monthly Giving Graphic: Top Ten Metropolitan Poverty Hotspots in the United States Insert: Bread for the World Leadership Circles

 

Washington's Engagement in Hunger Issues is Growing

Bread for the World is making progress on our 2009 Offering of Letters: reforming U.S. foreign assistance to make it more effective in reducing hunger and poverty.

Thanks to our members, House and Senate bills to begin the process of foreign assistance reform continue to gain congressional support. H.R. 2139, the Initiating Foreign Assistance Reform Act of 2009, now has 115 cosponsors. S. 1524, the Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act of 2009, currently has 13 cosponsors. We expect the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to consider S. 1524 soon.

The administration has become increasingly active in both foreign assistance reform and fighting global hunger. In one significant step forward, the president authorized a comprehensive review of U.S. global development policy. (See the box on page 3 for more information on this government-wide review.)

Earlier this year, President Barack Obama proposed a world hunger initiative based on strengthening agriculture. At the G-8 Summit held in L’Aquila, Italy, in July, donor countries committed $20 billion over the next three years to agricultural development and a new approach to global food security. The U.S. commitment is $3.5 billion.

On September 26, David Beckmann represented Bread for the World at “Partnering for Food Security.” The event, coinciding with the opening of the U.N. General Assembly, was convened by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. The meeting drew heads of state and senior representatives from more than 100 countries. Bread was among a handful of nongovernmental organizations invited to the event.

Clinton joined leaders from other nations in discussing five underlying principles of the world hunger initiative:

• Developing programs in partnership with recipient countries;
• Taking all aspects of the problem into account, including long-term, short-term, and nutritional needs;
• Coordinating assistance with other donor countries;
• Working through multilateral institutions such as the World Bank; and
• Committing the necessary financial resources.

Vietnamese farmers bring their goods to market. The next step is finding customers who can afford to buy the food.

In an earlier speech, Clinton reiterated the importance of agriculture in reducing hunger using the example of a typical farmer (a woman in a village in Asia, Africa, or Latin America) and a typical customer (a young man who works in the city but earns too little to be able to buy most of the food in the market). The farmer wants to sell her surplus crops, and the man wants to buy them.

“The scope and scale of this initiative that we will be rolling out over the next days, weeks, and months is really all about this woman farmer and this young man, and 1 billion others around the world,” Clinton said. The daily effort to grow, buy, or sell food is the defining struggle of their lives.

Empowering the world’s farmers to sow and harvest plentiful crops, and ensuring that the food they produce reaches people most in need, is a global challenge that lies at the heart of what experts refer to as “food security.”

Bread for the World will continue to work to shape and build support for the world hunger initiative as it develops and more details are made known. “I am heartened by U.S. leadership in reducing world hunger at a time when hunger has increased,” said Beckmann. “We’re especially pleased by the commitment to consult with small farmers and other poor and vulnerable groups.”

Bread has also emphasized the need to focus on nutritional needs, particularly those of mothers and young children, in efforts to address global hunger. (For more information, see “New Hope for Malnourished Mothers and Children,” the Background Paper in the September 2009 issue of Bread.

Significant Offering of Letters Victory

Early in September, President Obama signed a presidential study directive authorizing a government-wide review of global development policy.

In many ways, this development signals a victory for both our 2008 and 2009 Offerings of Letters. In 2008, Bread advocates wrote and called members of Congress to support the Global Poverty Act. The bill called for a government-wide review of global development policy. Although the bill did not pass in the Senate, its goals are now being realized through the presidential study directive.

The directive also responds to H.R. 2139, the Initiating Foreign Assistance Reform Act of 2009. The bill, currently in the House of Representatives, is a key element of our 2009 Offering of Letters. It calls on the administration to develop a national strategy for global development.

The government-wide review will be conducted jointly by the National Security Council and the National Economic Council.

Act Now

Urge your senators to cosponsor S. 1524, the Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act of 2009, introduced by Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman John Kerry (D-MA) and ranking member Richard Lugar (R-IN).

This bill is an important building block in making foreign assistance more effective. It formally states that it is U.S. policy to promote the reduction of poverty and hunger, and it contains provisions to strengthen the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Visit www.bread.org to see if your senators are cosponsors of S. 1524. Thank those who are cosponsors and urge those who have not yet signed on to cosponsor this bill.

U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121

A Pastor Explores Advocacy

by Rev. Dorisanne Cooper

True confession: It was the first time I actually wished someone on the plane would ask me what I did for a living.

Most of the time, the answer “pastor” invites raised eyebrows and the occasional “Really.” Throw “Baptist” in and you can multiply that a few times more. But this particular weekend I was returning home from a trip to Washington, DC, that included learning from and training with Bread for the World staff in order to meet with members of Congress.

Our task was to encourage our representatives to reform U.S. foreign assistance and to focus it more on poverty reduction in a way that also makes it more fiscally responsible and efficient. So just for that day on the airplane home, I would have loved to answer the “What do you do?” question by saying, “I lobby Congress to reform foreign assistance.”

After all, I had done just that. As part of a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship endeavor, I traveled with a handful of other pastors from around the country to learn from several agencies how we might talk with our senators and representatives about our concerns for those who are poor. The trip was intended to help us explore the role of advocacy in our work as pastors and give us hands-on experience as well.

It did that—and more. In two days, we learned much of the history and structure of foreign assistance and were trained on how best to talk with our representatives about it. Bread for the World had told us of the vital importance that members of Congress attached to hearing from their constituents back home, especially when they are dealing with complicated matters. Not until I showed up for my appointment and walked by several groups of people lined up trying to see my representative did I appreciate how true that was.

I was so grateful for the opportunity to talk with him about poverty issues and the importance that people of faith in his home district placed on his continuing to be an advocate for the alleviation of poverty. During those days I was reminded of the power that Congress can have on poverty reduction at home and around the world, and the responsibility we have to educate them about our concern that they do so.

Having a front-row seat in that meeting and others, just for a few days, transformed my awareness of the vital role advocacy plays in the call people of faith have to care for poor and hungry people, not to mention discipleship itself. I even came home a new convert to the importance of Bread for the World’s Offering of Letters—an activity that had, quite candidly, become somewhat rote over the years. I have now seen and heard first-hand of the impact that it truly does have. I came home more convinced than ever of my own responsibility to weave advocacy into the way I live out my faith.

Rev. Dorisanne Cooper is pastor of Lake Shore Baptist Church in Waco, TX, which is a Bread for the World Covenant Church.

There is a new way to find a Bread for the World Covenant Church near you. Visit www.bread.org/covenantchurches to see a map of every Covenant Church and where they are located.

Covenant Churches understand ending hunger to be central to the Christian mission. They make commitments: to pray and learn about hunger, to give of their time to end hunger, and to give their resources to end hunger.  For more information on the Covenant Church program, contact us at www.bread.org/covenantchurches.

Here’s another way you can help end hunger: Send Bread for the World Christmas cards to your friends, family, and clients.

Three designs are available this year—all using dramatic photos to convey a message of peace, joy, and hope. The photographs reflect the world in which Bread for the World seeks to make a difference. Each contains both a Scripture quotation and inside message. Order online.

Mission trips have the potential to become life-changing experiences. Getting Ready to Come Back: Advocacy Guide for Mission Teams, a guide prepared by Bread for the World, can help individuals and groups before, during, and after their mission trips. Developed in partnership with several denominations, this resource extends the idea of Christian service beyond directly serving those in need. Those going on mission trips are encouraged to take action for systemic change to remove the underlying causes of human suffering.

This resource helps short-term mission teams explore how U.S. policies and programs both aggravate and alleviate hunger and poverty. Practical suggestions are offered for ways individuals can advocate when they return from their trips.

Travelers are guided through a four-step process. Each step includes Scripture resources for reflection, discussion questions, and a prayer. To help groups prepare, Getting Ready to Come Back provides sources of information on host countries and their relationship with the United States. During the travel itself, the guide offers questions that will help participants record their experiences in a host country.

Back home, Getting Ready to Come Back invites conversations about different forms of advocacy—with God, with one’s community, and with elected leaders in Washington, DC. Travelers are encouraged to make a commitment to some type of action. Reflection is the final step. Appendices include a glossary of terms and sample follow-up activities.

Copies of Getting Ready to Come Back are available for download and for purchase ($10 each plus shipping and handling) by visiting www.bread.org/advocacyguide. This is a revised edition; the first edition is sold out.

Faith Leaders: Economic Recovery Must Include Poor People

After a public statement of the need to include poor people in economic recovery, religious leaders walk to meet with White House official Michael Froman.

The 30 religious leaders represented various faith traditions: Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Zoroastrian, and Native American. They went to Pittsburgh, site of September’s G-20 Summit, to convey a simple message: There can be no sustainable recovery from the global financial crisis if hungry and poor people are left out.

The religious leaders convened Sept. 22-23, before the start of the G-20 Summit. They wanted to remind leaders of the world’s wealthiest countries not to forget poor people as they discuss how to recover from the global recession.

The financial and hunger crises have added approximately 200 million people to the ranks of the world’s hungry people—bringing the total to more than 1 billion. In the United States, more than 35 million people are now receiving SNAP (formerly food stamps) to help them put food on the table.

Poor families need short-term assistance; in developing countries, this may literally be the difference between life and death. In the long run, poor families everywhere need opportunities to earn enough money to support themselves and their children. Otherwise, “economic recovery” will be illusory.

Following a press conference on Sept. 23, the religious leaders walked in a silent procession to meet with Dr. Michael Froman. He is the deputy national security adviser for international economic affairs at the White House.

“As religious persons, we come at this with a conviction that at the core of human existence, the creator of all wills that all should share in the bounty of His creation,” said Dr. William Shaw, former president of the National Baptist Convention.

Dr.  Froman responded that the G-20 Summit is not only about fixing the world’s financial system, but also addressing the needs of the most vulnerable. “I hope you will see that this is a meeting that advances the agenda we jointly care about. But it is one step in an ongoing crisis,” he said.

Indeed, the final G-20 Summit communiqué included several points that are important to poor people. For example, it calls on the World Bank to develop a fund to help implement the food security initiative announced in July at the G-8 Summit in L’Aquila, Italy. “We hope that they will remember the pledges they have made to raise $20 billion for the new food security initiative,” said Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World. “Supporting the agricultural production of small farmers is a critical need that G-20 countries can help to meet right now.”

The Faith Leaders Summit was organized by Bread for the World, together with its sister organization, the Alliance to End Hunger.

Art Simon signs copies of The Rising of Bread for the World after his discussion with PBS host Rick Steves.

From Sunnyvale, CA, to Clemson, SC—and places in between—crowds are turning out in churches and on college campuses to hear Art Simon speak about Bread for the World.

Simon is touring the country to talk about his new book, The Rising of Bread for the World: An Outcry of Citizens Against Hunger. Along with large gatherings during the evening and at Sunday church services, he is meeting with Bread donors  throughout the book tour.

The engagements are attracting people who were there at Bread’s beginning in 1974, along with students born years later but are eager to hear about the organization and the role they can play in ending hunger.

At Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle, PBS host and long-time Bread member Rick Steves introduced Simon and interviewed him for a spot on his radio show, to be broadcast later in the fall. (Watch for details and air dates at www.ricksteves.com/radio.)

Steves spoke about his first encounter with Bread for the World, meeting a volunteer tabling at Pike Place Market. He later searched out Simon’s first book, Bread for the World, which Steves told the audience helped to influence his development as a global citizen. In the crowd that night, Simon also recognized and introduced Glen Gersmehl, who was the first person to fill out a Bread for the World membership form in 1974.

The tour has brought out many of Bread’s long-time supporters. Kitty Schaller drove from her home in Asheville, NC, to hear Simon speak in Columbia, SC. In The Rising of Bread for the World, he tells the story of Schaller’s advocacy around the Right to Food Resolution in 1975, Bread’s first large-scale national campaign. In a letter to the editor of her local newspaper in New Jersey, where she lived at the time, Schaller called her member of Congress, Rep. Millicent Fenwick (R-NJ), to task for opposing the resolution. Fenwick eventually changed her mind about the resolution and credited her constituents with helping her see it in a new way. She later became the U.S. ambassador to the UN food agencies, where she served as an advocate for better food policies.

The book events look forward as well as at Bread’s history. At Westminster College in Fulton, MO, more than 300 students turned out when Simon spoke as part of the Symposium on Democracy, “Global Health: Who Cares? Exploring the Prospects for a Healthy World.” Students inspired by the event gathered to form a new Bread for the World group at the school.

Art Simon events continue throughout the fall. Listed below are the events currently planned:

Busy Couple Put Faith Into Action through Monthly Giving

"Meeting the challenge Jesus gave us"

Bread for the World members lead busy lives. One Minneapolis couple, Peter Eckman and Erika Olson, recently let us know how they juggle a bustling household with their desire to make a positive difference.

The two met in college, where both played in the band. Today, their chances to make music together are more limited. Peter works as a cardiologist at the University of Minnesota. Trained as a veterinarian, his wife, Erika, currently cares for their toddler son, Lucas, while preparing for the birth of their second child.

At this stage of their lives, the couple has precious little time to devote to a cause they care deeply about: sustenance for hungry and poor people. So several years ago, they decided to do their part in a new way—by joining Baker’s Dozen, Bread for the World’s monthly giving program.

The two say they are guided by Christ’s injunction that, “As you do for the least of these, you do for me.” In their travels abroad, Peter and Erika have witnessed just how simple and basic human needs can be.

“Supporting Bread for the World with a monthly gift helps us to meet the challenge Jesus gave us—and to walk in his footsteps,” Peter says.

Their monthly transfer adds up to a generous annual gift, without their having to write a check each month. The choice makes sense for their lifestyle.

“If it were up to me, I’m sure I’d forget,” Erika laughs.

The two feel confident that their partnership with Bread is a great fit. And they don’t hesitate to encourage others to put their faith into action by supporting Bread for the World, too. They find it helpful to point to Bread’s “Four-Star” Charity Navigator rating as evidence of careful stewardship of the funds entrusted by donors.

Supporting Bread for the World’s mission has proven to be a wonderful way for Peter and Erika to put their faith into action. “What we could hope to accomplish on our own just doesn’t compare,” Erika says simply.

Bread for the World is deeply grateful for the ongoing support Peter Eckman and Erika Olson provide through their monthly gifts.

Join the thousands of Bread for the World members who make pre-authorized monthly gifts through a credit card or electronic funds transfer (EFT). The money saved in processing and administrative costs equals the value of a 13th gift—a Baker’s Dozen! Best of all, members bring hope and opportunity to millions of hungry people in an ongoing way. For more information about the Baker’s Dozen monthly giving program, visit www.bread.org/bakersdozen or call toll-free, 1-800-822-7323, ext. 132.