Dear Friends,
A global hunger crisis is building as food prices soar worldwide. Your church members can make a real difference by lifting their prayers and their voices as part of Bread for the World's campaign Recipe for Hope: Responding to the Hunger Crisis.
We see the effect of rising food prices in our own communities—more people are depending on food pantries to help feed their families while food banks struggle to find enough donated food to meet the growing need. In developing countries, where people spend up to 80 percent of their incomes on food, the situation is more dire as mothers and fathers struggle each day to feed their children.
We have heard from many of you that your church members are searching for ways to respond. On Mother's Day, we launched the Recipe for Hope: Responding to the Hunger Crisis campaign that will run through Father's Day. Each week of the campaign, we will describe one of the ingredients that have created a recipe for despair, and we will call for specific actions that will be part of a Recipe for Hope.
It's not too late for your church to get involved by including our bulletin insert in this Sunday's church bulletin (dowload in color 
or black-and-white versions) and spreading the word in the coming weeks. Please encourage your members to join Bread for the World's Recipe for Hope campaign and be part of the solution at www.bread.org/recipeforhope.
If you already used the insert last week, click here for a cut-and-paste announcement that you can use in this week's bulletin or e-mail communications to your members. The campaign website (http://www.bread.org/recipeforhope) provides many other resources, including prayers for both public worship and personal use.
May God bless your church's efforts to respond to hungry people in your community and around the world!
Rev. Gary R. Cook
Director, Church Relations
Bread for the World
P.S. This campaign does not replace--but complements--the 2008 Offering of Letters. If you have not done so, please conduct your Offering of Letters soon.
