What defines the health of a nation–or the Church?

It’s measured by how hard we are advocating that all may eat.

In the early 1970s, in the midst of a global food crisis and in the trenches of ministry, Rev. Art Simon was grieved by the Church’s failure to act to help ensure access to nutritious food. Bringing together seven Protestant clergy and seven Catholic leaders, he set off a chain of events that began by recruiting a cohort of 500 leaders and has expanded to one of the most remarkable movements to eliminate hunger in the history of the U.S.

Building a Hunger-Free Future

For 50 years, Bread for the World has been at the forefront of the effort to end hunger, uniting communities and championing advocacy that delivers a lasting impact. Through bipartisan collaboration, grassroots action, and strategic policy work, we’ve created real change–both in the United States and around the world. Our 50th anniversary is more than a celebration of our past and those who have advocated, prayed, and carried forward our mission; it’s a moment to reflect on a legacy of progress and look toward the future. Our work is not finished, and we need your support.

Let’s continue our progress towards a world where every voice is heard and hunger is no longer a reality. Join us as we make an impact over the next 50 years.

TALLYING A COLLECTIVE VOICE

The State of Hunger by the Numbers

Bread for the World has advocated for policies that alleviate hunger worldwide for five decades. Over the past 50 years, millions of voices have joined our call, and our history shows that hunger is solvable when we all come together to make change for the better. Our legacy, built by diverse advocates and inspired by a commitment to justice and compassion, continues to fuel our mission for a world where no one is hungry. Together, we can turn numbers into action.

# ADVOCATES

Our Congressional leaders have the ability to eliminate hunger by directing resources and policies. But they need to hear from you to understand how much this issue matters. Together, our voices drive change.

# LETTERS

Year after year, Bread advocates have generated tens of thousands of letters, sending them to elected officials to share their stories of why hunger must be solved now. It’s through these heartfelt messages that leaders in Washington are motivated to enact change that impacts millions who need food.

5 MILLION CONGRESSIONAL CONTACTS

Bread’s work has led to legislative victories benefiting more than 320 million Americans and impacting billions of people worldwide.

$5 BILLION RAISED THROUGH LEGISLATIVE ACTION

Through Bread’s advocacy, Congress has allocated billions of dollars toward life-saving and hunger-alleviating legislative programs, serving recipients at home in the U.S. and abroad.

50 YEARS OF ADVOCATES

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Bread for the World by the Decade

Each decade has brought its own challenges and victories in the movement for a world without hunger. From Bread for the World’s inception and first 500 advocates to the first Offering of Letters lifted up in the basement of a church to the pinnacles of legislative victory, each year bears witness to the truth that true change isn’t possible without an effective collective voice.

1974-1977: Bread for the World Launches

In 1974, Rev. Art Simon and Christian leaders founded Bread for the World to build political will to end hunger in the U.S. and around the world. Their first Offering of Letters led Congress to affirm the right to food. In 1976, the Bread for the World Institute was established to research hunger and educate on strategies to address it worldwide.

1978-1982: Bread Helps Expand WIC and other U.S. Nutrition Assistance

Bread helped persuade Congress to expand the Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), which provides food and nutrition education. Bread has built bipartisan support for WIC, with nearly half of all babies born in the U.S. now benefiting. Bread contributed to Congress’s decision to expand the school breakfast program, which now reaches 15.5 million children per day.

1983-1990: Child Survival and Other International Aid

Bread played a pivotal roll in convincing Congress to establish the international Child Survival Fund and secure funding to protect 100 million children annually through immunization, reducing daily child deaths in developing countries from 50,000 in the 1980s to 14,000 today. It also won $800 million in emergency food aid for East Africa and supported the International Fund for Agricultural Development, boosting smallholder farmers worldwide.

1991-1994: New Leadership, the Same Mission

Rev. David Beckmann became Bread for the World’s second president. Under his leadership, Bread secured passage of the Horn of Africa Relief and Recovery Act, supporting peace efforts in Ethiopia and development assistance. Bread also expanded poverty-focused aid, which has tripled, and secured a $2 billion increase for WIC, Head Start, and Job Corps, now the largest residential career training program in the U.S.

1995-1998: Making Hunger an Election Issue and Resisting Program Cuts

Bread’s first campaign to educate congressional candidates about childhood hunger secured a commitment to address it from 40 percent of elected candidates. Bread secured the passage of the Africa: Seeds of Hope Act, reviving USAID’s focus on agriculture and establishing the Bill Emerson Trust Fund for faster emergency aid. Bread also won $1.6 billion for nutrition programs, protecting 400,000 people from losing WIC and SNAP benefits.

1999-2004: Jubilee for Africa and Building the Movement to End Hunger

Bread helped lead the Jubilee campaign, reducing the debt burden of 36 poor countries by 90 percent and enabling African girls to attend school. Bread encouraged Congress to restore food stamp eligibility for legal immigrants, securing $1 billion in groceries annually, and helped pass the Hunger to Harvest resolution for Sub-Saharan Africa. Bread also shaped the Millennium Challenge Account and established the Alliance to End Hunger, engaging diverse organizations to address global poverty.

2005-2010: Funding Increases and the World Food Prize

Bread for the World secured a $10 billion increase for food stamps and food banks and $1.4 billion for poverty-focused development aid in response to HIV/AIDS. It helped launch the ONE Campaign, secured $1.8 billion for emergency aid during the 2008 hunger crisis, and supported the SUN Movement. Bread influenced the Obama administration’s response to global crises, supported the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, and expanded its thought leadership on hunger. Rev. Beckmann received the World Food Prize.

2011-2019: Budget Battles with a Surprisingly Good Outcome

When congressional leaders proposed cutting $2 trillion from poverty programs, Bread and other Christian groups formed the Circle of Protection, leading a fast observed by 36,000 people, including 24 Congress members. This effort protected key programs from cuts. Bread also secured investments in global nutrition, helped pass a reauthorization of child nutrition programs, and developed the racial wealth gap simulation, training over 5,000 people. H.Res. 378 honored Bread’s founder, Rev. Art Simon.

2020-2023: COVID-19 and Bread’s Third President

Rev. Eugene Cho became President and CEO of Bread for the World. During the pandemic, Bread supported pandemic relief measures, including the American Rescue Act, reducing child poverty to 5 percent. Bread advocated for the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, the Keep Kids Fed Act, and a White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. Bread also secured $1 billion in aid for famine relief and helped block cuts to SNAP, WIC, and Food for Peace.

2025 AND BEYOND: Nourishing Our Future

After 50 years of providing strategies that work to feed billions, Bread for the World continues to advocate in a challenging political climate on behalf of people experiencing hunger in the United States and around the world. In 2025 and beyond, Bread’s policy focuses on alleviating childhood hunger through the Nourish Our Future campaign that will work to secure programs to feed this generation and generations to come.

SHAPE THE FUTURE OF HUNGER ADVOCACY

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What defines the health of a nation–or the Church?

Building a Hunger-Free Future

TALLYING A COLLECTIVE VOICE