Bread for the World’s 50th Anniversary Summit – “Ordinary People. Extraordinary Mission.”

By Rev. Eugene Cho

Bread for the World is not an extraordinary organization. It is a community of ordinary people who believe in an extraordinary God and who share an extraordinary mission: to help end hunger in the United States and around the world.

That conviction anchored our 50th Anniversary Summit in Washington, D.C. and served as a rallying cry for the faithful advocates, legislators, leaders, and lifelong supporters who came together to chart the next chapter in this movement toward the end of hunger.

The Summit was more than a celebration – it was a call to action: to lift our collective voice, to build on 50 years of faithful advocacy, and to urge Congress to focus on ending child hunger both at home and abroad.

Event Recap

Over the course of three days, Bread hosted a series of spiritually grounded, justice-oriented events.

The first day was filled with pre-Summit events and invitation-only gatherings. The Pan African Consultation and Latino Convening gathered diverse leaders to examine the impact of food insecurity in their communities, while honoring voices that have helped shape Bread’s history. These sacred spaces elevated community wisdom, recognized longstanding members, and offered prophetic insights into the work ahead.

A Luminaries Dinner celebrated 50 individuals, one for each year of Bread’s existence, for their foundational guidance and leadership contributions to Bread’s mission. The late Bread Founder Art Simon’s daughter, Leah Dowling, recalled growing up in Bread’s first offices and how Bread staff were part of their family. Former board member and Luminary John Carr said that he first remembered hearing about Bread for the World when I was in a college seminary in Minnesota in the 1970s. “It was a unique coming together of Christians to overcome hunger through prayer and advocacy in public life. I wanted to be a part of that then and I have been for five decades.” Bread’s President Emeritus, Rev. David Beckmann, spoke about the dramatic progress that has been made against poverty in the last 50 years and Bread’s essential, impactful part of that – Bread’s legacy is that change as much as what we do next will be.

On day two, participants attended robust legislative briefings and advocacy trainings, gaining practical tools to engage with their members of Congress. From sessions on closing the College SNAP Gap to simulations exploring the racial wealth gap, the programming underscored the policy depth and moral urgency of Bread’s mission.

Keynote speaker Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli, President & CEO of the ONE Campaign, offered global perspective and challenge. View her speech at this link. I was honored to preach on Tuesday – you can watch my speech at this link – sharing a stage with outstanding musicians Roderick Giles and Grace Ensemble.

An international panel featuring Michele Sumilas, Former Deputy Administrator for Management and Resources, USAID; Nidhi Bouri, Former Deputy Administrator for Global Health, USAID; and Katherine Meighan, Chief Legal & Governance Officer, International Fund for Agricultural Development was as education as it was inspirational as each speaker told stories about the long-term impact that smart, resourceful international assistance can have when it is strategically applied.

Reverends Jeanette and Gabriel Salguero inspired attendees with a multi-lingual message about commitment to justice, faith, and community empowerment. Bread activist Bryan McFarland shared a new song called Nourish Our Future that was written specifically for this event.

At a celebration dinner, four awards were presented: the Rev. Art Simon Legacy Award to Dave Miner, the Rev. David Beckmann Lifetime Hunger Champion Award to Felipe Salinas, the Bread Rising Award to Mya Bell, and the Hunger Heroes Award to The Seventh Episcopal District of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church.

On receiving the award, Mya Bell, a Purdue Northwest student, said: “When my mom couldn’t buy groceries at the store or I would go in the lunch line at school and I didn’t have enough money and they would throw my lunch away in front of me, I felt like I wasn’t enough, or something was wrong with my family, and we didn’t deserve to have access to the same things as everybody else. But I am meant to be here, and that’s from God, and that’s from Bread for the World and all of you are meant to be here, too.”

On the last day of the Summit, Bread advocates held nearly 200 meetings with Congressional offices—34 directly with legislators themselves—about protecting SNAP and WIC, strengthening the Child Tax Credit, and maintaining global nutrition funding.

Bread’s faithful presence was noted in media, including Religion News Service and Politico, and was uplifted by bipartisan recognition of hunger as a solvable issue. At the reception concluding Lobby Day, leaders from both parties were honored for their support. A staffer accepting an award on behalf of Senator Ron Wyden emphasized that programs like SNAP and the CTC are “lifelines, not luxuries.”

Suzanne Martin, an advocate from Alabama, captured the heart of the Summit’s public witness: “When you play a violin, it’s the tension that makes the sound. Without tension, there’s no music. I think that what we did today was bring tension to Capitol Hill.”

Bread Members and Advocacy That Moves Policy and Hearts

From the Historic Alfred Street Baptist Church’s Voices of Triumph Choir filling the hall with worship to Rev. Sarah Robinson’s call for a just Farm Bill to college students speaking their truths to their elected officials, every element of the Summit pointed back to Bread’s foundational belief: faith must move us to action.

It reminded me again why we do this. Because God doesn’t wait for perfection. God calls us as we are—ordinary people—to do extraordinary work.

I think of Mike Huck from Illinois, who joined Bread as a college student 30 years ago. He’s led Offerings of Letters ever since—bringing thousands of handwritten letters to his member of Congress. One year, those letters flipped a vote on the Farm Bill. The Congresswoman told a lobbyist, “I have to vote with Mike,” pointing to the stack of letters on her desk.

I think of Connie Wick, writing letters from her retirement home—letters that made their way to the Senate floor and helped secure global nutrition funding. When Bread’s president spoke with U.S. President George W. Bush about the issue, Senator Richard Lugar said, “I just got letters about this from Connie Wick.”

I think of Rev. Will Meachum, a high school baseball coach and Methodist pastor, who joined Bread after seeing hunger affect students in his own congregation.

I think of Pat Ayres, whose heart for children brought her to Bread. Her leadership on the board helped lay the foundation for what Bread is today.

I think of Congresswoman Eva Clayton, who championed nutrition programs on the House Agriculture Committee and helped shape global alliances to fight hunger, and Senator Bob Dole, who served on Bread’s board for 20 years to ensure that his voice for hunger would continue to inspire.

Ordinary people. Extraordinary mission.

I think of Pastor Sarah Robinson of Audubon Park Covenant Church in Florida who joined Bread to advocate for a Farm Bill that is nutritious, sustainable, and equitable.

I think of Carlos Navarro, who joined Bread in 1983. He has mobilized thousands of letters from the Southwest over the decades and served faithfully on Bread’s board..

I think of Jane Klopfenstein of Indiana—a 40-year member and grandmother—who first got involved through advocacy for the McGovern-Dole Food for Education Program.

These aren’t celebrities. They’re not career lobbyists. They are people like you—people who believe that faith must lead to action.

Throughout the Summit, attendees heard from a “cloud of witnesses”—advocates who have built the mission over the last five decades.

Dave Miner, recipient of the Art Simon Award, reflected on being asked to join the board years ago: “Why would he want an ordinary guy from the Midwest on the board? It turns out that this movement thrives on the gifts of ordinary people, working together…Bread is the Gospel at work in our times… Together we have made a difference. An extraordinary difference.”

This movement is not sustained by charisma or headlines—but by decades of steadfast commitment and Spirit-led action.

What a cloud of witnesses.

Hebrews 12 says: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight… and run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.”

And that is what we do—we run with perseverance.

We pursue God’s vision of a world restored and free from hunger—a world we may not fully see, but one we are called to work toward.

Looking Forward to What’s Next

Bread for the World 50th Anniversary Summit was a holy moment—an intergenerational, bipartisan, multi-ethnic embodiment of faith in action. As we face the world’s worst hunger crisis in a generation, we are not overwhelmed. We are mobilized.

We move forward not with fear, but with clarity. The stakes are high. But the path is clear. Bread is an ordinary organization, following an extraordinary God, sent on an extraordinary mission.

And we will continue—together—to nourish our future.

So many of you joined us in Washington, DC, for the Summit. So many of you have responded to action alerts. So many of you met with your elected leaders. In fact, already this year Bread advocates have already held nearly 300 Offerings of Letters in 35 states, sent 75,000 letters to Congress, and held 439 meetings with members of Congress.

Your collective voice is powerful.

I write this with gratitude and with a challenge. Stay in this with us. Become a Bread for the World member. Let your voice be heard. Let your faith be seen.

Because the future will only be nourished by the Power of Us.