Download the 2017 Offering of Letters Kit
As part of its year-long campaign every year on a specific topic, Bread for the World urges elected leaders in Washington, D.C., to enable people in our nation and our world to feed their families and move out of poverty. The Offering of Letters campaign is the main way Bread engages people in churches and other faith communities in advocacy with their members of Congress.
If you are a member or leader of a church or faith community, you are invited to organize an Offering of Letters — an event at which people in your congregation, campus, or group sit down together to write to members of Congress on a specific issue. An Offering of Letters is an effective tool that enables citizens and residents of our country to make their voices heard and that helps shape our government’s response to hunger.
From this page you can download Offering of Letters materials — a toolkit that will help you organize a local Offering of Letters.
How to Conduct an Offering of Letters
Whether you are new to letter writing or are experienced in organizing local Offerings of Letters, this “how-to” booklet for event organizers in the toolkit will help you plan and implement your event.
Setting up an Offering of Letters event is doable. It doesn’t take as much time as you might expect, and you will find that it enriches your faith experience.
This booklet contains many tried-and-true instructions and tips on creating a successful letter-writing event. The topics covered include: the Bible and the Offering of Letters, how to organize an Offering of Letters, and how to conduct an adult forum or workshop.
This and other parts of the toolkit, as well as the Bread staff members who serve your region as organizers, are resources for planning and carrying out your Offering of Letters. Telling us about your event is important, too. Complete our evaluation form and let us know what happened.
Background on this Year's Topic
Nations around the world, including the United States, have agreed to work for an end to hunger and related goals by 2030. And there is growing recognition among faith leaders, nongovernmental organizations, and business leaders that ending hunger and extreme poverty by 2030 is achievable.
Families, churches and community groups, and businesses all need to do their parts to end hunger. It’s crucial that our government also does its part.
Through this 2017 Offering of Letters, we urge Congress to make funding decisions that put our country and the world on track to ending hunger by 2030.
This will be a challenging year. Programs that help families alleviate hunger and get out of poverty are threatened with deep funding cuts. As in years past, your persistent and faithful advocacy will be important in defending the interests of people who are hungry.
"We support Bread because it magnifies our voice on behalf of hungry people."
Father James Fetscher, St. Louis Catholic Church, Miami
Have a question? Connect with your local organizer: 800/822-7323 or organizing@bread.org.
Full guide on this year's Offering of Letters topic- Conducting an Offering of Letters
- Quick-Setup Guide to Conducting an Offering of Letters
- Hunger and Poverty Facts - Updated January 2017
- 2017 Offering of Letters Bulletin Insert
Introducing the Offering of Letters to your church, campus, or group (PowerPoint)
Tools
from our Resource Library
For Education
Election Resources
One of the best times to raise the issues of hunger and poverty is during election campaigns. Engage candidates in your state/district on hunger and poverty using our elections resources.U.S. Hunger and Poverty State Fact Sheets
These fact sheets provide a snapshot of hunger and poverty in the United States and in each state plus Washington, D.C.
Fact Sheet: COVID-19 Global Pandemic, Better Nutrition Protects Lives
With the coronavirus now spreading in low-resource contexts and new waves of infection expected in the coming year, better nutrition for vulnerable people is more important than ever.
For Faith
Finding Hope, Ending Hunger on Both Sides of the Border: A Bilingual Latino Devotional
Devotional writers challenge us to feel the Spirit of God within us and to hear God’s urgent call to demand justice so all can put food on the table.The Bible on Health as a Hunger Issue
“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in faith.” These words from Colossians 2:6 remind us of the faith that is active in love for our neighbors.
The Bible on...
Unity Declaration on Racism and Poverty
A diverse body of Christian leaders calls on the churches and Congress to focus on the integral connection.
Dear Members of Congress,
As the president and Congress are preparing their plans for this year, almost 100 church leaders—from all the families of U.S. Christianity—are...
For Advocacy
Fact Sheet: Coronavirus (COVID-19) and SNAP
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is designed to respond to changes in need, making it well suited to respond to crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fact Sheet: Why We Need $200 Million for Global Nutrition Programs
Bread for the World and its partners are asking Congress to provide $200 million for global nutrition in the fiscal year 2020 budget.
Fact Sheet: Hunger by the Numbers
In 2017, 11.8 percent of households in the U.S.—40 million people—were food-insecure, meaning that they were unsure at some point during the year about how they would provide for their next meal.