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
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: Hunger and Poverty in Puerto Rico
Even before Hurricanes Irma and Maria struck Puerto Rico, hunger and food insecurity were much more common among Puerto Ricans than among their fellow U.S. citizens in the 50 states.
Before...
Fact Sheet: Fortified for Life. How the U.S. Government Supports Global Nutrition.
Good nutrition is a critical part of ensuring that all human beings can use their bodies and minds to live an active life and reach their full potential.
For Faith
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...
In Times Like These … A Pan-African Christian Devotional for Public Policy Engagement
This devotional guide invites deepened relationship with and among Pan-African people and elected leaders in the mission to end hunger and poverty.
Sermon by David Beckmann at Duke University Chapel
Remarks delivered October 1, 2017 at Duke University Chapel in Chapel Hill in North Carolina.
Thank you for inviting me to preach here at Duke University Chapel. And I especially want to thank the Bread for the World members who have come this morning.
Bruce Puckett urged...
For Advocacy
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: 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.
Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2017
Unnecessarily long prison sentences, combined with the lack of rehabilitative programs for people in prison, exacerbate hunger, poverty, and existing inequalities.
Overly harsh mandatory minimum prison sentences have contributed to the rapid increase of our country’s prison population. The...