By Bread Staff
Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders say they are bringing new voters into the political process, but can they claim they are getting young children involved? Bread for the World can.
The story begins with the birthday party of Toren Rhyne, who lives in North Carolina. When asked what he wanted to do for his upcoming 6th birthday, he replied, unprompted, that he “wanted to visit the Bread for the World office, pack food for hungry people, and have ice cream.” Just three simple wishes from a child.
Toren’s grandmother, Ginny Hiltquist, a member of First Lutheran Church in Greensboro, N.C., reports, “I can only assume that by working by our side at some events and packing food for the elderly that we did every month before he started school that his sensitive little heart was opened.”
Toren’s family decided for his birthday party to buy and bring special treats for the children at a local homeless shelter. The children attending the party assembled the bags of treats at three tables. Toren wore his Bread for the World T-shirt to the party, and a Bread banner was hung.
We can only assume that everybody also enjoyed ice cream at the party (what is a party without it?). And so Toren got two of his three birthday wishes fulfilled.
As for his third wish? Well, his family had to explain that Bread’s office was too far to visit right away, but his grandparents will not disappoint him. They will be bringing Toren with them when they come for Bread’s annual Lobby Day in June. “It is all he talks about,” says Hiltquist. “We are thrilled to do this and think it will be a powerful witness.”
And so Toren will get to see Bread’s office and will be visiting his members of Congress to speak about ending hunger.
Join us for Bread’s Lobby Day on June 7. To ensure mothers and children around the world are healthy and well-nourished, we are asking Congress to increase funding for nutrition in global health programs at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to at least $230 million in fiscal year 2017.
Help us deliver this message directly to Capitol Hill. Your members of Congress need to hear from you – and visiting them in person will have the greatest effect.
