Get Involved

Act Now

2019 Offering of Letters

• Call (800-826-3688) or email your representative and urge them to cosponsor and pass the Global Nutrition Resolution (H. Res. 189).
• The Senate has passed their version of the Global Nutrition Resolution (S. Res. 260). Keep up momentum and urge House members to finish the job. The bipartisan global nutrition resolutions recognize the importance of continued U.S. leadership to accelerate global progress against maternal and child malnutrition.
• Thank your senators for passing S. Res. 260, especially if they were a cosponsor. You can view a current list of House cosponsors (H.Res.189) here.

For more information on this issue:

• Senate Passes Resolution Supporting US Leadership on Global Nutrition
• The U.S. Contribution to Ending Hunger

Watch for action alerts. For additional talking points, contact organizing@bread.org or call 800-822-7323.

Activists in Action

A local event helps advance the global nutrition resolutions

By Robin Stephenson

The Senate version of the Global Nutrition Resolution (S.Res.260) is one step closer to passage, thanks in part to local organizing.

In early November, 160 anti-hunger advocates crowded into a room in Boise’s Idaho History Museum to hear Sen. Jim Risch talk about foreign aid. The luncheon, “Idaho Cares About Foreign Affairs,” was sponsored by Bread for the World, Oxfam, Save the Children Action Network, CARE USA, and the ONE Campaign.

During the luncheon, Bread for the World board member Dawn Pierce asked Risch about the Global Nutrition Resolution. Bread members are advocating on the resolution as part of the Better Nutrition, Better Tomorrow campaign. The resolution recognizes the importance of U.S. leadership to accelerate progress against malnutrition.

Pierce knew Risch had already cosponsored the resolution, but as the Republican chairman of the powerful Committee on Foreign Relations, he sets the committee agenda and his support to pass the bill out of committee was vital.

To her delight, Pierce heard exactly what she was hoping for that afternoon: Risch said he would take the next step to advance the bill. “I’m going to put that bill on the next business meeting of the committee,” he said.

The resolution passed in committee by unanimous voice vote on Dec. 11. The move means that the Senate leadership can now put it on the floor for a vote by the entire chamber. The House version of the resolution (H.Res.189) is also awaiting a floor vote.

“Senator Risch kept his word and did what he promised he would do,” said Pierce, expressing her gratitude for his leadership.

As a young mother, Pierce experienced food insecurity herself and remembers how the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) was a godsend. Access to adequate nutrition for mothers and children is an issue dear to her heart.

She takes a great deal of pride knowing there is a direct link between her senator, home state, and the advancement of maternal and child nutrition. “Through Senator Risch’s committee chairmanship, Idaho is playing a key role is moving this lifesaving resolution forward,” she said.

Clark Hansen, who leads Bread’s fieldwork in Idaho, helped organize the event. He was thrilled to see a locally organized event move legislation in Washington, D.C., and he attributes the success to partnering with like-minded organizations at the community level.

“Working in a coalition in Idaho was a great opportunity to bring together advocates from a variety of organizations to impress upon Senator Risch that he has many constituents that care about foreign policy,” Hansen said.

An invitation to speak from five well-respected organizations made participation by a busy senator much more attractive. “Without a combined effort, this event would not have been a success,” Hansen said.

The burden of malnutrition is far too high; even with a decade of progress, over 22 percent of the world’s children are stunted. The leadership exhibited by Risch to move nutrition policy is something that all Bread members are celebrating.

More Resources: Activist Tool Kit

The Activist Tool Kit is intended for new and current Bread grassroots hunger activists. It provides a set of how-to sheets for carrying out advocacy and fact sheets on the current issues Bread for the World is working on.

It's ideal as a starter toolkit for new Bread activists or as a set of updates for current activists. Form your own toolkit by printing out some or all of the sheets in the kit.

How-tos:

• How to Conduct an In-District Meeting with a Member of Congress (or the Staff)
• Effectively Using Public Meetings to Engage with Members of Congress
• Writing a Letter to the Editor of Your Local Newspaper
• Conducting an Offering of Letters

Issues-related pieces:

• Hunger and Poverty State Fact Sheets
• Fact Sheet: Why We Need $150 Million for Global Nutrition Programs
• Hunger by the Numbers (2017)
• Fact Sheet: Fortified for Life. How the U.S. Government Supports Global Nutrition
• Briefing Paper: A Multi-Sectoral Approach to Nutrition. Assessing USAID’s Progress
• Poverty-Focused Development Assistance (PFDA) 101
• The McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program
• Getting to Zero Hunger by 2030: Race, Poverty, and Hunger
• Mass Incarceration: A Major Cause of Hunger
• Border Policy: Addressing Root Causes of Hunger and Immigration
• Fact Sheet: Hunger and Poverty in the Indigenous Community
• Fact Sheet: Hunger and Poverty in the African American Community
• Fact Sheet: Hunger and Poverty in the Latino Community

Biblical resources:

• The Biblical Basis for Advocacy to End Hunger
• The Bible and Immigration Reform
• The Bible and Poverty-Focused Development Assistance
• The Bible and Mass Incarceration
• The Bible on Health as a Hunger Issue