Write to Congress
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.
Personalized emails stand out. They tell senators and representative that you, as a constituent, really care about an issue. Members of Congress want to hear from their constituents about the issues on which they will vote in the Senate and House of Representatives.
The following are issues moving in Congress and/or in the administration. This is your opportunity to change policies, programs, and conditions that allow hunger and poverty to persist here and abroad.
U.S. Federal Budget
The federal budget provides Congress and the president with the single biggest opportunity to shape our country’s priorities.
The choices our government makes regarding how it generates revenue and how it spends shared resources should promote hope, opportunity, and economic security for all people, especially those struggling to put food on the table.
As Christians, we believe that a key moral measure of our federal budget is how it treats those whom Jesus called "the least of these" (Matthew 25:45).
We must tell Congress to make funding decisions that put our country and the world on track to end hunger by 2030.
Global Food Security Act
In 2016, the Global Food Security Act (GFSA) was signed into law with overwhelming bipartisan support. Since its passage, the GFSA has strengthened the accountability, implementation, and effectiveness of food security and nutrition programs, and reinvigorated a global commitment to help people feed and nourish themselves.
These vital programs combat global food insecurity by investing in agriculture development and building resiliency in developing countries. By equipping communities with the tools they need to help feed themselves, our global nutrition and food security programs have increased food and nutrition security for millions of people through improved agriculture production, market access, business development, private sector competitiveness, and nutrition interventions.
The Farm Bill
The U.S. farm bill not only sets most U.S. agriculture policies, but also authorizes both federal nutrition assistance programs and humanitarian relief for hunger emergencies overseas.
This wide scope makes the farm bill vital not only to farmers, but to other residents of rural areas, people anywhere in the United States who do not have enough money for food, and countries where many people struggle with hunger and malnutrition.
The farm bill can help put the United States on track to end food insecurity and hunger in our country and save millions of lives overseas. To do so, it must be designed with strong and resilient food systems and good nutrition as its top priorities.
Immigration
People without documentation who live and work in the United States are among the most vulnerable in our country. They are more likely to live in poverty and to struggle to put food on the table. The national poverty rate is 14.8 percent, while immigrants as a group have a poverty rate of 30 percent. It is likely that the poverty rate of undocumented households is even higher.
Among those without documentation include 1.5 million young undocumented adults, also known as “Dreamers.” They were brought to the United States at a very young age and have assimilated into our culture – learning English and absorbing American values. Many of these Dreamers were protected and provided work authorization through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
In 2017, the Trump administration terminated the DACA program, upending the lives of hundreds of thousands of Dreamers and their family members.
Right now, Congress has the opportunity to make positive changes to our immigration system by passing bipartisan legislation like the Dream Act or the USA Act, which include a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers and continued protection of immigrant families. Without action, thousands of immigrant youth are at risk of losing work authorization and other protections. Bipartisan legislation would help Dreamers continue to thrive and our nation to prosper.
Criminal Justice Reform
Reforming our nation's criminal justice system is critical to ending hunger and poverty in the United States. Families are directly impacted when loved ones are incarcerated, especially if they are serving long prison sentences.
Harsh mandatory minimum sentences, combined with the lack of rehabilitative programs for people in prison, exacerbate hunger, poverty, and existing inequalities.
While serving time in prison, people lose income and work skills and often lack opportunities to participate in rehabilitative programs, making it even harder for many to find a job after leaving the prison system. This explains why 1 in 4 households headed by a returning citizen lives in deep poverty.
Reforms, such as reducing mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent offenders, would help reduce hunger and improve the stability of families in the United States. Additionally, giving judges more flexibility in sentencing would enable more parents to be with and support their families.
"Jesus said ...
'You give them something to eat.'"
Matthew 14:16
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: 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.
¿Por qué las familias están abandonando Centroamérica?
Las personas que toman la decisión de dejar su hogar y venir a Estados Unidos, generalmente han tenido muy pocas opciones. Factores más allá de su control han provocado que sus circunstancias estén marcadas por hambre y violencia para poder quedarse.
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...