BREAD FOR THE WORLD - http://www.bread.org Past Grace Financial Support
Bread for the World is a collective Christian voice urging our nation’s decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad. By changing policies, programs and conditions that allow hunger and poverty to persist, we provide help and opportunity far beyond the communities in which we live. Members, congregations & other groups write personal letters and emails to and meet with our representatives in Congress. Working through churches, campuses and other organizations, we engage more people in non-partisan political advocacy.
As a bipartisan group, BFTW enjoys the support of many different church bodies & groups and collaborates with other organizations to build the political commitment needed to overcome hunger and poverty.
Bread for the World Institute (4-star Charity Navigator rating http://www.charitynavigator.org)
BFTW Institute provides policy analysis on hunger and strategies to end it. The Institute educates its advocacy network, opinion leaders, policy makers and the public about hunger in the United States and abroad. It is a 501(c)(3) organization, and contributions from individuals are tax-deductible.
History
Grace Lutheran became a covenant member of BFTW in 2006, with Church Council approval of a recommendation by the Social Ministry Committee to establish this relationship of ongoing support and regular activity.
National organization
In October 1972, a small group of Catholics and Protestants met to reflect on how persons of faith could be mobilized to influence U.S. policies that address the causes of hunger. Under the leadership of the Reverend Arthur Simon [brother of former Sen. Paul Simon of IL], the group began to test the idea in the spring of 1974. By year's end, more than 500 people had joined the ranks of Bread for the World as citizen advocates for hungry people. This small group has grown to a nationwide movement. In September 1991, the Reverend David Beckmann succeeded Simon as president.
Hunger Facts
An estimated 1.02 billion people in the world go hungry.
Each year, 3 million under-five children die because they are undernourished.1 Far more children live with undernutrition than die from it. For infants and young children, the effects of chronic malnutrition in the early years of life are largely irreversible.
In the United States, 11.7 million children live in households where people have to skip meals or eat less to make ends meet. That means one in ten households in the U.S. are living with hunger or are at risk of hunger.
But we CAN end hunger.
We have the means. The financial costs to end hunger are relatively slight. The United Nations Development Program estimates that the basic health and nutrition needs of the world's poorest people could be met for an additional $13 billion a year. Animal lovers in the United States and Europe spend more than that on pet food each year.
What makes the difference between millions of hungry people and a world where all are fed?
Only a change in priorities. Only the will to end hunger.
Want to learn more? Bread for the World Institute collects facts on domestic and global hunger. It also generates answers to frequently asked questions about hunger. Or you can learn about what issues Bread for the World members are working on right now to bring an end to hunger in the U.S. and around the world. You can also get involved or write a letter to your member of Congress.
1 The World Bank Group (2008). Nutrition: What is Malnutrition? Retrieved July 17, 2008, http://youthink.worldbank.org/issues/health/nutrition/malnutrition.php
Four Key Initiatives 2010
1. 2010 Offering of Letters - Increasing Resources to Low-Income Working Families, $200,000
2. Combine Online & Grassroots Activism More Effectively, $225,000
3. Expand & Strengthen Connections with African American & Latino Congregations, $125,000
4. Train a New Group of Hunger Justice Leaders, $175,000
We Make A Difference
Bread for the World has a remarkable record of success in Congress. Year after year, Bread members have won far-reaching changes for hungry and poor people. The U.S. government has doubled funding for effective programs that help developing countries in Africa and other poor parts of the world, and this would not have happened without the persistent advocacy of Bread for the World members. Bread for the World has also helped to strengthen the national nutrition programs, assisting millions of the families in this country who struggle to feed their children. Here are some of our past Offering of Letters campaigns:
2007 Seeds of Change: Help Farmers. End Hunger
This offering sought to win broad reform in the U.S. farm bill— making commodity programs into a more equitable safety net for our nation's farmers, and shifting additional resources into nutrition, conservation and rural development programs. Such reforms are needed to make the farm bill a more effective tool in fighting hunger and poverty both here at home and around the world. As of now, the legislation is still pending. Read the most recent developments
2006 One Spirit. One Will. Zero Poverty.
Bread for the World is a founding member of the ONE Campaign to fight the emergencies of extreme poverty, hunger and HIV/AIDS in the developing world. This offering helped to secure an increase of $1.4 billion in poverty-focused development assistance, in order to keep our nation's promises to the world's hungry and poor people. Most of this money is for HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care in low-income countries. Anti-malaria efforts and refugee assistance also received increases.
2005 Make Hunger History
Bread for the World helped stop Congress from pushing hundreds of thousands of hardworking people and their children off the Food Stamp Program. We also built a strong bipartisan list of Congressional cosponsors of the Hunger-Free Communities Act. This act would help build the political will to end hunger in our country and provide funding to local and religious groups to work together to end hunger in their communities. Congress has not yet completed consideration of this bill.
2004 Keep the Promise on Hunger and Health
This campaign sought to increase funding for poverty-focused development assistance, especially funding for the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) and the fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Although funding increases did not reach requested levels, Bread for the World helped win more than a $1 billion increase in poverty-focused development assistance, a 12 percent increase over Fiscal Year 2004 levels. These increases brought the funding levels to almost $1.5 billion for the MCA and $2.9 billion for HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria.
2003 Rise to the Challenge: End World Hunger
Congress established the Millennium Challenge Account as a new international assistance initiative focused on poverty reduction, and made the largest funding increase in decades to combat hunger, poverty and disease in the developing world. The faithful advocacy of Bread for the World members helped persuade Congress to approve a $2 billion increase in poverty-focused development assistance – up 33 percent over the previous year!
2002 Working from Poverty to Promise
This campaign sought to strengthen and improve Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), commonly known as welfare, by making poverty reduction a stated goal, expanding participants’ access to education and training, easing time limits for working families and increasing program funding. Congress has yet to 2002 finish this work.
2001 Africa: Hunger to Harvest
Congress approved a bipartisan proposal calling for significant new development assistance to sub-Saharan Africa and for President Bush to work with African and other world leaders to dramatically reduce hunger and poverty on the continent. The proposal also requests President Bush report back to Congress with five- and 10-year plans for increasing development assistance and reducing hunger in Africa.
2000 A Fair Share: Working to End Hunger
This campaign worked to pass the Hunger Relief Act and to increase the federal minimum wage by $1 over two years. President Bill Clinton signed into law two provisions of the Hunger Relief Act, which were included in the agricultural spending bill. Hungry people will see a significant increase in their food stamp benefits by allowing them to keep a reliable car and to take a higher shelter cost deduction.
1999 Proclaim Jubilee: Break the Chains of Debt
Bread for the World joined a global campaign to support debt relief to the world's poorest countries. Over 1999 and 2000, Congress freed up more than $2.5 billion, including $545 million toward the U.S. contribution to the debt relief plan. The World Bank and other international financial institutions also announced a major shift in policy that would tie debt relief efforts to poverty reduction.
1998 Africa: Seeds of Hope
President Clinton signed the Africa: Seeds of Hope Act into law. It redirects U.S. resources toward small-scale farmers and struggling rural communities in Africa. It also established a self-replenishing emergency grain reserve for a faster, more cost-effective food aid response to humanitarian crises throughout the world.
1997 Tell Congress: Hunger Has A Cure
We helped win $1.6 billion in increased funding for nutrition programs in 1997, which kept 400,000 people from losing WIC or food stamps. In 1998, Congress approved an additional $818 million in food stamp restorations for 250,000 vulnerable legal immigrants - children, elderly and disabled people.
1996 Elect to End Childhood Hunger
The campaign educated voters and candidates about widespread hunger among U.S. children and what can be done about it. Nearly 700 candidates committed themselves to support federal legislation to help overcome childhood hunger. Forty percent of the candidates elected to Congress in 1996 made this commitment.
1995 Africa: Crisis to Opportunity
Congress slashed aid to Africa and other development assistance, but Bread for the World helped protect at least $100 million in life-saving aid to Africa.
1994 A Child Is Waiting
Bread for the World helped win $260 million increases for WIC in 1994 and again in 1995. U.S. Committee for UNICEF and the Carter Center select BFW as 1994 International Child Survival Awardee
1993 Many Neighbors, One Earth
Sustainable development—the reduction of hunger and poverty in environmentally sound ways—became a prominent purpose of the U.S. administration's foreign aid policy. Funding for programs focused on sustainable development was cut less than military and security aid during 1993 and 1994.
1992 Every Fifth Child
Bread for the World helped win almost $2 billion in increases to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), Head Start and Job Corps—three cost-effective federal childhood hunger programs—in 1992 and 1993, benefiting about a million infants, mothers, children and youth.
1990 BFW opens four-year Harvest of Peace campaign to shift Cold War funds to human needs. BFW wins legislative provisions that result in $2.3 billion in debt relief for poor countries. (President George Bush signs BFW's Horn of Africa Recovery and Food Security Act into law in 1992).
1989 BFW campaign to fully fund WIC results in an expansion of the program to reach 200,000 more women, infants and children. Alan Shawn Feinstein World Hunger Award goes to BFW.
1988 With the help of BFW's campaigning, U.S. increases funds to assist women in development activities
1985 BFW members win $73 million in additional funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program or Women, Infants and Children (WIC).
1986 BFW's "Chance to Survive" campaign increases funding for child survival and immunization programs.
1985 Congress approves BFW-backed special Africa program of IFAD.
1984 Congress establishes a $25 million Child Survival Fund and increases funding for the International Fund for Agriculture and Development (IFAD) based on campaigns by BFW.
1982 BFW helps halt cuts in domestic nutrition programs.
1981 At the urging of BFW and other groups, Congress requires the U.S. Agency for International Development to target development aid to people living in absolute poverty.
1980 Through efforts of BFW, hunger and global security legislation reforming development and food aid passes Congress.
1979 BFW begins successful 13-year campaign to create a national nutrition monitoring system.
1978 Congress approves BFW-supported food aid reform aimed at increasing self-reliance in developing countries.
1977 At BFW's urging, Congress creates a farmer-owned grain reserve and an emergency grain reserve to aid in international food crises.
1975 Right to Food Resolution, BFW's first Offering of Letters, passes both houses of Congress
1974 Bread for the World (BFW) founded
Date: December 7, 2005
To: Grace Lutheran Church Council
From: Linda Hendrickson, for the Social Ministry Committee
Subj: Proposal to join Bread for the World as a Covenant Church
Dear Members of the Council,
On November 29, the Social Ministry committee voted to recommend that Grace Lutheran Church join the Bread for the World organization as a Covenant Church.
Bread for the World is “is a nationwide Christian citizens movement seeking justice for the world's hungry people by lobbying our nation's decision makers.” It is a partner organization with the ELCA hunger appeal, and many Lutheran churches are already members. The commitment to join Bread for the World is a decision to integrate hunger concerns into the life of a congregation. The expectations are that a member church would participate in an offering of letters at least once a year, and would provide some financial support. The average covenant church contributes $500, but some give as little as $50 in a year. We understand that dedicated social ministry funds may already be available to cover this contribution for the next 2 years.
An offering of letters involves members writing to congressional representatives about a selected hunger-related topic. In alternate years, Bread for the World emphasizes domestic and international poverty issues. Issues are chosen which are non-controversial for Christians to support, and completely non-partisan. An offering of letters activity was organized within the Tabletalk group in November, and members of the Social Ministry committee would commit to organizing such an activity in the future.
Membership in Bread for the World does not jeopardize a congregation’s tax status:
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) grants non-profit status to churches, synagogues, mosques and other religious organizations. These organizations are allowed to engage in political activities provided that they do so in a non-partisan manner. Churches can invite candidates for office to address their congregation or sponsor a voter registration drive. However, non-profit religious institutions cannot give financial or moral support to specific political candidates or recommend that the members of a congregation vote for a particular candidate or political party. Source: The Rules of the Game: An Election year Legal Guide for nonprofit Organizations, published by The Alliance for Justice.
Please feel free to contact me if more information is needed, or investigate http://www.bread.org, or http://www.elca.org/hunger/whatwedo/partners.html.
Thank you for your consideration.
Yours in Christ,
Linda Hendrickson, for the Social Ministry Committee