Photo by Flickr user vidmon

"One of the greatest feelings in the world is knowing that we as individuals can make a difference. Ending hunger in America is a goal that is literally within our grasp."

--Jeff Bridges, actor and hunger advocate

Bread for the World provides tools for advocates who want to introduce the Offering of Letters to their congregations. One tool is a handy powerpoint, along with tips and suggestions on how to best use this great resource.

An Offering of Letters is also effective when you get an endorsement from the pulpit, especially a thumbs up from the pastor.  In fact, having the pastor preach on the topic of the Offering of Letters would be ideal, especially if the theme fits nicely with the scripture readings for that Sunday (or weekend).

But the pastor isn't the only one who can tell folks in the pew to write letters. Dedicated lay persons can also perform this task.  This is exactly what Crish Tippit and Rita Harris did at All Saints Lutheran Church in Albuquerque, NM. When offered the opportunity to do a presentation to the congregation, Crish and Rita decided to provide the information with a simple, but very effective, skit. The Offering of Letters committee at All Saints Lutheran decided to focus on the mini-campaign dealing with tax credits for low-income families.

Here is the script for the skit Crish and Rita performed: 

The 75 letters that came from the church's Offering of Letters were sent primarily to  Sen. Jeff Bingaman, who sits on the Senate Finance Committee and has a key role in legislation to renew these important tax credits. Feel free to use this skit as a framework for devising your own skit and conduct an Offering of Letters at your church!

Carlos Navarro is an activist with Bread for the World based in New Mexico. He blogs at Bread New Mexcio.

Photo caption: A campus group writes letters to their members of Congress. Bread for the World photo

[This article originally appeared in The Hill. Click here to read the full article. Below is an excerpt.]

If you had $75 billion to spend on solving some of the world’s greatest challenges, where would you start? An expert panel of Nobel laureate economists known as the Copenhagen Consensus recently answered that question. After extensive research and consultation, they determined that the single best investment the world could make to advance health and prosperity would be to fight malnutrition in young children.

We have always known that tackling child malnutrition is the right thing to do. Perhaps now that it’s seen by experts as the smartest thing to do, we will be able to mobilize the investment needed to finally tackle a condition that plagues close to 200 million children, robbing them of their health and future potential.

Thankfully, we already know how to prevent the needless suffering and the nearly 3 million child deaths that result each year from malnutrition. Simple interventions such as breastfeeding and inexpensive treatments for diarrhea management in young children could save more than 1 million lives a year.

We also know that proper nutrition early in a child’s life—particularly during the 1,000 days between a woman’s pregnancy and her child’s second birthday—can help break the cycle of poverty by ensuring healthy brain development, stronger immune systems, better performance in school, and higher earning potential. 

David Beckmann is president of Bread for the World. Lucy Sullivan is executive director of 1,000 Days.

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Photo caption: Constantia and her son Gustavo live in Cobue, Monzambique. Gustavo became severely malnourished after contracting malaria. Constantia took him to a clinic where she learned how to feed him a fortified milk formula with a syringe every few hours around the clock. Soon he was eating Plumpy'nut, a high-protein therapeutic food. A year later Gustavo is healthy and eating normal foods. Photo by Rebecca Vander Meulen.

Below is an excerpt from President Obama's speech today at the Symposium on Global Agriculture and Food Security: Advancing Food and Nutrition Security at the 2012 G8 Summit by The Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Click here to read his full speech.

... As the wealthiest nation on earth, I believe the United States has a moral obligation to lead the fight against hunger and malnutrition and to partner with others.  So we take pride in the fact that because of smart investments in nutrition and agriculture and safety nets, millions of people in Kenya and Ethiopia did not need emergency aid in the recent drought. 

But when tens of thousands of children die from the agony of starvation, as in Somalia, that sends us a message we still got a lot of work to do.  It's unacceptable.  It's an outrage.  It's an affront to who we are. 

So food security is a moral imperative, but it's also an economic imperative.  History teaches us that one of the most effective ways to pull people and entire nations out of poverty is to invest in their agriculture.  And as we've seen from Latin America to Africa to Asia, a growing middle class also means growing markets, including more customers for American exports that support American jobs.  So we have a self-interest in this.        

It's a moral imperative, it's an economic imperative, and it is a security imperative, for we've seen how spikes in food prices can plunge millions into poverty, which in turn can spark riots that cost lives and can lead to instability.

And this danger will only grow if a surging global population isn't matched by surging food production.  So reducing malnutrition around the world advances international peace and security, and that includes the national security of the United States.  

Perhaps nowhere do we see this link more vividly than in Africa. On the one hand, we see Africa as an emerging market.  African economies are some of the fastest-growing in the world.  We see a surge in foreign investment.  We see a growing middle class, hundreds of millions of people connected by mobile phones, more young Africans online than ever before.  There's -- there's hope and some optimism. And all of this has yielded impressive progress:  for the first time ever, a decline in extreme poverty in Africa; an increase in crop yields; a dramatic drop in child deaths.  That's the good news.  And in part, it's due to some of the work of the people in this room.   

On the other hand, we see an Africa that still faces huge hurdles -- stark inequalities, most Africans still living on less than $2 a day, climate change that increases the risk of drought and famine -- all of which perpetuates stubborn barriers in agriculture, in the agricultural sector, from bottlenecks in infrastructure that prevent food from getting to market to the lack of credit, especially for small farmers, most of whom are women.        

I've spoken before about relatives I have in Kenya who live in villages where hunger is sometimes a reality. 

Despite the fact that African farmers can be some of the hardest- working people on earth, most of the world's unused arable land is in Africa.  Fifty years ago Africa was an exporter of food.  There is no reason why Africa should not be feeding itself and exporting food again.  There is no reason for that.  (Applause.) 

So that's why we're here.  In Africa and around the world, progress isn't coming fast enough.  And economic growth can't just be for the lucky few at the top; it's got to be broadbased for everybody.  And a good place to start is in the agricultural sector. 

So even as the world responds with food aid in a crisis, as we've done in the Horn of Africa, communities can't go back just to the way things were, vulnerable as before, waiting for the next crisis to happen.  Development has to be sustainable, and as an international community, we have to do better. 

So here at the G-8, we're going to build on the progress we've made so far.  Today I can announce a new global effort.  We're calling a new alliance for food security and nutrition.  And to get the job done, we're bringing together all the key players around a shared commitment.  Let me describe it. 

Governments, like those in Africa, that are committed to agricultural development and food security -- they agree to take the lead, building on their own plans by making tough reforms and attracting investment. 

Donor countries, including G-8 members and international organizations, agree to more closely align our assistance with these country plans.  And the private sector, from large multinationals to small African cooperatives, your NGOs and civil society groups, agree to make concrete and continuing commitments as well, so that there's an alignment between all these sectors.   

And I know some have asked, in a time of austerity, whether this new alliance is just a way for governments to shift the burden onto somebody else.  I want to be clear:  The answer is no.  As president, I can assure you that the United States will continue to meet our responsibilities so that even in these tough fiscal times, we will continue to make historic investments in development.   

[Read President Obama's full speech here.]

+Plus: Bread for the World responds to President Obama's speech.

Sterling Nelson, a volunteer at Peace Lutheran Church in Rogers, AR, brings in food for the church's food pantry which feeds more than 18,000 people a year. Photo by Lesley Herr.

Just as Jesus fed 5,000 with just five loaves of bread and two fish, one congregation, Peace Lutheran Church in Rogers, AR, is feeding more than 18,000 people a year through their food pantry. With only 375 members, this small church packs a powerful punch when it comes to combatting hunger in their region, which is experiencing widespread rural poverty that extends into four states: Arkansas, southern Missouri, southeast Kansas, and eastern Oklahoma.

Rev. Paul Theiss pastors Peace Lutheran Church and signed Bread for the World’s recent petition to Congress that says churches cannot shoulder the burden of protecting poor and hungry people alone. When signing the petition, Rev. Theiss left this comment: “Our congregation, Peace Lutheran Church, fed over 18,000 people during 2011 through our food pantry and additional children through our subsidized preschool and childcare center. We might have to close our youth and music ministries to find enough money to feed the many more who would come looking for food help.”

I called Paul Theiss to ask him about his ministry, the unique needs in his community, and how an added cost of $50,000 a year to help poor and hungry people would impact his church. Read our conversation below:

Tell me about Peace Lutheran Church. What services do you offer your community?

We have 375 baptized members and our average worship attendance is about 150. We operate the largest and highest-rated Christian preschool and learning center in Rogers, AR, which takes children from 6 months to kindergarten, and is partially subsidized by federal funds for working poor parents through the state of Arkansas.

Our pantry fed 18,000 people in 2011 and we spend $20,000 to $25,000 a year on food. We also receive many in-kind donations from members, local businesses, restaurants, and friends in the community.

Have you noticed increased need in the recent years since the economic recession?

Compared to the rest of Arkansas, this area has very low unemployment, but it’s surrounded by a large area of rural poverty that extends into four states. Many of the jobs here are minimum wage, which doesn’t support a household. So it’s very common to see people working two or three jobs and still not making it. You might say they are one car breakdown or sick child away from an empty pantry.

Could you share the story of one particular food pantry participant who stands out to you?

One young lady who worships regularly with us has an infant child. She is a single mom and works at a local restaurant, and has her child in our infant care center. She receives food stamps, WIC, and subsidized childcare. Her family also helps her. She is very intelligent and capable and faithful, but she’s living on the edge. And she would be among those affected by the recent cuts enacted by the House of Representatives. 

What was your response to the news that the House voted to cut funding to programs for poor and hungry people?

A sense of disbelief. Our representative is the former mayor of our town and he certainly knows the situation here, and I can’t believe that he would be responding to the need in such a way. So that’s the disbelief part of it.

I also feel overwhelmed when I think about what would happen if these cuts go through. The figure that’s put out there by Bread for the World is that every congregation would have to come up with $50,000 more per year [if House cuts are enacted]. Well, that’s an average. And for a place like Peace Lutheran Church, we’re talking about an exponential growth in need.

What is your greatest concern?

Sometimes when I park my car and walk up to the church door, I think about what it would be like if people were standing in line around the corner waiting for the pantry to open and not having enough to give them.

Where do you find hope?

That’s easy. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. You can’t imagine a more hopeless situation than the death of Christ, and yet God brought something wonderful and powerful out of that.

The faith of the people I see who are involved in this ministry gives me hope as well. There was an anonymous note here that was given to one of our food pantry volunteers and I got a copy of it. It said:

“I’m sorry I didn’t know your name, but last month when my sister and I came to the food bank, we got here real early, and we were just sitting in my car waiting. You came out and told us to go ahead and come in. You didn’t know it, but our nephew had been in a really bad car accident. He lives with me and had just been here a few days. I needed to go ahead and do food banks, and he knew I had my cell phone and could reach me if needed. You really took a load of worry off me and my sister. God bless you, and thank you. K--- and J---”

So that’s just a touching thing when you think about how many people this volunteer has to deal with every day and he’s unemployed himself.

+Join Rev. Paul Theiss and sign our petition to Congress and let them know that churches cannot be the only ones responsible for feeding hungry people!

Jeannie Choi is associate editor at Bread for the world. Follow her on Twitter @jeanniechoi.

Screenshot taken from The Chew

Taking the food stamp challenge for a week is a far cry from the reality nearly 49 million Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps) recipients face trying to stretch their SNAP dollars to the end of the month. But for celebrity chef Mario Batali, taking the food stamp challenge starts a conversation, and that's a good thing.

The reality for people who rely on SNAP goes beyond just the struggle to eat, and often includes a myriad of other challenges, such as gaining stable hours at work, paying for rent, keeping the lights on, and getting to the doctor. Nearly 99 percent of SNAP households have net incomes below the poverty line (about $22,000 a year for a family of four in 2011). For Batali, who is currently taking the food stamp challenge for one week, planning a week of meals for his family of four on $124 was, “not at all relaxing.”  Batali says, “It’s very much thinking about it all the time, which is what I imagine hunger feels like on a regular basis.”

In a brief backstage interview for his TV show, The Chew, Batali goes on to note that taking a challenge is not the same as living the reality, “It’s easy for us because we all know that next week we are going back to whatever we do. But it’s an interesting conversation every day to think about what hunger is, what food is, what nutrition is -- in a way that really makes us think about it on a much more personal level.” [See the video below.]

Another reality is that SNAP works. In tough economic times SNAP has been a life-line to families. As the economy heals, participation in the program will decrease.

Yet some in Congress want to force families out of the program. The House has proposed cutting $169 billion to SNAP and some have said that the churches can pick up the slack. Proposed changes like block granting would mean 8 to 10 million people would lose benefits that put food on the table. It would require roughly every religious congregation, on average, an additional $50,000 per year over 10 years to make up for these cuts. 

We need your help to turn the conversation into action. In June, members of Bread for the World will be in D.C. for our annual Lobby Day. We will be carrying petitions to our members of Congress that say people of faith find cuts to SNAP unacceptable. We have set a goal that the petition will include 5,000 religious leaders. Sign the petition and please make a commitment to ask your community’s leaders to speak up and defend our nation’s most effective line of defense against hunger.

Robin Stephenson is a regional organizer at Bread for the World.

"Six million children die of malnutrition and hunger-related causes every year. That's 16,400 every day. Most of that is preventable. Bread for the World believes that hunger can be wiped out for only a few billion dollars -- peanuts compared with the military budgets of the world powers. If we don't respond, these children will find the door barred in their faces -- and in their case, they weren't 'foolish' but innocent. We will be the fools, but it will be too late for those who already face that closed door.

Jesus is not warning about the last judgment here, but against a judgment already taking place every day. In the world's midnight, Jesus brought the reign of God to humanity. Jesus transformed the world's midnight from a time of destitution into a time of celebration. Will we be at the wedding feast or locked out by our failure to grasp the meaning of that closed door? Perhaps there will be later feasts I can say yes to and be prepared for, but I have for all time missed the chance for this feast. The times we haven't responded to God's invitations to act add up to our unlived life."

--Walter Wink, in his reflection on the parable of the wedding feast (Matthew 25:1-13) for Hunger for the Word: Lectionary Reflections on Food and Justice. Walter Wink died May 10, 2012.

Few people can forget the iconic 1939 film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. It is the story of Jefferson Smith, an idealistic, principled young man who is appointed to represent his home state in Washington, DC. When Mr. Smith arrives at Congress, however, he quickly finds those principles and ideals challenged. His fellow Senators dismiss and try to silence him, but in the end, through courage and tenacity he stands his ground and holds true to his principles. In doing so, he provides a much needed prophetic voice to the representatives of the people, reminding them of their responsibility to serve others.

From June 9 to 12, more than 70 young pastors, ministers, and clergy will gather in Washington, DC, for Hunger Justice Leaders 2012: From the Pulpit to the Public Square -- a powerful training that will help attendees develop their own prophetic voice to urge our nation’s decision makers to end hunger here and abroad. Through a special partnership and covenant with Bread for the World, this year’s Hunger Justice Leaders will be provided with expert training, inspiring speakers and worship, spiritually sustaining fellowship, and unique opportunities to visit the White House and to lobby their members of Congress!

Proverbs 31:8, 9 tells us to “Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute. Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.” We can end hunger in our time, but it will take faith and political will to make it happen. It will take the work of faith leaders, stepping from the pulpit to the public square, to organize, advocate, and follow in the tradition of the prophets to build a movement across our country.

This June, dozens of faith leaders begin that journey and work with Bread for the World. "Pastor” Smith is coming to Washington.

Jon Gromek is north central regional organizer at Bread for the World.

Photo caption: Cropped screenshot of James Stewart from the trailer for the film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

"Why should there be hunger and privation in any land, in any city, at any table when [we have] the resources and the scientific know-how to provide all [hu]mankind with the basic necessities of life? ... There is no deficit in human resources; the deficit is in human will."

--Martin Luther King Jr., in his Nobel Peace Prize lecture.