Preparing for the 2013 Offering of Letters

By Robin Stephenson

Bread for the World's 2013 Offering of Letters, "A Place at the Table," will be launched on March 1. This year's campaign shares a name with the major documentary A Place at the Table, which can be seen in theaters, on iTunes, and On Demand nationwide beginning on March 1.

The Offering of Letters kits will be ready for mailing mid-February. If you conducted an Offering in your church last year and reported the number of letters to us by using the report form, you will automatically receive a free kit. If not, order yours today. The kit will also be available online beginning March 1, along with the full website for this year’s campaign. 

This year's Offering of Letters will look very similar to last year's, as we continue to ask Congress to make sure that budget negotiations include explicit protections for programs that help end hunger. This year, our campaign will include two parts:

1.  Petitioning the President:  We will collectively ask the President to enact a national plan to end hunger.
2. Writing Congress:  Our letters will push for legislation to protect key programs, including SNAP, WIC, poverty-focused development assistance, and the EITC and CTC; and also raise revenue to support anti-hunger programs.

In the meantime, if your church or group has already planned an Offering of Letters for this month, continue to use the sample letter and campaign information on the 2012 Offering of Letters website, which is still active. 

Over the next couple of months continue to follow this blog feed for updates, information, and tools that will help you engage in successful advocacy to end hunger in 2013.  And be sure to register for this month’s grassroots conference call and webinar. If you have questions and would like additional assistance in planning your Offering of Letters, contact your regional organizer.

And check out this short video introducing the 2013 Offering of Letters:

Robin Stephenson is Bread for the World's national social media lead/senior regional organizer, western hub.