137 posts categorized "Advocacy"

We asked some of our members and followers if they’ve read any good books on hunger and poverty lately. Check out their suggestions—summer’s not over yet!

Three Cups of Tea, and Stones into Schools, both by Greg Mortenson

Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System, by Raj Patel

The Hole in Our Gospel, by Richard Stearns

A Thousand Sisters: My Journey into the Worst Place on Earth to Be a Woman, by Lisa Shannon

Down and Out in Paris and London, by George Orwell

Hope Lives: A Journey of Restoration, by Amber Van Schooneveld

How Much is Enough, by Arthur Simon

More With Less Cookbook and Living More With Less, both by Doris Janzen Longacre

The Long Loneliness, From Union Square to Rome, Loaves and Fishes, and Writings from Commonweal, all by Dorothy Day

Jesus Freak, and Take This Bread: A Radical Conversion, both by Sara Miles

Wage Theft in America, by Kim Bobo

How to Steal a Dog, by Barbara O'Connor

The Irresistible Revolution, by Shane Claiborne

Let Justice Roll Down, by John M. Perkins

Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger, by Ron Sider

The Poor Will Be Glad: Joining the Revolution to Lift the World Out of Poverty, by Peter Greer, Phil Smith, Jeremy Cowart, and Rob Bell

Walking with the Poor, by Bryant L. Myers

Tending to Eden: Environmental Stewardship for God's People, by Scott C. Sabin and Brian McLaren

The Working Poor: Invisible in America, by David Shipler

The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries are Failing and What Can Be Done about It, by Paul Collier

Under the Overpass: A Journey of Faith on the Streets of America, by Michael Yankoski

Kate Ross, Texas — The small blue-and-white Victorian on the corner may not look like much, but if you pass by at lunchtime, you’ll see a crowd stretching around the fence, waiting to get in. Drawn by the promise of quiet community and good food, local residents flock to the Gospel Café and the fellowship of the three women who run it—Sherry Castello, Marsha Martie, and Susan Cowley.

Castello and Cowley are members of CrossTies Ecumenical Church in Waco, TX, where Martie serves as pastor and co-founder. In 1988, Martie felt called to lead the church in beginning a community ministry in nearby Kate Ross.

“We felt a call to be engaged with the neighborhood," Castello explains, “but we knew how little we knew." One statistic that definitely stood out to them, however: Waco’s 28 percent poverty rate. When, during a neighborhood walk, the women happened upon a run-down house for sale, an idea began to form.

The trio envisioned creating a café where people of different economic classes would come together in a pay-if-you-can restaurant environment, allowing lower-income people to have the same meal and experience as others without feeling like they were receiving a handout.

The Gospel Café is now 15 years old, serving lunch three days a week—and more than 24,000 meals a year—whether or not customers can pay. The café’s daily operations are supported by donations from individuals, churches, and small firms, and about $200 a day from paying customers. Regular volunteers from CrossTies and other churches keep the café running by coming to cook and serve lunch.

The café even inspired a novel by Christian author Lisa Wingate, The Summer Kitchen, which was later named the book for this spring’s “One Book, One Waco” citywide reading program. The Summer Kitchen is not set in Waco but focuses on the themes of poverty, hunger, and community.

The café has turned out to be a wonderful ministry opportunity because it allows those who have been more fortunate to connect with those who haven’t. The family-style seating also encourages people to foster personal connections. As a result, many people who met at the Gospel Café now help each other out by driving others on errands or accompanying new friends to medical appointments for support and help deciphering medical explanations.

 These personal interactions are the best thing the women could have envisioned when they began the cafe. The opportunity for visitors to become involved in other people’s lives has benefited everyone. “The café is a place for loving folks,” Castello says.

“We marvel about the people God has called to minister with us in unexpected capacities: a nurse practitioner who felt drawn to begin the free medical clinic, a psychologist who wanted to begin working at the café one afternoon a week, a woman eager to help us begin Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous groups,” wrote Costello and Martie in Baylor University’s Truett Journal of Church and Missions.

If you ever find yourself in Waco around lunchtime, just look for the Gospel Café on the corner of 10th and Cleveland—and know you’ll be welcome inside.

Katie Whitnah is a communications intern with Bread for the World.

In case you missed it, National Public Radio aired a great set of stories about childhood hunger yesterday and today. “A Daily Fight to Find Food: One Family’s Story profiles the Williamson family, of Carlisle, PA, as they rely on a patchwork of food pantries, grocery stores, and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits to feed themselves.

The second part, “Eating Nutritiously: A Struggle When Money is Scarce,” looks at the choices many families have to make between eating healthy foods—and just plain eating. “A gallon of milk is $3-something,” Elaine Livas, director of a local food pantry, tells NPR. “A bottle of orange soda is 89 cents. Do the math."

Thousands of families face similar struggles in the United States. Nearly one in four children lives in a household that struggles to put food on the table. And for many families, SNAP benefits (formerly called food stamps) run out during the third week of the month.

That’s why it’s critical that Congress fully fund the child nutrition programs that are up for reauthorization this year. These programs include school breakfast and lunch programs; preschool, summer, and after-school meal programs; and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). They are vital to getting kids the food they need.

President Obama requested $1 billion a year in new resources for these programs in his budget earlier this year, but the Senate Agriculture Committee approved a child nutrition bill that only provides $450 million a year. And in its draft bill, the House Education and Labor Committee would invest only $800 million per year in these programs.

You can influence the reauthorization of these programs by urging your member of Congress to provide the full $1 billion investment so we can connect more kids with the food they need. For more information, read about the importance of child nutrition programs, including our background paper on childhood hunger.

After you watch the segment, please take a few minutes to write a letter to your member of Congress to help ensure that our kids receive better nutrition. Nearly one in four children suffers from hunger in the United States. Congress needs to fully fund and pass the Child Nutrition Act that is currently stalled in the Capitol.

The programs authorized by this Act—school lunches and breakfasts, summer feeding programs, and the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program—are critical to ending childhood hunger. We urgently need your help.

Thanks—and spread the word! Since “Need to Know” airs at various times throughout the country, please check your local PBS schedule.

International

After 65 Years, a U.N. Agency for Women. ...The General Assembly on July 2 created a new agency dedicated to promoting women's rights and involvement in development, peacemaking, politics and economic activity. [The Nation]

Prevent the Sahel's Next Food Crisis. Another food crisis is unfolding in West Africa's arid Sahel region, putting 10 million people at risk of hunger. Preventing such a scenario, or even better, avoiding it altogether, would be a noteworthy goal. [IRIN]

Asia Needs More Farm Investments to Feed Hungry. Asia and the Pacific, home to two-thirds of the world's 1 billion hungry people, need increased investment in agriculture of $120 billion a year for the next 40 years to contain hunger and future spikes in food prices, United Nations and Asian Development Bank officials said Wednesday. [Bloomberg Businessweek]

Domestic

Special Savings Accounts Can Help Break Cycle of Poverty. Programs provide matching funds for the poor who put money away for expenses such as education, a home purchase, or starting a business. [The Baltimore Sun]

Poverty, Dropout Rates Bode Grim Future for State. Forecast shows Texas incomes plunging if nothing is done. [The Houston Chronicle]

Marriage Loses Ground as Anti-Poverty Panacea.The Bush administration pushed marriage as a panacea for fighting poverty but a recent government study confirms the view of skeptics who say money problems must be solved first, since they destroy and destabilize relationships. [Women's eNews Inc.]

Climate Change/Environment

Rice and Climate Change. Rice plays a central role in feeding more than 3 billion people, including most of the world’s 1 billion poor, and any significant negative effect on rice production caused by climate change would be devastating for efforts to achieve global food security and address poverty. [IRRI]

A coalition of African-American and Hispanic pastors from across the United States announced support for immigration reform that transcends divisions and honors this country’s interests and values. The pastors plan to send a letter to President Obama and Congress urging immigration reform.

The pastors said that both Hispanic and African-American churches are united in their support and will continue the effort in lobbying for immigration reform. The coalition has called for a comprehensive immigration reform policy and greater border security and emphasizes the need for immigrants to learn English and pay taxes.

“We have to join forces and show a united front. We are going to mobilize people and our churches to seek immigration reform,” said Rev. Luis Cortes, Jr., president of Esperanza Group.

The pastors downplayed divisions related to concerns about the effect of immigration on jobs in the African-American community, indicating that immigration reform would lead to more equitable pay and prevent abuses by employers.

Andy Fisher, a spokesman for Sen. Richard G. Lugar (R-IN), told the Washington Post that the senator thinks it is simply the wrong moment for reform. "There really is not the political landscape to proceed with it at this time," he said.

But the pastors believe that President Obama's address on the topic indicates that it remains a priority for the government despite the political environment surrounding the mid-term elections in November.

The pastors vowed to continue to seek support from other churches and explain to their communities why immigration reform should be a priority for the country.

Reverend Harvey Clemons of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Houston, TX, said, "We all want secure borders" and the rule of law, but "We don't want divided communities" due to the present system.

Last week, Bread lost to cancer an advocate who “got” the critical details of sustainable agriculture. Deon Stuthman, professor emeritus of agronomy and plant genetics at the University of Minnesota, worked for decades to promote food security for hungry and poor people—both as a Bread activist and in church leadership roles, such as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s churchwide committees on agriculture and food issues.

Stuthman’s academic background enabled him to see clearly what needs to be changed, and his work as an activist helped bring change closer.

“He had a strong desire to see Bread address sustainability concerns more thoroughly,” said Tammy Walhof, who worked closely with Stuthman as Bread’s regional organizer for the Upper Midwest. “Some of his deep concerns about the flaws in our trade system and their potential impact on regional food security were played out during the 2008 food crisis.”

Bread staff members still refer to Bread for the World Institute’s 2003 Hunger Report, Agriculture in the Global Economy, for help in understanding U.S. farming policies and their impact on hungry people.

“Professor Stuthman was instrumental in planning our research trip to Minnesota for Agriculture in the Global Economy,” said Emily Byers, policy analyst for the report. “I think the trip has informed Bread’s work on agriculture issues ever since.”

When our Offering of Letters focused on the U.S. farm bill in 2007, Bread members’ understanding—and confidence to take action—were greatly strengthened by the efforts of our activists who are also technical experts. The farm bill will be coming before Congress again in just a couple of years, and Bread staff is already planning how best to build on the progress we have made.

We can honor Stuthman’s work by continuing our efforts to make U.S. farm policy more fair to all who are struggling to feed their families.

Michele Learner is a writer with Bread for the World.

Domestic
Brothers Fight Hunger With Soccer Camp. Kicking 4 Hunger collects cans for Concord pantry. [The Charlotte Observer]

N.J. Senator Introduces Bill Preserving FamilyCare Insurance Program for Working Poor. Showing his distaste for the budget deal reached Monday, Senate Health Committee Vice-Chairman Joseph Vitale (D-Middlesex) has introduced a bill that would allow more parents to enroll in FamilyCare, the insurance program for working poor people. [NJ.com]

International
Africa: Not Spending Enough on Food. "Africa is now facing the same type of long-term food deficit problem that India faced in the early 1960s," says a U.S.-based think tank. [IRIN]

Global: Ghana Tops List of Less Hungry Countries. Ghana, often hailed as a success story in West African agriculture, tops a global list of 10 countries that have managed to slash their number of hungry people by a huge margin. [IRIN]

Economic Crisis ‘Must Not Disrupt Vaccine Program.’ The global economic crisis must not be allowed to interfere with the delivery of new vaccines to the developing world, a global health body has warned. [BBC]

Kenya: Kakuma Camp Cuts Child Malnutrition. Aid workers in a camp for some 80,000 refugees in northwest Kenya have in six months slashed acute child malnutrition rates by doubling the provision of nutritional supplements, scaling up feeding and adopting community feeding programs. [IRIN]

Surviving on a Crust in Egypt’s Expanding Slums. For 7-year-old Ahmed Yasser, it is normal to have just a crust of bread to munch on throughout the afternoon as he plays with other children in a narrow alley in the sprawling slum of Arab al-Maasarah, 20 km south of Cairo. [IRIN]

Global Downturn Fuelled Poverty, Hunger: U.N. Report. The report said that effects of the crisis are likely to persist as poverty rates will be slightly higher in 2015 and even beyond… [Sify]

Climate Change/Environment
Syria: Act Now to Stop Desertification, Says FAO. An irreversible degeneration of some of Syria’s landmass could occur because of three consecutive years of drought, warns the Food and Agriculture Organization. [IRIN]

Isaiah Lewis, center, leads his mom, Beth, and other delegates to their congressional offices during Bread’s 2010 Lobby Day. Photo by Rick Reinhard.

For 2-year-old Isaiah Lewis, it’s never too early to learn to help others. He and his parents, Jeremy and Beth, drove from Atlanta to Washington, DC, last week to attend Bread’s Lobby Day.

The day went well—Isaiah and his parents visited their representative and both senators, urging them to protect and strengthen tax credits that help low-income families. “Isaiah had practiced saying, ‘Earned income tax credit’ and ‘make it permanent’” prior to the visits, said Beth.

When Isaiah asked his parents what the Earned Income Tax Credit is, “We talked about that it really helped people be able to choose what they needed to buy when they didn’t have enough money, even if they were working hard,” Jeremy said. “For instance, it allowed people to buy diapers, or work on their car if they needed to, but it really gave people a choice for how to use their money. I think he definitely understood that.”

Isaiah loved wearing a tie, and carrying the Lobby Day packet Bread provided was really important to him, said Beth. After the Lobby Day reception, the family returned to their dorm room at American University for a well-deserved rest, where a high point for Isaiah was jumping on the beds.

“It’s important to our family that he’s involved, so that he knows the importance of advocacy from an early age,” said Jeremy. “It’s only through us organizing our individual voices that we have an opportunity to make a significant change.”

Catholic Charities USA, a nonprofit that serves more than 9 million people every year, awarded Bread its Centennial Medal in recognition of our service to people in need. The organization also honored the Catholic Health Association.

Rev. Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities, presented the medal to David Beckmann during services at St. Mark's Episcopal Church on Capitol Hill as part of Bread’s annual Lobby Day last Tuesday. Catholic Charities is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

"In our centennial, it is a privilege and honor for Catholic Charities USA to pay tribute to such essential organizations as Catholic Health Association and Bread for the World," he said. "Their willingness to stand with the poor and disenfranchised as we advocate for services and solutions that reflect dignity and respect for all people is truly inspirational. We are so fortunate to partner with people and work of this caliber."