“Bread for the World urges members of Congress to restore funding for Feed the Future Innovation Labs, a network of U.S. universities researching innovative ways to feed the world and position the United States as a leader in global food security and research.  

“Housed and led by U.S. universities, Feed the Future Innovation Labs have helped advance solutions to reduce global hunger and malnutrition. The knowledge gained by the labs has led to game-changing breakthroughs, including developing crops that can grow in harsh growing conditions, improving livestock resilience to disease, and strengthening the resiliency of aquatic food systems.”

Earlier this year, the White House cut off almost all funding for the innovation labs, forcing the vast majority of labs to close. On October 1, the White House cancelled the remaining $72 million in federal funding for the labs as a part of its “pocket rescission” of nearly $5 billion in international assistance. Senate Republicans had spared the $72 million for innovation lab funding from the White House’s first rescissions package in July.

Before the White House cancelled funding for the program, innovation labs were based in more than 80 universities across the United States. While a few innovation labs have been able to sustain or resume operations thanks to private donations and funding from individual universities, most remain closed down.

The innovation lab program has enjoyed broad, bipartisan support among members of Congress. Every $1 invested in the program has resulted in an $8 return in investment for U.S. taxpayers.

“Innovation lab research breakthroughs, as well as the education the labs provided, have enabled numerous communities around the world to become self-sufficient. The knowledge gained in innovation labs have also greatly benefitted U.S. farmers and growers who were able to apply that knowledge, as well as the communities the labs were based in.

“The defunding of the Feed the Future Innovation Lab network will have adverse ramifications both in the U.S. and globally. Bread urges Congress to restore funding for this consequential program.”

The post Bread Urges Lawmakers to Restore Feed the Future Innovation Lab Funding appeared first on Bread for the World.

Act now and urge your members of Congress to robustly fund lifesaving humanitarian aid programs.  

The post Urge Congress to Robustly Fund Humanitarian Aid Programs appeared first on Bread for the World.

Child hunger is a local and a global problem, but together, we can make a difference.

Ask your senators and representatives to protect, restore, and secure robust funding for global nutrition programs, and to fully fund and strengthen the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).

The post Urge Congress to Protect and Strengthen Child Nutrition Programs appeared first on Bread for the World.

As a community focused on advocacy, the promise of the peace of Emmanuel – God with us – grounds us, brings us joy, and prepares us for the work that is before us. That is why we chose the theme Seeking Peace in this Advent Season. We hope that peace may be a balm for our souls on the heels of an election, continued hunger and violent conflict in the world, and the beginning of a new liturgical year.

Each weekly devotional message approaches peace with a different invitation: Lisa Sharon Harper invites us to find peace in remembering God’s promises. Eddie Kaufholz invites us to pause and be still as a way of preparing for Christ’s coming. Kimberly Mazyck invites us to find joy as we turn over our burdens to God. And Rev. Fr. Nicholas Anton invites us to let the proclamation of God’s justice change us from the inside out.

Take your time as you read. While the reflections are short, there is a lot packed into each of them. Every person may engage with each devotional in different ways. Trust yourself and your body.

At the end of each reflection, we intentionally invite you to a series of spiritual practices to provide grounding in a time of transition in politics and in the world around us.

On behalf of Bread for the World staff, we wish you a meaningful and joy-filled Advent.

– Rev. Nancy Neal

Here are Bread for the World’s 2024 weekly Advent themes:

Week 1: “Remembering God’s Promises”

Scripture: Jeremiah 33:14-15

Reflection: Advent is the time of waiting. We wait for light to cut the darkness of destruction and desolation and dystopian despair. It is the context before the revelation of Emmanuel, God with us. It is what we practice to ground ourselves in the floating space where chaos rules and light is a faint memory.

– Lisa Sharon Harper

Read More

---

Week 2: “Preparing by Being”

Scripture: Jeremiah 33:14-15

Reflection: About a year ago, I developed an interest in Transcendental Meditation (TM, if you’re in the know) and enrolled in a “Basics of TM” course. It was enlightening.

Sure, there were the woo-woo, vaguely spiritual elements of meditation that piqued my curiosity about the practice. Yet, despite all the new and curious elements of this course, nothing was more impactful to me than what my TM teacher instructed me repeatedly: “You don’t have to do anything. The meditation will happen. Simply be present. Be where you are.”

– Eddie Kaufholz

Read More

---

Week 3: “Rejoicing in God’s
Promise of Peace”

Scripture: Philippians 4:4-7

Reflection: As a child, I was always excited when it was time to light the solitary pink candle on the Advent wreath.

This year, as we enter the third week of Advent, I am particularly aware of God’s presence and promise despite the events in the past few months: executions, elections, ongoing conflict in Sudan, Ukraine and near the birthplace of Jesus in Israel and Palestine. The prophet Zephaniah reminds us that God is in our midst and turning our enemies away. I know that I must surrender my anxiety and worries to God and remember that God is always with me. It is during this time of Advent that as we wait, we prepare ourselves for the most joyful promise of all, God’s promise to send Christ to the world.

– Kimberly Mazyck

Read More

---

Week 4: “Proclaiming God’s Justice”

Scripture: Luke 1:52-54

Reflection: Proclaiming God’s justice — what in his teaching the Lord described as good news to the poor … freedom to the oppressed (Luke 4:18) — contextualizes peace as manifest through our relationship with and in Christ. This is the authentic communal response for the common good. Otherwise, justice can assume many other forms, including revenge and retaliation. Outside of the perspective or path of Christ, an eye-for-an-eye justice may seem reasonable or rational; but it is actually a self-centered and self-focused response. In the light of Christ, the way of retribution is not justice, but selfishness.

– Rev. Fr. Nicholas Anton

Read More

The post Advent 2024: Seeking Peace in this Advent Season appeared first on Bread for the World.

We Ought to Care About Each Other

As people of faith, we are meant to be engaged citizens. One of the ways we do that is to exercise the right and privilege to vote. 

I say this gently and pastorally: it’s a dangerous, idolatrous, false-binary perspective to say that any political party is God’s party. No one party (or political leader) monopolizes the kingdom of God. I don’t know how more clearly I can say that. 

I do think we can use our prayerful discernment, theology, and our convictions in the divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ to inform our views. 

Nearly 14 million children in the U.S. are experiencing hunger. Approximately 1 in 11 people around the world are food insecure, including 45 million children who suffer from wasting, the most devastating form of malnutrition. 

Our elected leaders can make decisions that will have an incredible impact on the lives of these people and children who are vulnerable.  

This is not a left-wing issue.

This is not a right-wing issue. 

It’s a human dignity issue. 

It’s a human flourishing issue.

As Christians, we ought to care about the politics that inform the policies that are not sufficiently addressing these children who are experiencing hunger. 

Three Things Everyone Can Do

I understand that it is difficult to engage in politics when everything is so divisive. It can feel like we are being yelled at all the time by supporters of one party or the other. Be honest, who else is exhausted of receiving political donation text messages?!?

The problem with polarization is that we have reserved questions of importance until election season. We should be engaging and talking with our neighbors all the time – and not just about political issues. 

The command to love your neighbor is an incredibly important part of our identity as followers of Jesus. We ought to look around and notice who we are regarding as our neighbors. Are we only connecting with people who look like us, think like us, feel like us, worship like us, and vote like us?” 

It’s all too easy to end up in an echo chamber where everyone we talk to affirms everything we already think. I’ve spoken before about Make America Dinner Again (MADA), an initiative started by two people after the last election who realized that they didn’t know a single person who voted differently than they did. They decided to host a dinner where they began with: “We don’t want to blame. We don’t want to point fingers. We do want to have a conversation.” 

Dinners like this may not change our views, but they can make us more human, more civil, more empathetic. I know because I joined my local MADA dinner.

It can be satisfying to scream and shout our convictions at the other side. But the opposite, to listen well – not just share our views well – is something we should learn, too. And it can be just as fulfilling. 

So that’s the first thing everyone can do:  

1. Be in conversation with your neighbors and the people around you.

When we enter into regular conversation with our neighbors, we learn about what they care about and what issues impact them. We begin to see how policies affect them, maybe differently from how they affect us.

It can be eye-opening. And it can make you see your community differently.

I encourage you to get involved locally. Whether that’s your congregation, or your neighborhood, or your city…. you don’t have to be an elected official to make change in your community. And you don’t have to do everything.

Just do something. Be an active participant in the place you live. Get involved with the PTA, join a public gardening project, volunteer at your area foodbank, advocate for better disability access in your county building. Just do something.

If we reduce our civic engagement to one vote every four years, we might be part of the problem. In the same way that Christianity can’t be reduced to 2 hours on a Sunday morning, citizenship cannot be reduced to 1 vote every few years.

That’s the second thing everyone can do:

2. Vote, but don’t only vote. Get involved in your community. 

As Christians, we know the importance of speaking truth to power. But we can’t forget the importance of working toward peace at the same time. 

In the last few election seasons, we have seen political strife. Assassination attempts. A march on Capitol Hill where citizens assaulted elected officials. We need to pray and work toward a peaceful transition of power.

Prayer is a powerful act that binds us closer to God and to each other. It empowers us to support those in authority with a spirit of both truth and love. We can be pastoral and prophetic. Ask God to grant our leaders the integrity and wisdom to focus on matters that protect the most vulnerable among us. 

That’s the third, and maybe the most important thing everyone can do:

3. Pray and work toward peacemaking and pray that our leaders lead with compassion. 

What the Future Holds

In the U.S., our elections can have a tremendous impact on hunger here in the U.S. and around the world. We can elect and hold accountable leaders – of any political party – who care about hunger and justice. 

Whatever the election result, Bread for the World will work with both political parties to advocate, speak up, and represent, as humbly, faithfully, and passionately as we can, God’s commandment to feed our neighbors – whether they live in the next house or the next continent. 

Thank you for your prayers as we continue that work. Thank you for your generosity that allows us to continue that work. Thank you for being part of Bread for the World. Thank you for your voice and advocacy that amplifies this choir. Together, we can continue to be present and persistent in the work of addressing hunger that we are called to.

If you haven’t yet, sign the pledge to Vote to End Hunger. You can also click here to sign up for Prayers to End Hunger.

If you’ve never given a donation to support Bread’s work, please consider doing so now.

The post Why Christians Should Vote appeared first on Bread for the World.

500 million people.

IDA does this by turning donations from higher-income countries into grants and low-to-zero interest loans to lower-income countries. It’s a lifeline for governments who are trying to address multiple mounting, intertwined crises at once. Conflict, economic shocks, the impacts of extreme climate, persistent poverty, rising inequality, and lasting impacts of COVID have hurt us all – and especially lower-income countries. 

South Korea

My birth country, South Korea, faced several of these same crises in the 1950s and 60s. After the Korean War, the Republic of Korea was struggling with widespread hunger, the challenges of post-conflict rebuilding, sluggish economic growth, and political corruption. Its GDP per capita was just $158. 

South Korea sought help and received its first IDA loan in 1962. Now, its GDP per capita is $32,254. 

It was a striking achievement. They didn’t just use the loan to address shortfalls in their budget, they used it to change their country’s future. They are now a donor to IDA, contributing so that other countries have the chance to experience the same transformation.

Bread for the World

Nearly six years ago, Bread for the World was one of a few NGOs in 2019 who successfully defended IDA from appropriations cuts that were proposed in initial spending bills that year. Two years later, in 2021, Bread members advocated for – and then celebrated – a historic replenishment for IDA20. 

Now, we are working toward the replenishment of IDA21. We are advocating for another successful replenishment – maybe the largest of all time.

Nutrition 

One of the great blessings of modern life is that we have learned a lot about how to end dire poverty and disease that harmed much of past generations. One of the great tragedies of modern life is that we have not put all that know-how into practice. 

For example, we know what it will take to end malnutrition around the world. The tools are there: prenatal vitamins, breastfeeding support for mothers, vitamin A supplementation, treatment of child wasting. We know we have to make food systems work better so that people have better access to affordable, safer, and more nutritious foods.

But our actions do not match our words. Nutrition is vastly underfunded globally and is often an afterthought in health and food programs. In fiscal year 2023, the nutrition account was only 1.5 percent of U.S. global health funding.

We should make sure that children affected by malnutrition are able to get the treatment they need, and we also need to prevent malnutrition; I would far rather a child never be malnourished. 

This takes funding – and there is not enough. 

IDA in action 

In July, Brazil’s President Lula de Silva announced a new Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty as part of their presidency of the G20. The Alliance aims to enhance global partnerships, mobilize essential resources, and share knowledge and successful policies and practices to address hunger and poverty on a worldwide scale – it will coordinate a global effort against hunger and poverty. Funding mechanisms such as IDA can provide crucial financial support to implement these policies. 

This matters to the 77 countries currently partnering with the World Bank on IDA. Just one example is Malawi, where IDA has helped millions of Malawians access food, improve nutrition, and rebuild agricultural livelihoods in the aftermath of climate shocks. In the low-income countries that quality for IDA, infrastructure is already precarious, so climate disasters affect them even more intensely – and investments that help smallholder farmers build resilience to them are even more impactful. 

What We Need Now

I wrote this when I was in New York for meetings around the United Nations General Assembly. IDA was on people’s minds because crisis was on people’s minds. That week, Denmark set an example – they announced an early commitment to IDA that is a 40 percent increase from their last commitment. This impressive pledge is a strong statement of IDA’s power to address poverty and hunger and their drivers. 

Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank Group, says, “The magic of IDA is not only the lifeline it offers to these countries, but its unique capacity to multiply every donor dollar four times. It’s the best deal in development. This commitment from Denmark will have a tangible impact on people’s lives.”

Hon. Simplex Chithyola Banda, Malawi’s Minister of Finance & Economic Affairs, says, “IDA is one of the most proven and effective aid providers the world possesses today and will be vital in delivering the vision of a hunger- and poverty-free world. With greater funding, the IDA can support the long-term investments needed to strengthen national food systems, while also breaking the cycle of crises that currently hold back the most vulnerable nations.”

It is projected that about 582 million people – half of them in Africa – will still be chronically undernourished by 2030 if current trends continue. The world needs to address the drivers of hunger and malnutrition and needs to put sufficient funding and financing into place that will allow countries to deliver interventions at scale – such as IDA. 

Ensuring a successful replenishment of IDA21 this year is one step toward these goals. Bread for the World urges the U.S. to make a strong commitment to this fund and urges our partners and allies around the world to do the same. 

Pray for Bread for the World as we advocate for IDA21 at key moments between now and December’s IDA21 Replenishment deadline. Pray that our words will be heard by our government leaders – and met with action.

The post Why We Are Advocating for a Successful IDA Replenishment appeared first on Bread for the World.

Bread’s faith-based, anti-hunger grassroots network shines all year, but especially in August. It’s one prong of our time-tested advocacy strategy: in-district relationship building + in-DC advocacy + smart policy analysis + media and community/coalition engagement = political will that leads to policy change. 

Our impact against hunger simply would not be possible without grassroots activism across the country. Today, I want to tell you about Bread advocate Makensie L. Brown.

Makensie, from Jasper, Alabama, came to Bread’s June Advocacy Summit for the first time this year. She deeply connected with the issues, Bread’s theory of change, and the experience of meeting with her representative – and it inspired her to the point of action. When she sought a second meeting with her Congressman Robert Aderholt in August, this time in Alabama while he is in-district, she shared with him how much an expanded, permanent Child Tax Credit would change the conversations she has every day with families trying to stretch tight budgets at the Jasper Family Resource Center. Because of Makensie Brown, Representative Aderholt heard firsthand about the lived experience of people in his district and how the programs that Bread advocates for can help.

We have more than 75 in-district meetings planned for the end of summer.  

They aren’t just with members of Congress, like Makensie’s; some of the meetings are listening sessions, where Bread is seeking input into the Nourish Our Future campaign. 

Deeply understanding the needs, challenges, and aspirations of people across the United States who want to help end childhood hunger is the foundation for all our work next year. 

I’m grateful to Makensie and thousands of anti-hunger advocates and faith leaders like her across the United States who are moved by God’s grace to work for an end to hunger. 

Seven hundred and thirty-three million people experienced hunger last year, according to the just released State of Food Security and Nutrition report. That’s 1 in 11 people around the world, and 1 in 5 in Africa.

I don’t want to mislead you. Pursuing a world without hunger is not easy. It might seem unlikely that we might have the power to feed so many. But there is enough food, enough money, and the right experience-based know-how to get it done. We just need faith, courage to act, and the political will. 

If you haven’t yet, I encourage you to get involved in in-district advocacy today. In fact, I need you to get involved. Our elected officials make decisions that have a tremendous impact on people experiencing hunger – both in our country and around the world. Write your organizer or visit www.bread.org/vote to learn more. 

In the Bible, Old Testament law established a structure for society with deep, divine concern for people who experience poverty and disapproval of systems that do not dignify God’s people and places them in conditions of hunger and poverty. As Paul exercised his power as a Roman citizen, so too can Christians advocate for government to protect and provide for all its people (Acts 21-26).

I hope you will find a way to use your voice this fall to accept God’s invitation to gather and share the blessings of God’s table with all of God’s children. 

The post August Recess Is Not a Time to Rest for Bread appeared first on Bread for the World.

Because of its economic and political power, the United States has had the responsibility and honor of leading the world in ending hunger. Churches and food banks are invaluable in feeding our neighbors here at home in immediate need, but federal nutrition programs provide roughly 10 times as much food assistance as private churches and charities. Feeding our neighbors longer-term, both in the U.S. and on the other side of the world, requires faith-driven advocacy.

It’s easier to understand how we can support those who are vulnerable and marginalized through our congregations, on social media, and by using our resources. But there’s another way to impact hunger that’s often overlooked: how you vote. 

While nearly everyone agrees that hunger is a problem, not all politicians see it as a priority. In November, Americans will vote for the next president of the United States, 33 Senate seats and all 435 House seats. Your vote will decide whether or not the world moves closer to the end of hunger. Every person who votes plays a part in this future.

The problem of hunger.

Approximately 735 million people around the world suffer from chronic hunger. In the United States, one in eight households struggles to put food on the table. 

Hunger doesn’t always look the same. Some people are hungry because food is in short supply in their area, or due to weather events, conflict, or economic factors. Others can’t afford to buy enough food. Some have a “hunger season” every year, when the previous harvest is gone and the next harvest is not yet ready. 

In the United States, many people who look healthy are hungry because they do not get enough nutrients. This is called hidden hunger. People who suffer from “hidden hunger” often have access to enough calories, but they chronically struggle to access food with sufficient vitamins and minerals. This prevents them from living a healthy, active life. Children who suffer from hidden hunger are not able to learn and focus as well in school, and adults who suffer from hidden hunger can struggle to lead productive lives.

God has ordained the government to play a significant role in the protection and development of people.

Romans 13 emphasizes the role and responsibility of leaders, noting that “governing agencies” are “God’s agent for your good” (NRSV). For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good” (NRSV). Voting has biblical precedence as well; Acts 14:23 describes that the early Christians elected elders by voting.

God tasks leaders with serving and protecting their people, whether or not they acknowledge that their authority comes from God. And Jesus warns that people will be held accountable and judged for the ways they have treated the least among them (Matthew 25:31-46).  

We love God by loving our neighbors. The Scriptures speak to the role and responsibility of leaders in caring for the poor. Proverbs 31:8-9 says, “Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute” (NRSV). In the Gospels, Jesus displays a particular heart for those who experience poverty, hunger, and vulnerability in our nation and in our world. 

There are some issues that are not “right and left” issues – they are right and wrong issues. Hunger is one of them. Hunger is an issue that is important to God, and therefore, it should be important to us and to our leaders. 

How can the U.S. government address hunger? 

According to the United Nations, the world produces enough food annually to feed 10 billion people, in a current population of just over 7 billion people. The problem is that as much as 44 percent of agricultural production is never consumed.

What’s needed is the collective will and action to get the right food to those who need it and address the factors that cause hunger to exist in the first place. This means enacting policies and programs that create jobs, strengthen safety nets, invest in human capital development, support community-initiated public-private partnerships, and support international efforts to end hunger and poverty.

Here are some ways the U.S. government prevents and addresses hunger in the U.S. and abroad: 

1. Foreign aid:
   There are several types of foreign aid: When a crisis or disaster strikes, people overseas receive emergency humanitarian assistance from the United States. Our federal government also provides ongoing food aid to address the “silent disaster” of hunger and malnutrition around the world. In addition, the United States provides development assistance to help countries and communities globally meet their own needs and prevent humanitarian food crises. 
2. Domestic nutrition assistance: 
   The U.S. invests in programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps struggling families put food on the table. Today, about 42.1 million Americans per month are directly impacted by the increases in access, eligibility, and benefits that SNAP provides.
3. Climate change: 
   Climate change brings shifting weather patterns that destroy crops, homes, livestock, and possessions. While no country can solve the climate crisis alone, through actions at home and our leadership abroad, the United States can reduce emissions and help vulnerable countries adapt to  climate impacts. 
4. Conflict: 
   About 70 percent of people experiencing hunger around the world live in countries affected by conflict. It’s a vicious cycle: conflict fuels hunger, and hunger and food insecurity trigger violence. The U.S. has the power to respond to conflict through economic pressure and advance stability in areas vulnerable to conflict.
5. Low-wage incomes and unemployment:
   The people who make the least have to spend most of their income on food in order to survive. U.S. economic policies can address inflation, create good-paying jobs, and reduce unemployment. 
6. Racial and gender inequity: 
   Around the world, women are more likely to experience hunger than men and earn less than men for doing the same job. This is also true of people within a community who are marginalized because of their race or ethnicity. The U.S. can combat inequality through education, assistance for gender programs, addressing sexual violence and hate crimes, and more.  

United States politicians have made a historic impact on hunger.

The United States has long been a leader in addressing hunger. In just two generations, for example, the world made amazing progress against hunger. In 1960, one in three people was hungry. Today, chronic hunger affects one in every eight or nine people. Much of this progress is due to the passion and commitment of U.S. leaders who gave their voices, their platforms, and their votes to key policies. 

2020 marked a spike in world hunger because of the pandemic. This next election is critical to recovering the ground we lost, and more. 

Many notable politicians have tirelessly pushed for programs and policies to reduce hunger. For example:

• In the first-ever televised presidential address, President Truman talked about fighting hunger in countries still recovering from World War II.

• In the 1950s, Congresswoman Leonor K. Sullivan pushed Congress to pass food stamp legislation – which eventually became SNAP. 

• In 1960, President Eisenhower implored the United Nations to create a program that would provide food assistance to countries in need. South Dakota Senator George McGovern played an instrumental role in the establishment of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).

• In 2002, former Kansas Senator, Senate Majority Leader, and long-time member of Bread’s board of directors Bob Dole joined Senator McGovern to launch America’s first global initiative to feed school-aged children: the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program. The McGovern-Dole program has provided meals to more than 40 million children in 41 countries.

• In 2016, the bipartisan Global Food Security Act (GFSA), was signed into law. The GFSA, introduced by Representatives Chris Smith and Betty McCollum and Senators Jim Risch and Bob Casey, focuses on the nutrition of women and children and expanded farmers’ access to local and international markets.

• The policies and programs Bread advocates for – and the many political leaders who have prioritized these policies – have impacted 320 million Americans and more than 7 billion people around the world.

How do you know which candidates support policies that will end hunger? 

We must elect leaders who are committed to ending hunger. This doesn’t necessarily mean determining a candidate’s position on ending hunger – no candidate is going to be openly “against” ending hunger. It means identifying the candidates who prioritize hunger in their platform and in their actions. 

Here are some steps you can take: 

*Note: The content in any external resources and websites may not reflect the views or public policies endorsed by Bread for the World.

1. Use Vote.gov to register to vote. You can also visit USA.gov to find your polling place.  

2. See who is on your ballot. You can use resources like Vote.org to see which candidates will be on your ballot. 

3. MyFaithVotes and Vote.org can help you identify who your local candidates are and their positions on different topics. 

4. Review the candidates’ websites or follow their social media accounts to see if they have a position on ending hunger. If they don’t, write to them and ask. If they are sitting members of Congress, check how they voted in the past on bills related to hunger, such as the Farm Bill, SNAP, and the Child Tax Credit.  

5. Attend local town hall meetings to talk to congressional candidates in person. 
   • If elected, what will you do to end hunger, alleviate poverty, and create opportunity in the United States and worldwide?
   • Will you publicize your position on hunger, poverty, and opportunity on your website and on social media?

6. Pledge to vote for candidates who will make ending hunger a priority and encourage others to do the same. Bread for the World has a team of organizers ready to help you vote your values. Click here to reach out to the organizer assigned to your state. 

7. Visit bread.org/vote for more ideas and resources you can use to engage in the 2024 election.

Pray for our leaders – present and future. 

God listens to our prayers, and our prayers have the power to fuel the mission to end hunger. 1 Timothy 2 tells us to pray for “all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life” (NRSV).  

Ask God to grant our leaders the integrity and wisdom to focus on matters that protect the most vulnerable among us. Prayer empowers us to support those in authority with a spirit of love and advocacy. 

Pray for God to guide you in your decisions this election season, and pray for our future leaders – whatever the outcome of the election – to be inspired to prioritize the issue of hunger during their time of service. 

When you talk about politics, talk about hunger. 

Do not be discouraged by political dissension or media coverage.  Your vote matters more than ever. Victory for one candidate may be determined by just a few votes more than the other. Not voting is just as much a form of voting, because it can have an impact on the outcome.

Congress and the president will make decisions that will determine whether hunger will continue to exist. We can’t end hunger in the United States or globally unless we elect leaders – including the president, Congress, and state and local lawmakers – who will make it a priority.

As we approach the coming elections, politics will increasingly be the topic of dinner discussions, social media posts, and events. Don’t stay silent; share any information you learn about wise and just candidates with your friends, neighbors, or online. Write op-eds or letters to the editor for your local newspapers. Volunteer for candidates who have a position you support. Go to bread.org/vote for more ways to engage with candidates and share information you learn with others.

In the midst of political division and standstill, we as believers need to be guided by our values. Most importantly, do not sit out this election. We are fortunate to live in a country where our leaders have the power to make a significant, world-changing impact on hunger.

Voting is not just a part of civic engagement. It is a privilege not to be taken for granted, and it is an opportunity to use your voice as an influence for good and for God – to determine a future that will impact us, our children, and future generations. 

Pledge to Vote to End Hunger

Voting is one of the most important actions we can take to help alleviate hunger. The leaders we elect in the United States make decisions that will have a tremendous impact on people experiencing hunger – both in our country and globally. 

Pledge today to vote for candidates who will make ending hunger a priority.

The post What Does Voting Have to Do with Ending Hunger? appeared first on Bread for the World.

This aid is critical because the situation in Gaza has dramatically escalated. The entire population of the Gaza Strip is facing severe food insecurity right now. 2.2 million people. Half—more than one million souls—are in famine-like conditions. This is the highest proportion of catastrophic hunger in any area since the UN started recording.

In Sudan, which is on track to become the world’s largest hunger crisis, one-third of the population (18 million people) face acute food insecurity. War has created the worst displacement crisis in the world along with restricting humanitarian access to populations in need.

The whole world is experiencing the worst hunger and famine crisis in a generation and conflict is a leading driver. In fact, 8 out of 10 of the world’s worst hunger crises are caused by conflict. And it is innocent people, particularly children, who suffer the most. At the same time, USAID was facing a 35 percent overall shortfall in their base funding.

I know I am not alone in feeling heartbroken – by these situations of crisis and the acts of violence that precede and stoke them.

This is why Bread for the World members and activists have been advocating so passionately and diligently for the emergency supplemental funding bills. As Christians, addressing the distress of our neighbors is woven into the very essence of our faith. We are compelled by the teachings of Jesus to offer help – and we must act.

Getting this humanitarian assistance passed is significant. We thank Congress – and I want to especially convey my gratitude to Speaker Mike Johnson and Leader Chuck Schumer. I also want to thank Bread for the World members, board, and staff.

Bread for the World members have written thousands of letters and made hundreds of calls to members of Congress in response to action alerts.

Our DC-based staff have hosted numerous briefings and had countless visits and conversations with the House and Senate members and staff about the supplemental. They have led our efforts in coalitions that have sent letter after letter and organized visit after visit with members of Congress.

This is truly a community effort and a win for the humanitarian efforts.  

I also want to respond to a concern that has been shared with me by some of our constituents, members of our board, and staff: the attachment of this humanitarian aid to military spending.

Our leadership team has wrestled with this tension. As fellow humans who grieve the tragedies of war and as followers of Christ, we take the words of Christ to heart: “Blessed are the peacemakers.”

I want you to know that Bread has not advocated for military funding and spending. Our mission is to help our nation’s decision-makers to move towards a world without hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition. But this work is complex and challenging. While our mission is clear, we don’t get to decide how Congress passes funding for humanitarian aid. While we were disappointed to learn that humanitarian aid was attached to a military aid package, we chose to continue to advocate for humanitarian assistance because the need is so great in places like Gaza, Sudan, Haiti, Yemen, Burkina Faso, and so many others.

Bread for the World has called on the White House and Congress to do all they can to bring about an end to the violence in Gaza and ensure that humanitarian aid can be safely delivered to all those who need it.

We continue to pray for peace in the region, for hostages to be returned home safely, for relief for Palestinians from war, violence, and starvation. We pray for peaceful resolution to the conflicts in Sudan and Ethiopia and Haiti and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Thank you again for being part of Bread for the World.

Thank you for your questions and pushback.

Thank you for your support and partnership.

Thank you for taking Jesus’ invitation to peacemaking, compassion, and justice to heart.

Onward,
Rev. Eugene Cho

The post Join Us in Celebrating a Victory for Global Humanitarian Efforts appeared first on Bread for the World.

These are not the only passages that address the challenges of people who face hunger and poverty or Jesus’ mandate to care for our neighbors.

As you consider the actions you might take in advocating for an end to hunger, you are invited to find inspiration or motivation in a favorite Bible story or verse or to explore the Bible on your own.

Use this brochure as a guide for finding your own basis as a Christian for answering this call.

Brochure Downloads:

The post The Biblical Basis for Advocacy to End Hunger appeared first on Bread for the World.

During Lent, we surrender. We rely completely on God’s love and mercy, remembering how Jesus invites us to walk through the wilderness with him during our struggles. 

Lent is a time of restoration – of ourselves, and also of the world. It is a time to follow God’s path toward justice and righteousness in the world, learning to trust in God’s word while taking action to heal the brokenness around us.  

Some people choose to fast to better understand Jesus’s sacrifice. Fasting can also help us understand the realities of the as many as 783 million people who are facing chronic hunger around the world.

Prayer is another important way to prepare our hearts for Easter, the holiest time of the year. Join Bread for the World in observing this season of Lent as we reflect on the coming resurrection of Christ and our role in ending hunger around the world.

Here are Bread for the World’s 2024 weekly Lent themes:

Lent Week 1: We Journey into the Wilderness with Jesus

Scripture: Mark 1:12-13, Psalm 25:4-5

Reflection: During the 40 days (not including Sundays) of Lent, many Christians give up some favorite food. Others participate in fasts as a way to remember those who are hungry. You may prefer to fast for just one day a week—or skip one meal. Contribute the money you save to your church or denomination’s hunger appeal. 

---

Lent Week 2: Jesus Teach us to be Satisfied in You

Scripture: Mark 8:34-35, Psalm 22:26-27

Reflection: This year, the Lenten readings from the Revised Common Lectionary invite us to journey through the wilderness asking Jesus to teach us his ways. During this reflective period, we are called upon to rededicate ourselves to prayer and action on behalf of people who are in need. Make prayers to end hunger part of your regular prayer life.

---

Lent Week 3: Jesus Teach us to do Justice

Scripture: John 2:13-15a, Psalm 19:7-8

Reflection: Part of the way we follow Jesus’ ways of justice and righteousness is to advocate in the public square. Take just a few minutes this week to write brief letters to your members of Congress. Urge them to support policies to reduce and end hunger.

---

Lent Week 4: Jesus Teach us to Keep our Eyes on You

Scripture: John 3:14-15, Psalm 107:19-20

Reflection: When we join together, our actions can have a bigger impact on healing the injustices in the world. Now that you have written your members of Congress, invite your church, community, and friends to write also. Bread for the World’s Offering of Letters is an opportunity for individuals, congregations, campuses, and groups to gather and write personalized letters or emails to their members of Congress on hunger and poverty issues.

Lent Week 5: Jesus Teach us to Rely on Your Word

Scripture: Jeremiah 31:33, Psalm 119:10 -11

Reflection: Disparities and inequities are built into the social fabric of every country. Women and girls are more disadvantaged than their male counterparts. In the United States, African American and Latino communities experience higher unemployment rates as well as higher levels of hunger and poverty. We all participate in these systems. This Lenten season, may we open our hearts to the ways Jesus teaches us so that we might learn to trust in God’s word and to act in ways that resist and dismantle these systems.

---

Holy Week: Jesus Teach us to Trust in Your Power

Scripture: Mark 15:37-39, Philippians 2:5-8

Reflection: On Easter, we celebrate that we, who are buried with Christ, are raised with him to new life. One way to express this new life in Christ is to join others in ongoing prayers for an end to hunger.

---

Download Bread for the World’s free Lenten devotional for in-depth scriptures, reflections, and prayers.

Bread for the World
Lent Devotional

Free Download

The post Lent 2024: Those Who Hunger Are Not Alone appeared first on Bread for the World.

War continues to rage in Ukraine and between Israel and Hamas. Earthquakes have torn apart communities in Afghanistan and Morocco. Disagreements between our nation’s leaders grind our government to a halt and sow amongst neighbors and family members Climate change and economic forces continue to impact food security for those who are most vulnerable. It would be easy to survey the landscape and think that God is absent in all of it. 

It’s also tempting to think that there is more tumult now than ever before, but we know that there was also great tumult when Jesus was born.  We know something of Herod the Great from the Book of Matthew where he orders the murder of all the children two years old and under because he is paranoid about possibly losing his throne. So paranoid that he had three sons murdered, one of his ten wives murdered, and others murdered. Caesar Agustus issued a decree for a census in order to be able to tax people with greater accuracy so that he could invest in the military, building expansion, and overall imperial control. 

It was also seen as a time of God’s silence. For 400 years there had been no prophets raised up by God.  No brave men or women empowered by the Holy Spirit to call the people to repent and turn back to God.  No amazing miracles, signs, or wonders. Only silence. Had God forgotten God’s people?  Had God abandoned them in frustration?  Looking back now we can see what was going on.  We can see that God was putting everything in place for the birth of the Messiah Jesus Christ.

In Advent we wait with anticipation for the return of Christ while we celebrate the birth of Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us. Jesus came during the darkest hour, bringing hope and light. Even in times of apparent silence, God is not absent. God is at work. God is not yet done. 

In the face of all that is happening in the world—all the injustice, the violence, the climate crisis, the hunger, the war—on top of our own challenges, it is easy to feel powerless. Like a deer in headlights, we can get frozen and not know what to do. Sometimes the intense suffering causes us to just get numb so that we don’t have to feel so much intense emotion. 

But instead of letting ourselves get stuck, in this period of waiting, we can lean into our spiritual practices, whatever they may be, to help us draw closer to God, to help us wait with anticipation and hope. We can also join together in community to take action that will make a difference. 

This year, in our advent journey at Bread for the World, we are turning to the Psalms which invite us to see with clear eyes, the world as it is, crying out, come Lord, Jesus, come! And they invite us to hold all of that in the hope, peace, joy, and love that is promised with Christ’s coming. We trust in God’s promises of restoration of the world. We stand in hope, peace, joy, and love to ground us as we offer our lives, following God’s path toward justice and righteousness in the world. 

If the God of the universe was born in a dirty, messy manger, in the midst of conflict and injustice and oppression, there is no mess or brokenness in the world or in our lives that God is not willing to step into. New light and life are promised.  

Rev. Eugene Cho is president and CEO of Bread for the World. To download the 2023 Advent Devotional from Bread for the World, visit bread.org/adventprayer. 

The post Advent Reflection appeared first on Bread for the World.

Jesus’ birth is a time of hope. As the world faces crises of violence, injustice, and brokenness, only God’s redemptive love can truly bring peace and healing. God works through us as Christians when we do our part, through prayer and action, to love our neighbors near and far. We can trust in God’s promises of restoration for the world. 

At Bread for the World, our faith in Christ is the foundation for our hope, story, mission, and values. We endeavor to follow God’s path toward justice and righteousness in the world as we advocate for the more than 700 million people experiencing hunger around the world every day. 

In the U.S., the measure of hunger is food insecurity; an estimated 44 million Americans, including 1 in 5 children, are uncertain of where their next meal will come from. And over 40 million people around the world are facing emergency levels of hunger, meaning they are on the brink of famine. This number has doubled since 2020.

In the last year, outbreaks of violence and conflict, extreme weather patterns, and inflation around the world have impeded access to nutritious food for groups already disproportionately impacted by hunger. 

We are committed to urging those in power to do everything possible to pursue a world where everyone has food security. 

Our work is grounded in the hope that Christ’s arrival brings and is inspired by God’s redemptive promises of restoration. But we also find strength in the knowledge that the Lord so loved the world that the Lord blessed us with a savior, the Prince of Peace.

Join Bread for the World in observing this Advent season as we reflect on the coming of Christ — Immanuel, God with us, the one who brings hope, peace, joy, and love to our broken world.

Here are Bread for the World’s 2023 weekly Advent themes:

Advent 1: “Hope”

Scripture: Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19

Reflection: We name the brokenness of the world we live in, and we ask God to restore creation — to shine God’s face upon the world so that God’s righteousness and justice might reign. We long for signs of hope for restoration.  

---

Advent 2: “Peace”

Scripture: Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13

Reflection: We find peace in remembering the ways that God has been a force for justice and righteousness in the past, even as we seek God’s justice and righteousness in our future. We long for steadfast love and faithfulness to meet and for righteousness and peace to kiss each other. As we reflect on the Christ child piercing the darkness of this world, we ask God to restore unto us light and peace. 

---

Advent 3: “Joy”

Scripture: Psalm 126

Reflection: We rejoice while we hold the challenges faced by millions of people around the world to secure enough food for themselves and their families. We trust that our faithful actions, following God’s path of righteousness, can make a difference. Those who sow with tears will reap with shouts of joy! 

---

Advent 4: “Love”

Scripture: Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26

Reflection: God’s steadfast love and promises for every generation hold us as we face a world so troubled by hunger and poverty. We continue to seek God’s righteousness and justice even when we do not understand where God is. We cry, “Come, Lord Jesus, come.” 

Christ’s presence in the world is the greatest sign of a brighter future. As Christians, we can come together to spread hope, joy, love, and peace in Jesus’ name while working to end hunger in our time. Bread for the World is committed to pursuing a world without hunger, and we hope you will continue to support our efforts by speaking up, praying, and giving. May Christ’s light shine in us as we work for a world free from hunger.

The post Advent 2023: Christ Brings Hope to Broken World appeared first on Bread for the World.

This month, we think back to the March on Washington, which occurred 60 years ago this August, along with some other significant Pan African moments from 1963. Tradition suggests that the diamond is the symbol for 60^th anniversaries, which causes us to reflect on the Greek root of diamond—adamas, meaning unconquerable and enduring. 

The epigraph from Deuteronomy suggests that remembrances of generations past can provide lessons for our todays and tomorrows about being unconquerable and enduring. 

We draw one such lesson from the story of Moses and the deliverance of the Israelite people from bondage. It is a story about newfound freedom and discovering a new way to live. This was not an easy task. This was illustrated when they were hungry in the wilderness after their release: 

In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt!” (Exodus 16:2-3)

And God heard their plea and provided food for the people to eat. 

This biblical text of God’s faithfulness to the Israelite people comes to mind during this month of Black August. This is a time for recognizing the enduring faithfulness of Pan African peoples in their resilient advocacy.  

This year’s Black August includes a remembrance of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington. A commemorative event will take place at the Lincoln Memorial on August 26. 

August 31 will be another date to commemorate, as it marks the third International Day of People of African Descent. That date will be complemented with recommendations from the United Nations 2^nd Permanent Forum of People of African Descent. 

On August 29 Bread will have a hybrid event to celebrate and commemorate both of these significant dates.

We will also be thinking about two 60^th anniversaries from earlier this year. May 25, 1963, marked the founding of the Organization of African Unity, now called the African Union. And the All Africa Conference of Churches held its first assembly on April 20, 1963 in Kampala, Uganda. 

Bread for the World has partnered with these Pan African partners and continues to do so with its mission and vision to end hunger and to address the wealth and income racial equity gap. 

In this moment, Bread believes the reauthorization of the farm bill is a policy that addresses equity, nutrition, and sustainable life—vital issues for Black August.

Pan African communities can and will continue to speak out, advocate, and show their historic resilience and resolve to address these issues from a faith perspective. Bread celebrates Pan African leadership as we partner to end hunger. 

Please visit www.bread.org/offering-letters/ to learn more about the farm bill and to advocate for it. 

Angelique Walker-Smith is senior associate for Pan African and Orthodox Church engagement at Bread for the World.

The post Black August 2023: Pan African 60th Anniversaries! appeared first on Bread for the World.

With that vision for a nation of well-nourished people, the Secretary kicked off remarks and answered questions from the audience about the importance of making permanent summer EBT, helping farmers address climate-related challenges, and making sure that everyone who is qualified for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is able to access it. His remarks were reinforced by an understanding that these policies are about people. About community. That policy matters because each of us matters, and the way we can build better communities is through better policy.

Secretary Vilsack was born into a Catholic orphanage. He said that no matter how alone he might have been – he never was really alone. He was always fed. And that mattered.  

The sense of gratitude that the Secretary conveyed for that childhood experience was noticed by the audience, most of whom are people of faith who came to Washington, DC, from districts and states whose national elected representatives sit on one of the six congressional committees central to hunger and food policies most active in Congress right now.

The audience included members of Bread’s grassroots Farm Bill Leadership team, advocates who contributed to listening sessions to develop Bread’s farm bill policy platform last year, board of director members, and Bread members and supporters – all people who are deeply engaged and committed to advocacy to end hunger.

On Monday afternoon, attendees learned about specific policies that Bread is advocating for in this year’s farm bill conversations. Congressman Don Davis (NC-1), vice ranking member on the House Committee on Agriculture (and a minister), spoke to the group about racial equity in U.S. farming. A couple of two-person panels – each with one policy expert and one community practitioner – shared perspectives on the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) and nutrition assistance in Puerto Rico.

After morning briefings about food insecurity in Black and Brown Communities, participants in invitation-only events – the Pan-African Convening and Latino Consultation – met with Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08), Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, and Assistant Democratic Leader James Clyburn (DC-06). The next day, Bread held a congressional briefing featuring Congressswoman Jenniffer González-Colon, Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico, speaking about NAP to SNAP in Puerto Rico.

These political and policy briefings – in addition to legislative advocacy briefings led by Bread’s Government Relations and Organizing and Faith Engagement teams – informed the group in advance of Lobby Day. Bread anti-hunger advocates met with 171 members of Congress from 34 states and 104 congressional districts to advocate for hunger-centric laws and policies in the farm bill that would move our nation and world closer to the end of hunger.

Heading into these meetings, advocates were prepared not only with personal experience, foundation in policy, and thoughtful meeting agendas – they were also equipped with inspiration from the Word. Summit attendees were led in worship over the two days by Rev. Dr. Heber Brown, III, head of the Black Church Food Security Network; Pastor Lori Tapia, National Pastor for Hispanic Ministries for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ); Rev. Nancy Neal, Bread Minister for Spiritual Formation and Wellness; and Min. Heather Taylor, Bread Managing Director.

Rev. Brown rallied advocates on Tuesday morning, before heading to the Hill, with a reminder that prayer is not only an action of the mind; but it is also with our actions in the world. If prayer is action, and action is prayer, then what these advocates did on Capitol Hill that day in June was prayer, raised in collective voice, to end hunger.

Again and again the message was repeated: there is power in perseverance. It was spoken by Secretary Vilsack, who talked about the long-term work of nutrition in improving a nation; by Pastor Tapia who reminded us to not grow weary in doing good; and by Bread president/CEO Rev. Eugene Cho, who reminded the audience of the five years of dedicated Bread and partner advocacy on global nutrition that led to passage of the Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act.

“Perseverance means you show up. You’re present. You’re persistent. You have a goal in mind,” Rev. Cho told the audience in his opening remarks on the first day of the Advocacy Summit. “Persistence is possible because we know that God is alive. And that God calls us to seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly. We know that justice isn’t a clothing accessory we wear when it’s fashionable but because, as Isaiah 61:8 declares, ‘I, the Lord, love justice.’” Rev. Cho said that in today’s cultural landscape of a short news cycle, ever moving from one thing to another, one event to another, one news item to another… we must choose to be persistent. It is not something that happens without intention. But when we make that choice, great things can happen.

It is heartening that so many anti-hunger advocates have made that choice, and in June came together to share their witness and desire for a world without hunger with our nation’s leaders. Pictures from the event are available here.

The post Bread for the World’s 2023 Advocacy Summit: Power of Perseverance appeared first on Bread for the World.

Bread for the World has been working with the Puerto Rican faith community to ensure that Puerto Ricans have equitable access to SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), the primary food assistance program in the U.S.  While people in Puerto Rico are U.S. citizens, their treatment is vastly different than that of mainland citizens.

In 2015, the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute found that over 33 percent of the adult population was food insecure. This was before Hurricane María, Hurricane Fiona, COVID-19, and the earthquakes that ravaged the southwest part of the island. A study by George Washington University estimated that 40 percent of Puerto Rican families experienced food insecurity during first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite the high rates of food insecurity, Puerto Ricans do not have access to SNAP. Instead, Puerto Rican residents receive a block grant called NAP (the Nutrition Assistance Program). The funding cap on NAP means not all Puerto Rican residents who would otherwise qualify for SNAP will qualify for NAP. It also means that during emergencies any additional nutritional aid assistance must be appropriated by Congress, a process that took six months to complete after Hurricane María devastated Puerto Rican communities. In contrast, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam, territories whose citizens receive SNAP, can request Disaster SNAP and have additional emergency aid in a matter of weeks.

Including access to SNAP for the U.S. citizens of Puerto Rico in the upcoming farm bill reauthorization process will move us toward more nutritious, sustainable, and equitable food systems.

Bread for the World has followed two principles that guide our work on moving Puerto Rico from NAP to SNAP. One is that we can’t do this alone. The other is that we must call on the leadership of people and leaders who are directly impacted by food insecurity and hunger. 

After Hurricane Maria and during the COVID-19 pandemic, Bread supported the Coalition for Food Security for Puerto Rico’s legislative push to secure emergency funding for NAP. This year, we invited representatives of the largest faith-based organizations in Puerto Rico to our annual Advocacy Summit.

During the summit, the representatives met with Bread members and supporters to develop a strategy to gain support from U.S.-based churches on the issue. They also met with members of Congress to discuss the challenges that Puerto Ricans face with food security and the inequities between NAP and SNAP.

Bread is only as strong as the leaders who work and pray together for the end to hunger. We are strengthened in this work by the leadership of groups like ASSPEN, ACOMERPR, Nutriendo PR, and the Coalition for Food Security for Puerto Rico, to name a few. We can say with confidence that with the support and leadership of Puerto Ricans living both on the Island and the mainland, and alongside of Latino leaders across the U.S., we can make a difference in the lives of people experiencing hunger in Puerto Rico and around the world.

The post Establishing Food Security: NAP to SNAP in Puerto Rico appeared first on Bread for the World.

Since Bread for the World launched our Farm Bill Campaign last December, we have received almost 500 commitments to hold an Offering of Letters. As churches and campuses across the country participate in our 2023 Offering of Letters on the farm bill, we want to let you know about a few new resources and best practices for your letter-writing event, along with some friendly reminders: 

New resources: We now have a 2023 OL PowerPoint that helps explain this year’s Offering of Letters and a video presenting the PowerPoint. These have been added to the list of Resources to Organize Your Event on our OL website: www.bread.org/OL.  

Best practices: For greater impact, schedule an appointment at your member of Congress’s local office, and hand-deliver the letters. Do this together with other churches and groups in your area, if possible. After delivering the letters, send an email to your member of Congress’s policy staff to make a personal connection and request a response. Your regional organizer can provide the necessary contact information. 

Reminders:  

• If you have already completed your Offering of Letters, thank you! Please report your results if you haven’t already, so we know how many letters have been sent to each member of Congress. Your feedback also helps us improve future campaigns. 

• If you have not yet held your Offering of Letters, be sure to take photos of your event!  

• If you have not yet committed to an Offering of Letters this year, there’s still time! Please be in touch with your regional organizer about the Offering of Letters and any questions you might have. 

Thank you for your commitment as we urge U.S. decision makers to pursue a world without hunger!  

The post April 2023 Offering of Letters Updates appeared first on Bread for the World.

Bread for the World continues to draw attention to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on hunger, malnutrition, and food insecurity, both in the United States and around the world. Bread has called for measures to increase equity, including equitable access to vaccines, in pandemic and post-pandemic responses.

Experts say that the United States will be coping for years to come with the impacts of delayed medical care during the height of the pandemic. We saw hospitals filled beyond capacity with COVID patients, resources and staff shifted to respond to the emergency. As conditions become more like those of the pre-pandemic era, the U.S. healthcare system must respond to a backlog of postponed minor and sometimes major surgeries, along with millions of people struggling with long COVID, a condition still poorly understood.

The consequences that may prove most important in the years to come, however, may be the impacts of hundreds of millions of missed routine screenings for early detection, appointments for treatment of chronic conditions, doses of prescription medications that people couldn’t obtain or afford, and progression of undiagnosed medical problems that people developed during quarantine. Only time will uncover the cumulative impacts.

Lower-income countries, including those with fewer cases of COVID than neighboring countries, face all of these problems as well—but with far fewer resources to implement solutions. Many governments and healthcare providers in Africa last faced decisions of such consequence to so many human lives during the worst of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the 1990s.

Bread is particularly concerned about one of the most urgent problems: missed vaccinations against childhood diseases. Quarantine mandates and other restrictions, while meant to slow the transmission of COVID-19, also created an enormous gap in protection from preventable diseases. This threatens to exacerbate the impacts of hunger for millions of children. Unvaccinated children, particularly those already struggling with malnutrition, are at enormous risk right now.

Because malnourished children have greatly weakened immune systems, they struggle to fight off childhood diseases and other conditions that most healthy children routinely recover from. Nearly half of all preventable deaths among children under age 5 are due to malnutrition, largely because illnesses and infections are far more dangerous. Children with severe acute malnutrition, a condition that calls for immediate medical attention and treatment with special therapeutic foods, are nine times as likely to die as well-nourished children with the same illness.

In May 2020, WHO announced that at least 80 million children not yet a year old were at risk of missing life-saving vaccinations.

The Lancet reported that rates of vaccination against childhood diseases dropped steeply almost immediately after COVID-19 became a global pandemic. In April 2020, one-third fewer doses of DPT3 vaccine were administered. Moreover, this global average obscures wide regional disparities, including a drop of 57 percent in doses given in Southeast Asia. DPT3 stands for the third dose of Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus vaccine—particularly important because three doses are given in the first year of life to provide full protection.

A sharp drop in rates of vaccinations against measles is perhaps even more alarming. In 2021, a record high of 40 million children missed either their first or second dose of measles vaccine—both essential for protection. “Herd immunity” requires 95 percent coverage. In 2021, the two-dose global coverage rate was 71 percent.

Healthcare systems around the world are making efforts to catch up, with results that vary by country.  But the record number of children not protected against measles “shows the profound damage immunization systems have sustained during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

The global community should make vaccination “catch-up strategies” a high priority and help bolster national efforts. Identifying children who are most likely to have missed coverage, who include rural children typically served by mobile vaccination clinics, is part of providing targeted catch-up services, services that are “essential to full recovery,” according to CDC’s statement of November 23, 2022.

Michele Learner is managing editor, Policy and Research Institute, with Bread for the World.

The post Global Health “Catch-Up” Strategies Are Essential, Especially for Children appeared first on Bread for the World.

Sister Sara Tarango is particularly interested in Bread’s 2023 Offering of Letters on improving the farm bill. She is known affectionately around the motherhouse as Sister Soil because of her impassioned presentations on regenerative agriculture. Regenerative agriculture may be a new term to many, but in essence, it is the simple, time-honored concept of soil preservation. Hence the nickname Sister Soil.

Sister Soil wants to make many more people aware that cropland soil in the United States is eroding 10 times faster than it is being replenished. Nutritious food depends on healthy soil that can supply seeds and, ultimately, the crops grown with sufficient quantities of all the essential nutrients. A carrot or an apple grown on a U.S. farm today is less nutritious than one produced just a few decades ago.

The U.S. soil health crisis is directly related to overreliance on chemical inputs in farming. Soil degradation is one serious problem caused by widespread use of artificial fertilizers and other inputs. Another is the emission of large quantities of nitrous oxide, one of the greenhouse gases that causes climate change.

Soil erosion is a global problem. Soil degradation is proceeding at such a fast rate that it calls into question whether the world will continue to be able to produce enough food for everyone.  

Part of Bread for the World’s collective campaign of farm bill advocacy is to encourage grassroots leaders such as Sister Sara to contribute to developing Bread’s farm bill policy platform.

David Gist, Bread’s organizer for California, met with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange in 2022, one of many preparatory farm bill listening sessions that Bread organizers held with grassroots leaders. According to Gist, “Sister Sara was by far the most interested and insightful participant, in part thanks to her training with Kiss the Ground.”

Kiss the Ground trains farmers in regenerative agricultural practices to apply in their fields, while activists are trained in advocating for policy change through legislation such as the farm bill. It has probably done more than any other U.S. organization to promote regenerative agriculture.

The training inspired Sister Sara to develop a tool kit for advocacy that she plans to share with other people of faith who are concerned about the environment. As she sees it, regenerative agriculture fits in well with Creation Care, an ecumenical framework embraced by many people of faith. We will have more to say about the Creation Care movement in an upcoming issue of Institute Insights.

In December 2022, Sister Sara came to Washington, D.C., for the launch of Bread’s farm bill policy platform.  The visit – her first to the nation’s Capital – included a meeting on Capitol Hill with her member of Congress, Rep. Lou Correa (D-CA-46).

It was his first time meeting with Sister Sara. However, as a longtime friend of the Sisters of St. Joseph, he was not surprised that she used the time available to explain why she’s concerned about soil degradation and then articulated other farm bill priorities identified by Bread’s collaborative process.

Although they too seldom receive the recognition they deserve, grassroots leaders such as Sister Sara Tarango are true Bread heroes, prodding the organization to identify and take action to achieve the bolder, more complex policy changes that are necessary to end hunger for good.

These leaders remind everyone at Bread that our mission calls for systems change in addition to strengthening individual federal programs.

It is not surprising that people working to address hunger in their local communities would see hunger as a problem rooted in the food system itself. Bread’s 2023 Farm Bill advocacy is making a similar case.

Todd Post is senior domestic policy advisor with Bread for the World.

The post Sister Soil Cultivates Zeal for Regenerative Agriculture at Bread for the World appeared first on Bread for the World.

The post The pandemic continues to devastate communities across the United States. Globally, hunger is reaching historic levels. appeared first on Bread for the World.

The post Free resources in English and Spanish are available—including bulletin inserts and a Bread for the World Sunday poster. appeared first on Bread for the World.

The post Ensure Congress makes funding decisions that put us on track to ending hunger by 2030. appeared first on Bread for the World.

The post Set up an in-district meeting with your member of Congress to talk about hunger issues. appeared first on Bread for the World.

Because of your advocacy, critical domestic and international anti-hunger and development assistance programs now have the additional funding that they so desperately needed. 

The post 16 million people helped. Thanks to you. appeared first on Bread for the World.

The post Know the issues. Hunger costs the U.S. economy $160 billion every year. appeared first on Bread for the World.