We of Hope Church are a Bread for the World covenant church. Bread for the World is a collective Christian voice, moved by God’s grace in Jesus Christ, urging our nation’s decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad. Our faithful advocacy makes a difference.
In support of Bread for the World we can pray for families struggling with hunger. We can pray that our state’s and nation’s lawmakers will act with wisdom, compassion, and courage to relieve hunger and poverty.
And we can add our shoulders to moving the great boulder of hunger by sending letters to our U.S. congressman and senators. Bread for the World’s Offering of Letters is a powerful way we can involve ourselves in Bread’s advocacy work. The Offering of Letters focuses on a single issue and alternates year-to-year between a domestic and an international hunger issue. Personalized emails stand out. They tell senators and representative that you, as a constituent, really care about an issue.
When it comes to fighting hunger, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit (CTC) are proven to be the most successful at moving more children out of poverty than any other government program. COVID-19 exposed the vulnerability of the U.S. safety net and amplified the inequity that shows that Black, Latino, and Indigenous children have disproportionately higher levels of food insecurity than their white counterparts. Children are more vulnerable than any other group to the damaging impacts of hunger even for short periods. By making the recent expansion in the refundable tax credits permanent, Congress can cut child hunger in half, with even greater impacts in communities of color.
The coronavirus pandemic has damaged efforts to reduce global hunger, adding new disease to violent conflict and climate change in fragile states. Now, more than ever, U.S. investments in global health, food security, and nutrition are critical for the world’s future. Malnutrition is the leading risk factor for death among children globally, accounting for 45 percent of all child deaths—losses that are almost entirely preventable. Our U.S. Congress has the opportunity, through legislation, to change the course of the lives of millions of children. Our representatives and senators just need the political will to make such legislation happen.
Link to Bread for the World sample letter: https://secure.bread.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=401&s_subsrc=url-shortcut
Link to sample letter with Michigan congressional contacts
Bread for the World’s 2021 Offering of Letters is an opportunity to put your faith into action. All people deserve the opportunity to live a healthy life and reach their full potential. Join us in making this opportunity a reality! We will be offering our letters the week of Sunday, June 20, through Sunday, June 27.
Grace and peace, Tom Arendshorst & Tom Bultman