Oregon Bread for the World
Oregon BFW is part of a nationwide Christian citizens movement seeking justice for the world’s hungry people by lobbying our nation’s decision makers.
An effective response to hunger must combine private and public actions, neither can do the job alone. Christians have worked well in the private arena, Bread for the World provides a means where Christians can work equally well for effective public policies in the fight against hunger…
Email Your Representative now: Bonamici, Blumenauer, Schrader, Wyden, Merkley, DeFazio, Walden, (Find your Rep)
Congressional Switchboard: (202) 224-3121
Join the Oregon Bread Team, work with us to reduce the scourge of hunger from our country and our world ( Email )
Review the Partners for a Hunger Free Oregon Legislative Agenda for Salem.
Breads National Gathering Wrapup
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In the closing minutes of Bread for the World’s 2013 National Gathering, Rep. John Lewis entered a caucus room packed with hundreds of exhausted Bread members who had spent the day walking the halls of Congress, meeting with their lawmakers on behalf of hungry and poor people. The civil rights leader brought them to their feet with a rallying cry:
“Continue the fight. Continue the struggle. Never give up until everyone has food.”
Thanks to you and thousands of other faithful advocates, we are making progress against hunger. This was clear at our National Gathering, held in Washington, D.C., last weekend. More than 1,000 anti-hunger advocates joined us in prayer, training, education, and advocacy.
On Lobby Day, Tuesday, June 11, Bread members engaged legislators or their staff in 199 meetings, telling our stories and those of people in need, urging our leaders to consider the most vulnerable when they cast their votes—and reminding them that we are holding them accountable. Three-quarters of the Senate was visited by Bread members during Lobby Day.
| Mike: Act Now |
| Next week the House will consider the 2013 farm bill. If their version of the bill passes as it is now written, 2 million people will lose SNAP (formerly called food stamps) benefits. That is unacceptable!
Contact Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (202) 225-0855 to voice your opposition to the SNAP cuts. Urge Rep. Bonamici (202) 225-0855 to vote against the House farm bill. |
Quietly, steadily, we are building a critical mass in the fight against hunger and malnutrition, especially as it affects the youngest and most vulnerable.
On Monday, June 10, participants from more than 20 countries joined us for a special day-long international meeting, “Sustaining Political Commitments to Scaling Up Nutrition,” which was convened by Bread for the World Institute and Concern Worldwide.
Leaders from governments, nongovernmental organizations, and civil society joined Bread members to take stock of the movement to improve nutrition for mothers and children during the critical 1,000 days that lead to a child’s second birthday.
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Over the past three years, 40 countries with high malnutrition rates joined the movement to Scale Up Nutrition (SUN) and have highlighted nutrition in their development agendas, while donor governments and nongovernmental organizations are investing in new and innovative ways to prevent and treat malnutrition and undernutrition. Immediately prior to the June 10 meeting, world leaders committed $4.15 billion to scale up direct nutrition interventions and an additional $19 billion for nutrition-sensitive programs in agriculture and other sectors.
Our 2013 National Gathering revealed the power and the glory of God working through us to end hunger. I am filled with gratitude for your commitment to this important work. I thank all of you who attended the Gathering or sent prayers as we took our message to Capitol Hill.
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And I thank everyone who worked behind the scenes or took center stage to bring us together for a remarkable long weekend. We enjoyed a sold-out production of Lazarus: The Musical, which was created by Joel Underwood, with new music by William Cummings.
We shared a special screening of the documentary A Place at the Table, followed by a meaningful discussion with the people who shared their lives onscreen and in the companion book, Barbie Izquierdo, Bob and Michaelene Wilson, and Sharon Thornberry—as well as director Kristi Jacobson.
Our workshops and plenaries were led by renowned experts from across many fields. And Bread volunteers, interns, and staff kept it all humming.
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I have so much more to share from the Gathering: stories, photos, and details about the progress that we are making to end hunger. You will be receiving a follow-up newsletter in a couple of weeks with important information about where we go from here to end hunger.
In his keynote address, Dr. Rajiv Shah, administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development renewed the commitment of the U.S. government and applauded the advocacy campaigns of Bread for the World:
“Together, you form one of the greatest movements alive today—the fight to make hunger, malnutrition, and extreme poverty permanently a thing of our past.”
Tuesday June 11: What Good Is Government?:
Tuesday June 11: What Good Is Government?: Developing an Effective Interfaith Message in Support of Food Justice, Food Sovereignty and Safety-Net Services. 7:00 p.m. – 8:30/9:00 p.m. at the Multnomah Friends Meetinghouse, 4312 S.E. Stark Street, Portland, 97215Brought to by the Oregon Faith Roundtable Against Hunger
Read more
Act Now: Senate Voting on a Farm Bill
The Senate will vote on a farm bill this week. SNAP (formerly called food stamps) and international food aid programs are once again on the chopping block.
Last week, the Senate Agriculture Committee passed a farm bill that takes some necessary steps towards food aid reform. Unfortunately, it also included a $4.1 billion cut to SNAP over the next ten years. If these cuts go into effect, at least 400,000 SNAP households will lose about $90 a month in benefits.
There’s still time to act! your U.S. senators need to hear from you. Call them today at 1-800-326-4941 and urge them to take the following actions:
- Support Senator Gillibrand’s efforts to restore cuts to SNAP.
- Vote against any amendments that cut SNAP. This vital program keeps food on the table for millions of families even as poverty, unemployment, and underemployment remain high.
- Support efforts to make international food aid more efficient and targeted to the nutritional needs of women and children in the thousand-day window from pregnancy to age 2.
Cuts to SNAP and food aid will leave no place at the table for millions of our brothers and sisters. Don’t delay. Call your U.S. senators at 1-800-326-4941 today!
You’re invited: OCCV justice conversation; May 25
May 25, 10:00am-12:00p
“Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth…”
As Christians we seek God’s justice on issues of poverty, homelessness, hunger, health care, human trafficking and stewardship of our natural resources. A vital question is how best to make systemic changes for the common good.
Churches, nonprofit organizations and individuals clearly are critical to resolving issues of economic injustice. Does the Bible give us any clues to the role of the public sector in seeking economic fairness? Can churches work collaboratively with local, state and federal government to help bring God’s kingdom to earth?
Come join us for a conversation to explore these questions as we seek to engage as the body of Christ, in promoting the common good and well being of all. Bring your questions, hopes, wisdom and experience to share with others, who also long for God’s kingdom here on earth .
When: May 25, 10:00 am-12:00 pm
Where: Tabor Space, 5441 SE Belmont, Portland 97215
Call now to save SNAP!
Partner for the Hunger Free Oregon
Tuesday & Wednesday, May 14 & 15
Wednesday, May 15th at 10:00am (Eastern Standard Time), the House Agriculture Committee will consider the 2013 Farm Bill. The proposed bill includes devastating cuts to the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly called food stamps).
IMPORTANT: Congressman Kurt Schrader is on the Agriculture Committee. If you live in his district, please call (202) 225-5711 or email him today!
If you are not in rep. Schrader’s district, please contact your federal representative.
Message to Congress:
- Vote NO on any bill that cuts SNAP!
- More than 800,000 Oregonians rely on SNAP to put food on the table, including thousands of children, seniors and people with disabilities.
- Cuts to SNAP means thousands of Oregonians will have less $ for food, increasing hunger in our State.
Email Robyn if you have questions.
Bread Enews 5/2013
| The Next 1,000 Days As Bread for the World prepares for our 2013 National Gathering, Bread for the World Institute is celebrating, taking stock of, and looking at next steps for the 1,000 Days Partnership and the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement. Read more » | |||
| Make Sure that Hungry People Have a Place at the Negotiating Table Bread’s 2013 Offering of Letters, “A Place at the Table,” is in full swing and your letters and phone calls are influencing Congress. Read more » | |||
| On Faith: Grateful for Each Tiny Plateful Lazarus, The Musical opened my heart — giving me deeper understanding of how hunger and poverty unjustly touch some people in our country and in the world. Read more » | |||
| Reforming Food Aid to Improve Maternal and Child Nutrition As the world’s largest provider of food aid, the United States must lead the way in improving its quality and the efficiency with which it is delivered. Read more » | |||
| Helping the Church Be the Church Sandra Joireman, Ph.D., brings extensive knowledge about development and a deep faith to her new role as chair of Bread’s board of directors. Read more » | |||
| Ecumenical Advocacy Days Provide Prologue to National Gathering “As lawmakers continue to debate the federal budget, programs that support hungry and poor people hang in the balance.” Read more »
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Sen Wyden has CoSponsored the Working Families Tax Relief Act
(From Robin Stephenson)
I have an update on The Working Families and Tax Relief Act of 2013: Senator Wyden is an original co-sponsor!!! You asked and he did it!
I called the office a few moments ago and thanked them. The receptionist was just tickled to get a thank you because she said I will be very happy to pass that message on.
Again, this is just great for Oregon and our nation and THANK YOU for everyone who called. As my friend Angela commented, this is, “advocacy at work.” The bill should be introduced later today and our Senator’s name will be on it. I also see this as a testament to all the letters, phone calls, meetings and other actions you have taken over the years that let him know these refundable tax credits are a priority and make a big difference in the lives of working families.
Original action alert:
There is a bill that would permanently extend critical refundable tax credit provisions that have helped lift millions of working families out of poverty: The Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit. As you know, we have been working for a long time improving and making these refundable tax credits permanent at Bread for the World. Simply put, they pull more children out of poverty than any other program. The kicker is: we need original co-sponsors today and we need Senator Wyden!
This bill makes the 2009 EITC and CTC improvements permanent, so that low-income working families won’t see a tax increase in 2018. As you know, they were extended for 5 years in January, as a result of the fiscal cliff negotiations. That extension benefited over 13 million families, including well over 25 million children in 2013 alone.
This bill also has some other big improvements, such as:
- 1. Strengthening the EITC for low-income working adults without children
- 2. This bill extends the EITC to childless adults age 21 and older. (currently it is 25 years or older)
- 3. This bill simplifies the EITC and CTC, so that low-income families will not have to use scarce resources to pay professional tax preparers just to access the credits that they are owed. And it simplifies the rules for claiming a child for the EITC and CTC
This is a huge opportunity for us in Oregon to take leadership not only for our own state, but the nation.
