What is Bread for the World? Bread for the World is a collective Christian voice urging our...

What is Bread for the World?

Bread for the World is acollective Christian voice urgingour nation’s decision makers toend hunger at home and abroad.

• Bipartisan• Advocacy at national level• No direct service—advocacy only• Offering of Letters as one tool

Why advocacy?

From the Bible

• God cares abouthungry people.

• Prophets heldleadersaccountable.

Charity is important,but not enough.Government needsto do its part.

What is an Offering of Letters?

• One key advocacy tool• Joining our voices with

others• Letters to Congress—

handwritten are best• Can happen anytime,

anywhere, with anyone

Why our letters matter

• Members of Congress want to hear from constituents.• In a democracy, we can advocate and hold leaders

accountable.• Personalized letters

are rated highly (morethan pre-writtenform letters/emails/petitions).

• If we get discouraged,what voices willCongress hear?

Our advocacy makes a difference

Each year, our lettershelp win victories onCapitol Hill.

Bread for the World’s2014 Offering of Letters

Tell Congress:

Reform U.S. food aid.

• People fed in the wilderness (manna, quails) and on hillsides (loaves, fish)

• Our neighborsare nearby andfar away.

• What other Biblepassages orstories come toyour mind?

The Bible, hunger, and food aid

What is U.S. food aid?

• Part of foreign aid, funded by taxpayer dollars• Meets urgent

humanitarian needs(drought, famine,war, disasters likePhilippines typhoon)

• Longer-termdevelopment tool,with other aid

• Story examples…

Who gets U.S. food aid?

In fiscal year 2012:• top recipients of emergency food aid: Ethiopia, Sudan,

South Sudan, Somalia, and Chad.• top recipients of development food aid: Ethiopia,

Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, and South Sudan.

• In Latin America (and the Caribbean), the top food-aid recipients were: Haiti, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, and Honduras.

How does food aid work now?

• Most food is grown in U.S. • At least 50% transported on American ships.• It’s costly and slow

to arrive where it’sneeded.

What smart changes are needed?1. An updated and more flexible system. That means:

More food purchasednear people in need.Why? It arrivesfaster, is lessexpensive, helpslocal farmersand economies.

What smart changes are needed?2. Improve nutrition:

1,000 days key windowfor very nutritious foods

What smart changes are needed?3. Maintain funding

in the face offederal budgetcuts

The key “ask” for your letter

To Congress: I urgeyou to protect andreform U.S. food aidin ways that increaseefficiency, increasenutritional quality,and maintain fundinglevels.

Tips

• Keep your letter brief and tothe point.

• Make the letter your own.Tell your story. (Includesomething from real life.)

• Explain why you care abouthunger.

• Make the “ask.”

• Include your name and home address.

Congressional addresses

For Senate members:

Sen. (Name)

U.S. Senate

Washington, DC 20510

For House member:

Rep. (Name)

U.S. House of Representatives

Washington, DC 20515

For more information

Check out www.bread.org/go/OL