Bread Newsletter

May 2013 Newsletter

Wed, 01 May 2013 00:00:00 -0500

By her second birthday, a healthy toddler is talking, walking, and steadily moving toward a life of opportunity. Parents around the world marvel at the phenomenal progress that their child makes from the moment that the mother discovers that she is pregnant to that special birthday one thousand days later.

Nearly one thousand days ago a global initiative to improve maternal and child nutrition was born. As Bread for the World prepares for our 2013 National Gathering—a biennial convergence of grassroots anti-hunger advocates—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.

April 2013 e-Newsletter

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0500

As you prepare your taxes, take some time to reflect on where your dollars are going. Many of those dollars go to pay for the infrastructure that holds us together as a nation. Very few go toward helping people in dire need. But those few dollars may hold the most value. Imagine what one dollar’s worth of food means to a senior citizen with an empty cupboard. Think of what a healthy breakfast means to a fifth-grader who would otherwise have to learn arithmetic on an empty stomach.

March 2013 Newsletter

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0600

The 2013 Offering of Letters, "A Place at the Table" shares its theme with a major new documentary about hunger in America, also titled A Place at the Table. Both urge our national leaders to look around the figurative table and see who’s missing.

February 2013 e-Newsletter

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0600

On March 1, 2013, Bread for the World will be setting places at two tables.

One is "A Place at the Table: Bread for the World’s 2013 Offering of Letters."

The other is a new feature-length documentary, A Place at the Table, which shows the persistence of hunger in the United States.

Together, the two "Tables" represent a united effort to end hunger by raising awareness and advocating for policy changes. By coordinating our Offering and Letters with the social action campaign of the movie, Bread for the World will be promoting a national dialogue about how to best secure the leadership, commitment, and unity to end hunger in our country and abroad.

January - February 2013 Newsletter

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -0600

Resilience and innovation. These two words perhaps best describe the work of Bread for the World over the past three years. December 2012 marked the completion of Bread’s most recent three-year plan, our fifth such plan since we started the practice in 1998. The completion of the plan presents an opportunity to look back on what we have accomplished and gird ourselves for the challenges ahead.

From 2010-2012, Bread for the World met or surpassed most of its benchmarks, as evidenced by its annual organization-wide evaluation. The assessment, which is handled by the Institute, was developed in 2007 with the help of the Center for Nonprofit Strategies. It is based on how Bread for the World and its affiliates impact the lives of hungry and poor people at home and abroad.

December 2012 e-Newsletter

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 00:00:00 -0600

The people have spoken, and we have elected our leader for the next four years. But as President Barack Obama sets his priorities for his second term, we need to remind him of his election promise to offer help and opportunity to the 22 percent of American children who live in poverty and the nearly 1 billion people worldwide who lack basic necessities.

As scripture encourages us (1 Timothy 2:1-2*), please join us in prayer for our leader, especially during this season of Advent. President Obama's second inauguration on Jan. 21 provides an occasion to articulate another prayer, one modeled after David’s supplication for Solomon. Psalm 72, the "Coronation Psalm," provides guidance for our leader, asking that he "defend the cause of the poor of the people [and] give deliverance to the needy."

November - December 2012 Newsletter

Tue, 06 Nov 2012 00:00:00 -0600

In a few weeks, the journey of the Magi will end when they find Jesus Christ in a manger in Bethlehem. Like the Magi, we have traveled for many days in our quest to eliminate hunger in our world. Throughout our trek, we have stayed focused on our guiding star — Jesus' charge that we take care of "the least of these."

Since June, my last report to you, we have continued to forestall major cuts to programs that protect hungry and poor people. We continue to press on with our 2012 Offering of Letters campaign, "Expanding the Circle of Protection," despite the political polarization in an election year.

September - October 2012 Newsletter

Tue, 25 Sep 2012 00:00:00 -0500

This fall, voters face important questions about the kind of nation we want the United States to be. One of the blessings of this year’s general election is that federal budget issues are in the spotlight more than ever, creating greater opportunities for a national conversation about what it will take to end hunger and poverty. This election provides each of us with a calling to speak out about the importance of funding vital food assistance and poverty programs.

July - August 2012 Newsletter

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 00:00:00 -0500

In the last six months, Bread for the World members, staff, and people of faith have successfully prevented massive budget cuts to programs vital to hungry and poor people. "We created a circle of protection around these programs and now we must maintain these protections especially as the 112th Congress winds up its lame duck session in the fall," said Rev. David Beckmann, Bread’s president.

Phone calls, personal visits, numerous Offerings of Letters, and personal emails have consistently told members of Congress that they should not balance the budget on the backs of hungry and poor people.

May-June 2012 Newsletter

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 00:00:00 -0500

We’ve accomplished much over the last six months, especially in preventing massive cuts to programs vital to hungry and poor people. And—for the first time in history—a sitting president delivered a major speech on hunger, a clear sign that global hunger and malnutrition has moved higher in the administration’s list of priorities.