Bread For The World is a collective Christian voice speaking up to our nation's leaders on behalf of hungry people here and around the world.

For over 30 years through its members and churches, Bread has spoken up for support for WIC, food stamps, and school lunch programs in fighting domestic hunger. Bread has also fought for increases in aid for poverty focused development such as the new initiative, Feed the Future, which helps small farmers around the world.

Through our letters we can be a voice for hungry people as decisions are made that effect their lives.  

On Sunday, May 15th, we joined other churches across the nation who also participatedin Bread For The World's 2011 Offering of Letters.

We sent 69 letters to our state senators and representatives, speaking up for reforms in the delivery of foreign aid so that there is more effective focus on reducing poverty.

In the face of calls for large cuts in domestic and foreign assistance, itis a critical time to speak up for hungry people here at home and around the world.

God's compassion reaches to all hungry people, and as God's people we are called to be signs of God's compassion in a hurting world.

You can visit Bread For The World's website by way of our Connections page.

"Renewing Our Committment"

Thousands of churches across the nation will celebrate Bread for the World Sunday this fall. We will join them on Sunday, October 2nd and renew our committment to speak and act for hungry people.

For example, 43 million people depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, food stamps) to put food on their tables. But some in Congress propose to turn this program into a block grant which could limit the number of people who could participate.

International development assistance programs also face cuts even though they make up less than 1 percent of the federal budget. These funds provide emergency aid now, for the famine in the Horn of Africa as well as provide AIDS medications and vaccines that save more than 3 million lives a year.

As part of our celebration we will have a special collection of items for the food pantry. Watch for a list of needed items here on this page and in our worship service bulletins. In this uncertain financial environment when we might have our own fears, I believe we need to hear God's call once again to "defend the cause of the poor of the people", and act for the"least of these".

May God find us listening and faithful.

Elaine Cooper