Sunday People Column: At the Summit in Copenhagen and A Mayoral Camapign in Florida

Who would have thought that we'd have a "people column" in the Bread for the World-New Mexico blog? It's my way of highlighting the activities of two great people I know. One of them has a connection to New Mexico and the other is someone I know from Bread for the World.

Blogging from the Summit in Copenhagen

Joan Brown, a Franciscan sister who is director of the New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light, is in Copenhagen, Denmark, to attend the UN Climate Change Conference on Dec. 7-18. Joan will be updating us about the conference through a blog. Joan's coverage will complement videos from Odyssey Networks featuring faith leaders and organizations at the summit who are working on issues related to climate justice.

I don't have a link yet, but check this site later.  You'll get links to Joan's blog and videos from Odyssey Networks.

Joan's work at the summit is relevant to the Bread for the World Institute's 2010 Hunger Report, which argues that that reducing climate change and creating so-called green jobs are key factors for economic growth and reducing world-wide hunger and poverty.

Joan is a great friend of Bread for the World-New Mexico.  She was one of the speakers for our workshop on the 2007 Offering of Letters, which sought to ensure just changes in the Farm Bill.

A Bread Activist in the Mayor's Office?

Peter England, a Bread activist in the Miami area, has launched a campaign for the mayor's office in Palmetto Bay, Florida.  The election is in November 2010.

 Peter and I have both served on the Bread board, but our terms did not overlap. I had the pleasure of meeting him through our joint work on a special task force to examine Bread for the World's grassroots strategies.  I've also seen him in Washington at several National Gatherings. 

Peter is part of a group of Bread activists, including my friend Pablo Sanchez (with whom I did serve on the board), that has been instrumental in getting parishioners at St. Louis Catholic Church in Miami to participate in a big way in Bread's Offerings of Letters every year.  This congregation sends thousands of letters to Congress yearly!  

Peter has also served a director of government relations at Camillus House, an organization that provides humanitarian services to men, women and children in South Florida who are poor and homeless.  Camillus House was founded by the Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd, the same order of Catholic brothers that staffs Good Shepherd Center in Albuquerque.