Bread New Mexico

Circle March 18 on Your Calendar

2012-01-27T08:12:00.003-07:00

If you like hyperbole, consider this statement. The workshop for the 2012 Offering of Letters is more important than ever! While I exaggerate a bit, I think you might have some questions after you look at your Offering of Letters packet. At first glance, it seems straightforward. The campaign is called Expanding the Circle of Protection, and you know how much this concept has been at the center of Bread for the World's advocacy efforts for nearly a year. But we are given options on areas in which we can focus our energies.

You might have some questions on which one of these topics is more important for our legislative efforts in New Mexico. (And you might want to know that your church can do offerings on more than one of these.)

So if you're confused, uncertain, or simply want something clarified, Bread for the World western region organizer Robin Stephenson will be on hand at our Offering of Letters workshop. Here are the details:

Sunday, March 18

St. Andrew Presbyterian Church

5301 Ponderosa Ave. NE

(near Comanche and San Mateo)

2:00 p.m.- 4:30 p.m.

In keeping with our theme of the Circle of Protection, Rev. Kay Huggins will offer a reflection based on the Book of Isaiah.

See you there!

Weekly Service Celebrates Community and Hope

2012-01-26T08:49:00.000-07:00

The words community and hope carry positive connotations. When you put the two words together, the message is even more powerful. So the name Community of Hope is appropriate for a service that brings people from all walks of life together every Sunday afternoon to celebrate a unity that our Creator wished for all humanity.

The inaugural Community of Hope service is scheduled for this Sunday, January, 29, at 1:00 p.m. on the south lawn of Central United Methodist Church, 201 University Blvd. NE. This is one of the churches in Albuquerque that reaches out in various way to the local homeless community.

"The intent of this service is to bring together people who are housed and unhoused, churched and unchurched. All are welcome," said Pastor Greg Henneman. "We would like to make this an ecumenical and community event."

There are ample opportunities for the community to become involved in this worship experience, such as serving food, helping with music, or simply by being present. For more information,please contact Pastor Greg at 505-243-7834 or gregh@centraltolife.org

Urge the State Legislature to Consider Bills Addressing Human Needs

2012-01-25T08:07:00.001-07:00

This is the year when the New Mexico State Legislature meets for the short 30-day session (as opposed to the 60-day session every other year). So there is a little more sense of urgency to push through some important human needs. Some of the legislation is already in motion, and I'd like to share this update from the Lutheran Advocacy Ministry-New Mexico, courtesy of director Ruth Hoffman.

Family-Sustaining Income

Families living in poverty need quality child care assistance to be able to work without worrying about their children. New Mexico needs quality earlychildhood education programs that will help give our children a good start. The Invest in Kids Now! campaign is working to increase the amount our state spends on early childhood education. HJR15 (Rep. Rick Miera) and SJR9 (Sen. Michael Sanchez) would place a constitutional amendment on the 2012 general election ballot asking voters to approve an increase in the distribution from the Land Grant Permanent Fund to provide more funding for early childhood programs throughout New Mexico. HJR15 is now in the House Education Committee & SJR9 is in the Senate Rules Committee.

Hunger

Alleviating hunger is a core issue for Lutheran Advocacy Ministry-NM. New Mexico's food banks bring much-needed food to many, many people living in poverty around our state. Since about 2002, the food banks have received funding to purchase and distribute produce statewide. That funding has been cut in the last 4 state budgets. HB71 (Rep. Ed Sandoval) & SB102 (Sen. Sue Wilson Beffort) would appropriate an additional $100,000 for use by the food banks. HB71 is in the House Consumer & Public Affairs Committee and SB102 is in the Senate Committee on Committees.

Affordable Housing & Homelessness:

We are advocating for programs that assist children and adults experiencing homelessness. In 2005, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry-NM helped to create the state Housing Trust Fund which was initially funded with $10 million. Only an additional $5 million has been appropriated to the Trust Fund since then. This fund provides a much-needed flexible source of funding for projects designed to meet affordable housing needs for low-income people throughout our state. Since the Trust Fund was created, because loans awarded by the Trust Fund have been paid back, over $20 million has been available for the construction or rehabilitation of affordable housing projects. That $20 million has leveraged about $200 million in other housing funding and over 1,300 units of low-income housing have been or are being built or rehabilitated. SB78 (Sen. Nancy Rodriguez) asks that $5 million be appropriated to the state Housing Trust Fund. SB78 was heard in the Senate Public Affairs Committee on Tuesday, Jan. 24.

Immigration

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry-NM opposes the repeal of driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants. The current law was enacted in 2003 and has worked to improve public safety as licensed immigrants are more likely to stay at the scene of an accident and exchange information. Local, state and federal law enforcement are able to track outstanding warrants, repeat offenders and citations when all drivers are a part of NM's MVD records. The uninsured motorist rate has decreased from 21% to 9% since 2003. Revisiting this issue is a distraction from other very important issues. HB103 (Rep. Andy Nunez) would repeal driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants. HB103 is now in the House Labor Committee.

How to Contact Your Legislators

Go to the Lutheran Advocacy Ministry NM website and enter your zip code in the "Contact Your Legislators" box on the left of the home page. Your legislators' contact information can be found by clicking on their names when your legislators are identified. If you know who your legislators are, you can also go to the Legislature's website to find their contact information. You can call them, send an email or even better----write them a note and mail it to: State Capitol, Santa Fe, NM 87501.)

Not One, but FIVE, Bread for the World Offering of Letters Videos

2012-01-24T07:46:00.001-07:00

By now you've probably heard that there is something different about this year's Offering of Letters. Flexibility.

But there is an important reason for this flexibility. While we are still working under the Circle of Protection umbrella (and our campaign is appropriately entitled Expanding Our Circle of Protection), this year we are offered the opportunity to focus on an area that we think is more important in our community or more relevant to our congregation. More importantly, we have the chance to respond in a more timely manner to an issue that comes before Congress.

Here's what Bread for the World says:

Depending on how the work of Congress unfolds in 2012, churches or groups may want to conduct the overall campaign and/or one or more of the mini-campaigns. For example, when Congress’ budget process is in full swing, a congregation’s Offering of Letters might focus on poverty-focused foreign assistance within the budget debate—especially if the congregation’s district or state is represented on the appropriations committees.

There are four mini campaigns and one overall campaign. I know, Bread is giving us more homework than we've had in the past. We now have to decide,

So you will also be faced with the all-important question: Which of these mini campaigns should I pick? The answer might not be apparent right now. That's why it would be great to have you at our Offering of Letters workshop on Sunday, March 18, in Albuquerque. Stay tuned for more details. In the meantime, here are links and videos for each of the campaigns. A sixth video for Spanish-language congregations is due out by the end of this week.

Circle of Protection Overall Campaign

Poverty Focused Foreign Assistance

Domestic Nutrition Assistance

Tax Credits for Low-Income Families

International Food Aid Programs

The Twenty Nine Percent

2012-01-22T10:29:00.000-07:00

The message coming out of the Occupy Wall Street movement (including Unoccupy Albuquerque) is that our current economic system continues to foster major inequities between the very wealthy at the top and the rest of the population. Surely by now you've heard about the 1 percent versus the 99 percent.

This reality hits home in New Mexico. A few days ago, New Mexico Voices for Children (NMVC) released its annual Kids Count report, just in time for the start of the start of this year's session of the State Legislature.

The report said the number of children living in poverty in our state over past decade (2000-2010) has increased on a steady pace.

"More than half of our children—250,800 (a number three times the population of Santa Fe or twice that of Las Cruces)—live in poverty or in low-income families that have trouble making ends meet," said the report.

The figure that stood out from the report was 29%. That means nearly one out of every three children in New Mexico lives in poverty. Click here to download the report in PDF format. (If you look carefully on the graph on the left on page 5, you'll see a huge increase from 2008 to 2010)

New Mexico has an overall poverty rate that is higher than that of the United States as a whole. Our state currently ranks 46th among the states in terms of children living in poverty—which means only four other states have a higher percent of children in poverty. In eight New Mexico counties, more than one-third of children live in poverty.

"Over the past decade,New Mexico has been consistently ranked in the national KIDS COUNT data book in the bottom five states in terms of the percent of its children living in poverty," said the report.

The situation is worsened by the economic crisis that has gripped our country and our state. "New Mexico is facing a slow recovery from the Great Recession, facing budget shortfalls that have led to cutbacks in education, health care and Medicaid, early child care and education, unemployment benefits, and other programs and services meant to boost child well-being and help families struggling with income and asset loss," said the report.

Bu Kids Count Director Christine Hollis says the solution is to create a funding mechanism to support early care and education. "That's why we're looking at trying to push in this legislative session for a resolution to put a constitutional amendment on the 2012 General Election ballot that would take a very small amount of money from our very large land grant permanent fund here in the state to help fund early childhood care and education," said Hollis.

Hollis said New Mexico Voices for Children is proposing to take about $150-million from the state's Land Grant Fund, which is currently around $10 billion, to create the fund. We might get to vote on this if the NMVC is able to get this on a future ballot. Stay tuned.

Do You Provide Support to Food and Agricultural Entrepeneurs in New Mexico? Please Fill Out this Survey

2012-01-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

Do you represent an organization, business, school, farm, agency, or program that works with food or agriculture in New Mexico? If so, we would greatly appreciate your help!

This quick survey is designed to gather and disseminate information about technical assistance, funding and other types of organizations that support food and agricultural entrepreneurs in New Mexico. The intention is to use this information, along with regional roundtables and workshops, to increase general awareness about the rich web of existing resources and to help facilitate partnerships and referrals between organizations.

This survey is being conducted by the New Mexico Finance for Food working committee, which is comprised of organizations and individuals from around the state working to address food systems issues.

This information will initially only be shared with the immediate groups involved in this project. However, we hope to use this information later on to help populate a searchable database that may be made public (we envision this being something like a scaled-down version of Local Harvest: There will be a question at the end of the survey where you can request that your information and/or responses be kept confidential if you so choose.

If you have any questions, please contact Lora Roberts Logan, call 505-724-3619, o e-mail to localfoodnm@mrcog-nm.gov

USE THIS LINK TO TAKE THE SURVEY

Introducing the 2012 Offering of Letters

2012-01-17T07:58:00.003-07:00

Bread for the World’s 2012 Offering of Letters urges members of Congress to create a circle of protection around programs that give hungry and poor people in this country and abroad the tools they need to lift themselves out of poverty.

Within this broader campaign are four mini-campaigns that address specific legislative topics that will come before Congress in 2012: nutrition, poverty-focused development assistance, tax policy, and food aid.

“The materials we have developed for the 2012 Offering of Letters are wonderful resources for activists and other people of faith who want to protect the world’s most vulnerable people,” said Bread for the World President David Beckmann. Materials include a handbook, videos, instructions on how to plan an Offering of Letters, and stories of people struggling to lift themselves out of poverty. Here is more information from Bread for the World

We are planning a workshop in Albuquerque sometime March. Stay tuned for more details.

Could This be Happening In Our Own Back Yard?

2012-01-16T09:24:00.000-07:00

The Raramuris peoples lives in isolated communities in the Sierra Tarahumara in the mountains of Chihuahua in northern Mexico. For those of us who live in New Mexico and western Texas, Chihuahua is our immediate neighbor to the south, and the Sierra Tarahumara is just a stone's throw away from El Paso and Tucson.

Perhaps if you've taken the Copper Canyon train from the city of Chihuahua to the Mexican west coast, you might have encountered some members of the Raramuris selling arts and crafts at the stations in Creel and other communities in the mountains. But for the most part, the members of these indigenous communities are out of sight and out of mind, not only for us but for most Mexicans.

Hunger is a very real problem in this area, and the situation has worsened in many of these communities because of drought. Climate change can have devastating effects on subsistence agriculture, and by some accounts, local corn production was down about 20,000 tons in 2011. Most of the time, we hear about these statistics after the fact.

One of those "after-the-fact" accounts has created shock waves in Mexico. This weekend, a video was released on YouTube quoting the secretary of the community of Carichi, who was appealing for help for the Raramuris people. In the video, the secretary not only mentioned problems with widespread hunger in 23 municipalities in the Sierra Tarahumara, but more shockingly, said the problem had become so bad that it led about 50 people to commit suicide. The shocking revelation was that one group, including many mothers, became so desperate that they jumped off a cliff. Others were said to have hung themselves.

The government of the the state of Chihuahua immediately dismissed the accounts of suicide as "an attempt by unscrupulous individuals to fool people of good will with false information." Read account in Spanish

There was an opposite reaction in the social networks in Mexico once the video was shared widely on YouTube. One of the most widely used tools to mobilize citizens to help the situation was Twitter.

"With the hashtag #SierraTarahumara, users of the social network Twitter have started a movement to support the Raramuris community after the secretary of the community of Carichi posted a video appealing for help," said the newspaper El Informador.

The Twitter campaign urged citizens to bring donations to central points in the major cities in Mexico. In Mexico City, the location was the Zócalo square. Some private foundations, such the Fundacion Telmex, as well as the federal government's Social Development Ministry moved to provide assistance.

A few years ago, it would have been very difficult to mobilize citizens in such a quick manner. But thanks to Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook, the word spread very quickly. But many are asking the question, how as a society, could we (not only Mexico but the international community) allow this to happen in the first place? One article, Hambruna Tarahumara: La la desvergüenza, calls the Mexican government's inaction over the years as extremely shameful.

But there is hope. It's very possible that some of the very citizens who participated in the social networking campaign will start looking at the root of the problem and on long-term solutions.

Dr. Martin Luther King: Injustice Anywhere is a Threat to Justice Everywhere

2012-01-16T06:59:00.000-07:00

At the Matin Luther King Memorial, Washington, D.C.

The Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

2012-01-15T07:43:00.000-07:00

As we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday and his transformative legacy on our country, I want to share this short video from Sojourners. In an interview with Lisa Sharon Harper, Rev. Bill Love, Pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Dadeville, talks about his experiences growing up in Montgomery, Ala.

Sojo Short: Pastor Bill Love- First Presbyterian Church, Dadeville, Ala. from cathleen falsani on Vimeo.

The video is part of a post in Sojourners' God's Politics blog entitled Martin Luther King Day: Healing Prayer and the Lies We Believe. In the post, Ms. Harper talks about healing and prayer, using some ideas from the Richard Foster's book, Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home Drawing the link between prayer, repentance and transformation, here is what Ms. Harper says.

On Monday, we celebrate the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. — a man who called America to face the lies embedded in its soul.

He called us to face the lie that any amount of poverty is acceptable.

“I have the audacity to believe that people’s everywhere can have three meals per day, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality, and freedom for their spirits.” (Norway, 1964)

He called us to face the lie that might makes right.

“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. That is why right, temporarily defeated is stronger than evil triumphant.”

Thinking Ahead to Next Christmas

2012-01-14T08:47:00.002-07:00

I missed this clever video from Oxfam America about mindful giving during the Christmas season. And I don't want to wait until the next Christmas. So now you have about 11 months to start planning your Christmas gifts. (By the way, did you know that Oxfam America has its own YouTube Channel? Check it out

An Early Look at the Congressional Elections in New Mexico

2012-01-09T08:11:00.003-07:00

If the Iowa caucuses and upcoming presidential primaries in New Hampshire, Michigan and South Carolina have gotten your political juices going, you also might be gearing up for congressional elections in your community and state.

Chances are your local newspaper has carried numerous articles about candidates who have tossed their hat into the ring to compete for a seat in Congress or the U.S. Senate. These elections are especially important when there is an open seat (as we in New Mexico have in the First Congressional District and the U.S. Senate).

Digging for information

But where else besides the local newspapers do political junkies go to find out about elections? You can track developments on Politico. The C-SPAN Campaign 2012 site currently has information about the presidential race, but is set up to provide developments on congressional races. One new site I recently discovered is Ballotpedia. As the name implies, this site provides information about state and federal elections for each of the 50 states. Here is the page for the elections in New Mexico for the U.S. House of Representatives.

Because the situation is still fluid ahead of the signature filing deadline of Feb. 14, and because the redistricting process was up in the air until last week, the Ballotpedia page for New Mexico is not complete. (A judge left the boundaries for New Mexico's three districts largely unchanged.) Gary Smith, who jumped into the Republican primary for the First District in December is not listed. And the rumors persist that Jon Barela, who lost the general election to Rep. Martin Heinrich in 2010, could throw his hat into the ring at any time in the next few weeks. The candidates will face off in primaries on June 5, 2012.

There are other potentially great sites with candidate information, including Project VoteSmart's VoteEasy site. I say "potentially" because this site contains no data at present, but I suspect that Project VoteSmart, a well respected organization, is waiting until the fields have been narrowed after the primaries in each state.

Continuing the push for a Circle of Protection

And our Bread New Mexico blog will be following the electoral process, particularly since we're interested in knowing which candidate will eventually be the person on Capitol Hill with whom we will interact.

If you recall, last November and December, we sat down with five of the candidates seeking the seat in the First Congressional District (Janice Arnold-Jones, Martin Chavez, Eric Griego, Dan Lewis, and Michelle Lujan Grisham) to talk to the about creating a Circle of Protection around programs that help the most vulnerable in our country and in other countries. The seat is being vacated by Rep. Martin Heinrich, who is running for the Senate seat left open after Sen. Jeff Bingaman's retirement.

So we'll follow developments in the First Congressional District as well as the Senate race. Rep. Heinrich is facing State Auditor Hector Balderas and community activist Andres Valdez in the Democratic primary for the Senate seat. The Republican candidates are former Rep. Heather Wilson, Lieutenant Gov. John Sanchez, business owner Greg Sowards and entrepreneur Bill English. John Barrie is running as an independent.

And if you're wondering why we've put so much emphasis on the First Congressional District, it's because incumbents Ben Ray Lujan in the Third District and Steve Pearce in the Second District are expected to face only token opposition both in the primary and the general election.

For the record, the candidates who have declared in the Democratic primary for the chance to face Rep. Pearce are Evelyn Madrid Erhard and Frank McKinnon. Rep. Pearce had not drawn any primary opponents.

In the Third District, Sean Closson had declared his candidacy in the primary against Rep. Lujan. There was one candidate in the Republican primary, Rick Newton.

Founder of the The Food Project to Speak in Silver City in February

2012-01-08T09:32:00.000-07:00

What happens when you bring together youth training, sustainable agriculture and community empowerment? You get The Food Project.

And who better to tell you about the program than the program's founder Greg Gale? He is a featured presenter at a workshop in Silver City on Friday, February 24, and Saturday, February 25.

Mr. Gale will offer his presentation at the Global Resource Center at Western New Mexico University on Friday, 6:30-8:00 P.M.

Two interesting workshops are scheduled at at the Grant County Business and Conference Center on HWY 180, next to Ace Hardware during the two-day period.

Innovative Approaches to a Sustainable Local Food System, Friday, 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Dynamic Youth Programming, Saturday, 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

The workshops are free but Pre-Registration is Required. Contact Martha Egnal (martha@guadalupemotessori.org) to pre-register

The presentation and workshops are sponsored by the Freeport/McMoRan Community Enhancement Fund, The Guadalupe Montessori School and The Volunteer Center of Grant County, The Wellness Coalition and Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities Grant County

Walking in New Orleans for a Circle of Caring

2012-01-07T07:45:00.001-07:00

You've heard of the expression Walking in a Circle. Let's turn that phrase around a bit to Walking for a Circle. Actually, let's call it Walking for a Circle of Caring.

This is where we invite you to join the New Orleans chapter of Bread for the World in their 31st annual walk for the hungry, which they have appropriately entitled A Circle of Caring. This a variation on A Circle of Protection, the theme that Bread for the World, Sojourners and many of our partners have promoted to preserve the federal programs that help the most vulnerable people in our country and in many poor countries around the world. The Circle of Caring is intended primarily to raise funds to meet the needs of poor people in New Orleans.

So how can you help? If you live in New Orleans or are planning to travel to New Orleans on the first weekend in March, please join the walk, which will start at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church on Canal Street. Here is more information, courtesy of Sister Jane Remson, director of Bread for the World New Orleans.

No One Should

Suffer from Hunger

No person should go hungry. We can help end hunger by placing a Circle of Caring around programs that provide food for poor and hungry people whether they live in the United States or in developing countries.

Put your prayers for poor and hungry people into action and join the Circle of Caring by participating in the 31st annual Walk for the Hungry on Saturday, March 3, 2012.

The 4-mile Walk begins at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church yard, 4640 Canal St. and proceeds up Canal St. to Claiborne Ave. The Walk turns on Claiborne Ave. and continues down Canal St. returning to St. Anthony of Padua Church yard.

Walk schedule

Registration – 8:00 am

Prayer – 9:00 am

Walk – 9:30 am

Walk ends – 11:30 am

Registration fee includes your t-shirt

Adult - $15

Student - $10

Child - $7 (7 and under).

Walkers are asked to bring a non-perishable food item for the Second Harvest Food Bank.

To register ahead or for information contact
504-458-3029
jfremson@loyno.edu

Chances are most of you reading this blog won't be able to participate in the walk. In which case, I encourage you to do a virtual walk or a solidarity walk. All this means is for you to send in a donation (whatever amount you chose). Here is the address:

Bread for the World New Orleans
The Twomey Center for Peace Through Justice
Loyola University New Orleans, Campus Box 12
New Orleans, LA 70118-3565

Steve Garnaas-Holmes: A New Year Blessing

2012-01-02T14:57:00.000-07:00

At Nelson-Atkins Art Museum, Kansas City

In the new year I do not wish for you

that God will bless you,

since God already intends

only the deepest blessings for you.

I don’t wish that good things will happen to you,

since I don’t know

what will most beautifully shape your soul—

in what losses you will receive grace,

in what challenges you will gain wisdom,

in what struggles you will become more truly yourself.

Instead I hope for you this blessing:

that your heart be at peace,

that your mind be open

and your will be lovingly present;

that you live each day this year with love, courage and beauty,

with gentleness, trust and gratitude.

that you speak and be the truth,

that you find joy and wonder in your life,

that you be deeply mindful

of God’s indwelling presence,

God’s deep delight in accompanying you

in every breath.

May your work be fruitful,

your hope vibrant,

your voice clear,

and your friends faithful.

Whether you feel it or not,

deep blessing will be yours this year.

May you know it, and rejoice,

and live n harmony with God’s grace.

-Steve Garnaas-Holmes

from Unfolding Light blog

Affordable Medications and the Millennium Development Goals

2012-01-02T08:18:00.001-07:00

The humanitarian organization Medicins sans Frontiers/Doctors without Borders (MSF) posted a great article at the end of 2011, entitled Ten Stories that Mattered in Access to Medicines in 2011. The article was part of MSF's effort to boost availability of medications through its Access Campaign. The affordability of medications is a key element in the fight against global poverty. Health is an important aspect of three of the Millennnium Development Goals: Child Health, Maternal Health, and Combat HIV/AIDS.

A major obstacle to meeting these goals has been the high price of medications charged by multinational pharmaceutical companies. A handful of companies and organizations in middle-income countries like India and Brazil have stepped up to offer affordable medications, but they have faced battles with the multinational companies, which cite a right to "protect intelletual property."

Photo: Bruno de Cock for MSF

Much of the price war has occurred behind the scenes. But the MSF article notes that a milestone development occurred in 2011.

The fight for more affordable vaccines for children in developing countries was boosted this year when UNICEF - for the first time - published the prices it pays for all the vaccines it buys.

This move revealed huge price disparities in what different companies are charging for similar vaccines.

For instance, the drug company Crucell, is charging UNICEF nearly forty percent more than the Serum Institute of India for its pentavalent vaccine that protects children against five diseases in one shot.

There’s been no price transparency until now over vaccine prices and purchasers have had no benchmark figures on which to negotiate the best deal. Now the information is public, competing vaccine manufacturers are likely to drive prices down, meaning that more children can be immunised against life-threatening diseases.

Transparency on the price of medications was one important development. But there were other milestones (mostly setbacks) in the effort to address global health concerns that affect children, including HIV/AIDS, malaria, Chagas disease and cryptococcal meningitis.

“For the diseases our medical teams encounter every day in places where we work, 2011 was a year of both critical progress and dangerous backsliding,” said Dr. Tido von Schoen-Angerer, executive director of MSF’s Access Campaign. “At a time of so much promise, it is crucial to continue pushing forward, and refuse to accept a double standard in care between rich and poor countries.”

Read More

And of course, there is the ever-present issue malnutrition. Here's what MSF said about developments in 2011.

The emergency response to the Horn of Africa crisis shows the quality of nutritional programmes in emergency situations is at least improving: the food aid provided in the refugee camps did contain the nutrient-dense foods adapted to children’s nutritional needs.
However emergencies – while attention-grabbing – are only part of a much larger story of on-going childhood malnutrition that occurs outside the media spotlight in areas like South Asia and Africa.

Providing nutritious food to young children is the cornerstone of every attempt to fight malnutrition in both rich and developing countries. In 2010, MSF witnessed a reduction by half in the mortality among children in Niger who received nutrient-dense foods as part of supplementary feeding programmes. Niger has undertaken large-scale distributions of supplementary foods for children under two at risk of malnutrition in both 2010 and 2011.

With a new year ahead of us, here's hoping that developments in global health in 2012 are more positive than negative.

Vintage Photos: Anti-Hunger Events in Kansas City

2011-12-31T08:36:00.000-07:00

As we begin 2012, we mark the occasion with a new format for the Bread New Mexico blog.

I also thought it would be fun to begin the new year with some pictures from the past, specifically the 1980s. These photos are from anti-hunger activities in Kansas City.

I joined Bread for the World in 1983 when I was still living in the Midwest (even though I had heard about the organization back in New Orleans). A couple of years later I became volunteer grassroots coordinator in Missouri Fifth Congressional District. I held that post until we moved to New Mexico in 1992. Here are some photos from that era..

Bread event at Visitation Parish

The Missouri CROP WALK folks

V.G. Cuppy and Kathy Rivers wear their Bread shirts

Hands Across America

CROP Walk

Crop Walk

Sister Stephanie Mertens

State Legislative Preview from Lutheran Advocacy Ministry

2011-12-30T08:41:00.001-07:00

The 2012 session of the New Mexico state legislature begins at noon on Tuesday, January 17.

This session will be a "short" session that focuses primarily on budget issues although the governor is expected to include other issues. Lutheran Advocacy Ministry-NM will continue to advocate for funding of programs and public policies that help to improve the lives of our neighbors living in poverty.

Our 2012 Advocacy Agenda includes Affordable Housing, Hunger, Family-Sustaining Income, Health Care, Tax Policy and Immigration. The state budget has been cut by about 20% over the last few years. Those cuts have included cuts to vital programs that impact low-income New Mexicans.

The revenue forecast for the upcoming fiscal year is improved over recent years which helps the outlook for the state budget. We will be sending you Advocacy Alerts during the session and hope that you will take action in response to those alerts. You can find information about the legislature on its website.

-Ruth Hoffman

Director

LAM-NM

A Christmas Greeting from the Bread organizers in the North Central Region

2011-12-22T07:55:00.001-07:00

The Stars in the Sky and a Heart Full of Hope on Christmas Eve

2011-12-20T07:53:00.000-07:00

Canyon Rd., Santa Fe

Farolitos en el cielo poco a poco van naciendo

Como nace el sentimiento por las calles de mi pueblo Corazón que canta, corazón que sueña lleno de esperanza en la Nochebuena

-Kike Santander

(from the song Farolito, performed by Gloria Estefan)

Christmas Band performs on Canyon Rd.

Blessings and Joy this Christmas from Bread New Mexico

Happy 40th Birthday Network!

2011-12-19T07:57:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, December 17, the Catholic Social Justice Lobby Network celebrated its 40th birthday. There are similarities with Bread for the World. Both are faith-based organizations that were born in the 1970s. They both organize the grassroots to advocate on social justice issues.

And if I'm not mistaken, there was a time when you could reach the offices of the two organizations from the Rhode Island Ave. stop on the Red Line of the Washington Metro.

Here is a note from Network:

On December 17th 1971, 47 Catholic Sisters from many orders and from all over the country gathered for a weekend meeting in Washington, DC, where they voted to create a “NETWORK” of Sisters who would live out the Gospel call to work for justice.

These sisters were united by a faith-filled vision: by taking action together to lobby our government, concerned citizens can end policies that keep people in poverty and develop new policies that instead create paths of opportunity.

NETWORK began as a powerful example of what we can achieve as a community of engaged people who care deeply about the common good. As NETWORK celebrates its 40th anniversary year, we know that we’ll need to stay strong as a community to meet the challenges of this special year.

Happy, Happy Birthday to a like-minded organization. And as the saying goes after one sings Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday to You.. And Many More....

No Turkeys Needed. But We Welcome Pork, Red Chiles, Onions, Garlic, Oregano

2011-12-17T08:56:00.001-07:00

Turkey? Perhaps. But make sure you have some pork, corn and chiles on hand to celebrate the Christmas season in Mexico and the U.S. Southwest. Those are key ingredients used for raditional recipes for posole and tamales in parts of Mexico and the Southwest.

This was a main consideration when the Young Adult Group at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church was planning a community outreach event for families who are served by the Casa de las Comunidades (CLDC) Catholic Worker House. So while many other agencies were giving away turkeys for Thanksgiving, the group at Immaculate Conception and other volunteers from the parish were providing pork, red chiles, garlic, onions, oregano and tortillas, which are ingredients used for a pot of posole.

"Twenty famlies received a bag of groceries, every item needed to make a big yummy pot of posole," said Rene Ronquillo,development and outreach coordinator at CLDC.

Some might have prepared a typical version from Mexico, although the ingredients were more appropriate for the New Mexican version.

But Thanksgiving only represents the start of the season. "We are now beginning posadas and gearing of Christmas. The big need in this community right now is the resources to pay their gas and electric bills," said Rene. [If you are interested in helping with this, please call Sr Teresa at CDLC at 265.2371 or Rene at 504.338.5280].

Many of the families no doubt will turn their attention to tamale, which are a must during the Christmas season for many families in Texas, New Mexico, and parts of Mexico and Central America. And there are countless ways to make tamales, with recipes passed down from generation to generation. Here are a few versions:Texas, New Mexico, Veracruz, and Guatemala

You're Invited to the "Funky Hanukkah Joyous Event"

2011-12-16T08:38:00.001-07:00

The season offers many opportunities and a variety of settings to donate to worthy organizations locally and at the same time celebrate culture and tradition. On Saturday, December 17 (that's tomorrow!), Congregation Nahalat Shalom will host the annual Funky Khanikeh Freylekh, a Hanukkah festival for the entire community.

For a modest entrance fee $2 ($1 for those 18 and under), plus voluntary donations of non-perishable food items for Roadrunner Food Bank and warm clothing and blankets for The Storehouse, you will be treated to live music, puppetry, arts and crafts and food. This pre-Hanukkah celebration begins at 5:30.

Want more details? Here is how Nahalat Shalom describes the celebration (which translates to the Funky Hanukkah Joyous Event)

Dance to the exciting music of the 20-piece Community Klezmer band and join the fun and easy dance lines led by Rikud dance troupe. Enjoy special activities and presentations by and for children, and a performance by puppeteer Marc Wunder. Beautiful crafts and unique items will be sold by local artists and craftspeople -- including the nationally recognized New Mexico artists Diana Bryer and Diane Palley. There will also be a silent auction, a used book sale benefitting Nahalat Shalom's Library, and a raffle. “Latkes” - the famous potato pancakes of the Hanukkah tradition will be sold along with other delicious foods and drinks.

Oh and by the way, if Klezmer music interests you, the band that is based at Nahalat Shalom is open to members of the community, regardless of religious affiliation. Watch for more information about Klezmerquerque 2012 on Presidents Day Weekend. For a wealth of information about klezmer music and dance around the world visit Ari Davidow's Klezmershack And visit Community Klezmer band's banjo-player Marc Yellin's website Abq Jew -- and his blog.

Menorah in Santa Fe. Hanukkah is observed on Dec. 20-28 this year.

ABC 20/20 Special Tonight to Examine Challenges of Mothers

2011-12-16T07:52:00.000-07:00

I know it's Friday night on the last weekend before Christmas. Even if we are not shopping for Christmas, attending a party or baking cookies, the last thing we want to do is watch television.

Helen Gayle, CEO of CARE, gives us a reason to tune in at 8:00 p.m. Mountain Time. As it turns out, CARE recently joined with ABC News and the United Nations Foundation in the Million Moms Challenge. Together they created a special edition of 20/20 entitled, "Making Life: A Risky Proposition."

Here's what Helen Gayle says.

"This unique initiative engages millions of Americans with moms in poor countries around the world to connect — and act — on important issues, such as pregnancy, childbirth and children’s health....Diane Sawyer will host an eye-opening report that sheds light on the challenges mothers face in developing countries. ABC talked to some of the women and girls CARE works with in Afghanistan, where we employ low-cost, low-tech solutions that can help save millions of lives."

ABC offers more details about the program in a summary online.

"The numbers are staggering: Every 90 seconds, a woman dies during pregnancy or childbirth – that’s about 1,000 women a day. Yet experts say that more than 80% of these deaths are totally preventable if only the mothers-to-be received proper medical care. At the bottom of the list… countries like Afghanistan, with its child brides, and Sierra Leone, which has one of the highest fertility rates in the world. The U.S. ranks surprisingly low in the industrialized world — number 41 on the maternal mortality list. It’s an issue that experts all over the world say is “unforgiveable” because even the most basic medicine and intervention could prevent the majority of these deaths." Read the full summary

So if you happen to be at home tonight, it might be worth turning on your television and watching.

Advent and the Gift of the Holy Spirit

2011-12-14T06:58:00.000-07:00

Photo by Elaine VanCleave

Here in Advent we have a little Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit! We open our hearts to the God who is not only the infinite creator beyond us or the savior beside us, but also the spirit who dwells within us.

We await the birth of Christ in Bethlehem, we await the coming of Christ as the culmination of human history, and we also await the birth of Christ in our own hearts.

Christ was born to serve the poor and to re-weave the torn fabric of our world in which we separate ourselves from those who suffer, and thereby separate ourselves from God.

Christmas is not a sentimental tale about a cute baby; it’s about the healing of the world. When Christ is born in us, Christ’s spirit comes to life in us in a new way, and we become devoted to that same work of the mending of the world. Our lives are re-shaped for the purpose of bearing witness to the light.

-Steve Garnaas-Holmes

An excerpt from Advent Pentecost

In Unfolding Light blog

Oxfam America Hopes to Use Hunger Banquets to Raise Awareness about Famine in East Africa

2011-12-13T08:05:00.000-07:00

Oxfam America has entered a contest sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development to raise awareness about hunger and poverty. The contest is part of the FWD campaign. The winner of the contest will receive a grant of $5,000 for the awareness effort. Today is the last day to vote. (Don't you wish all these worthy entries would get funded?)

Oxfam's plan is to promote the concept of hunger banquets and tie this in to the famine in East Africa. (Check out the video and the information below). And even if Oxfam America does not get the grant, they will continue forward with their efforts. "We have some exciting plans for Women's Day in March," said organizer Brian Rawson.

The Idea

Five major cities across the US will host an Oxfam America Hunger Banquet ® on the same night. These events will be free to the public. Live video feed will connect each city and be streamed online. The goal is to raise awareness of the crisis in E. Africa through an impactful dining experience.

The Plan

At an Oxfam America Hunger Banquet ®, guests randomly draw tickets that assign them to different income levels, based on statistics about the number of people living in poverty. Depending on where they sit, some receive a filling dinner, while others eat a simple meal or share sparse portions of rice and water. Following the meal, participants are encouraged to share their reactions from the night. This discussion will be elevated with a deeper description of the facts detailing the crisis occurring in E. Africa. Our goal is to inform and empower participants to take action. We will provide participants with a short list of actions they can take, including opportunities to volunteer within their community and relevant policy actions.

The Sweetness of Advent

2011-12-12T08:01:00.005-07:00

No matter what culture, chances are sweets are part of the Christmas tradition (and other celebrations that occur during this time of year). And chocolate is one of the ingredients used to make sweets to mark the season.

Chocolate and all the other confections and baked goods are actually a great metaphor for the sweetness of Advent. If we really take the season to heart, God speaks to us in our sense of smell, taste, hearing and vision.

So, in that spirit I want to share an excerpt from a great poem that I found in a site called Gratefulness.org

Chocolate strolls up to the microphone
and plays jazz at midnight, the low slow
notes of a bass clarinet. Chocolate saunters
down the runway, slouches in quaint
boutiques; its style is je ne sais quoi.
Chocolate stays up late and gambles,
likes roulette. Always bets
on the noir.

-Barbara Crooker from Ode to Chocolate

Still Shopping? How about Books on Hunger and Poverty?

2011-12-11T08:35:00.000-07:00

Perhaps you've joined the latest trend of reading books on Kindle or Nook or some other hand-held tablet. I'm not at that point yet. I still prefer to hold an actual book in my hands and turn the pages.

Here are three great books about hunger, and only Ending Hunger Now is readily available to read via a tablet, but one popular site gives you the option of "telling the publisher" that you'd like to read the two other books on Kindle.

These are only some recommendations. Bread for the World's managing editor Molly Marsh posted a great list in the Bread blog in August 2010. One of these books is on that list. (You'll have to check out the list to see which book I'm talking about). The two other books are found in Bread's online Store. (Go to the home page and click on Store in the upper right hand corner).

Seeking A Circle of Protection at a Crowded Restaurant Booth, A Law Office, Campaign Headquarters

2011-12-10T10:38:00.007-07:00

There were 11 of us who met with the five candidates for the First Congressional District, but not everyone was at every meeting. We scheduled these meetings as a follow-up to the Circle of Protection prayer vigil that we held at the end of October. Here is the script.

We handed each candidate a folder with materials related to the Circle of Protection and a letter with at least 90 signatures from people of faith in the Albuquerque area, mostly in the First Congressional District. (But with redistricting, the boundaries might change, and some folks who are in adjacent districts might end up in the First District).

There were three to five people during each of the conversations with the candidates, and we were grateful to have a good cross-section of Bread members and supporters. We were Roman Catholics, Presbyterians, United Methodists, Episcopalians. Our group of citizen advocates was very diverse, including a couple pastors, a nurse, an educator, a journalist, two military veterans, the development and outreach coordinator for a local Catholic Worker House, a consultant for an organization that sponsors economic development projects in Mexico, and the former director of the ARC of New Mexico.

In two meetings, we either crowded into a restaurant booth or put two small tables together to meet with the candidate. Another meeting took place in the conference room of a law office downtown after hours. Two other conversations took place in the still-unfurnished campaign headquarters of the candidates.

We are very generally pleased with the outcome of each of the meetings because the candidates-- former State Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones, ex-Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez, State Sen. Eric Griego, Bernalillo County Commissioner Michelle Lujan Grisham, and Albuquerque City Councilor Dan Lewis--engaged with us in honest conversations about hunger and poverty, our current economic system, the tax situation, and other themes. More importantly, they shared with us their visions about the best way to address hunger and poverty in our country and overseas.

We have to remember that these are folks who work with us in our local community. Lujan Grisham is an attorney and Bernalillo County Commissioner; Lewis is pastor of Soulrio church; Arnold-Jones is a senior executive with EnergySolutions; Griego was recently executive director of the non-profit New Mexico Voices for Children; and Chavez recently served as as executive director of ICLE Local Governments for Sustainability.

In most of the meetings, the candidate was receptive in some form to the Circle of Protection campaign. The exception was City Councilor Lewis, who suggested that the best way to address hunger is to reduce the role of the federal government and let the local communities of faith and state and local governments take on this role. This led to a very spirited (but polite and honest) discussion.

Ann Sims offers her viewpoint to Dan Lewis

It was great to have committed anti-hunger advocates participate in some of our discussions. Pastor Kay Huggins (Second Presbyterian Church), Patty Emord and Ester Griego (St. Andrew Presbyterian Church), Ellen Buelow (Holy Rosary Catholic Community) and John Foley (Mesa View United Methodist Church) had led Offerings of Letters in their congregations. Ann Sims, also led offerings of letters in a couple of congregations and served for six years on the Bread for the World board of directors.

Also joining us for two meetings was Rev. Donna McNiel, executive director of the New Mexico Conference of Churches. And Larry Buelow took part in our meeting with Counselor Lewis.

"When you talk about food issues, it brings it everything else, the access, the cost....you have a huge constituency of people who have that on their radar...and high on their radar...that is important to people in New Mexico," Ann Sims told Eric Griego. Ann told both Sen. Griego and Councilor Lewis that public-assistance programs were crucial during a time of her life when she was a single mother. Because of these programs, she was able to afford to get an education and eventually became a nurse.

For Rene Ronquillo, who joined us for the meeting with Commissioner Lujan Grisham, this was her first experience in legislative advocacy. "Although she was empathetic, I am confident that our meeting had an impact and we shared compelling information and stories that made her more aware," said Rene. Mary Quinalty, a member of the Peace and Social Justice Commission at Aquinas Newman Center, was also present at that meeting.


C. Navarro, Martin Chavez, Rev, McNiel, Kay Huggins, Patty Emord

And we also made the candidates aware that we would be back in touch. "When you hear from Bread for the World, it's worth paying attention to us," Rev. Huggins said in the conversation with Martin Chavez.

And Rev. McNiel, elaborated: "Poor people don't have a lobby. Bread for the World is one of the organizations where folks speak up for people who don't have a voice."

And John Foley talked a bit about policy, urging Sen. Griego to look at the big picture. "When you pull the plug on a nutrition program, you're going to have commensurate adjustment in other areas like medical needs. Proper nutrition and medical go together."

Ellen Buelow spoke about the positive impact of the Earned-Income Tax Credit on addressing poverty. If you recall, strengthening the EITC was the topic of our Offering of Letters in 2010."When we worked for the Earned Income Tax Credit, that really impacted a lot of families at Holy Rosary (Catholic Parish)."

Ellen also underscored the impact that feeding programs have had on the for low-income people on the West Side of Albuquerque. "I saw grandparents bringing kids in, conversations of these little kids were about dads in jail, immigration problems. If we had not fed them breakfast, they would have not started their day," she told Eric Griego.

Several important themes came up during our conversations. Here is what the candidates said:

Social Justice, Fairness, Safety Net, Poverty, Compassion

Mary Quinalty, Michelle Lujan-Grisham, Rene Ronquillo

People have forgotten the value of a safety net. -Janice Arnold-Jones

It's really about focusing on a level of safety-net investments. -Michelle Lujan Grisham

All this has to be seen through the lens of what's fair. Dr. Martin Luther King's message was not so much about civil rights, but about social justice. -Martin Chavez

The reason why I'm steadfast on these policies is because I was one of those kids. I grew in a single parent home... The only reason I went to school some days because I got a warm breakfast. My mom went back to work because Headstart started. That's where I got meals and received care -Eric Griego

There's this misperception that the poor are somewhat at fault... -Martin Chavez

I'm a great advocate of faith-based organizations. Giving control to the local ministries and organizations, that know the needs, know that they have a heartbeat for what the needs are...I hope you see me as a great advocate for world hunger and meeting local needs for people that are marginalized in our society, I believe that there is a current approach in our society that is hindering our ability to meet those needs. -Dan Lewis

I don't have a simple answer [on how to best address hunger in New Mexico]. Honestly, I don't. But here's a country with abundance. Why is it that we have this discussion? -Janice Arnold-Jones

Some gap between rich and poor had always been acceptable in this country as long as there was an opportunity for upward mobility. That mobility is gone. -Martin Chavez

Foreign aid
I know how important USAID is. J am a huge supporter of foreign aid, and I think that's part of the reason why we're having such a tough time with national security because the US is not outside of certain countries, -Eric Griego

I'm a strong supporter of foreign aid. It's one of the cheapest investments we can make in terms of our own national security. -Martin Chavez

The Budget Debate and Economic Development

John Foley, Ann Sims, Eric Griego, C. Navarro, Ellen Buelow

We can quadruple the amount of foreign aid and protect all those programs (WIC, TANF, Food Stamps) if we look at the revenue side.. We can't have a cuts-only approach, we can't disinvest in people, we can't put the most vulnerable, throw them under the bus. -Eric Griego

Because we've expected so much from the federal government, we overspent...We've gone into debt. We cannot sustain the amount of spending that we have now. All I'm saying that we have to acknowledge that if we are going to help people in this country...What I'm saying is that we keep the dollars in the community. -Dan Lewis

We need to look at whether the tax system is fair -Janice Arnold-Jones

We have a systemic breakdown. In Washington...to be addressing the short-term and the long-term problems, without fully recognizing that poverty is front and center is an issue... I want to take care of the short-term issues, but it's always with an eye toward toward 100 years down the road. -Martin Chavez

I would be remiss if I didn't admit that this is a very climate to operate in. We could do a better job showing unequivocally in this difficult climate to improve the economy and to do something about our current budget woes -Michelle Lujan Grisham

Food stamps are a huge economic stimulus for the economy...People have to eat -Eric Griego

I think we have a huge problem in our country: we are not competitive. -Martin Chavez

The Political Process and Advocacy

Donna McNiel, Janice Arnold-Jones, C. Navarro, Ellen Buelow, Ester Griego

"Our political system was designed to create agreements. Politics has become very polarized." Janice Arnold-Jones

It's a collective effort. Instead of pointing fingers at each other, we've lost sight of working together to resolve these problems. In states like New Mexico we have a higher poverty level than many states in the country -Michelle Lujan Grisham

I don't believe that we need a government fix. I believe that it's local organizations and communities By sending money back to local communities and giving local control to those communities to take care of needs. -Dan Lewis

You won't find me at the receptions...It's intoxicating because you get drawn into this Washington culture, good and bad. The way to get me is to always to send someone from Albuquerque. We'll have an open door. I'll make sure I'm available to you here and in D.C. -Martin Chavez

I think the danger that when we have an organization that comes to Washington and says 'we need more of this,' that's part of the problem with Washington being so big....We've looked to Washington for the answer for everything -Dan Lewis

E-mails are better from an environmental standpoint. I'm strong environmentally, a lot of trees get saved. -Martin Chavez

Remember the Horn of Africa on Human Rights Day

2011-12-09T07:41:00.001-07:00

The United Nations Declaration on Human Rights
- Article 25
(1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond control.

The global community observers World Human Rights Day every year on December 10. For those of us in the anti-hunger and anti-poverty movement, Article 25 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights spells out very clearly a very basic right for all individuals around the world. This year, the Carmelite NGO, which advocates at the UN on a number of important issues (hunger, human rights, freedom of belief, education, women's issues), wants us to remember all the women, children and men affected by drought, political oppression and global indifference in the Horn of Africa.

The Carmelite community has prepared a booklet with prayers, reflections and scripture verses that allow us to hold the people in this region in our hearts. Here's a note from Carmelite Sister Jane Remson, director of Bread for the World New Orleans.

As we prepare for the coming of the Christ child let us remember the millions of hungry people, especially hungry children. Attached is a Day of Prayer that calls our attention to Somalia and the countries of the Horn of Africa. The current drought and political situation in the African country of Somalia has caused a massive migration of people. A crisis of hunger is showing no signs of improving. I invite you to join with others from all around the world and pray for the least fortunate amongst us.

Download Booklet

Tuesday, Dec. 6: A Forum on the Working Poor

2011-12-04T08:07:00.000-07:00

Risen Savior Social Justice Ministry and the Notre Dame Club of New Mexico invite you to:

Response to the Working Poor:

A Catholic Social Justice Forum

Tuesday, December 6

Marian Center Gathering Hall

Risen Savior Catholic Community 7701 Wyoming Blvd. NE7:00 p.m.

Speakers

State Sen. Tim Keller

Father Rusty Smith, St. Martin's Hospitality Center

Ilyssa Bozza, Catholic Charities

For more information, contact Julie Fritsch at 944-0033.

Enchanted by the Light: A Christmas Book by Local Bread Member Hank Bruce

2011-12-03T09:07:00.000-07:00

Hank Bruce and his wife Tomi Jill Folk are passionate anti-hunger advocates. They are strong proponents of using the moringa tree as an answer to global nutrition problems. They even wrote a children's book to create an awareness of this valuable tree as a source of nutrition and a means to help provide safe drinking water.

For Hank and Tomi Jill--Bread for the World members from Rio Rancho--telling stories is a great way to share their passions with others. Case in point: a great collection of stories that Hank put together to celebrate singer John Denver's music.

Hank's latest work is a collection of 15 short stories celebrating Christmas in New Mexico. (Tomi created the wonderful cover for the book). This collection celebrates the diversity of the people, cultures and landscapes in our state.

Here's a great description in Amazon.com

Christmas isn’t just a marketplace holiday, nor is it a narrow observance of tradition, or the remembrance of an event dimmed by the distance of a couple thousand years. This is the one time of the year when we can set free the light that shines within each and every one of us. For a few days, or weeks, we allow ourselves the opportunity to glow with peace and good will. The light within vanquishes the fear and anger for just a moment in time, but within that moment is the hope of all humanity.

For each of these stories, this fifth season of the year is a special time, with spirituality that transcends the church pew. This is the season we experience with the senses. After all, New Mexico is a place where “red and green” don’t refer to decorations, but rather the dinner table choice of red or green chile.

During this most intense time of the year, we experience with more than the physical senses. We have the opportunity to experience our sense of belonging, sense of place, sense of hope, sense of peace, and most definitely, our sense of humor.

Sure, you can purchase the book online. But wouldn't you love to have an autographed book from Hank? He will be signing books at the following locations this month:

Today, December 3, 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

Alameda Greenhouse during North 4th Street Stop & Shop

Saturday, December 10, 2:00-3:00 p.m.

Alamosa Books interactive reading with puppets

Friday, December 16, 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

La Montanita Co-Op in Santa Fe

Tuesday, December 20, 10:00 a.m.

Loma Colorado Library (Rio Rancho) Children’s Flower Shoe’s for Christmas

Many authors have chosen to live in New Mexico. But not all of them have the distinction of also being Bread members. Another local author who is a Bread member is Lucretia Tippit, who helps organize offerings of letters at All Saints Lutheran Church.

Reclaiming Advent and Christmas

2011-12-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

The Presbyterian Church USA has put together a great resource entitled Ideas for Reclaiming Advent and Christmas.

Even though this resource is intended primarily for Presbyterians, it is applicable to all Christians and people of conscience.

In Advent we wait for the coming of Christ. At Christmas we celebrate Jesus’ birth. Shape your seasonal celebration to be one centered on the true meaning of Christmas. Prepare for the holiday by simplifying life, incorporating prayers, giving alternative gifts and serving sustainable foods. Share the love of Christ with others throughout your life with a living witness this season.

The resource, provided as a PDF download (click here), offers great suggestions on how we can reclaim Advent and Christmas in a variety of ways. Below are some excerpts.

Living the Season
Society places many expectations on us (and we place expectations on ourselves) to create “the best Christmas” by outdoing each other and what we did last year. Avoid running ragged and becoming exhausted by deciding early in the season what will be meaningful for you. Then be intentional about choices throughout the season.

Pray and Renew: Holidays can be a great time to teach, learn and write new prayers. Encourage visitors to pray and give thanks. Consider your family’s everyday prayer life, too. Rotate who prays before each meal from person to person, year to year, so everyone has an opportunity to pray.

Slow Down, Make It Memorable: When we get caught up in shopping and preparations, it is easy to forget about Christ. Relax. Savor both the season and Christmas Day. Christmas is a holy day and the focus should be on God, not on materialism.

Greenery as Life, Creation and Renewal
We celebrate the birth of our Savior during Christmas. With the onset of winter, there are fewer signs of life, which can make it difficult to celebrate birth and renewal. The church has traditionally remembered Christ’s birth through the introduction of signs of life during the season of Advent:

Advent Wreaths: Rather than purchasing a fresh Advent wreath, you can make one. The lower branches of a Christmas tree that were cut to fit it into a stand make excellent wreath material. Find ocal and organic options for greenery by visiting a local farm or farmers’ market. Use beeswax candles in your wreath. They are organic and biodegradable.

“O Christmas Tree”: While there may not be a Biblical basis for having a Christmas tree, bringing greens and signs of life into our homes has become a standard part of Christmas tradition. If you have an artificial tree, it is best to use it as long as you can. If you purchase a live tree, go local. Visit a tree farm for a memorable outing with family or friends. After the holidays, treecycle!

Holiday Gifts
The Magi traveled a long distance to bring gifts to Jesus. Their gifts honored the child and provided for the family. Today, gift giving can be a tricky topic. Like the Magi, we should find humble gifts that honor our loved ones while honoring Christ and remembering why we celebrate Christmas in the first place.

Fair Trade Items: Selecting fair trade answers God’s call to liberate the oppressed and set the captives free. Coffee, tea, cocoa, chocolate, and snacks from the Presbyterian Coffee Project make great gift baskets or stocking stuffers: .Fair trade handicrafts support the self-development of people worldwide through the Global Marketplace: . Fair trade sports equipment is made without child labor:

Meals: Give the promise of food and meals to people on your list. Promising to eat lunch with loved ones at their workplace or school once a month is a great way to spend more time together.

Holiday Foods
Food plays an important role in holiday gatherings. Many Bible stories tell of God providing food for the weary. As Christians we can be conscientious about where our food comes from and how it is produced, so that our food choices sustain life rather than injustice. Here are some ways to embody the life of Christ through your eating and food preparation this season.

Cook and Bake Responsibly: Many baking items such as sugar, cocoa, vanilla, and spices are harvested under grueling conditions. The people who bear the brunt of hard work and low pay are the most vulnerable: women and children. Purchasing fair trade baking goods, as well as snacks, chocolate and beverages helps prevent child labor and oppressive working conditions and ensures workers a fair wage. Natural food stores in your area should sell products with the Fair Trade Certified seal.

Keep It Local: Local foods require less energy to transport to your table and help minimize your environmental impact. Visit Local Harvest for markets and farms in your area. Purchase locally sourced meats from free-range, organic producers. For help choosing foods that suit your needs visit Sustainable Table. Consider creating a vegetarian or vegan feast from local farm goods.

Minimize Waste and Packaging: While recycling is far better than adding waste to landfills, buying items with no packaging or reusable packaging is the best option. Compost raw food scraps as a way to enhance your or a neighbor’s garden soil.

Discofunkgrass Band to Hold Benefit for Taos Feeds Taos

2011-11-30T10:54:00.001-07:00

Here is a great reason for you to travel to Taos next Friday.

The Last to Know (LTK) discofunkgrass band will hold its fourth annual Holiday Benefit Show on Friday night, December 9, at 8:00 p.m. at the KTAOS Solar Center in Taos. This is a Food Drive to benefit Taos Feeds Taos.

The six-piece band blends the heartiest world rhythms with jam-band passion, while muddying the lines between Americana roots music, disco, funk and bluegrass. (Read more about the band below).

KTAOS Solar Center is a nationally recognized live music venue that houses not only two of the region’s most popular radio stations but also a full service bar and restaurant called The Station Bar.

Admission is free if you bring five or more cans of food. All canned food will be donated to Taos Feeds Taos. Cover charge without canned goods is $7. The Station Bar opens at 4:00 pm.

Please bring items from the following list only...

Pumpkin - 15 oz

Pears - 15 oz
Peaches - 15 oz
Fruit Cocktail - 15 oz
Cranberries - 16 oz
Peas - 15 oz
Green Beans - 15 oz
Corn - 15 oz
Mixed Vegatables-15 oz
Yams - 29 oz
Beef Stew - 24 oz
Canned Tuna - 5 oz
Canned Chicken - 6 oz
Chicken Noodle Soup - 10 oz
Tomato Soup - 10 oz
Spaghetti Sauce
Evaporated Milk, Unsweetened

More about the Band
LTK has shared the bill with Hot Buttered Rum String Band, The Motet, Buckwheat Zydeco, Culture, The Vince Herman Trio, The Skatalites, and Leftover Salmon. They have played the Main Stage at the annual Taos Solar Music Festival - a stage graced by Los Lobos, Michael Franti and Spearhead, String Cheese Incident, Richard Thompson, New Monsoon, Michelle Shocked, Big Head Todd and the Monsters, Harry Belafonte, and Leo Kottke, among others.

The band has performed at several other festivals including Silverton Jamboree, Crestone Music Festival, Alibi Spring Crawl in downtown Albuquerque, the Santa Fe Thirsty Ear Festival, and the Dreamtime Festival. Based in Taos, New Mexico, Last to Know has been together, writing and performing since 1999.

Thinking about Grants for Vegetable Gardens during the Holiday Season

2011-11-30T07:39:00.000-07:00

With temperatures outside in the frigid zone and with the pending arrival of Christmas, a vegetable garden is the last thing that comes to mind. After all, it wasn't long ago that you cleared the frozen tomato and chile plants from the plot in the back yard and dumped those fallen leaves into the compost to give them a nice source of carbon.

Photo: NM Centennial Garden Program

But this is indeed the time to think about vegetable gardens if you are a school administrator or a teacher who would like to apply for a grant from the New Mexico Centennial Gardens Program. This because all applications must be received by 5:00 pm on January 13,2012. And we all know that our schedules are going to be getting busier over the next few weeks.

Grants will be available at levels of $2,500, $5,000 and $10,000.

Eligibility and Selection Criteria

Applicants must:

• Be a nonprofit school or school district (public, private or charter elementary, middle or secondary) or a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working in partnership with a school or community garden.

• Have the capacity to manage grant funds responsibly and the skills and experience necessary to undertake a garden project.

• Demonstrate that the garden project has strong participation from stakeholders, including school or community leadership and volunteers.

• Demonstrate that thoughtful consideration is being given to the technical challenge of garden construction and maintenance: soil preparation, water availability, tool storage and municipal regulations.

• Articulate a plan for integrating the garden into the life of the school/community, including plan to put the garden's produce to good use.

Here's more information on how to apply for the program. The link includes an application form.

The New Mexico Centennial Garden Program is an initiative of the New Mexico Centennial Foundation, working in partnership with state agencies and private partners. Thanks to the generosity of the Coca Cola Foundation, the NM Centennial Foundation is able to provide grants to support school and community garden projects in New Mexico in 2012.

Grocery Shopping at Midnight

2011-11-29T07:55:00.000-07:00

An increasing number of our neighbors are having to rely on food stamps to make ends meet to survive the economic downturn. So what happens if funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is cut? Read more from the Food Research and Action Center

The new NBC television show Rock Center with Brian Williams points out how the increased use of food stamps has changed the way Walmart, the largest retailer in our country, does business.

Carol Johnston, Walmart’s senior vice president of store development, said that store managers have seen an “enormous spike” in the number of consumers shopping at midnight on the first of the month. That’s typically when those receiving federal food assistance have their accounts refilled each month.

Below is a clip from the show (pardon the commercials--they're part of the clip). And here is an article by Jessica Hopper from the staff of Rock Center with Brian Williams

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Closing the Nutrition and Food Gap in Rural New Mexico

2011-11-27T07:59:00.000-07:00

In 2009, the New Mexico Food Gap Task Force presented a report to the governor, lieutenant governor and state legislature that offered a picture of the types of challenges we face in our state to provide nutritious food to residents of rural areas.

The report, entitled Closing New Mexico's Food Gap, provided evidence that residents rural areas face greater challenges finding adequate sources of nutrition. There are fewer grocery stores and less availability of fresh fruit and vegetables. A growing body of evidence suggests, those with fewer food choices tend to eat less healthfully.

Case in point are Quay in eastern New Mexico and Grant County in southwestern in the southwestern part of the state. According to New Mexico Department of Health statistics, Quay is the heaviest county in the state. Fully 71.5 percent of the county’s 10,155 residents are overweight or obese compared to the already high 59.7 percent rate for the state as a whole.

And here is a note about Grant County.

In this region of southwestern New Mexico, residents have little access to fresh, healthy food due to communities’ isolation and limited infrastructure. Less and less food is grown locally, and trucking it in over long distances leads to higher costs—making fresh produce prohibitively expensive for many families hit hard by job losses in local industries. With one of the worst unemployment rates in New Mexico, families often stretch limited dollars by choosing high-calorie, low-nutrition processed foods.

Photo by Carlos Navarro

So how do you begin to address the problem? The Grant County Community Health Council and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation developed the Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities (HKHC) program to reduce childhood obesity through healthy eating and active living policy, systems and environmental change. Under the four-year initiative that began in December 2009, HKHC partners with community organizations, schools, local government agencies and individuals to improve opportunities for regular exercise and good nutrition for residents.

Here's what HKHC-Grant County says.

Only two towns in the county, Bayard and Silver City, have full-services grocery stores, but plans include increasing local agriculture, adding cold-storage facilities for growers and the local food pantry, and creating purchasing cooperatives among stores, restaurants and schools in order to decrease costs. The goal is to increase the supply of fresh foods so that families can easily incorporate fruit and vegetables into their diets.

Growers markets are a major part of this effort. This short film, created by Frank Drysdale and HKHC-Grant County, shows how local communities can become part of the solution. The film highlights local agriculture and farmer's markets in Southwest New Mexico.

Advent Blessings from Quinhagak, Alaska

2011-11-26T09:35:00.002-07:00

Happy Fair Friday!

2011-11-25T08:53:00.006-07:00

The day after Thanksgiving offers us a great spiritual opportunity. We are given the chance of subtraction, and not the "addition" encouraged through Black Friday by the retail industry. We can now start switching gears to begin immersing ourselves in the Advent season.

The Advent/Christmas season also offers an opportunity to step outside ourselves. Our loved ones are on our minds when we buy presents and when we plan our gatherings and celebrations. And during this season, there is an effort to recognize the importance of the spirit of Shalom, a sense of well-being and prosperity throughout the Earth that comes with a right relationship with our Creator.

What better way to connect with this spirit of Shalom than through the practice of mindful purchases. Do our purchases in one way or another promote social justice? This could mean buying products from local merchants, which in many ways promotes the sense of community that we seem to have lost.

And it could also mean buying fair-trade products. Last December I posted a list of merchants that offer a wide range of goods that are fairly traded. Click here to see the list.

Here is an excerpt from an Advent reflection the Pax Christi Web site.

"Thankfully we are blessed with a loving Creator who gives us the freedom to meet God doing right. We make choices. Some choices lead us to mistakes: some we learn from, others we don’t. At other times, our choices are life-giving. And we are the owners of these choices, however they turn out."

Read full reflection by Diane Lopez Hughes

While the purchase of fair-trade products is certainly a good thing from a practical standpoint, there is also a strong spiritual connection. Rev. Judy Hoffhine and Ruth Farrell of the Presbyterian Hunger Program (and fellow Bread for the World board member) have created a Bible study entitled Fair Trade: Using our Purchasing Power for Justice and Hope. The 40-page booklet offers six sessions on the principles of Fair Trade, direct connections to scripture, and a reference section on Fair Trade that includes resources and ways to get involved. Here is a Sample Session The study is available via Partners for Just Trade

Happy Fair Friday!

Nourishment as a Gift

2011-11-24T07:45:00.001-07:00

When we receive nourishment as a gift, our eating is transfigured from an act of consumption to an act of consecration. When we share God’s abundance with warm hospitality, a meal becomes a healing communion.

When we acknowledge the care, the cost and the hands that bring us this sustenance, sharing food becomes a radical act of redress, our resistance to the cynicism that takes life for granted.

When we give thanks, our gratitude inoculates us against the gloating entitlements of self righteousness. And when we are mindful of the Source and myriad connections that bring us to this table, our time together becomes a blessing, a taste of the Reign of Restoration right here, right now. AMEN, let it be so.

-Excerpts from Behold Thanksgiving by Joe Grant, StillPOINT blog

Growing Hope Against Hunger

2011-11-23T11:32:00.000-07:00

The advertisement said "Don't miss this fun and educational kids event!!! And guess what? I not only missed the special screening of Sesame Street's Growing Hope Against Hunger last Saturday, Nov. 19, but also missed posting a blog to get people there. (And it showed on KNME back in October!)

So this is a belated thank you to KNME-TV, Kids Cook! and the New Mexico Collaboration to End Hunger for having sponsored this event.

And I want to take this opportunity to highlight this program in case you are able to get a copy of a DVD or if KNME or your local PBS station shows it again.

Here's a promo:

Growing Hope Against Hunger speaks to both children and adults with a story that celebrates community as everyone works to help one another — including Brad Paisley, Kimberly Williams Paisley and their Sesame Street friends. Our Sesame friends are collecting foods at a food drive and meet Lily, a new character whose family has an ongoing struggle with hunger. The Sesame characters learn how their simple actions can make a world of difference. Finally, documentary stories present children’s perspectives on food insecurity and illuminate the impact hunger has on families.

Thanksgiving: Bearing Fruit in the Fight Against Hunger

2011-11-23T08:55:00.002-07:00

Tom Eagan

By Jane Remson, O. Carm

Our local Bread for the World chapter planted trees for World Food Day several years ago. We thought it would be a good idea to plant fruit trees in neighborhoods for people to eat fresh fruit.
We chose pear trees because they are hardy and native to New Orleans.

We selected two sites: a child care facility in the Lakefront area, and an Uptown church with an active food bank. Hurricane Katrina destroyed the trees on the Lakefront, but the Uptown trees are producing fruit and neighbors enjoy eating the pears. The neighbors, in fact, are the ones who take care of the trees.

Trees have long been a part of our efforts to address the root causes of hunger. Several years before planting the two pear trees locally, the Bread for the World New Orleans chapter sent a donation to purchase trees in Haiti as a way to stop or slow down soil erosion for small farmers in Haiti. Trees for Haiti was also a project we sponsored in observance of World Food Day.

Blessings and gratitude at this time of Thanksgiving.

(The author is director of Bread for the World New Orleans)

Bread for the World's 2012 Hunger Report Features Small Farmers

2011-11-21T22:18:00.000-07:00

Bread for the World released its 2012 Hunger Report, "In Short Supply: Small Farmers and the Struggle to Deliver Healthy Food to Your Plate." Great work from the staff at the Bread for the World Institute! Here is a great video that accompanied the release. Please share this widely.

Interfaith Prayer for a Compassionate Budget, Sunday, November 20, 2011 (Bataan Park, Albuquerque)

2011-11-20T17:54:00.003-07:00

Click here for Channel 4 Coverage (including video report)

As we gather today our hearts ache with the suffering of brothers and sisters who are hungry, and suffering from unemployment, or lack of health care. Many of us carry concerns for the future generations, for education and a healthy environment with clean air, water and food.

As people of various beliefs, we all know our connection as brothers and sisters to everyone and that we are all one within the web of life of the Creator. Out of a deep and responsible Love we gather today to pray for a just and compassionate federal budget.

We firmly believe that God, the Holy One of many names calls us to protect and promote the dignity of all people and the earth. We also believe that the basic values and principles of our country acknowledge our responsibility to provide for the neediest among us and to make structural connections of why people are poor and why the earth is being devastated.

Religious leaders have called on the Deficit Super Committee members and Congress, as they consider our nation's fiscal health, to focus on job creation, revenue increases, and reduction of military spending that is unnecessary and/or duplicative.

As we gather here, we are joined by thousands of women and men of faith across the United States who are praying to support a federal budget that lifts burdens of poverty, homelessness, hunger and unemployment and raises the moral concerns of justice, equitable economy and care for creation throughout the world.

Pray together
May God, the Holy One and Creator bless us with discomfort
At easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships
So that we may live deep within our hearts.

May God bless us with anger
At Injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people and the earth
So that we may work for justice, freedom, peace and integrity of creation.

May God bless us with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, freedom, peace and integrity of creation.

And may God bless us with enough foolishness
To believe that we can make a difference in the world,
So that we can do what others claim cannot be done
To bring justice and kindness to all children and people
Who are poor and oppressed
And bring healing to the Earth.
Amen.

We are called to play the Good Samaritan on life's roadside, but that will be only an initial act. One day we must come to see that the whole Jericho road must be transformed so that men and women will not be constantly be beaten and robbed as they make their journey on life's highway. True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it is not haphazard and superficial. Compassion sees that an edifice that produces beggars needs restructuring. A true revolution of values will look uneasily on the glaring contrast of poverty and wealth. From Jericho Road -Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Spirit of God, renew the hearts of all of us who are gathered here. Inspire Congress and the administration to act justly and to protect our most vulnerable brothers and sisters, here and around the world. Reinvigorate our nations' vision of the common good.

May God, our Creator and parent, breathe into us new life and new meaning. May the Wisdom of God
breathe into us new hope and new awareness. May the Spirit of God breathe into a new spirit and new understanding of the world in which we live. AMEN.

(Vigil script put together by Joan Brown, OSF, Executive Director of New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light. Bread New Mexico and New Mexico Conference of Churches cosponsored the vigil).

Empowerment During a Time of Budget Cuts

2011-11-20T07:53:00.001-07:00

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and I want to take this opportunity to give thanks for the efforts of Bread for the World activists Cathy Brechtelsbauer in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Donna Neste in the Twin Cities in Minnesota.

They offer us a great story of how they have worked to empower some of the low-income people they encounter on a daily basis. Most of these folks receive public assistance and are vulnerable to the draconian cuts that Congress is considering.

Like many Bread activists around the country, Cathy and Donna are both deeply involved in direct service and in personal advocacy. But they feel there should be a third element to their anti-hunger strategy: offering a tool for folks that they serve to participate in advocacy.

At a time when Bread was mobilizing advocates around the country to call legislators in Washington to oppose budget cuts and create a Circle of Protection for programs that help poor and hungry people, Cathy and Donna did the same with some of the clients who are vulnerable to these cuts.

"Most of them are so caught up in surviving that they are not political," said Donna. "They will not know what hit them if these cuts become law."

At one of the meetings of the Bread coordinating committee in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, Donna had suggested a call-in campaign for the low-income people she sees on a daily basis. "I would write something with some simple talking points, asking representatives called, to not cut SNAP and WIC because I depend upon it for the health of my children."

Cathy adapted Donna's idea in Sioux Falls. She put together a handout for people lining up to receive food at Faith Temple Church.

"Faith Temple church has a big food giveaway every Friday. Hundreds of people come, like 300-400. It is very good that people can get needed food, and an amazing effort of the church to give it out, but this situation is just awful!! This is no way to run a country!! It reminds me of the food lines you see in photos of the Great Depression. All sorts of folks need food and come, lining up hours ahead," said Cathy.

Here is the plan she used: "I stood where i could talk to 3-5 folks and, holding out the flier, asked Would anyone like to help keep Congress from reducing food stamps and WIC. Here's a free phone number."

By now people are taking the fliers. As they start to look at them, I say, "You call the number and ask for Senator Johnson. Then call the number again and ask for Thune. Then call the number again and ask for Noem. If they are not answering tonight, call next week. Then give the flier to your friends and neighbors and ask them to call. Keep the calls going in all next week."

Here is a copy of the handout, contained in one-third of a letter-sized sheet.

Did you know…

that your WIC and SNAP (food stamps) are in danger of being cut by Congress in Washington? Times are hard enough without more cuts to the programs you need in order to survive.

Call your two Senators and your Representative in Washington and tell them to keep a circle of protection around programs that help low-income people. Tell them not to cut WIC and SNAP for the health and well being of your children. Tell them how important these programs are to you and people you know.

Use this temporary toll-free # 1-800-826-3688, donated by Bread for the World, to get you to the Capitol switch board. That’s where you ask to be connected to your

Senators: Senator Tim Johnson and Senator John Thune

And Representative Kristi Noem

By speaking up, you can help a great many people keep food on the table.

Thanks from Bread for the World. 11-11-11

Donna also created a handout for residents of Minnesota, changing the names to Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken and Rep. Norm Ellison

Cathy said the effort could easily extend beyond South Dakota and Minnesota. "You could copy it, insert names of your own members of Congress, change the date at the bottom, and take it to your local food pantry, WIC office, Salvation Army, and other places where people come looking for help with basic needs like food," she said.

Honoring Bread Activist Mike Hiland: A Pilot Light in Portland

2011-11-17T20:58:00.000-07:00

Mike Hiland & Matt Newell-Ching

Mike Hiland and I served together on the Bread for the World board for a couple of years back in the 1990s. But beyond the board service, I came to know Mike as an activist extraordinaire, a kindred spirit. (We Bread grassroots kindred spirits tend to hang out!)

I was really pleased to learn that Mike was recently honored as a corecipient of the Harvest of Hope award, given annually by the Oregon Faith Roundtable Against Hunger (OFRAH). The award was presented at the OFRAH's Annual Harvest of Hope Breakfast (9th annual) at Congregation Beth Israel in Portland on November 8. The keynote speaker was U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader from the Fifth Congressional District in Oregon.

OFRAH also honored Farmers Ending Hunger, HomePlate Youth Services, and Portland First United Methodist Church.

Mike received the award for his decades of advocacy work with Bread and for his role as the lead organizer for a recent Circle of Protection conference in Portland, which brought together many different groups around the issue of protecting the most vulnerable from deep budget cuts.

Matt Newell-Ching, Bread's western regional organizer, introduced Mike, comparing his work and the work of Bread activists to a pilot light, which stands steady and ready to serve, igniting a larger response, and does not flash bright then fade like a firework. The work to end hunger is something that continues over the long run. It combines the work of advocates for public policy with that of direct action, to do more than either can do alone.

And here's what the OFRAH web site says about Mike:

Over the years, Mike Hiland has dedicated thousands of volunteer hours to Bread for the World. (Frankly, we all thought he worked for Bread!) He has organized countless offerings of letters in churches throughout the region. Most recently, Mike spearheaded the event Hunger and the Budget Crisis: A Faith-based Call to Action, which was attended by nearly 100 people from a wide variety of religious groups.

Mike is in good company. Here is information about the three other recipients:

Farmers Ending Hunger: begins with Oregon farmers and ranchers who raise hundreds of acres of produce, grain and cattle. With a little extra effort, each farmer donates an acre or two to feed the hungry and suddenly their network had thousands of tons of fresh food!

HomePlate Youth Services: supports the positive development of young people experiencing homelessness or housing instability through community building, education, access to services and resources, and youth empowerment. They do this primarily through a drop-in every Monday and Thursday, which includes a free weekly meal and access to a variety of resources.

Portland First United Methodist Church—Special Award

For as long as any of those involved in serving the hungry, the poor or the vulnerable can remember, Portland First United Methodist has reached out and served other faith communities and not for profits with the same compassion and dedication as it has in its direct service. If the interfaith community needs a place to celebrate, to mourn, or to learn together, they welcome us. Their welcoming community extends beyond bricks. Their pastors, their staff, and their community make space in their building and space in their hearts.

The Oregon Faith Roundtable Against Hunger seeks to engage diverse religious communities throughout the state, including direct service agencies, in order to develop solutions to the root causes of hunger through education and public policy advocacy

What Does it Take for Congress to Pass a Compassionate Budget?

2011-11-12T08:49:00.010-07:00

On Tuesday, November 8, members of the Bread for the World board of directors took time from our meetings in Washington to visit our senators to urge them to form a Circle of Protection around programs that help the most vulnerable in our country and overseas. This was both for the 2012 budget and for the longer term.

From the God's Politics blog

I had very good meetings with the aides to Sens. Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall, who seem very supportive of this effort. Other members met with the staffs of Sens. Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul, Bob Corker, Lamar Alexander, Dianne Feinstein, Barbara Boxer and others.

The board member who had one of the most important meetings was from Washington state. Her senator Patty Murray, plays a key role in the budget debate. She is co-chair of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, more commonly known as the Super Committee.

The Super Committee is nearing the Nov. 23 deadline to put forth a plan that will cut the deficit, whether it is through budget cuts or revenue enhancement. The committee, comprised of House and Senate members, is charged with issuing a recommendation for at least $1.5 trillion in additional deficit reduction steps to be undertaken over a ten‐year period.

Most of the proposals are looking at budget cuts, and the programs that are most vulnerable to cuts are those that provide food and nutrition assistance (WIC, SNAP), job training, energy assistance, child care.

From National Council of Churches Super Vigil site

"Many of their proposed cuts the Super Committee is contemplating strike fear in my soul -- a visceral forboding of injustice," Karla T. Vasquez wrote in a piece entitled Human Circles of Protection: 16, 23, 24 is the Combination to Guard the Needy Against Budget Cuts, published in Sojourners' God's Politics blog.

According to Ms. Vasquez, there are three key numbers (or dates): 16, 23, and 24. I would add 20 (or November 20), and I'll tell you why in a second.

On November 16, communities around the country will gather at noon to form human circles of protection around the buildings of organizations and agencies that have dedicated their lives to helping the poor and are in jeopardy of losing essential funding from the federal government.

November 23 is the Super Committee deadline.

On November 24, we all will be thankful for the hands that joined together in order to take a stand for their community, for justice and for hope," said Ms. Vasquez.

Join us for Vigil at Bataan Park on November 20

As far as I know, no event has been planned in Albuquerque for Nov. 16, but the New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light, Bread New Mexico, and other members of the local faith community have put together An Interfaith Vigil for a Compassionate Budget on Sunday, November 20, at 3:00 p.m. at Bataan Park (on the corner of Lomas and Girard). Read more on Facebook.

Our event is tied to the Super Vigil promoted by the National Council of Churches for that date. We will be using a version of this budget litany. I'm sure many communities around the country will organized vigils and rallies around both the Sojourners and the NCC events.

We began the dialogue here in Albuquerque with Joining Hands in a Circle of Protection, a prayer vigil that we organized at Immanuel Presbyterian Church on Saturday, Oct. 22.

We are following up on that vigil by meeting with five candidates seeking the open seat in the First Congressional District: Michelle Lujan Grisham (Nov. 16); Dan Lewis, Janice Arnold-Jones and Martin Chavez (all on Nov. 18); and Eric Griego (Nov. 19). If you want to participate in the congressional visits, please drop me a note at breadnm@gmail.com

And if you can't come for any of those meetings, please join us on November 20 for the vigil at Bataan Park.

Rabbi Steve Gutow: Hunger is a Form of Slavery

2011-11-11T07:59:00.000-07:00

Rabbi Steve Gutow, president of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, recently took the Food Stamp Challenge, which gives participants a view of what life can be like for millions of low-income Americans.

Most participants take the Challenge for one week, living on about $4 per day worth of food – the average food stamp benefit. Challenge participants are forced to make difficult food shopping choices, and often realize how difficult it is to avoid hunger, afford nutritious foods, and stay healthy.

While the challenge is primarily a practical exercise, there is a spiritual element in stepping back and living life with less.

The difference between people like me and those with limited means is that after taking the challenge we can go back to our middle-class lifestyle. Rabbi Gutow offers his experiences in an article he wrote in The Huffington Post.

Here are the first two paragraphs

Looking at my dwindling stash of food the last few days caused me strange sensations of fear, fragility, and questions about the world. I admit I was a little dizzy at times and euphoric at other times. I was bored with what I was eating, concentrating on husbanding my last drops of yoghurt, milk, and corn flakes. Eating my first non-food stamp meal yesterday at a New York Indian restaurant with my good friend, John Ruskay, where the meal itself cost close to $25.00, showed me in high relief what the challenge could not allow.

As a Jew I remember that in Egypt my people were enslaved thousands of years ago. Hunger is a form of slavery and my mind kept focusing on the time in Egypt. On Passover we say that we were slaves in Egypt intending to show that we are part of an ongoing recollection of that period in the history of my people. The end of the food stamp challenge filled me with a deeper capacity to empathize. I felt that not only were we slaves but as I stared at the attrition of my food supply, I felt like I understood the Israelite condition more than I had ever understood it before. We were slaves as the liturgy taught but I felt like I was a slave and that I will now be even more a slave to the ongoing need to stop hunger among my people all through the world.

Read Full Piece

People from all walks of life have taken the challenge: social workers, anti-hunger activists, students accountants, lawyers, clergy and many others. Proponents are especially interested in participation from members of Congress. That's why they created this handy toolkit. Reps. Barbara Lee of California, Jo Ann Emerson of Missouri and Jim McGovern of Massachusetts have taken the challenge. In this time of difficult budget decisions, wouldn't it be great if all members of Congress took the challenge?

Albuquerque Mennonite Church Invites You to Presentation on East Africa

2011-11-10T07:29:00.001-07:00

Photo from Mennonite Central Committee

Pastor Anita Amstutz of Albuquerque Mennonite Church and her brother Doug Amstutz invite you to learn about the work of the Mennonite Central Committee in East Africa. Images from Ethiopia and Kenya will be presented. This informal evening will also feature a taste of Ethiopian culture, including coffee and snacks.

Here are the details:

Saturday, November 19, 7:00-8:30pm

Albuquerque Mennonite Church

1300 Girard Ave. NE (between Lomas and Indian School)

Call Anita at 250-7151 if you have questions.

Here is an excerpt from the Mennonite Central Committee's East Africa drought response.

The drought and food crisis remain at emergency levels in many regions in East Africa with over 13 million people now affected.

"This is a long-term crisis,” said Bruce Guenther, program coordinator, Food, Disaster and Material Resources department. “Many of the people affected depend on agriculture and livestock activities for their livelihoods. The severity of this humanitarian crisis will affect these families for years to come.”

Read Full Account

Sartans for St. Martin’s Fun Run/Walk on November 13 in Albuquerque

2011-11-05T16:37:00.007-06:00

Photo Courtesy of St. Martin's Hospitality Center

By Karen Navarro

As we begin the holiday season, our awareness of “the poorest of the poor,” the “homeless,” is heightened as each one of us looks for ways we can help out. One opportunity to make a real difference is to respond to this invitation to run, walk or cheer on event participants in a 5K Run/Walk (+ 1K kid run/walk) on Sunday, November 13th at 10:00 am at St. Pius X High School, 5301 St. Joseph’s Drive, NW, Albuquerque, NM 87120. This fun event has been organized by the Notre Dame Club of New Mexico (Fighting Irish) and the St. Pius X High School Cross Country Team (Sartans). 100% of the proceeds will go to St. Martin’s Hospitality Center, a large homeless services agency in Albuquerque that offers a drop-in center and behavioral health supportive housing programs for individuals and families who are homeless.

You can register on race day at St. Pius, or register online through the Active.com site or New Mexico Sports Online Entry fees for the 5K run/walk: $20 for 18-year-olds or over; $10 under 18 years of age; for the 1K kid run/walk: $10 (ages 12 and under). For more info, visit “Sartans for St. Martin’s” on Facebook, or contact Tom Mescall, tom@mescalllaw.com, 765-5548.

Participants (and cheerleaders) are encouraged to bring donations for the 300-400+ homeless individuals who visit St. Martin’s Day Shelter each day: coats (large & extra-large sizes most needed), black or navy blue beanies, gloves & scarves, blankets & sleeping bags, backpacks, socks, men’s warm clothing & jeans (we have enough women’s), shampoo/conditioner. Blog readers outside of the Albuquerque area can donate directly to St. Martin’s by clicking on the Donate button (PayPal) or other ways provided on the Donation page of our website, including mailing a check to: St. Martin’s Hospitality Center, Attn: Administration, P.O. Box 27258, Albuquerque, NM 87125; St. Martin’s is a 501(c)(3) non-profit agency

As I write this, I am listening to wonderful Irish music on KUNM’s “Folk Roots” while I sit at the computer sipping green mint tea, cozy inside our warm casita. Outside a storm is blowing through Albuquerque, with sleet, rain and “spitting” snow accompanied by sustained 30 mph winds gusting to 40 mph all morning. It is not sentimentalizing “the homeless” to be wondering what this must feel like to the thousands of men, women and children who are out and about right now on Albuquerque streets.

Each weekday in my office I hear more than one account by a homeless person voicing his or her anguish after being unable to sleep the night before because of being so cold, enduring the long hours huddled next to a building, in a camp, under a bridge or in a vehicle. When it rains overnight, those who sleep outside are likely to wake up with blankets and belongings soaked.

There is a false sense of complacency among those of us who are “housed” when we think that people are protected from “the elements” all day and night by staying in shelters. Even if there were enough shelter beds to accommodate everyone (the winter overflow shelters don’t open until November 15th — and the expected lows Nov. 5-12 will hover around 30º), the reality is that people have to leave the shelters early each morning to stand in the cold waiting for the day centers, clinics and other places to open. I sometimes think of this when my alarm jolts me awake at 6:45 am, and again in the late afternoon before the night shelters take people in. Maybe it’s just “Murphy’s Law," but in Albuquerque it always seems that these are the times of day we are most likely to experience the hardest falling precip and bone-chilling winds.

So I will be at the 5K fun run/walk and 1K kid run/walk on Sunday, November 13th, enthusiastically accepting donations of warm articles of clothing, coats, blankets, sleeping bags, and socks (a very prized possession!) Let me also extend the invitation year-round to drop off items at St. Martin’s during the hours we are open: Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 2:00 pm, and Sundays, 7:30 to 10:00 am. Our street address is 1201 3rd St. NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102.

As postulated in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, basic human needs (food, shelter, clothing, etc.) are and always will be essential to address. Self-esteem and spiritual well-being are fed in no small part by meeting these needs. Also by looking each person in the eye whom you pass on the street and offering a simple warm greeting.

Thank you for any and all expressions of your compassionate heart!

Karen Navarro, knavarro411@yahoo.com
Client Advocate at St. Martin’s Hospitality Center,
and spouse of Carlos Navarro

Steve Garnaas-Holmes: November Blessing

2011-11-04T07:29:00.001-06:00

May the nakedness of trees
expose within you strength and beauty.

May deepening darkness
draw you into a richer mystery.

May frost on grasses
edge your life,
speak to you of limits.

May the first snow change your plans,
and get to used to that.

May changing climate
give you courage for a new journey.

May every day be a day of giving
thanks.

And for you in the Southern Hemisphere,
as others enter one season,
may you always have faith
to go in another direction.

-Steve Garnaas Holmes,

From Unfolding Light blog

Green Fire in Espańola

2011-11-01T08:09:00.003-06:00

The Associated Students of Northern New Mexico College invite you to Espańola Valley’s first public screening of the new documentary film Green Fire: Aldo Leopold and a Land Ethic for our Time.

The screening is free for students and the community and will feature an address by New Mexico Land Commissioner Ray Powell. This is the first event in our 2011-12 "Land Ethic Series."

Here are the details:

Monday, November 7 · 5:30pm - 8:00pm

Fine Arts Theater, Northern NM College
921 N. Paseo de Oñate
Espanola, New Mexico
Tickets Free -No Reservations Required -Donations Accepted

Best known as author of the classic book A Sand County Almanac, Aldo Leopold is also renowned for his work as an educator, philosopher, forester, ecologist, and wilderness advocate. Green Fire shares highlights from his extraordinary career, including his work in Northern New Mexico, explaining how he shaped conservation and the modern environmental movement. Green Fire illustrates Leopold’s continuing influence by exploring current projects that connect people and land at the local level.

Viewers will meet urban children in Chicago learning about local foods and ecological restoration, and wildlife biologists who are bringing back threatened and endangered species, from cranes to Mexican wolves, to the landscapes where they once thrived. They’ll learn about ranchers in Arizona and New Mexico who maintain healthy landscapes by working on their own properties and with their neighbors, in cooperative community conservation efforts.

Green Fire portrays how Leopold’s call for a land ethic ties all of these stories together and offers inspiration and insight for the future. Special guest Ray Powell, New Mexico’s elected Land Commissioner, will introduce the film and discuss opportunities for students and the public to be involved with State Land Office initiatives.

NNMC history professor Hilario Romero will also discuss Hispanic and Native American influences on the land ethics, career and environmental legacy of Aldo Leopold.

Sponsors: Associated Students of Northern New Mexico College (Student Senate) and the Aldo Leopold Foundation

A Smashed Pumpkin Makes Good Compost

2011-10-31T14:40:00.000-06:00

Project Feed the Hood with the South West Organizing Project is hosting a Pumpkin Smashing Festival on Saturday, November 5 · 1:00 - 4:00pm
at Project Feed the Hood International District Garden (Corner of Ross and Wellesley)

The smashed pumpkins will be mixed with leaves and other organic matter to create compost for community gardens in Albuquerque. So please bring pumpkins to smash and also bags of leaves if you can. There will be food, music, and also fun smash competitions, so bring your pumpkin to compete!!!

Please spread the word the more pumpkins the more smashing so please come and GET YOUR SMASH ON!!!!

Somewhere on Capitol Hill...

2011-10-31T14:18:00.007-06:00

Specifically in Hart Senate Building, an aide to Sen. Tom Udall or Sen. Jeff Bingaman is picking up the telephone and hearing your message:

"Please ask Sen. Udall (or Sen. Bingaman) to protect lifesaving poverty-focused foreign assistance by voting NO on any amendments that cut the State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill.

If that wasn't you on this end of the line, then it can be.

Make this call using Bread for the World's toll-free number—1-800-826-3688. Important. Please make your call by 5 p.m. EST Tuesday, Nov. 1.

And in case you need further encouragement, here is a message from Bread President David Beckmann:

The Senate is making budget decisions right now that will impact millions of lives around the world. One of those decisions has to do with the amount of funding our government devotes to programs that alleviate hunger and poverty in developing countries.

This funding is in extreme danger—even though it accounts for less than 1 percent of the federal budget. The budget deal members of Congress approved in August requires limits to the overall amount Congress can spend. For the first time, aid to small farmers or nutrition programs for mothers and children are competing with military spending for federal dollars in the fiscal year 2012 budget.

The Senate Appropriations Committee voted recently on this funding and supported much higher levels than the House of Representatives.
As the appropriations bills go to the Senate floor this week, dangerous amendments to the Senate Appropriations Committee’s funding levels will likely be offered. We need you to defend the higher Senate numbers and oppose any further cuts to this lifesaving funding.

It is critical that your senator hears from you now. Tell him or her to protect lifesaving poverty-focused foreign assistance by opposing amendments that further cut this vital funding.

P.S. Bread members in other states are doing this too, including Elaine VanCleave in Nashville, Tenn.

Blogging About The Circle of Protection

2011-10-28T20:37:00.006-06:00

Photo by Laura Elizabeth Pohl/Bread for the World

Molly Marsh and Laura Pohl, members of the Bread for the World communications staff, joined us for the Circle of Protection prayer vigil at Immanuel Presbyterian Church about a week ago. Molly, who is Bread's managing editor, wrote a very nice piece for the national Bread blog.

This is how the post starts.

About 45 people gathered on the smooth steps of Albuquerque’s Immanuel Presbyterian Church Saturday to offer prayer and advocacy for hungry and poor people—particularly in light of the cuts Congress is considering to programs for vulnerable people in the United States and abroad.

The post captured the essence of the service.

Accompanied by flute and guitar, participants sang, read scripture, and prayed before liturgical dancer Diane Martinez-Hursh led the group into the chapel for the remainder of the service.

Diane indeed was great! And I would add the wonderful songs from the Taize group that sings at the monthly healing service at Hope in the Desert Episcopal Church.

Rebecca Hemphill signs one of the letters

And there was a mention about our advocacy efforts.

After the vigil, participants stayed for a supper of rice, beans, and tortillas—and advocacy. They signed letters Navarro wrote for five candidates who are running for the open seat in the first congressional district. “We ask that if you’re elected to Congress,” the letters read, “you consider joining us in forming a circle of protection around programs that meet the essential needs of hungry people at home and abroad.”

About 25 people signed each letter by the end of supper. Navarro and others will take the letters to other meetings to get additional signatures. After they get about 100, they’ll visit the candidates personally to deliver the letters.

Joy Carroll was a reader & Rene Ronquillo an usher

We love that we received this recognition. But of course, it's not really about us, but about the grace of God working through us to protect the most vulnerable. Still, I am extremely grateful to everyone who played a significant role in this service.

And Thank You Molly for such a wonderful piece. Click here to read full post.

And here is the script for the full prayer vigil. Feel free to use it and adapt it for your purposes. And please share it with others.

Circle of Protection Prayer Vigil

2011-10-28T20:34:00.004-06:00

Photo: Laura Elizabeth Pohl/Bread for the World

OUTSIDE SEGMENT
(People are asked to gather in a circle and light their candles)

Kay Huggins
We are gathered in this space as people of faith to contemplate on hunger and poverty and our response as people of faith.

We come into the presence of our Creator with humble hearts, recognizing that we are powerless on our own. We recognize our indebtedness to God.

But we also come together in this circle with the knowledge that as human beings we are all connected to each other. In recognition of our common bonds, please take this opportunity to greet your neighbor to your right and to your left.

Please light your candles and join us in a few moments of silent reflection. The candle represents a light of hope.

Before we begin, I would ask that we first center ourselves in God and consider the following verse from Matthew 22. A version of this account is also found in Mark 12 and Luke 10.

Mike Shawver
“When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’ He said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.”

This is the greatest and first commandment.

And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’

Musical Interlude Come and Fill (Instrumental)

Carlos Navarro
Early this year, Bread for the World helped organize a coalition of Christian denominations and organizations committed to resisting budget cuts that undermine the lives, dignity, and rights of poor and vulnerable people.

As the coalition was forming, Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World, Tony Hall, executive director of the Alliance to End Hunger, and Rev. Jim Wallis, president of Sojourners, began a fast during Lent to draw attention to FY2011 budget proposals that drastically cut programs for hungry and poor people. Thousands of activists, leaders of nonprofit organizations and corporations, and people of other faiths joined them in urging Congress to protect these programs. When the FY2011 budget was passed, the cuts to these programs were lower than had been originally proposed.

David Beckmann explains the urgency for us to act.
"Everything we have achieved for poor and hungry people in the last 35 years is under severe threat of budget cuts—nutrition programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and SNAP (formerly food stamps), as well as poverty-focused development assistance," he says.

The fast and the Circle of Protection campaign generated extensive print, radio, and television coverage. And thousands of people have raised their voices through letters, phone calls, and personal visits to Congress; through letters to the editor and opinion pieces; through discussions at town hall meetings and call-in shows.

And even though Congress moved to make some reductions in the budget for fiscal year 2011, the cuts to important programs were lower than had been originally proposed.

As the budget discussions for fiscal year 2012 move forward, we will continue to raise our voices. Our faith does not allow us to stand still on this, so we remain steadfast in urging Congress to protect the most vulnerable people in our global society when they make future spending decisions.

Michaela Bruzzeze
Inspired by a common spiritual conviction that God has called on all Americans to protect the vulnerable and promote the dignity of all individuals living in society, we take this opportunity to pray for a just and compassionate federal budget. We appeal to our federal legislators and our president to protect those struggling to overcome poverty in the U.S. and abroad, and to exclude programs that protect people in poverty from the U.S. budget deficit debates.

We believe that the federal budget is a moral document. We affirm government’s role in serving the common good. We have come to Washington to meet with Congressional leaders and to join with you in daily prayer for a global economy and a federal budget that break the yokes of injustice, poverty, hunger and unemployment throughout the world.

Daniel Erdman
Como fieles cristianos, urgimos al Congreso y la administración a otorgar una prioridad moral a los programas que protegen la vida y dignidad de los más pobres y necesitados en estos tiempos difíciles, en nuestra quebrada economía y en nuestro lastimado mundo.

Musical Interlude Come and Fill (sung)

Diane Martinez Hursh. liturgical dancer, leads People into Sanctuary

INSIDE THE CHAPEL

Debbie Ruiz
Let us begin by pondering a bit about hunger and poverty.

Hunger. Everyone agrees that it should not exist. And yet, the statistics tell us that hunger is prevalent.
More than 1 billion people in the world go hungry.
In the United States, over 49 million people—including 16.7 million children—live in households that struggle to put food on the table. That means one in seven households in the U.S. are living with hunger or are at risk of hunger.

So what is hunger? I can give you a clinical definition.

Hunger pains occur when an individual has not consumed food or drink for an extended period of time. Muscle contractions begin to occur when the stomach has been empty for several hours. As the contractions take place, the sensation may be somewhat unpleasant and interpreted as painful.

Else Tasseron
Very few of us understand what hunger really is.
Our concept of hunger is an image of starving people in the Horn of Africa, Calcutta or Haiti. The pain of hunger is Horn of Africa is very much in the news these days with the emergency faced by Somalian refugees.
Consider the words of journalist Nicholas Kristof, who traveled to the Horn of Africa in September of this year.

“What’s most heartbreaking about starving children isn’t the patches of hair that fall out, the mottled skin and painful sores, the bones poking through taut skin. No, it’s the emptiness in their faces.
These children are conscious and their eyes follow you — but lethargically, devoid of expression, without tears or screams or even frowns. A starving child shuts off emotions, directing every calorie to keep vital organs functioning.

The United Nations warns that the famine in the Horn of Africa could kill 750,000 people in the coming months, and tens of thousands have already died.”

But hunger manifests itself in many ways other than starvation and famine. Most poor people who battle hunger deal with chronic undernourishment and vitamin or mineral deficiencies, which result in stunted growth, weakness and heightened susceptibility to illness.

In essence, hunger is the most extreme form of poverty, where individuals or families cannot afford to meet their most basic need for food.

We are called to reflect on this for a few minutes.

Musical Interlude Holy Spirt, Come to Us

Candles: Carlos Navarro, Michaela Bruzzeze
The Organizers of the Circle of Protection Offer us eight Key Principles We light a candle for each of the Principles
1. Carlos Navarro,: The nation needs to substantially reduce future deficits, but not at the expense of hungry and poor people.
2. Michaela Bruzzeze: Funding focused on reducing poverty should not be cut. It should be made as effective as possible, but not cut.

Ed Dzienis
The singer Bono said in his prayer breakfast at the White House in February 2006.

Look, whatever thoughts you have about God, who He is or if He exists, most will agree that if there is a God, He has a special place for the poor. In fact, the poor are where God lives.

Check Judaism. Check Islam. Check pretty much anyone.

I mean, God may well be with us in our mansions on the hill… I hope so. He may well be with us as in all manner of controversial stuff… maybe, maybe not… But the one thing we can all agree, all faiths and ideologies, is that God is with the vulnerable and poor.

God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house… God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives… God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war… God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us if we are with them.

Please sit in silence and ponder this in your hearts.

Photo: Laura Elizabeth Pohl/Bread for the World

Musical Interlude Where Charity Prevails

Candles: Rosie Shawver, Carlos Navarro

3. Rosie Shawver We urge our leaders to protect and improve poverty-focused development and humanitarian assistance to promote a better, safer world.
4. Carlos Navarro National leaders must review and consider tax revenues, military spending, and entitlements in the search for ways to share sacrifice and cut deficits.

Cynthia Ranke
God calls us to step outside our comfortable bubble and to recognize the poor and hungry among us. There are the poor who are visible, like the homeless man who greets us at the sidewalk or the television image of the victim of the devastating earthquake in Haiti who is wandering the streets of Port-Au-Prince in search of food.

There are people whose hunger is hidden from us because we are too busy with our own lives to look.

Mike Shawver
Each year, 3 million under-five children die because they are undernourished. Far more children live with undernutrition than die from it. For infants and young children, the effects of chronic malnutrition in the early years of life are largely irreversible.

“Consider the case of Wambua Kangaa, who was brought to Kisesini Clinic in eastern Kenya by her mother because of weight loss. At 11 months of age, Wambua weighs only 12 pounds.

Her mother walked a long distance from her village to bring her to the Kisesini Clinic in the hope of a cure for her illness – the illness of hunger. The Global Health Partnerships medical team prescribed and dispensed the appropriate “medicine”: Food.”

Cynthia Ranke
Countries in which a large portion of the population battles hunger daily are usually poor and often lack the social safety nets we enjoy, such as soup kitchens, food stamps, and job training programs. When a family that lives in a poor country cannot grow enough food or earn enough money to buy food, there is nowhere to turn for help.

In 2005, almost 1.4 billion people lived below the international poverty line, earning less than $1.25 per day. The World Bank estimates that the spike in global food prices in 2008, followed by the global economic recession in 2009 and 2010 has pushed between 100-150 million people into poverty.

Among this group of poor people, many have problems obtaining adequate, nutritious food for themselves and their families. As a result, 947 million people in the developing world are undernourished. They consume less than the minimum amount of calories essential for sound health and growth.

Undernourishment negatively affects people’s health, productivity, sense of hope and overall well-being. A lack of food can stunt growth, slow thinking, sap energy, hinder fetal development and contribute to mental retardation.

Economically, the constant securing of food consumes valuable time and energy of poor people, allowing less time for work and earning income.

Our God calls us to solidarity with the hungry and poor.

Photo: Carlos Navarro

Alicia Sedillo
La Madre Teresa de Calcuta fue un ejemplo viviente de la capacidad humana para generar amor infinito. Reflexionamos con sus palabras.

UNA ORACIÓN PARA APRENDER A AMAR
Señor, cuando tenga hambre,
dame alguien que necesite comida;
Cuando tenga sed,
dame alguien que precise agua;
Cuando sienta frío,
dame alguien que necesite calor.
Cuando sufra,
dame alguien que necesita consuelo;

Daniel Erdman
Cuando mi cruz parezca pesada,
déjame compartir la cruz del otro;
Cuando me vea pobre,
pon a mi lado algún necesitado.
Cuando no tenga tiempo,
dame alguien que precise de mis minutos;
Cuando sufra humillación,
dame ocasión para elogiar a alguien;

Alicia Sedillo
Cuando esté desanimado,
dame alguien para darle nuevos ánimos.
Cuando quiera que los otros me comprendan,
dame alguien que necesite de mi comprensión;
Cuando sienta necesidad de que cuiden de mí,
dame alguien a quien pueda atender;
Cuando piense en mí mismo,
vuelve mi atención hacia otra persona.

Daniel Erdman
Haznos dignos, Señor,
de servir a nuestros hermanos;
Dales, a través de nuestras manos,
no sólo el pan de cada día,
también nuestro amor misericordioso,
imagen del tuyo.

Musical Interlude Bendigo al Señor

Photo: Laura Elizabeth Pohl/Bread for the World

Candles: Michaela Bruzzeze, Rosie Shawver
5. Michaela Bruzzeze A fundamental task is to create jobs and spur economic growth. Decent jobs at decent wages are the best path out of poverty, and restoring growth is a powerful way to reduce deficits.
6. Rosie Shawver The budget debate has a central moral dimension. Christians are asking how we protect "the least of these." "What would Jesus cut?" "How do we share sacrifice?"

Joy Carroll
God does not call us to be guilty. Guilt can be paralyzing. Or it can lead to one-time actions that often do not provide a lasting solution.
God calls us to examine our lifestyles and consider how we are contributing to the problem.
God calls us to fast, to clear our minds, our hearts and our stomachs so we can better show solidarity with
those who are in need. But it’s more than solidarity, we must feel deep empathy.

Debbie Ruiz
God calls us to advocacy
In recent comments to the press, heads of diverse Christian organizations said that politicians in both parties have failed to bring moral leadership to the budget debate. In the words of the Christian leaders:

"These choices are economic, political—and moral. As Christians, we believe the moral measure of the debate is how the most poor and vulnerable people fare. We look at every budget proposal from the bottom up—how it treats those Jesus called "the least of these" (Matthew 25:45). They do not have powerful lobbies, but they have the most compelling claim on our consciences and common resources. The Christian community has an obligation to help them be heard, to join with others to insist that programs that serve the most vulnerable in our nation and around the world are protected."

Daniel Erdman
"Como cristianos", afirma el Reverendo Samuel Rodríguez presidente de la Asociación Evangélica Hispana, "nuestra agenda no puede estar dictada por el burro o el elefante, sino únicamente por el Cordero. En la medida en que se relaciona con el actual debate fiscal y presupuestario, nuestro país tiene un imperativo moral para equilibrar el presupuesto, reducir el déficit y poner en orden las cuentas fiscales; todo ello sin sacrificar a los más vulnerables en el altar de la urgencia. Mateo 25 y Lucas 4 nos imponen reconciliar la obligación financiera con la ayuda a los más pobres y necesitados".

Debbie Ruiz
God calls us to solidarity
As Thomas Merton says:
“From the moment you put a piece of bread in your mouth you are part of the world. Who grew the wheat? Who made the bread? Where did it come from? You are in relationship with all who brought it to the table.

We are least separate and most in common when we eat and drink.”

Musical Interlude Eat This Bread

Photo: Laura Elizabeth Pohl/Bread for the World

Candles: Carlos Navarro, Michaela Bruzzeze
7. Carlos Navarro As believers, we turn to God with prayer and fasting, to ask for guidance as our nation makes decisions about our priorities as a people.
8. Michaela Bruzzeze God continues to shower our nation and the world with blessings. As Christians, we are rooted in the love of God in Jesus.

Joy Carroll
God calls us to tears

Sister Joan Chittster says: If we do not allow ourselves to face and feel pain, we run the risk of entombing ourselves in a plastic bubble where our lies about life shrink our hearts and limit our vision. It is not healthy, for instance, to say that massive poverty is sad but “normal.”

Mike Shawver
God calls us to justice
Bono says. We have the means. The financial costs to end hunger are relatively slight. The United Nations Development Program estimates that the basic health and nutrition needs of the world's poorest people could be met for an additional $13 billion a year. Animal lovers in the United States and Europe spend more than that on pet food each year.

It's not about charity after all, is it? It's about justice.
Let me repeat that: It's not about charity, it's about justice.
And that's too bad.

Because you're good at charity. Americans, like the Irish, are good at it. We like to give, and we give a lot, even those who can't afford it.

But justice is a higher standard. Africa makes a fool of our idea of justice; it makes a farce of our idea of equality. It mocks our pieties, it doubts our concern, it questions our commitment.

6,500 Africans are still dying every day of a preventable, treatable disease, for lack of drugs we can buy at any drugstore. This is not about charity, this is about Justice and Equality.

Because there's no way we can look at what's happening in Africa and, if we're honest, conclude that deep down, we really accept that Africans are equal to us. Anywhere else in the world, we wouldn't accept it.

Look at what happened in South East Asia with the Tsunami. 150, 000 lives lost to that misnomer of all misnomers, "mother nature". In Africa, 150,000 lives are lost every month. A tsunami every month. And it's a completely avoidable catastrophe.

It's annoying but justice and equality are mates. Aren't they? Justice always wants to hang out with equality. And equality is a real pain.

And Bono says again:

Preventing the poorest of the poor from selling their products while we sing the virtues of the free market… that's a justice issue. Holding children to ransom for the debts of their grandparents… That's a justice issue.

Withholding life-saving medicines out of deference to the Office of Patents… that's a justice issue.
And while the law is what we say it is, God is not silent on the subject.

That's why I say there's the law of the land… and then there is a higher standard. There's the law of the land, and we can hire experts to write them so they benefit us, so the laws say it's OK to protect our agriculture but it's not OK for African farmers to do the same, to earn a living?

As the laws of man are written, that's what they say.

God will not accept that.
Mine won't, at least. Will yours?

Joseph Sandoval
God calls us to a true fast, as in Isaiah 58

‘Why do we fast, but you do not see?
Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?’
Look, you serve your own interest on your fast-day,
and oppress all your workers.
Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight
and to strike with a wicked fist.
Such fasting as you do today
will not make your voice heard on high.

Alicia Sedillo
¿Es ése el ayuno que yo escogí para que un día se humille el hombre?
¿Es acaso para que incline su cabeza como un junco,
y para que se acueste en cilicio y ceniza?
¿Llamaréis a esto ayuno y día acepto al SEÑOR?

¿No es éste el ayuno que yo escogí:
desatar las ligaduras de impiedad,
soltar las coyundas del yugo,
dejar ir libres a los oprimidos,
y romper todo yugo?

¿No es para que partas tu pan con el hambriento,
y recibas en casa a los pobres sin hogar;
para que cuando veas al desnudo lo cubras,
y no te escondas de tu semejante?

Entonces tu luz despuntará como la aurora,
y tu recuperación brotará con rapidez;
delante de ti irá tu justicia;
y la gloria del SEÑOR será tu retaguardia.

Entonces invocarás, y el SEÑOR responderá;
clamarás, y El dirá: "Heme aquí."

Joseph Sandoval
If you remove the yoke from among you,
the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,
if you offer your food to the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
then your light shall rise in the darkness
and your gloom be like the noonday.
The Lord will guide you continually,
and satisfy your needs in parched places,
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters never fail.

Musical Interlude In The Lord I’ll Be Ever Thankful
as Diane Martinez Hursh. leads congregation to the basement.

Hungering for Knowledge in Silver City

2011-10-26T21:21:00.000-06:00

The Social Inequality and Sociology of Food Classes at Western New Mexico University in Silver City invite you to the 3rd Annual Hunger for Knowledge Dinner. This is a fundraiser for the Volunteer Center of Grant County. Not sure who the keynote speaker is this year, but last year's featured guest, author Sherman Apt Russell, gave a powerful presentation. So if you know anyone in southwestern New Mexico who would like to attend this worthy dinner, please forward them this invitation:

"Global Poverty is Really Scary!"

2011-10-26T15:07:00.004-06:00

Mercedes Pratt, Sam Waggoner, Matt Fleisher

If you happened to be walking through the Student Union Building at the University of New Mexico on this Wednesday, October 26, chances are that you came across Mercedes Pratt, Sam Waggoner and Matt Fleisher.

And chances are that the sign that Mercedes was holding up grabbed your attention because it said You Know What's Really Scary? GLOBAL POVERTY.

The term "scary" has two meanings here. It truly is scary that 8 million people die each year due to poverty, including 24,000 children each day.

The little piece of paper that Mercedes, Sam and Matt are giving out has many facts about poverty that should be of great concern to us all.

But "scary" is also part of the Halloween theme of the Pumpkin Bash that the UNM Chapter of Nourish International is promoting. And that's on the piece of paper too.

This free event at Student Union Ballroom C, 7-11 p.m. tonight, Wednesday, October 26, features a hip hop concert, a costume party, and information about a sustainable development project that the students are pursuing.

Want to know more about Nourish International at UNM? Drop them a note, nourish@unm.edu. and watch this space for a guest blog from Mercedes, Sam or Matt (or all three of them).

The Day after Food Day (Celebrating Food Year)

2011-10-25T08:30:00.002-06:00

Anti-hunger and nutrition advocates around the country observed Food Day on October 24 with a number of activities to bring attention to a number of food related issues.

Many of those were listed on Facebook, For example, Food Day New Mexico's campaign placed big emphasis on buying local.

The national organizers of Food Day also had advocacy in mind. They were urging supporters around the country to urge Congress to support Food Day's Goals.

Support fair conditions for food and farm workers

And at least a couple of members of Congress have responded. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) wrote a great piece for the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call entitled, On Food Day, Count Our Blessings and Make a Difference. Harkin is ranking member on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education.

Here is an excerpt

Since the first Thanksgiving almost 400 years ago, Americans have spent each fall counting our blessings for the abundance produced by this continent’s food and agriculture system. It is a gift that has kept on giving: We Americans today are, in general, able to consume more food, with more variety and convenience, more suited to our individual tastes and costing a lower share of our incomes than ever before in human existence.

Even as we recognize this abundance, another long-held American tradition is continually working to improve on our present circumstances — to keep pushing for innovative and better ways of doing things. That has certainly been so in agriculture, nutrition and health. In that spirit, people throughout our country will take part today in a number of activities organized around Food Day. We are proud to be honorary co-chairmen of this special and important day.

Read full article

But every year Food Day is just a milestone, a page marker. Our challenge is to make sure that any efforts from this day are ongoing. So Happy Food Year everyone!

Photos from Albuquerque CROP Walk 2011

2011-10-24T20:52:00.005-06:00

We set up a Bread for the World table at the annual CROP Walk on Sunday, Oct. 23. Walkers started and ended at Second Presbyterian Church in the Martineztown section of Albuquerque. The walk included stops at The Storehouse and St. Martin's Hospitality Center.

Orbit, the mascot from the Albuquerque Isotopes (Triple-A baseball team), was on hand to send off the walkers. He even stopped at the Bread table. Here are some great photos, most of them courtesy of Laura Elizabeth Pohl, multimedia manager at Bread for the World. (That is Laura pictured with Orbit in the second to last photo).

Ann Sims hangs with Orbit

Grace on a Fall Day in Albuquerque

2011-10-22T12:41:00.002-06:00

"Grace is not 'something with which' we perform good works and attain to God. It is God's very presence and action within us." -Thomas Merton

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Invites You to "Speaking Out Together"

2011-10-22T07:15:00.000-06:00

The Lutheran Advocacy Ministry-NM invites you to Speaking Out Together. its 2011 advocacy conference on Saturday, November 12, St. Luke Lutheran Church in Albuquerque (9100 Menaul NE, between Moon and Eubank), 9:00 A.M. - 1:00 P.M. Registration is $15 per person,including lunch. To register or for more information contact Ruth Hoffman, info@lam-nm.org, or call 505.984.8005. Registration deadline: Nov. 9.

Rep. Gail Chasey

State Rep. Gail Chasey, consistent champion for repeal of the death penalty as well as those living in poverty, is the featured speaker,

Planned breakout session topics include advocacy basics, hunger, Medicaid and more. This year there will be breakout sessions for those who coordinate their congregations ELCA World Hunger work (The registration fee will be waived for those Hunger Leaders.). Plan now to attend and learn more about advocating for our neighbors living in poverty.

NCRLC Food & Justice Project: Call for a New Food System

2011-10-20T07:48:00.000-06:00

The National Catholic Rural Life Conference asks a very important question. Have you wondered why there appears to be an abundance of food produced and yet many people still go hungry. How do we secure food for all? How do we fix a broken economy that allows poverty and hunger to persist?

But the NCRLC does not leave you hanging with that question. The Catholic organization has produced a set of five commentaries that will introduce you to the complexities and problems of our current global food system.

Let me whet your appetite with an excerpt from the third commentary, An agricultural ethic for a global generation

What does it mean for a society to live by an “agricultural ethic”? How do we as a nation determine the values that will guide our agricultural practices? Given that food is essential for life, we can only agree that the primary measure of agriculture is to provide sufficient food for all. But agriculture and food production cannot disregard other concerns, namely the well-being of those who grow and harvest the food -- farmers and farmworkers -- or the integrity of the land to remain productive season after season.

The NCRLC would like a broad dialogue on this question, and has made the commentaries suitable for reproduction in diocesan newspapers and online blogs that are looking for faith-based perspectives on our food system.

And there is a lot more food for thought. Check out the NCRLC Food & Justice initiative and the Food Security & Economic Justice study guide.

More (important) homework? We also recommend this recent feature article from the University of Minnesota: Hope for a Hungry Planet: A four-fold strategy to combat world hunger and environmental degradation.

Okay, I'll give you the answer to the homework assignment. Here's an excerpt from the article.

"We lose 30 to 40 percent of food on the planet in transit, in restaurants, by being thrown out of refrigerators, and other means," says Jonathan Foley, director of the UM Institute on the Environment. "These are resources that could have been sold. Show me a business that can lose 30-40 percent of its operations and still be profitable. There must be win-win opportunities here."

A lot of food for thought (pardon the pun).

By the way, my thanks to Sister Joan Brown of Albuquerque, who serves on the board of the NCRLC, for passing on this information.

An Invitation to a School Breakfast Summit

2011-10-18T07:59:00.002-06:00

The New Mexico No Kid Hungry campaign cordially invites you to New Mexico School Breakfast Summit: Growing School Breakfast - Ending Child Hunger on Tuesday, Nov. 15. Join principals, food service staff, superintendents, dieticians, teachers and others for this free event. Registration is required.

Register here Click on image below for more details.

A Liturgy for the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

2011-10-17T08:36:00.000-06:00

Today and every October 17 since 1993, the United Nations has observed the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. This year, the theme is From Poverty to Sustainability: People at the Center of Inclusive Development.

This observance was conceived in in 1993, when the General Assembly, by resolution 47/196, designated this day to promote awareness of the need to eradicate poverty and destitution in all countries, particularly in developing countries – a need that has become a development priority.

At the Millennium Summit, world leaders committed themselves to cutting by half by the year 2015 the number of people living in extreme poverty – people whose income is less than one dollar a day.

October 17 presents an opportunity to acknowledge the effort and struggle of people living in poverty, a chance for them to make their concerns heard, and a moment to recognize that poor people are the first ones to fight against poverty. Participation of the poor themselves has been at the center of the Day’s celebration since its very beginning. The commemoration of 17 October also reflects the willingness of people living in poverty to use their expertise to contribute to the eradication of poverty. -UN Social Policy and Development Committee

With global attention focused on the upcoming Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), anti-poverty advocates tell uf of the importance of drawing attention to poverty eradication as a means for building sustainable futures for all. People living in poverty face increasingly difficult challenges as climate change, environmental degradation and rising food prices threaten their livelihoods and survival. The path to sustainable development must ensure that people living in poverty are included in decision-making processes, and that concrete action is taken to respond to their needs and demands.

Sustainable development is not only about a clean planet. It means ensuring that nobody is left behind. Only in this way can peace be brought about and development be truly sustainable.

My thanks to Sister Jane Remson from New Orleans Bread for the World, who passed on this liturgy.

Introduction

The Lighting of Candles

Candle Lighter 1:

This is the light of Ruth, a foreigner who journeyed into the unknown for the sake of love and loyalty to Naomi, and who acted with initiative to change their lives for the better.

All: We praise God and claim Ruth’s power of solidarity with all those people who are poor and oppressed and broken.

Candle Lighter 2

This is the light of all people who have struggled to build bridges of hope, justice and reconciliation in a world of poverty, suspicion and war – as peacemakers, lobbyists, community workers and good

neighbours.

All: We praise God and claim the activists’ power to bring about dreams.

Candle Lighter 3

This is the light of many lives, shining through hardship, hoping in life’s difficulties, living with generosity and compassion, and committed to justice.

All: We praise God and claim the power to live in hope, in freedom and in justice.

Candle Lighter 4

This is the light of all those who have committed themselves to eradicate poverty and injustice and who have built cultures of peace and hope where everyone is welcome.

All: We praise God and claim the power of our commitment in smallness and fragility.

READINGS

Reading 1

It is not from your own possessions that you are bestowing alms on the poor, you are but restoring to them what is theirs by right. For what was given to everyone for the use of all, you have taken for your exclusive use. The Earth belongs not to the rich, but to everyone. Thus, far from giving lavishly, you are but paying part of your debt.

St Ambrose

All: Response

We dare to imagine a world where poverty has no chance to show its face.

We dare to dream of a world where war and terror are afraid to leave their mark.

We dare to share in the creation of a world where all people’s rights are respected.

Dare we commit ourselves to work and pray for change?

Reading 2

The solidarity which binds humanity together as members of a common family makes it impossible for wealthy nations to look with indifference upon the hunger, misery and poverty of other nations whose citizens are unable to enjoy even elementary human rights. The nations of the world are becoming more and more dependent on one another and it will not be possible to preserve a lasting peace so long as glaring economic and social imbalances persist.

Pope John XXIII, Mater et Magistra, 157

All: Response

We dare to imagine a world where poverty has no chance to show its face.

We dare to dream of a world where war and terror are afraid to leave their mark.

We dare to share in the creation of a world where all people’s rights are respected.

Dare we commit ourselves to work and pray for change?

Reading 3

‘By what right do you crush my people and grind the faces of the poor?’' says the Lord Yahweh Sabaoth.

Isaiah 3:15

All: Response

We dare to imagine a world where poverty has no chance to show its face.

We dare to dream of a world where war and terror are afraid to leave their mark.

We dare to share in the creation of a world where all people’s rights are respected.

Dare we commit ourselves to work and pray for change?

Reading 4He has pulled down princes from their thrones and raised high the lowly. He has filled the starving with good things, sent the rich away empty.

Luke 1:52-53

All: Response

We dare to imagine a world where poverty has no chance to show its face.

We dare to dream of a world where war and terror are afraid to leave their mark.

We dare to share in the creation of a world where all people’s rights are respected.

Dare we commit ourselves to work and pray for change?

Litany on the Millennium Development Goals

Leader: Let us pray for those who are poor, hungry, and neglected all over the world, that their cries for daily bread may inspire works of compassion and mercy among those to whom much has been given. Loving God, in your mercy,

All: Hear our prayer.

Leader: Let us pray for schools and centers of learning throughout the world, for those who lack access to basic education, and for the light of knowledge to blossom and shine in the lives of all God’s people. Loving God, in your mercy,

All: Hear our prayer.

Leader: Let us pray for an end to the divisions and inequalities that scar God’s creation, particularly the barriers to freedom faced by God’s children throughout the world because of gender; that all who have been formed in God’s image might have equality in pursuit of the blessings of creation. Loving God, in your mercy,

All: Hear our prayer.

Leader: Let us pray for the health of women, children and families around the world, especially for an end to maternal and child mortality, that in building healthy families, all God’s people may be empowered to strengthen their communities and repair the breaches which divide nations and peoples. Loving God, in your mercy,

All: Hear our prayer.

Leader: Let us pray for an end to pandemic disease throughout the world, particularly the scourges of HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis; that plagues of death may no longer fuel poverty, destabilize nations, and inhibit reconciliation and restoration throughout the world. Loving God, in your mercy,

All: Hear our prayer.

Leader: Let us pray for an end to the waste and desecration of God’s creation, for access to the fruits of creation to be shared equally among all people, and for communities and nations to find sustenance in the fruits of the earth and the water God has given us. Loving God, in your mercy,

All: Hear our prayer.

Leader: Let us pray for all nations and people who already enjoy the abundance of creation and the blessings of prosperity, that their hearts may be lifted up to the needs of the poor and afflicted, and partnerships between rich and poor for the reconciliation of the world may flourish and grow. Lord, in your mercy,

All: Hear our prayer.

(MDGs Prayer From Episcopal Office of Government Relations, United States)

SHARING

If you are praying in a group, share the ways you see your sisters working to achieve the Millennium Development Goals in their efforts to eradicate poverty.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Leader: Jesus said, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit’.

All: We pray for the children, women and men across the world who struggle each day to survive, pitted against economic conditions beyond their control. Give them strength to meet each day and hope for a different future.

Leader: Jesus said, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’.

All: We pray for the people and organizations campaigning for change as part of the MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY coalition. May the call for trade justice, for an end to debt, and for more and better aid echo loud and clear across the world.

Leader: Jesus said, ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness’.

All: We pray for the leaders and politicians with the power to change things. Help them to take the side of the poor, to resist the voices of self-interest and complacency and to make bold choices for the good of all people.

Leader: Let us pray…

God of the impossible,

we pray for justice, peace and reconciliation.

And when the challenges seem too many,

remind us of your resurrection power and the miracles of your love

that happen whenever injustice is dismantled and rebuilt with peace.

Help us to hope that the impossible can happen

and live as if it might do so today.

All: Amen

Rethinking the Garden: Why Not a Garden of Opportunities?

2011-10-16T07:41:00.002-06:00

Photo by Carlos Navarro

By Hank Bruce

Of course the community garden is a part of the sustainable solution to the problems of hunger, malnutrition, food insecurity and the diseases the haunt the empty dinner tables.

The family garden, the backyard, patio or rooftop garden, and the urban farm are also a part of the answer. But when we can grow even a part of our own food, we are empowered. Unfortunately, less than 10% of this nation’s community gardens are even wheelchair accessible.

What if we rethink the community, and the family garden, to make it much more than a place to grow vegetables?

What if we change the perspective from growing the plants to growing the people?

What if we make it possible for everyone to share in the fine and ancient art of gardening?

A scene repeated around the United States
George sat by the window watching the neighbors and their kids load the SUV with garden tools, garden gloves and a tray filled with tomato, chile and watermelon plants. There was also a lunch bag filled with brightly colored packets of seeds. He turned when he heard the click of Maggie’s walker approaching.

She sought the comfort of her recliner. “They off to the garden again?”

“Yeah.” He turned the wheelchair so that he was facing her before continuing. “Wish they’d let us old timers into that community garden of theirs.”

“Ya know we could teach them a thing or two about growing your own food.” Maggie spoke wistfully, but her lips were pursed in anger. “But there’s no way we could navigate the mud and bark paths to even get to those garden plots with wheelchair and walker, even if they did let us in the gate.”

“You’re so right.” George pushed his wheelchair back from the window. “Them that needs the garden the most is the ones that can’t afford the fees, or get around. What about us old timers, and folks like that blind kid down the street, or that soldier, paralyzed with a back injury. They could all benefit from growing their own food. No one should have to go hungry, and depend on the food pantry or commodities.”

The conversation continued about just how exclusive this so called community garden was, and how good it used to be when they could grow some of their own food. But George and Maggie are right. Of the thousands of community gardens in the United States, less than 10% are available to those who need them the most; the hungry children, the unemployed and homeless, the disabled and the elderly.

Unfortunately, many of these gardens are so exclusive that the people most in need, those of us for whom hunger is the uninvited guest at the dinner table, are the ones who would be accused of trespassing if they look over the fence.

A great community garden project was started in a declining inner city on the east coast a few years ago. A vacant city block was going to be the site for a community garden. Then a group of college students began to survey the demographics of this community. The people most interested, the ones most in need of a garden plot, were twenty blocks or more away, living in a series of senior housing and supported housing apartments.

After the students did their research a decision was made. Rather than a city block of garden, a series of local, neighborhood, backyard gardens were created. Gardens appeared on church grounds, raised beds appeared on the parking lot beside a homeless shelter, a declining elementary school created a wheelchair accessible garden near the classrooms where informal classes were held on nutrition and the families swapped recipes, shared music and meals as well as the gardening and the harvest. Working together, they grew far more than food, they empowered families and nurtured neighborhoods. The concept of a neighborhood garden brings this closer to home and hopefully increases the accessibility and expands the possibilities for the people living in the immediate area, the neighborhood.

A Neighborhood garden can help answer some of today’s serious problems
The urban food desert. In our inner cities access to healthy, fresh produce is extremely limited, and when available is often of poor quality and priced beyond the family budget.

Diabetes epidemic.

Childhood obesity is a serious problem that crosses culture and ethnicity. Today’s children get less exercise that yesterday’s children, they eat much more junk food and live on a high carbohydrate, high fat diet. In a neighborhood garden children get exercise, and “if they grow it, they will eat it.” An improved diet is the natural consequence of families and neighborhoods gardening together.

This is a reality, not only in our urban areas but in rural areas as well. Again the traditional diet has changed into a high fat, high carbohydrate one based on fast foods, packaged or prepared foods, commodities & relief foods. We have pre-teen children diagnosed as Type 2 Diabetics. One of the factors that contribute to diabetes in all age groups is stress. Gardening is a great way to reduce stress without medication or therapists. This is the field of horticultural therapy at its best.

Malnutrition is most devastating in infancy , but for people of all ages it can lead to a wide range of health problems. A family or neighborhood garden may not provide a fully balanced diet, but can most definitely be an improvement. The future cost to a community to provide health care for conditions resulting from malnutrition is far greater than the cost of a garden today.

Cultivating community is one of the aspects of gardening programs that is all too often overlooked. When we empower the at risk youth by providing purpose and direction there is less likelihood of gang membership. When our elders are able to be a part of the gardening program there is a decrease in depression. When neighbors get to know each other, everyone can celebrate the rich diversity that dwells in almost every community. When this happens, a sense of community grows, while the social weeds; vandalism, drugs and gangs decrease.

Accessibility is a valid concern
Many members of every neighborhood function with limitations and disabilities. These may be physical, mental, or emotional. This doesn’t mean that they must be excluded from neighborhood garden programs that empower and provide opportunities to grow their own food, cultivate beauty, improve nutrition, engage in conversation and be a participating member of the neighborhood.

But, most community gardens aren’t designed to be accessible to:

❀ Wheelchair users
❀ Developmentally disabled children and adults
❀ Sight challenged individuals
❀ Stroke, cardiac and cancer patients
❀ Diabetics of all ages with physical limitations and diabetic amputees
❀ Residents of senior care facilities and rehabilitation centers
❀ Those on medications that limit the amount of time they can be exposed to bright sun
❀ Our elders have traded physical strength and endurance for the wisdom of their years
❀ Veterans carrying the scars of conflict in the form of brain injury or PTSD
❀ At risk youth, and our children who have made bad choices and are now in need of time and space to find themselves and their role in the community
❀ Victims of violence, domestic violence, school and workplace bullying and other situations that steal a person’s sense of self worth
❀ Neighbors possessing a wealth of knowledge and experience from other cultures, other nationalities, other ethnicities. Language may sometimes be a barrier, but it is also an opportunity for everyone to learn in a safe environment. Plants speak all languages.

When these individuals are excluded we all lose

Adapting the garden, the garden tools and the gardener

We are horticultural therapists. This means we use gardening, plants and related activities to empower, heal, improve quality of life and promote communication. To create opportunities for those of us with limitations to actively enjoy the benefits of the garden, we may need to adapt that garden. There are many ways that this can be achieved. We may also need to adapt the tools, or use commercially available specially designed tools.

To create opportunities for those of us with limitations to actively enjoy the benefits of the garden we may need to adapt it to facilitate gardening activities. The following are only a few suggestions.1. The more level the pathways in the garden the easier the access and use will be.
2. Access ramps and railings make mobility easier.
3. Paths need to be wide enough to permit easy movement of a wheelchair. 60" width will permit the passage of two walkers or wheelchairs, but a 36" path with “wide spots in the road” can be an acceptable alternative.
4. Curved paths and intersections are easier to maneuver than sharp angles.
5. Use pathway materials that are easy for a wheelchair or walker to traverse.
6. Pathways and walks need to be defined with curbs to make navigation easier and safer.
7. Container gardening elevates the plants for accessibility.
8. Raised beds & wheelchair friendly gardens provide accessibility for those with mobility limitation. Some of the raised beds should be on tables or stands that will permit a wheelchair to roll under them for frontal access. For comfortable access there needs to be 26-30" clearance for legs and/or wheelchair arms.
9. Underground or drip irrigation systems can eliminate the danger of hoses on the pathways and save water.
10. Hanging baskets can be on pulleys for easy access from a wheelchair.
11. Wall gardens, vertical gardens, trellises, arbors and pergolas can put plants within easy reach.
12. Growing dwarf fruit trees makes care and harvest easier, even from a wheelchair.
13. A garden can also include perennial vegetables, berries, grapes, native plants and the traditional vegetables of the diverse cultures calling New Mexico home.
14. The garden can be a place of beauty, serenity and peace. We can cultivate flowers along with the vegetables. They feed the spirit, and they inspire as well as put us at ease.
15. We can cultivate herbs, special corners for hummingbirds and butterflies, even sunflowers and cosmos for the birds.
16. The community can be involved in so many levels with the work of local artists and school students on display.
17. Bring the diversity of the community’s music, dance, and food into the garden. Have “garden parties” and recipe swaps, food sampling, interactive nutrition, cooking and food preservation classes.
18. Provide shade and sufficient space for an arbor, gazebo or benches to relax and visit.
19. There is almost always more than one right way to do almost anything. We can learn a lot when we listen. Every garden needs a list of possibilities, not a list of rules. The garden is a great place to share stories.
20. Cultivate the whimsy, from creative containers to a patch of grass where those from 1 to 100 can be barefoot, sing nonsense songs and blow bubbles.

Growing from community Gardens to Opportunity Gardens
There is such a garden being planned in four locations across New Mexico. Ft Sumner, Albuquerque, Rio Rancho and Pueblo of Zuni will, through the support of NM Jewish Family Services and depending on funding resources, be the sites for pilot projects that will serve as models for the rest of the state. Hunger Grow Away is very pleased to be a small part of what these folks are doing. Hopefully, this is only the beginning. Perhaps similar gardens will be created everywhere; garden where the focus is on growing the people.

Our hope is to take this one step further and create a community accessible Charles Lewis Garden of Opportunities in the Albuquerque/Rio Rancho area in honor of one of the pioneers of modern horticultural therapy, and a resident of Albuquerque until his death in 2004. This could be a site with diverse gardens, space for programs and classes, and a place where research could take place.
A permanent site where opportunities to:
celebrate the people-plant connection,
practice therapeutic gardening
and conduct research for a better tomorrow
can grow and blossom

Elements of the Charles Lewis Garden of Opportunities
This could be a home for horticultural therapy in New Mexico, a place to serve the special needs, improve quality of life at all ages., This can be a place where we can all learn to work together to cultivate peace within ourselves and throughout the community. This can be combination of classroom and garden setting for the healthcare community, senior services and children with special needs. This can be a site where research can be conducted and professionals can gain insight into the value of the people-plant connection and the healing garden.

Vegetable gardens
Truly accessible table gardens, vertical gardens, trellises and arbors where the art of gardening can be combined with the grand traditions of the kitchen/backyard garden. Where we can learn from each other, share the foods of New Mexico’s diverse cultures and the techniques that make the family garden successful for all.

Horticultural Therapy programs
A site with “classroom” space to conduct indoor horticultural therapy programs for visitors from local senior care communities, adult day care programs, rehab and treatment programs, youth programs and more. A place where elements of the community can be welcomed for specific programs, special needs populations can have on-going programs with activities, engagement and empowerment.

Training programs
A site where classes can be conducted for senior care professionals, community and educational staff, family and professional caregivers, and healthcare professionals.

Research
A site where research can be conducted on ways that horticultural therapy can be most effectively used in a variety of venues, including:
Growing healthy children in the garden
Learning basic life skills and survival skills
Hospital healing gardens; Cancer treatment and general surgery recovery
Adult day care and gardening activities
Senior care and progressive care services
Alzheimer’s programs to improve quality of life for the entire family
End-of-Life & hospice programs
Children and adults with special needs
Victims of trauma, domestic violence or PTSD

Perhaps we can begin with a Children’s Peace Garden.
Perhaps we can plant peace around the world.
What can happen if each of us plants just one tree,
nurtures just one dream?

We can make our gardens accessible for all. We can turn community gardens into gardens of opportunity. It can happen if we work together. For more information contact Hank Bruce & Tomi Jill Folk at petals_pages@msn.com or hungergrowaway@q.com There is more information on their websites: http://horttherapywithhankbruce.weebly.com and http://petalsandpagespress.weebly.com

Hunger doesn’t have a single cause,
nor is there a single answer.
But if we all work together
we can be the solution.

(The author is a Bread for the World member and co-founder of Hunger Grow Away, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving nutrition globally by supporting the use of accessible family, neighborhood, and community gardens for food security).

Fighting Hunger is All About Community

2011-10-15T19:08:00.000-06:00

CNN's Impact Your World is featuring efforts to address hunger ahead of World Food Day 2011, If you go to this site, you can watch a video of singer and actress Christina Aguilera's efforts in Haiti and Guatemala. And the site recommends a list of 10 organizations that address hunger in one way or another. And the list includes Bread for the World (although the link goes to the Bread for the World Institute).

And there is also a video (just below) about the One World Everybody Eats Foundation and the concept of community cafes. Denise Cerreta, who promotes the concept of community cafes is featured. If you remember, Santa Fe hosted a summit for One World Everybody Eats back in January 2011. And this past summer, the The Community Table Café launched operations in Santa Fe. (Read blog post)

Thank you Denise for developing this concept of the community cafe and promoting it across many communities in our land.

Former Child Soldier from Uganda to Share Story in Albuquerque

2011-10-15T09:12:00.001-06:00

We've all heard very sad stories about children being conscripted into a rebel army (or sometimes the national army) in many countries where conflict prevails. This has happened around the globe, including the Middle East and North Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa. (In Latin America, a recent trend has been for children to be recruited to work as couriers or to sell drugs on the street. In some instances, they "graduate" into the ranks of enforcers).

We don't often get a chance to hear the accounts from the former child soldiers themselves. When we do, the stories they tell us are very powerful.

We now have a great opportunity in Albuquerque to hear from two former child soldiers in Uganda, one via a direct presentation and another through a video.

David, a former child soldier, will be speaking here twice on Sunday, October 30, thanks to the international organization Invisible Children, the local office of Catholic Charities, and groups at two local churches. Along with David's talk, there will be a video where another child soldier, Tony, tells his story.

The first presentation will take place at 10:00 A.M., at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, 619 Copper NW in downtown Albuquerque.

If you are unable to make the first talk, David will be speaking at Aquinas Newman Center Catholic Church (auditorium), 1815 Las Lomas Rd. NE, at about 6:00 P.M.

Here is a powerful video from Invisible Children

Obscene Famine

2011-10-14T10:10:00.003-06:00

You might recognize most, if not all, of those celebrities in the video created by Bono and the ONE Campaign to prompt action from Congress and the citizens of the U.S. (and around the world) on the crisis in East Africa, particularly Somalia and Kenya. Read more from Bread for the World.

ONE is urging us to take action, and here's what you can do.

Drought is inevitable, but famine is not. The current crisis in the Horn of Africa is the result of a tragic combination of factors that are man-made, including abnormally high food prices, lack of governance and security in Somalia, and a historic lack of investment in long-term agricultural development in the Horn. Over the past few years, we lost the political will and public support necessary to prevent the famine – and its causes. As a consequence, tens of thousands of children have died.

We have also missed the opportunity to help 200 million people from poor farming families lift themselves out of poverty. Communities in Africa can cope with droughts and natural disasters. But we need donors to put resources toward seeds, irrigation and teaching farmers new growing techniques. We need leaders to invest in early warning systems and national social safety net programs.

Congress can help keep our commitment to farmers in developing countries by fully funding Feed the Future— a life-changing USAID initiative that is investing in long-term agricultural development and could help put an end to famine for good.

Please sign The ONE Campaign's petition to Congress calling on them to fund this vital program.

¿Por Qué Reducimos Ayuda en Tiempos de Emergencia?

2011-10-14T08:10:00.003-06:00

Además de reducir la ayuda para desarrollo a largo plazo, El Congreso planea rebajar la ayuda de emergencia. La cámara de representantes aprobó recientemente una propuesta de presupuesto para el año fiscal de 2012 la cual reduce la ayuda para alimentos de emergencia en un 75% comparada con los niveles del año fiscal de 2008. ¿Por qué reducimos este tipo de ayuda cuando el Cuerno de África está sufriendola peor sequía en 60 años?

For those of us who speak Spanish, this quote might seem familiar. Over the past several months, Bread for the World, Sojourners and our allies have denounced the proposed reductions in international assistance. The cuts will affect poverty-focused development initiatives as well as emergency aid. This was the theme of an article I was asked to write for Just News, the Social Justice newsletter at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Albuquerque. The bottom line: reforming foreign aid is important but an even greater priority is forming a Circle of Protection around the programs that help the most vulnerable people in poor countries as well as our own country.

Read full article in English and in Spanish (translated by Luis Suárez and Mona Suárez)

Saints QB Drew Brees Urges You to Fight Global Hunger

2011-10-13T09:57:00.000-06:00

Right now, millions of people are at risk of starvation in the Horn of Africa. As the father of two, it's hard for me to imagine what it must be like for parents to watch helpless as their children suffer.

-New Orleans Saints Quarterback Drew Brees,

As a fan of the New Orleans Saints, I am extremely glad to see our star quarterback involved in anti-hunger efforts. Brees is becoming involved in a global campaign through the UN World Food Programme, which on Oct. 12 designated him as an ambassador.

So is this just a ceremonial position? Hardly. Brees will be involved in a social media campaign intended to raise awareness about global hunger and move people into taking action. Here is what the Saints quarterback said in his Facebook page.

If global hunger's your cause, I need you on my team. In my new role as a UN World Food Programme Ambassador, I'm calling on you to support me in a unique social media campaign with WFP that shows how we're all linked in the fight against hunger.

We're calling it "Six Degrees of Hunger": I'll be sharing a message with six of my friends encouraging them to help spread the word on hunger and they'll send the message to six of their friends and so on. This campaign will raise critical awareness about hunger online, but we can't do it without your help. Please re-post and start the chain in your own network!

So there you go. Just as easy as throwing a touchdown pass against the Atlanta Falcons!

Wine for Water: A Fundraiser for Amy Biehl High School Students Traveling to Kenya

2011-10-11T15:07:00.005-06:00

Click on image to enlarge

OtherPaths.org is teaming up with a group of students from Amy Biehl High School in Albuquerque to raise money for a trip to Kenya in March 2012. Hey, that's just around the corner!

(Watch for a future blog post with more details about the trip In the meantime, read about OtherPaths.org work with water projects in Kenya).

This special event will take place at St. Clair Winery & Bistro, 901 Rio Grande Blvd NW (in Old Town Albuquerque) tomorrow, October 12, at 6:00 p.m.

For the low price of $25, enjoy wine tasting, hors d'oeuvres, and a silent auction. Buy Tickets Here or click the image immediately to the left and then scan the QR code on the right with your Smartphone

Special musical performance by Albuquerque-based musician Chuck Hawley

(see YouTube video below)

Please Don't Forget Your Donation of Non-perishable Food Items

2011-10-11T07:50:00.001-06:00

If you're joining us for our Circle of Protection prayer vigil on Saturday, October 22, please don't forget to bring you non-perishable food items. We're donating the food to The Storehouse. Bring full grocery bags if you can.

And here's why. A headline in this morning's edition of The Albuquerque Journal reads: Food Supplies Running Low at Some N.M. Nonprofits

Here's an excerpt:

“Right now we are probably at the lowest food supply that we’ve been at in two or three years,”said Lee Maynard, president of the board of directors at The Storehouse. “We’re still managing to pull it together and find food when we need it, so we’ve not turned anybody away, but the crowds keep getting bigger and the food supply does not keep pace. So it’s definitely a problem.”

The holiday period is just around the corner, and food supplies traditionally pick up then. But we don't need to wait until then.

“So, yes, we have food in our warehouse, but if we had more food, we could easily distribute it. The need is there,” said Sonya Warwick, a spokeswoman for Roadrunner Food Bank. “We’re still getting a lot of the same phone calls, people who are saying, ‘I’ve been laid off for a year, or 18 months, and I have to cut food out of my monthly budget or I have to limit my expenses at the store.’ ”

Here's the link to the full article in the Albuquerque Journal Web site (subscription required).

A Bake Sale for Casa de las Comunidades

2011-10-11T07:16:00.001-06:00

Dear Friend:

Casa de Las Comunidades (CDLC) is a Catholic Worker community who accompanies the poor with a focus on immigrant families in Albuquerque, N.M.

We are in great need of funds for our English as a Second Language (ESL) and youth programs including books, materials and other resources. To assist in developing this program we will be hosting a fall bake sale with the help of Immaculate Conception Parish Church in downtown Albuquerque on Sunday, October 30, and would like to ask for your help.

There are at least five ways that you can participate in this fundraising event that will support these programs at CDLC:

• Bake a cake or any yummy baked good that you are famous for!

• Share this with a friend who you know would enjoy baking for a great cause

• Donate a cake or baked items from your favorite bakery, café or grocery

• Donate monetarily to help our families who will be participating by baking their specialties

• Attend the bake sale on Oct. 30th and buy something delicious for you and your family

At CDLC, we work to accompany individuals and families who have immigrated from their country and culture; our primary focus on women and youth, who have been abused and/or oppressed by broken systems and unjust laws. In the spirit of the gospel message, our programs seek to feed the hungry, clothe naked and befriend the stranger by not only direct assistance but through skills building, faith formation and leadership development.

Please consider supporting us in the fundraiser event for Casa de Las Comunidades Catholic Worker. With questions or for more information on how you can participate please contact me at 504.338.5280 or by email at casadelascomunidades@gmail.com

Thank you and may the Holy Spirit continue to inspire you with its grace,

Rene Ronquillo

Development and Outreach Coordinator

Casa de Las Comunidades Catholic Worker

Live Music, Yoga and the Africa Yoga Project

2011-10-09T09:05:00.001-06:00

If you practice yoga in class setting, chances are that you will be led by an instructor with a tape player.

But what if there was no tape player, and there was live music instead? That's exactly what you'll find if you participate in the Rock-N-Flow Fusion fundraiser on Saturday, November 5, at Blissful Spirints Hot Yoga in Albuquerque, 3:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

The yoga session will be led by Chris Courtney of Grassroots Yoga and Blissful Spirits Yoga in Albuquerque, and Amber Samplin of Studio Santosha Yoga of Peoria, Arizona.

Here's how the organizers describe the session.

Its a two-hour practice of YinYasa that will leave you feeling expansive and energetic, yet calm and grounded. Let your heart flood with grace, while yours ears are flooded with joy. Yoga with Live Music never felt so good!

And what about the live music? The mood will be set by the Luminaries from Venice Beach, California. According to the organizers, the group "offers a beacon of hope with their music that inspires us simply to love. It will be an ecstatic energy exchange by yogis from all over town!"

Check it out yourself:

And now to a very important reason for this special event. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Africa Yoga Project, which uses the transformative power of yoga to empower communities and change lives. By inspiring the global yoga community into active service, AYP delivers effective and innovative programs that foster peace, improve physical, emotion and mental well-being, facilitate self-sufficiency and create opportunities to learn and contribute across the communities of East Africa.

$20 pre-sale/$25 day of the event.

Space is limited Reserve your spot now. Click on this link and then click on "workshops" on the menu on the top.

So take off your shoes, center yourselves, breathe deeply, loosen your muscles and energize your body. It's for a good cause!

From the Despensa Program to a Food Bank for Sunland Park

2011-10-08T08:48:00.000-06:00

(This is the fourth in a series of blog posts to commemorate Local Food Month and Food Day in New Mexico during October in which we feature people and organizations who seek to raise awareness and offer solutions to problems of hunger and poverty and promote nutrition and sustainability. We will also highlight a number of anti-hunger events).

Today we feature the efforts of the local chapter of Spirit Mission to create a full food bank in Sunland Park, New Mexico, a poor community near the border with Chihuahua. The organization created a program to provide food on a regular basis to people in the community living below the federal poverty level through a special distribution effort known as the Despensa. But the needs are greater than the program can offer because 47% of Sunland Park live below the federal poverty level.

"The Despensa program at the beginning set out to help a small amount of families with their food needs. This has grown from a 90 family handout at the beginning on July 20th 2011, to a 500-family distribution program in the span of just six weeks," said Rafael Ramos, president and CEO of Spirit Mission "

Ramos said the goal is to provide service to 750 families by the end of December 2011, but they need to create a full food bank to accomplish this task. "We will need help in the form of capital to establish a stable method of distributing food that can be sustainable in three years," said Ramos.

"Our organization is working to establish a permanent, sustainable delivery system of food services to the community on a long- term basis," said Ramos.

Ramos' son, a community development specialist, said the organization has been working with Casa de Peregrinos to obtain food for distribution, but is looking to establish a direct relationship with Albuquerque-based Roadrunner Food Bank. "Casa de Peregrinos is helping us do the transition smoothly," he said.

"Now we have a very good system to track people coming to receive food and make the process go a bit faster," said Ramos Jr.

But the move to a larger operation is going to take money. "At this moment, we have local donors who are helping this program to continue running at its small current level," said Ramos Sr. "This is helping us stay on course with our efforts, but it is not enough to reach our mid-term goals. For this, Spirit Mission South would need steady funding to grow our base and market our services to the southern New Mexico area."

If you want to help, send donations to:

Spirit Mission Inc.

1885 McNutt Rd.

Sunland Park, NM 880063