A Portrait of a Hunger Hero in Marshall County, Indiana

She’s traveled all over the world to learn firsthand how hunger and food insecurity look in different countries (there’s not a standard template, she says).

She spends a great deal of time in Washington, DC, to lobby for legislation that assists people who are food insecure (people who do not have reliable access to nutritious food they can afford).

But a good portion of her time is spent at home in Michiana, helping the hungry and the impoverished in local communities.

“It’s endlessly rewarding,” she says. “It’s what I’m meant to do.” -Article in Edible Michiana magazine

I was so proud to see my friend Angie Ruprock-Shafer featured in a recent edition of the Edible Michiana magazine, which focuses on a variety of food issues, including nutrition, community agriculture and hunger. The print edition of this issue was out on display counters several weeks ago, but the article appeared online in mid-May.

Angie and I served together on the board of directors of Bread for the World for a few years. When she came on board, she was on the communications staff of Church World Service (the folks that bring you the CROP Walk).

The article, entitlted "Hyperlocal focus on the hungry leads local woman to global goal,"notes that Angie's Christian and humanitarian values are strong reasons why she is so involved in many different ways to fight hunger (from social media to direct advocacy to policy making). “The Bible talks endlessly about fighting hunger,” Rupchock-Schafer told article author Mike Petrucelli

And now Angie is going to take her fight against hunger to a different level. She is running for a seat in the Marshall County Commission so she can become a participant in crafting public policy.

This article is a great tribute to Angie  You can read it here

But this is not the first time that Angie has been quoted in Edible Michiana.  She was quoted in a piece about food councils in October 2017.“Farm-to-school programs help create a steady market for local farmers and provide fresh, nutritious food for our kids,” said Angela Rupchock-Schafer, a founding member of the Marshall County Food Council. “Good nutrition is essential to help our students thrive—especially those who may face hunger at home.” -Read full article

Two Bread Members Running for Office

"There is an unprecedented surge of first-time female candidates... running for offices big and small, from the U.S. Senate and state legislatures to local school boards. At least 79 women are exploring runs for governor in 2018, potentially doubling a record for female candidates set in 1994, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University."    -Article in Time magazine, January 18, 2018

Two members of the Bread for the World family have cast their hats into the ring. They are part of the growing trend around the country of women running for some sort of office.The entry of Dawn Buller Pierce and Angie Ruprock-Shafer into the political arena is a natural progression of their anti-hunger activism. As members of Bread for the World, Dawn and Angie were heavily involved in seeking to influence public policy. 

If they succeed in winning their elections, Dawn and Angie will be part of the process of creating public policy. Granted, much of their activism for Bread involved federal legislation (although I'm sure they were just as involved at the local level).  In their new roles, they would be having an effect on issues that are more local.  Dawn is running for Senate District 21 in Idaho and Angie is seeking a seat on the Marshall County Council in Indiana.

Oh, did I tell you that both Angie and Dawn are members of the Bread board?

Dawn Buller Pierce has created a Campaign page on Facebook. To support Dawn and to stay updated on her campaign, she invites you to Like her Page: Pierce for Senate District 21

 So, a few things that I support:
~ Medicaid expansion in Idaho
~ Gowen Field has empty and abandoned housing units. Let's fix those up and use them for homeless veterans
~ No one should be taxed into poverty
~ We cannot balance any budget on the backs of the poor  (Go to her page to see the rest of her agenda)
 

Angie Ruprock-Shafer does not have a campaign page, at least not yet. But she has let her friends on Facebook know that she is running for a seat on the Marshall County Council in Indiana.

"Filed to run for Marshall County Council today. Serving the community is my passion. I'd be honored if you'd support me. I'll work hard for your vote and for common-sense, compassionate policy that works for us ALL!!"

Advocacy is an Important Follow-up Action to Fasting

Dave Miner in Albuquerque in 2014

The problem is so big that we need everybody. We need private and public, we need faith-based, we need nonprofits. The federal meals run between 80 and 90 percent total, so they are essential.  Dave Miner

Back in September, Indianapolis Bread for the World advocate and activist David Miner went on a 16-day fast to draw attention to the harmful impact that proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Program (SNAP) would have on low-income families in Indiana.

Dave is making sure that the message he brought to the public during the fast continues to resonate not only in Indiana but also at the national level. He offers comments in an interview on Indiana Public Radio.  Here is a link to an article from the Indiana NPR affiliate (including an audio clip quoting Dave, Jessica Fraser  of the Indiana Institute for Working Families and Emily Weickert Bryant of Feeding Indiana's Hungry).

Bread members and people of faith around the country are fasting, praying and speaking out against cuts in SNAP and other nutrition programs (and other programs that directly or indirectly affect hunger) through a campaign created by a coalition of faith groups that includes Bread for the World.

Many individuals and faith communities are setting aside some time on the 21st of each month to participate in the campaign, entitled For Such a Time as This. The 21st is symbolic because this the time of the month when SNAP benefits usually run out for most beneficiaries.

In Albuquerque, St. Paul Lutheran Church is leading a vigil on Tuesday, Nov. 21. The ELCA congregation will be holding this action every 21st day of the month at its labyrinth garden, and all people of faith and conscience in Albuquerque are invited to attend.  "Our plan is to gather at 5:00 p.m. for brief time of quiet prayer, meditation, walking the labyrinth, perhaps sing a taize song," said Ivan Westergaard, one of the planners of the event along with Karla Ice and others at the church.

A Hunger 101 Workshop at Congregation Albert

The Interfaith Hunger Coalition invites you to its fourth Hunger 101 workshop on September 13, 2017, 5:30-7:00 p.m. at Congregation Albert, 3800 Louisiana Blvd. NE (map) in Albuquerque. Previous Hunger 101 workshops were held at First Presbyterian Church, Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Catholic Community, and the Jewish Community Center.  For more information, consult this flyer..



There is no charge for this forum, However, we ask that you bring non-perishable food items
to support The Rio Grande Food Project

For more information or to RSVP
Contact education@congregationalbert.org or call 505-883-1818

Circling Hunger: A Bicycle Flash Mob in Indianapolis

My friend Dave Miner and I were chatting on the phone the other day about creative ways to engage youth and raise awareness about hunger. Dave mentioned a bicycle flash mob in his home town of Indianapolis back in September of 2014. A bicycle flash mob? That was a unique way to enlist people who enjoy cycling to come together to collect food and bring attention that year to hunger on Indy Do Day,  a people-powered community day of service when the residents of Indianapolis take ownership of their neighborhoods and take care of their neighbors. 

The flash mob campaign was entitled Circling Hunger because the cyclists came together at Monument Circle, arriving from all directions. According to Dave, the event took place at Noon (allowing people to take off from work to participate).

A flash mob of more than 100 bike riders from 35 different Indianapolis companies came together today on Monument Circle to drop off nonperishable items for the Midwest Food Bank. The Orr Fellowship, Indy Hunger Network, Indy Do Day and the Elanco Enough Campaign rallied together to raise awareness that one in six Hoosiers are hungry and more than 80,000 children in the Indianapolis metro area suffer from hunger," said an Indy Do Day write-up.

For maximum effect, the cyclists were the same t-shirts and rode bikes from a local company that rents out cycles to commuters. Those commuter cycles are all the same color: yellow.  

The group hopes to illustrate how we can all come together to make a difference and promote Indy Do Day using hashtags #circlinghunger and #indydoday. The Indy Hunger Network has registered 25 projects on the Indy Do Day website," said the write-up

Here is a one-minute promotional video. (Note: The video strung together several topics in one URL, so please feel free to stop it after one minute). 

If You Can't Attend Lobby Day in Washington...Visit the Local Offices

Back: Gilbert Gallegos (staff), Harvey Sternheim, Carlos Navarro, Larry Buelow, Ellen Buelow:  Front: Rachel Sternheim, Terri Christiansen, Terese Rand Bridges, Brenda Sinfield, Joy DInaro

By Joy E.C. Dinaro
On Friday, June 16, 2017, several Albuquerque residents involved with Bread for the World met with representatives of Senator Tom Udall, Senator Martin Heinrich, and Albuquerque area’s Representative Michelle Lujan Grisham.

Carlos Navarro, Bread’s volunteer state coordinator for New Mexico, organized the visits to be in conjunction with Bread for the World’s Lobby Day which took place in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, June 13, 2017. Ellen and Larry Buelow, parishioners at Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Catholic Community, even arrived back in time from Capitol Hill to join us on Friday for our Albuquerque lobby visits. (Thank you, Ellen and Larry for representing New Mexico Bread for the World in D.C.!)

Samuel Chu, synagogue organizer for MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, also arrived directly from the airport to be with us that afternoon. He flew in from Southern California to work with Congregation Albert this weekend in their local efforts to end hunger at the Erev Shabbat later that evening and again on Saturday for a strategy session.

Meeting at Sen. Martin Heinrich's office

Two members of Congregation Albert, Rachel and Harvey Sternheim, joined local Bread members Terese Bridges, of St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, Terri Christiansen of St. Timothy’s Lutheran Church, Brenda Sinfield of First Presbyterian Church, and Joy Dinaro of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. The group met with Bill Woldman at Senator Udall’s office, Miguel Negrete at Senator Heinrich’s office, and Gilbert Gallegos at Representative Lujan Grisham’s office.

The group’s talking points at each office included expressing gratitude because each of the three politicians, including Udall, Heinrich, and Lujan Grisham, has a strong track record of supporting initiatives to help those who are hungry here in New Mexico and in the U.S. as well as abroad.

Samuel Chu joined us for our meeting with Sen. Tom Udall's staff

First and foremost, the local Bread members asked that each continue to oppose any budget cuts that would increase hunger and poverty in the United States and around the world, especially when the 2018 federal budget comes up for a vote. They also asked that both domestic safety-net programs as well as international development programs that end hunger and poverty be fully funded. Domestic safety-net programs includes everything from SNAP (formally called food stamps) to Medicaid, refundable tax credits,WIC (Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) and others. During the discussion on preserving funding for foreign aid, the group alluded to statements from the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff advocating for continued U.S. funding of international development programs because those programs have a direct and positive impact on safety and security worldwide.

Lastly, the group stressed that no structural changes should be made (such as addition of block grants) that would change the amount and manner in which federal aid is given to those who are hungry across the country. On the international front, we talked about how international food aid should come from within the country in need whenever possible (as shipping food from the U.S. across the world is both more costly and less nutritious from utilizing local food sources).

The high temperature for the day approached 100 degrees, which made us glad that all three congressional offices were in the same building!

Two Ways for New Mexicans to Take Part in Bread's Lobby Day

Lobby Day 2016 at Sen. Udall's Office, Hart Senate Building

On Tuesday, June 13, 2017, more than 400 Bread for the World advocates from across the country, including Larry and Ellen Buelow from Albuquerque, will be in Washington, D.C., urging Congress to making funding decisions that will end hunger and poverty in the U.S. and around the world.

There are two ways in which Bread members in New Mexico can help support the messages that Larry and Ellen will be bringing to the congressional offices.

1. On Lobby Day, June 13, we can participate in Virtual Lobby Day via our smartphones and landlines.  
2. On Friday, June 16, Bread members in Albuquerque will be visiting the local offices of Sen. Tom Udall, Sen. Martin Heinrich and Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham to reinforce the Lobby Day requests

Virtual Lobby Day 
(June 13, 2017) 

Use this toll-free number to call your Members of Congress. 800/826-3688  The Capitol Switchboard will connect you to their offices.  (This, of course, applies to Bread members anywhere in our country)

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Once you are connected,introduce yourself and where you’re calling from. The office will want to know your zip code to make sure you’re a constituent! Congressional staff take hundreds of calls a day. Make your points clearly and succinctly.Remember, you’re not expected to be an expert. Share your concerns clearly and briefly and then follow up with an email or le tter if you wish to share additional resources with the office.

Virtual Lobby Day Script 

Hi, my name is __________ and I’m calling from __________ as part of Bread for the World’s lobby day. My zip code is __________.

I urge Senator __________ /Representative __________ to:

• Oppose any budget cuts that would increase hunger and poverty in the U.S. and around the world. Worldwide, nearly 800 million people are hungry, including 20 million at risk of starvation in Africa and th e Middle East due to famine.
• Fully fund domestic safety-net and international development progra ms that end hunger and poverty. This includes providing at least $60 billion for international affairs in the fiscal year 2018 budget and adequately funding programs like SNAP, Medicaid, WIC, and summer EBT.
• Oppose harmful structural changes to SNAP , Medicaid, and international development assistance.

Thank you for relaying my message to Senator __________ /Representative __________.

Albuquerque Lobby Day Visits
 (June 16, 2017)

Bread, Oxfam members at Sen. Heinrich's #ABQ office (2014)

We are in the process of completing appointments with the offices of Rep. Lujan Grishm and Sen. Martin Heinrich.  Our appointment with Sen. Udall's office is at 2:00 p.m.  We will try to schedule our two other meetings close the appointment at Sen. Udall's office.

The message is identical to the one that Larry and Ellen will be bringing to the Washington offices. That message is the same one that callers will be using for virtual Lobby Day.

If you would like to join parishioners from St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, St. Timothy's Lutheran Church, St. John XXIII Catholic Community and Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Catholic Community in these visits, please send a note to breadnm@gmail.com  We have appointments with the offices of Sen. Tom Udall and Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham and are working on scheduling a visit with Sen. Martin Heinrich's office.

A Tribute to Anne Morawski

I’m grateful to Bread for the World for teaching me to be a citizen advocate, working to change the things that contribute to hunger and poverty in our nation and world. I’ve said many times that the most radical thing that Bread ever did was to teach church ladies how to write letters to Congress – on hunger and poverty and many other issues facing our nation. Those letters have never stopped. I’m glad I too have been one of those persistent women who pestered Congress with letters. -Rev. Anne Morawski (from a reflection on Prayer for the Bread Rising celebration in Albuquerque, October 2015)

Anne Morawski has been a part of the fabric of Bread for the World for more than four decades. She has supported the local anti-hunger and anti-poverty efforts as an individual member and as the Lutheran Campus Pastor at the University of New Mexico since she arrived in the Duke City sometime in the 2000s. She has worshiped with us and led prayers, she has organized forums on hunger and other topics (like peacemaking and social justice) for the students at Luther House, and she has had put together Offerings of Letters on campus.

The white band symbolizes a commitment to end global poverty

Anne has also been at the forefront of our local ecumenical efforts.  In 2007, Lutheran Campus Ministry joined with Aquinas Newman Center Campus Ministry and St. Thomas of Canterbury Episcopal Church to organize a U2 Agape Service. The service, modeled after the U2Charist promoted by Bono and the rock band U2, celebrated a commitment to the effort to end global poverty, hunger and disease via the Millennium Development Goals. 

In 2011, Anne  was one of 42 pastors in New Mexico (out of 4,000 at the national level) who joined their voices to speak out against the proposed cuts in programs for the most vulnerable members of our society. And in 2013, Luther House hosted a service where people of faith in Albuquerque answered Pope Francis'  call for people around the world to work together to end hunger.

Celebrating 50th Anniversary of Luther House w/Howard Corry

A Celebration
After 32 years of ministry (15 at the University of New Mexico), Anne is retiring as Lutheran Campus pastor. The Board of Directors of Lutheran Campus Ministry at UNM and CNM is proud to announce an evening of celebration in honor of her  upcoming retirement. She will officially retire on July 31, 2017. The celebration will begin at 5:00 pm on Saturday, June 17, with a worship service at St. Luke Lutheran Church, 9100 Menaul Blvd. NE. The tribute is co-hosted by the UNM-Student Christian Movement.

After worship, a dinner will follow in the fellowship hall.  A donation of $10.00 per person (if possible) is requested to cover the cost of dinner. Any donation above $10.00 per person will be used to support Lutheran Campus Ministry at UNM and CNM and will be tax deductible.

If you plan to attend the dinner portion of the celebration, please RSVP  by June 3 via the Facebook event or send an e-mail message to Robert Evers revers1954@gmail.com. After dinner the celebration will continue in the sanctuary with a presentation summarizing Pastor Anne’s work on campus.

A Bread Member in St. Louis Asks Why Hunger and Poverty Not Part of Debates

"The first presidential and the only vice presidential debate have completely ignored the outrageous reality that one in six people in our country, the richest nation in the world, is regularly hungry or food-insecure. No one, not Hillary Clinton nor Donald Trump nor the debate moderators, have discussed in any substantial way the question of how to address hunger and poverty.

Yet 42 million people in the U.S., including one in seven households in Missouri, struggle with hunger. And 43 million of our citizens, including one in three children in our state, live below the poverty line. As actor and activist Jeff Bridges has rightly said, "If another nation was doing this to our children, we'd be at war."

-Excerpts from a letter to the editor in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch by Clint McCann, a Bread member in Webster Groves, Missouri.

Birmingham Bread Team Discusses Why Candidate Meetings Matter

Suzanne Martin, a Bread for the World activist in Birmingham, relates to interviewer Vic Adamo how the local team went about arranging visits with the two candidates for the open seat in the Sixth Congressional District in Alabama in 2014. The meetings lay the groundwork for the Bread folks in Birmingham to establish a working dialogue with candidate Gary Palmer, who won the election. (We followed a similar plan in Albuquerque, when the seat in the First Congressional District in New Mexico became open in 2012).

Dear Congress, Please 'Make the World a Better Place'

Illustration from student at South Valley Prep School

Last year, children at All Saints Lutheran Church, St. Andrew Presbyterian Church and St. John XXIII Catholic Community wrote letters on paper plates urging our congressional representatives to reauthorize the Child Nutrition Act, which was the subject of Bread for the World's 2015 Offering of Letters.

We counted the children's messages among the nearly 2,000 letters that were written in New Mexico to our Congressional representatives and senators. And Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham took notice.

Young people in Albuquerque are participating in this year's Offering of Letters, entitled "Survive and Thrive." Like last year's topic, children identify very closely with this year's campaign, which urges Congress to support funding for global nutrition programs for mothers and children. 

Thanks to the inspiration and efforts of Jessica Swan and Mary Ann Holland, elementary and middle school children at South Valley Preparatory School (SVPS) and Holy Ghost Catholic School wrote messages to Rep. Lujan Grisham, Sen. Tom Udall and Sen. Martin Heinrich.

Swan and Holland are both  members of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Catholic Community, and they coordinated the writing efforts at the school with the church's Offering of Letters in March of this year. Holland is a retired faculty member from Holy Ghost school and coordinator of the Care for Creation program at the school.

Students wrote 112 messages at SVPS and 60 at Holy Ghost School, adding to the totals for Holy Rosary community, which were surpassed 500 letters and post cards.

Many of the children who wrote the messages at SVPS come from low-income families. "These students can receive breakfast, lunch and dinner at school," said Ellen Buelow, a local leader for Bread for the World who has organized the Offering of Letters at Holy Rosary for many years. "Jessica supplies organic food to a number of South Valley schools, and she inspired these middle schoolers to write."

The website for the Rio Grande Development Corporation has a nice article on the work of David and Jessica Swan in the community. Here are couple of paragraphs.

Photo; From Swan Kitchen Facebook page

Most everyone remembers elementary and middle school hot lunches. Standing in line at the cafeteria, facing your three lunch ladies, having some food plopped on your try, and getting those cute little milk cartons. Often times we devoured our processed pizza squares and nachos, with an option to get processed fruits and most likely GMO veggies on the side. This is the scene I picture when I think of the traditional hot school lunch.

The school lunch experience is certainly a different one for kids buying lunches at Cien Aguas International School. Thanks to the passion and dedication of Swan Kitchen and Cien Aguas International School officials, hot lunches at Cien Aguas International School are prepared and served by Swan Kitchen using only fresh, fair, organic and local foods of New Mexico.  See full article.  Connect with Swan Kitchen on Facebook 

Honoring Cindy Levin

Photo from Cindy Levin's blog

What do U2 lead singer Bono, Etharin Cousin (executive director of the World Food Programme), philinatropist Bill Gates, and Cindy Levin have in common?  They all made the list of 30 Innovators Fighting World Hunger and Poverty, published in 2014 by Top Master’s In Healthcare Administration.

Bono, Cousin and Gates are very recognizable names, but I can't say I have interacted with them in any form. And the other 26 individuals on the list are all worthy of recognition, but I also can't say I know them personally. On the other hand, I know Cindy Levin as a fellow grassroots advocate, as an anti-hunger and anti-poverty blogger, and as a Facebook friend. Check out her blog,  Anti-Poverty Mom: Raising my voice & my kids.  Cindy is passionate about advocacy, as evidenced by her work with RESULTS and Bread for the World (and early on with the ONE Campaign). In 2013, I reprinted a great piece from her article 7 Reasons You Should Take Your Kids to Lobby Congress

In addition to her advocacy efforts, Cindy is very involved in direct service, as evidenced by her work with Shot@Life, a movement to protect children worldwide by providing life-saving vaccines where they are most needed. Read more in A Shot@Life in Uganda: Vaccines for Children

Here is what the article on the 30 anti-hunger and anti-poverty champions says about Cindy.

Image from Momentumnation

Levin is a former automotive engineer turned volunteer activist and fundraising coach in Chicago with RESULTS, Bread for the World, and Shot@Life. She is a mother to two daughters, and she credits her own mother for her calling to serve her community.

Levin is particularly passionate about vaccination, a cost-effective way to save lives worldwide. She brings congressmen letters from children, who urge them to legislate greater access to vaccines. Levin combines her love of running with advocacy by competing in half-marathons. She trains with her daughters, who along with Levin ran for Charity Miles and raised enough money for Shot@Life to vaccinate over 100 children against polio, measles, rotavirus, and pneumococcal virus. 

The world is a better please because of the work of people like Cindy Levin.

Peace Lutheran Church in Las Cruces Receives Advocacy Award

Peace Lutheran Church was presented the Haaland Award for Advocacy at the Lutheran Advocacy Ministry-NM,... https://t.co/WRdRjIpf3a

— PeaceLutheranLC (@plc_lc) February 6, 2016

Picture (left to right): Rev. Ron Brooker (retired pastor, member of Peace Lutheran Church, and member of the Lutheran Advocacy Ministry-NM policy committee), the Rev. Jared Carson (pastor of Peace Lutheran Church), Ellen Young (writer, member of Peace, and an advocate active in LAM-NM and Bread for the World). 

Display at Peace Lutheran

Judy Messal, chair of the Lutheran Advocacy Ministry-New Mexico's policy committee (standing at the far right in the picture), offered these remarks at the ceremony where members of Peace Lutheran Church were honored for their advocacy work.  The award presentation was part of LAM-NM's annual bishop's luncheon in Santa Fe on Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016.  (Peace Lutheran Church as been participating in Bread for the World's Offering of Letters.

(In 2016, members of the church wrote 87 letters to Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and Rep. Steve Pearce urging for the Child Nutrition Act to be reauthorized).

It is my great pleasure to speak about Peace Lutheran Church of Las Cruces: this year's recipient of the Chris and John Haaland Advocacy Award. The award was created to honor the Haalands, whose  passion for justice was instrumental in establishing our Lutheran Advocacy Ministry here in New Mexico.

Past recipients of the award have been the following:
• Ivan Westergaard, supporter of Lutheran advocacy, leader in Albuquerque Interfaith
• And Carlos Navarro, New Mexico Coordinator for Bread for the World.

Now, Peace Lutheran Church, we recognize the steadfast advocacy work you have done. Since the first year of Lutheran advocacy in New Mexico 1984, you have been involved—both your clergy and the people of your congregation have supported us.  

Members of Peace had been leaders in our statewide ministry. Throughout our 32 years, there has always been a member of Peace on our Policy Committee.  But you didn’t stop there. You have an active, even a model, Bread for the World ministry advocating just policies to alleviate hunger in the United States and abroad.

Your members also have been active advocates in your community on matters affecting homeless children, immigrants, and others.

I also want to mention the Border Service Corps, a program your congregation-- relatively small at the time--had the courage to establish in the 1990s. The program provides opportunities for young people of various faith backgrounds-- from the U.S. and even abroad--to serve people on the U.S./Mexico border. Living simply together, earning only small stipends, they work in daycare programs for homeless children, in health clinics and ACLU offices, in Catholic Charities legal services, in food pantries, in Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center and more.

And finally, as advocates, they work toward systemic change.

In all these ways, Peace Lutheran Church, your faithful advocacy inspires us.

'We Have a God who Promised to be With Us"

Bishop Lawrence Reddick, senior bishop of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church and presiding prelate of the 8th Episcopal District, offers this New Year's blessing and greeting for 2016. Bishop Reddick is a member of the Bread for the World board of directors.

Bread for the World Advocacy Outcomes for 2014

Members of Congress rely on their constituents to keep them informed of issues and concerns in their districts. By writing your members of Congress, you’ve made yourself a valuable source of information. Congressional aides figure you represent others, so your voice becomes amplified. Writing letters gives you voice and power. Taking the time to write tells your members of Congress that you’re serious and that they’re accountable to you.  Exerpt from "Why Write to Congress", in Bread for the World's Take Action page.

Have you ever wondered what impact those letters to Congress, those meetings with congressional aides, those phone calls to Washington and the district office, those tweets, those letters to the editor are having?

The communications staff at Bread for the World put together these illustrations to show the progress against hunger since 1990 and the outcome of the advocacy efforts of grassroots members and staff during 2014 (illustrated in the five graphics below)

Remember those letters you wrote in 2014 urging Congress to reform food-aid programs? Legislators approved a set of reforms, and as a result, 1.5 million more people around the world have been fed.

These results, of course, did not occur in a vacuum. Bread for the World works in a number of coalitions (like the Modernizing Foreign Asissistance Network), and many other organizations and their members contributed to the outcome of the legislative initiatives.

This year, Bread for the World members (in partnership with other nutrition advocates) urged Congress to reauthorize child nutrition programs in our country, through our Feed Our Children campaign. In New Mexico, members of 18 congregations wrote more than 2,000 letters to Congress around this issue. Stay tuned for legislative updates.

Here are the graphics for the advocacy outcomes for 2014.

Food Aid Reform:

Circle of Protection:

Poverty-Focused Development Assistance

Immigration Reform

New USAID Strategy 

Faith-Based Organizations Offer Advocacy Training in Santa Fe on Sunday

The 60-day session of the New Mexico State Legislature is just around the corner (starting on January 20). Three of our state's most prominent faith-based organizations--Interfaith Worker Justice, Interfaith Power and Light, and Lutheran Advocacy Ministry(LAM)--have joined together to offer an advocacy training session this coming Sunday, January 11, 1:30-4:00 p.m., at Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Santa Fe, corner of Barcelona and Galisteo (Map) 

The session, which is open to beginners and experienced advocates, provides information on Best practices for the greatest impact, including these four topics:

• Navigating the State Legislature Web site. 
• Framing the moral, ethical and spiritual imperative. 
• Advancing the issues you want to work on. 
• Overview of legislation expected at this 60-day session. 

The presenters are familiar names Ruth Hoffman (LAM), Sr. Joan Brown (Interfaith Power & Light), and Rev.Holly Beaumont (Interfaith Worker Justice). Hoffman is also a participant in the Interfaith Hunger Coalition. The coalition met with a handful of legislators and candidates last spring and summer.  Pictured above are Rep. Monica Youngblood (with Rev. Phil Wangberg) and Rep. G. Andrés Romero (with Judy Messal of All Saints Luthearn Church).

The sessions are free, but an RSVP is requested to hbeaumont@iwj.org
RSVP to joan@nm-ipl.org if you are in Albuquerque and would like to carpool.

Celebrating Our Faithful Bread for the World Churches in New Mexico

This is a milestone year for Bread for the World in New Mexico. Not only is our national organization turning 40 years young, but Bread commemorates 30 years of anti-hunger advocacy in the Land of Enchantment. Please join us at our Bread Rising in New Mexico celebration on Saturday, October 25, at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church.  (See Program and  Register Here).

Writing Letters after Student Mass, Newman Center (2010)

As part of our celebration we recognize the backbone of Bread in New Mexico for most or all of the past three decades: our churches and faith communities. Four of these churches have remained our partners since the early days--St. Andrew Presbyterian Church and St. Paul Lutheran Church in Albuquerque, First Presbyterian Church in Santa Fe and  Peace Lutheran Church in Las Cruces. Each of these churches has made it a priority to conduct an Offering of Letters every year.

Most of our faith communities below have also organized Offerings of Letters, participated in Hunger Sunday in October and donated to Bread for the World either through the Covenant Church Program or a simple gift to the organization. (And even as we speak about "church involvement" in Bread for the World, we fully recognize that is individual Bread members and other volunteers and committees at these churches who promoted the letter-writing campaigns to the congregation via church bulletins or from the pulpit, set up the writing tables with the sample letters and explain the details of the campaign to letter writers). Our members have used very creative means to promote the OL, including skits at All Saints Lutheran Church and St. Andrew Presbyterian Church and detailed bulletin announcements at Peace Lutheran Church.

Circle of Protection Service, Immanuel Presbyerian Church

Special Events
Some churches have also hosted special events: Immanuel Presbyterian Church (our 35th anniversary event, featuring Bread co-founder Father Bill Byron, S.J, and two Circle of Protection services), and St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church (joint conference with Lutheran Advocacy Ministry, featuring David Beckmann).  Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, Monte Vista Christian Church, Iglesia Congregacional Unida and St. Timothy Lutheran Church also hosted our ecumenical worship services, and St. Thomas of Canterbury Episcopal Church hosted our One Agape service. Many churches also hosted our Saturday monthly meetings during the 1990s.  Organizations like Church Women United., CROP Walk, the Center for Action and Contemplation and the Social Justice Office of the Catholic Archdiocese of Santa Fe, the Presbytery of Santa Fe and others have also given us support during the years.

The list below celebrates all these churches and organizations. The list was compiled from records and from my own personal recollections, so I apologize if I missed any faith communities--particularly from the late 1980s (before I moved to New Mexico).

Cathy Pfefferle, Jeanne Elmhorst, Albuquerque Mennonite Church

Albuquerque Area:
Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church

Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Aquinas Newman Center Catholic Community, Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Catholic Church,St. Joseph Catholic Church (JustFaith class), Church of the Risen Savior Catholic Community, St. John XXIII Catholic Community, St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, Norbertine Community, Franciscan Sisters, St. Michael and All Angels Episocopal Church, St. Thomas of Canterbury Episcopal Church,, All Saints Lutheran Church, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Luther House, Holy

Skit promoting OL, St. Andrew Prebyterian Church

Cross Lutheran Church, St. Luke Lutheran Church, St. Timothy Lutheran Church, Albuquerque Mennonite Church, First United Methodist Church, Central United Methodist Church, Trinity United Methodist Church, Mesa Vista United Methodist Church, La Mesa Presbtyerian Church, First Presbyterian Church, St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, New Life Presbyterian Church, Second Presbyterian Church, Immanuel Presbyterian Church, Rio Grande Presbyterian Church, Shepherd of the Valley Presbyterian Church, Cristo del Valle United Presbyterian Church, Iglesia Congregacional Unida,  First Congregational Church, Church of the Good Shepherd-UCC, First Unitarian Church.

Women's Group at Smith Memorial Presbyterian Church

Chama: St. Jerome Episocopal Church

Española: St. Stephen Episcopal Church

Farmington: Trinity Lutheran Church 
Gallup: First United Methodist Church 
Truchas: Smith Memorial Presbyterian Church
Los Alamos: Bethlehem Lutheran Church, White Rock Presbyterian Church,  United Church of Los Alamos
Rio Rancho: Rio Rancho Presbyterian Church, Felician Sisters

Laverne Kaufman (center),Peace Lutheran Church, Las Cruces

Las Cruces: Peace Lutheran Church, St. Paul United Methodist Church, Immaculate Heart of Mary Cathedral (JustFaith class)
Santa Fe: First Presbyterian Church, St. Bede's Episcopal Church, St. John's United Methodist Church, Westminster Presbyterian Church, United Church of Santa Fe, Christ Lutheran Church.

Anti-Poverty Mom Blog: 7 Reasons You Should Take Your Kids to Lobby Congress

Spending quality time with family and anti-hunger advocacy are two activities that can take up a lot of time.  But as blogger and anti-poverty advocate Cindy Levin, a mother of two girls, tells you, they are not incompatible.  In her blog Anti-Poverty Mom: Fighting Poverty at Home and Around the World, Cindy wrote a great piece pointing out why it is a good idea to take your children on visits to your legislator's office.

Summer's here!...which brings two important events together for parent advocates: congressional recess and summer vacation. Congressional recess is an ideal time to get some quality face-to-face time with your U.S. senator or representative in your local district. District meetings are great because you can talk without them being distracted by all the beltway shenanigans clamoring for attention in D.C. The typical duration of a D.C. visit tends to be about 15-25 minutes. Face-to-face meetings I've attended with members of Congress (MOC) in a home district have lasted close to an hour. That's a lot of personal attention! So, summer is an ideal time to get some face time. But now that school is out, what should you do with your kids while you lobby? My answer: take 'em along.

Cindy lists seven reasons to take your children on a congressional visit.

#1 You may get unexpected face-to-face time and photo ops
Guess what? In general, to an MOC your kids are cuter and more interesting than you are. There's a reason for the tradition of politicians kissing babies.

#2 Nobody wants to be on record being rude to a child
If they don't happen to agree with you, it's highly unlikely that anything will get contentious in front of your children.

#3 You'll make a memorable impression
Good relationships are the key to great advocacy. If you're MOC remembers you by name with a positive association, that's the best. If your kids are polite and respectful, they'll be grateful you're breaking up the routine of their day and be more likely to remember you next time.

#4 It keeps the conversation at the emotional and moral level 
Kids relate best to the moral reasons to help people in need. They have an innate sense of fairness and justice.

#5 You're helping kids grow up to be better citizens
I was terrified with nerves the first time I met my Congresswoman face-to-face. Kids, unlike many grownups, are fortunate to see MOC's as people instead of titles. My children know their Congresswoman as someone who laughs with them and even writes them letters sometimes.

#6 You save on babysitting money
Enough said.

#7 The only thing better than saving the world is saving the world...together
 Along with making great homemade bread, making the world a better place is definitely a legacy I wish to hand down to my girls. We all learn by doing and doing it together makes it more special.

These are just excerpts, and Cindy has much more to say about each of these reasons.  That's why you should read  the full blog post (And check out the great photos!)

Cindy Levin is an advocate with RESULTS and @Shot at Life.  She has also done advocacy for The ONE Campaign and Bread for the World.

Lobby Day and the Aftermath of Lobby Day 2013

Constituent Coffee with Sen. Tom Udall

Rep. Lujan Grisham takes SNAP Challenge

There were four of us from New Mexico on Capitol Hill on Lobby Day, June 11: Ellen Buelow, Larry Buelow and Carlos Navarro from Albuquerque and Rev. Art Meyer from Farmington. But we weren't the only ones there.  The social justice committee at Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Albuquerque was making calls to the offices of our New Mexico legislators on the same issues that we brought to Congress.

I won't go too much into detail about our appointments with aides (and will post the pictures at the bottom) because there was nothing extraordinary about these meetings. The aides were all gracious and attentive and reinforced the commitment of their bosses--Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, Sen. Tom Udall and Sen. Martin Heinrich--to support safety-net programs, especially the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

We did have a piece of timely (and unfortunate) information to discuss with the legislative aides: The annual Map the Meal Gap 2013 study released on June 10 by Feeding America, indicated that New Mexico is ranked as the most food insecure state among children in the United States.  Roadrunner Food Bank has more information.

We also asked our legislators to support provisions in the Farm Bill to protect and improve food aid in ways that make the program more efficient. A third ask was to replace the sequestration with a balance plan that includes revenues and responsible cuts  (i.e. closing tax loopholes).

While our visits to Rayburn and Cannon (House)and Hart (Senate) were cordial, I would like to highlight some related developments that occurred and are occurring outside of Lobby Day and a few other impressions from Lobby Day.

Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham and the SNAP Challenge

Courtney Weaver met with us

We missed a personal visit with Rep. Lujan Grisham.  Her plane was late coming in from Albuquerque, so she was unable to get there in time for our 3:40 p.m. appointment.  We were slightly disappointed because she was the only legislator with whom we were scheduled to meet directly. But we did have a great meeting with legislative director Courtney Weaver, who informed us that Rep. Lujan Grisham was joining 26 other members of the House in the SNAP challenge.

Here is what the congresswoman said on Facebook: "For the next week, I will be living on the average SNAP, or food stamps, benefit for an individual - just $4.50 a day. The proposed $20.5 billion SNAP cuts in the House Farm Bill would be disastrous to the 1 in 5 New Mexicans who rely on food stamps for basic nutrition and economic security. Today, I went to the grocery store to buy all the food that I'll be able to eat in the next week. Stay tuned for updates on my SNAP Challenge." 

In her brief time in Congress, Rep. Lujan Grisham has made a mark.  As a member of the House Agriculture Committee, she voted against a Farm Bill that cuts $20.5 billion in SNAP benefits. Unfortunately, she was in the minority, and the committee approved the bill with the drastic cuts.  The full House was expected to vote on the measure on the week of June 17-21.

Constituent Coffee with Sen. Tom Udall

Sen. Udall's office on Lobby Day

On most Wednesday mornings, New Mexico's (now) senior senator offers an opportunity for constituents to mingle with him and with each other. Visitors were offered coffee, biscochitos and green-chile pistachos.  I was among about two dozen people (including several high school students) visiting the office that morning.  This was an opportunity to see one of my federal legislators personally.

While we were shaking hands during a pose for a picture, I took the opportunity to thank Sen.Udall personally for standing among the two dozen or so senators to support  the Gillibrand Amendment, an initiative introduced by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York to restore $4 billion in SNAP benefits that the Senate Agriculture Committee had cut in its version of the Farm Bill.  The full Senate approved the Farm Bill that included the $4 billion cuts in SNAP (primarily by limiting the ability of states to coordinate the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) and SNAP benefits.  Read More from the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC).

The amendment from Sen. Gillibrand would have kept the LIHEAP/SNAP relationship, replacing the cuts with limits on crop reinsurance reimbursements to providers.  The amendment failed by a vote of 70 to 26.

During remarks to the visitors, Sen. Udall took time to acknowledge all the groups that were represented there.  It was good to hear him mention Bread for the World.

Sen.  Martin Heinrich's E-Letter

Posing with Sen. Heinrich's staff

There were 26 senators who voted for the Gillibrand Amendment, and Sen. Heinrich was not on that list.  "Why?"we asked. His staff reassured us that the senator was very concerned about protecting safety net programs, and that the Senate wanted to be in the strongest position possible when having to fend off future efforts to gut safety-net programs, including an amendment by Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma to block-grant nutrition programs.  Here is a link to other amendments that were introduced during Senate debate on the Farm Bill.

Our senators had different approaches on this issue (and we did not necessarily agree with this particular decision on the part of Sen. Heinrich).  But we fully understood his stance and appreciated his commitment to do everything he could to keep the integrity of SNAP and protect against broader efforts to gut safety-net programs.

At Rep. Ben Ray Lujan's office

An e-mail response from Sen. Heinrich to letters written as part of Bread for the World's Offering of Letters reinforced his commitment to protect SNAP.

In New Mexico, over 153,000 children lived in a household that experienced food insecurity in the last year. We must do more to ensure every child has the opportunity to live a healthy and productive life. Food assistance programs enable low-income households to purchase enough healthy foods to meet their family's needs.

 Despite the overwhelming need for these programs in our current economic state, some members of Congress have made repeated attempts to cut these critical anti-hunger programs. I understand the importance that food assistance programs have for New Mexico families, please rest assured that I will continue working for programs that fight hunger.

A Drop-In Visit to Rep. Steve Pearce's Office
Since none of us was a constituent of Rep. Pearce, we did not have an appointment with his office.  So we decided to drop by to leave the same packet that we brought on all other visits.  Larry Buelow, one of the members of our delegation, said he knew someone who had worked for Rep. Pearce's office a long time ago and then left.  He wanted to know if the staff knew of his whereabouts.  When we asked about him, the receptionist said we just missed him by a few minutes! So this staffer was back (providing us for an opportunity to follow up on the packet, which we left for the aide who deals with nutrition programs for Rep. Pearce).

Local Visits
The reception and worship at the end of our long day on Capitol Hill do not mark the end of Lobby Day. We have to contact the congressional aides to thank them for meeting with us and to follow up on commitments and questions they posed during our meetings.  In New Mexico, we hope to follow up with visits to the local offices.  Stay tuned for more information. 

Ambassador Tony Hall (Quoting Mother Teresa) Urges You to 'Do the Things in Front of You'

Tony Hall, executive director of The Alliance to End Hunger, urges us to get involved locally to end hunger in the U.S. and around the globe.  Tony Hall has fought hunger and poverty in a variety of ways: as a Peace Corps volunteer, a member of the U.S. Congress, and as ambassador to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.  But you don't have to do all of that to make a difference:  In this video, Ambassador Hall urges us to get involved in Church World Service;s Crop Walk.