COVID-19 and the Offering of Letters in New Mexico

Now that are churches have temporarily shut their doors and we're social distancing at home, some important questions have emerged about our 2020 Offering of Letters.

Do we go ahead with our Offering of Letters? 

Now that we're writing at hone, can we extend the Offering of Letters over several dates?

Does the emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic modify the message in our letters? 

How do we tie-in our Offering of Letters to local efforts in New Mexico to feed the growing community of people who are suddenly scrambling for food? 

 What happens to Bread for the World's National Advocacy Conference, originally scheduled for June in Washington, D.C.? 

Some of the answers are contained in the above image. We will attempt to expand on each of those suggestions, answer the other questions, add some local and national perspective and offer some examples from around the country.

Do we go ahead with our Offering of Letters?

The answer to the question is: Yes, please do go ahead with your Offering of Letters. It will take a different kind of organizing.  You will have to contact members of your congregation by e-mail, have them send the messages directly to our legislators. Encourage letters, e-mails, phone calls--and please have every person report back to you, so you can send a count.

Several congregations had scheduled Offerings of Letters this year: Albuquerque Mennonite Church and Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Catholic Community in March; All Saints Lutheran Church, in April; St. Paul Lutheran Church in May; and St Andrew Presbyterian Church in June.

Several other congregations (including Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, La Mesa Presbyterian Church, St. John XXIII Catholic Community,  Central United Methodist Church, First Presbyterian Church, Smith Memorial Presbyterian Church-Truchas) had planned or were considering the possibility of holding an OL but had not set a date.

We encourage congregations that are not on either list to participate, even if you only get a handful of letters.

We will be keeping track of our total numbers, just as we have in years past in this site. Please provide us with a breakdown on the number of letters sent to a representative and senators. Also please report your results to Bread in Washington.

Can we extend the Offering of Letters over several dates?
The one advantage of having fellow congregants write at home, is that you are not limited to a single date or dates. There is a bit more flexibility. (The downside, of course, is that recruiting writers is going to be a bit more difficult from home).

Can I write my legislator directly on his/her website? 

Yes. This is an easy way to send a message. If you do it this way, please be sure to include your postal address in the message so the legislator knows that the message is coming from a constituent.  Some legislators require a zip code authentication (but please do include your postal address in the body of the letter).
Here are some links:

• Sen. Tom Udall
• Sen. Martin Heinrich
• Rep. Deb Haaland
• Rep. Xochitl Torres-Small
• Rep. Ben Ray Lujan 

Does the COVID-19 pandemic modify our message? 

The basic message remains focused on enhancing nutrition at the global level and in our own country. But now we can start the letter by making a reference to the pandemic.  Here is the latest sample letter (as of March 27).

Bread also has an online letter urging Congress to protect vulnerable populations during the current health emergency.  So which of these two letters should you encourage your members to write?  If possible, have them write both messages. For our New Mexico totals, we'll count both letters. (Again, please break down the number of letters by legislator).

Bread has created a special page with background and recommended actions on the COVID-19 situation. A post on the Bread blog also offers additional information.

One of the consequences of the health emergencies that followed the outbreak of COVID-19 was that we had to cancel our Offering of Letters workshop, originally scheduled for Saturday, March 14.  This was the case for Bread groups around the country.  The group in Indiana put together a great online presentation. Take a look.

How do we tie in our Offering of Letters to local efforts in New Mexico to feed the growing community of people who are suddenly scrambling for food?  As you saw from the online letter, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps) maximum benefits by 15 percent and suspend all rulemaking that would limit access to SNAP to ensure vulnerable populations in the U.S. have access to the resources they need.

most important ask is to urge Congress to boost

A task force has been created to bring people around the state to ensure that food is available to everyone in New Mexico.  Here is information on the overall strategy, including ways to help.  And this link provides a way to help in Bernalillo and Valencia Counties.

What happens to Bread for the World's National Advocacy Conference, originally scheduled for June in Washington, D.C.? 

Guess who I saw at the 2019 summit?

There is good news and bad news. The bad news first. Bread had hoped to bring a few hundred activists from around the country to a local university (I think Catholic University) for a large advocacy summit reminiscent of the national gatherings that were held in years past. Because of the outbreak of COVID-19, a gathering this size is not possible (even in early June). We did have a smaller version of the Advocacy Summit and Lobby Day in 2019.

The good news is that the event will be held online on June 8-9, allowing some of the people who could not travel to Washington to participate. There will still be worship, advocacy-focused workshops and legislative updates. More details will be announced soon on the 2020 Virtual Advocacy Summit.