When you think of hunger in our state — where one in four children lives in a food insecure family — we wonder what Jesus would have us do to “give them something to eat.” Many of us church folks contribute to food pantries, soup kitchens, and programs that feed the hungry, but the problem remains staggering. These charities, good and needed as they are, cannot eliminate hunger alone. Structural changes in our society will also be required to “give them something to eat.”
Bread for the World (BFW) is a national organization lobbying our congressional leaders for changes that will reduce hunger and poverty. BFW encourages people of faith as part of our citizenship to be good stewards of lobbying efforts to eliminate hunger. BFW keeps an eye on congressional actions and notifies us when constituent action is needed.
Alex Wheelwright , a regional organizer with Bread for the World, tells us that BFW “has an ambitious slate of goals this year, including advocating for child nutrition reauthorization, food-aid reform, the Feed the Future initiative, and immigration reform.” He notes “we can’t make progress on these vital issues without help from Congress, and Congress will not act without a nudge from us. Now is the best time to introduce your Bread group to your member of Congress and let them know you will be tracking their votes on key hunger issues.”
This effort will be easier than you think. A dedicated group of North Carolina advocates is planning a special event in Raleigh on March 28, 2015 where we will be uniting our voices to end hunger at the 2015 NC Bread for the World Convention.
This will be a day of fellowship and inspiration for those concerned about national and international hunger. We will join together to promote changes in public policy through advocacy for eliminating poverty and hunger.
More information and event registration are available here. Join your fellow “feed the hungry” advocates for a spirit-filled day of planning and strategy to give all of God’s children something to eat.
