This month's national grassroots conference call and webinar

1. National Grassroots
Conference Call
and Webinar
February 18th, 2014
#breadweb
A collective Christian voice urging our nation's leaders to end hunger at home and abroad.

2. National Grassroots Conference Call
and Webinar: Opening Welcome
LaVida LaVida Davis
Davis
Director of Organizing
Director, Organizing & Grassroots Capacity
Questions: mjasin@bread.org or @bread4theworld on Twitter
#breadweb

3. National Grassroots Conference Call
and Webinar: Opening Welcome
Matt Newell-Ching
LaVida Davis
Director of Organizing
Deputy Director of Organizing,
Western Region
Questions: mjasin@bread.org or @bread4theworld on Twitter
#breadweb

5. What is Bread for the World?
Bread for the World is a
collective Christian voice urging
our nation’s decision makers to
end hunger at home and abroad.
•
•
•
•
Bipartisan
Advocacy at national level
No direct service—advocacy only
Offering of Letters as one tool

6. Why advocacy?
From the Bible
• God cares about
hungry people.
• Prophets held
leaders
accountable.
Charity is important,
but not enough.
Government needs
to do its part.

7. What is an Offering of Letters?
• One key advocacy tool
• Joining our voices with
others
• Letters to Congress—
handwritten are best
• Can happen anytime,
anywhere, with anyone

8. Why our letters matter
• Members of Congress want to hear from constituents.
• In a democracy, we can advocate and hold leaders
accountable.
• Personalized letters
are rated highly (more
than pre-written
form letters/emails/
petitions).
• If we get discouraged,
what voices will
Congress hear?

9. Our advocacy makes a difference
Each year, our letters
help win victories on
Capitol Hill.

10. Questions?
Questions: mjasin@bread.org or @bread4theworld on Twitter
#breadweb

11. Bread for the World’s
2014 Offering of Letters
Tell Congress:
Reform U.S. food aid.

12. The Bible, hunger, and food aid
• People fed in the wilderness (manna, quails) and on
hillsides (loaves, fish)
• Our neighbors
are nearby and
far away.
• What other Bible
passages or
stories come to
your mind?

13. What is U.S. food aid?
• Part of foreign aid, funded by taxpayer dollars
• Meets urgent
humanitarian needs
(drought, famine,
war, disasters like
Philippines typhoon)
• Longer-term
development tool,
with other aid
• Story examples…

14. Who gets U.S. food aid?
In fiscal year 2012:
• top recipients of emergency food aid:
Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, and Chad.
• top recipients of development food aid:
Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of
Congo, Malawi, and South Sudan.
• In Latin America (and the Caribbean), the top food-aid
recipients were:
Haiti, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, and Honduras.

15. How does food aid work now?
• Most food is grown in U.S.
• At least 50% transported on American ships.
• It’s costly and slow
to arrive where it’s
needed.

16. What smart changes are needed?
1. An updated and more flexible system. That means:
More food purchased
near people in need.
Why? It arrives
faster, is less
expensive, helps
local farmers
and economies.

17. What smart changes are needed?
2. Improve nutrition:
1,000 days key window
for very nutritious foods

18. What smart changes are needed?
3. Maintain funding
in the face of
federal budget
cuts

19. Questions?
Questions: mjasin@bread.org or @bread4theworld on Twitter
#breadweb

20. The key “ask” for your letter
To Congress: I urge
you to protect and
reform U.S. food aid
in ways that increase
efficiency, increase
nutritional quality,
and maintain funding
levels.

21. Tips
• Keep your letter brief and to
the point.
• Make the letter your own.
Tell your story. (Include
something from real life.)
• Explain why you care about
hunger.
• Make the “ask.”
• Include your name and home address.

22. Congressional addresses
For House member:
For Senate members:
Rep. (Name)
Sen. (Name)
U.S. House of Representatives
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20515
Washington, DC 20510

23. /
Email Congress

24. Questions?
Questions: mjasin@bread.org or @bread4theworld on Twitter
#breadweb

25. /http://www.bread.org/ol/2014/act-now/

26. http://www.bread.org/ol/2014/downloads/

27. http://www.bread.org/ol/2014/issues/videos.html

28. For more information
Check out www.bread.org/go/OL

29. Questions?
Questions: mjasin@bread.org or @bread4theworld on Twitter
#breadweb

30. Next Steps
•
Next Call: Tuesday, March 18th
•
Keep a look out for your 2014 Offering of
Letters Kit!
Questions: mjasin@bread.org or @bread4theworld on Twitter
#breadweb