Offering of Letters at Faith/La Fe

Guest blog by Christopher Jacobson, Faith/La Fe Lutheran Church, Phoenix

Christopher Jacobson

On Sunday, October 20 at 10:00 am (between services), Faith/La Fe Lutheran Church in Phoenix organized a Bread for the World Offering of Letters. I (Christopher Jacobson) led the session on behalf of Faith’s Community Ministries committee. The session had great information and a lively discussion. We discussed how Bread for the World (BFW) is a Christian, bipartisan organization that works with public policy to fight hunger in the U.S. and worldwide.

Every year, BFW does an "offering of letters," where individuals are encouraged to write letters to politicians and candidates about world hunger. Many in the meeting were busy writing letters to congresspeople and senators about hunger. Several people promised to write letters at home, and one woman even gave me (Chris) letters to be mailed the next Sunday!  I also made a presentation in Spanish at our Spanish-speaking service and distributed some of BFW’s Spanish language resources.

This year's Offering of Letters has focused on the Farm Bill pending in Congress. Since SNAP — better known as food stamps — is part of the Farm Bill, this could have a huge impact on hunger in the United States. The Farm Bill has been held up in Congress for well over a year, and the extension of it expires at the end of the year. The leadership of the House of Representatives has proposed a $30 billion cut over 10 years to SNAP, which BFW opposes. The House also has proposed changes in the Food for Peace (FFP) program which fights hunger globally. Currently, 30% of the grain that FFP distributes in poor countries needs to originate in the U.S., and the House wants to change that requirement to 50%. That change reduces the funds available to fight hunger, because it’s cheaper to buy food locally to distribute instead of shipping it from the U.S.

The event was very well received. It was empowering and community-building. It was a breath of bipartisan fresh air write before a tense and difficult election.