Picture provided by Joyce Rothermel. 

By Joyce Rothermel

The threats to domestic and international food programs have never been more real.  The proposed Trump budget for 2019 would devastate the US food and nutrition safety net known as SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program).  There is something all of us can do.  To find out, plan now to attend this year’s SW PA Bread for the World Workshop scheduled for Sunday, April 15 from 1-4 PM in the John Knox Room at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, 616 N. Highland Avenue in East Liberty.

Margaret Tran, Bread’s Regional Organizer, will bring us up to date on this year’s focus for the annual Offering of Letters (annually members of congregations/groups write letters to Congress on a targeted issue identified by the national Bread for the World office).  Elizabeth Fishback, director of Sen. Casey’s regional office, will tell us about plans for the reauthorization of the Farm Bill that supports SNAP and several other domestic and international food programs.  Dennis McManus, Government Relations Director at the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, will help us understand the role that advocates are playing to improve the next Farm Bill.

Break-out groups will feature some creative approaches to this year’s Offering of Letters; some how-to’s in meeting with elected officials and those running for office this year (with role plays); and finally, ways congregations and others can support Summer Food Service Program sites that offer children’s meals over the summer right here in our area.

Plan now to attend.  Watch for information in the April issue of The NewPeople on how to register or call Myra Mann at 412-882-6252.

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.  By changing policies, programs, and conditions that allow hunger and poverty to persist, we provide help and opportunity far beyond the communities where we live.  We can end hunger in our time. Everyone, including our government, must do their part.  With the stroke of a pen, policies are made that redirect millions of dollars and affect millions of lives.  By making our voices heard in Congress, we make our nation’s laws more fair and compassionate to people in need.

Bread for the World members write personal letters and emails and meet with our members of Congress. Working through our churches, campuses, and other organizations, we engage more people in advocacy. Each year, Bread for the World invites churches across the country to take up a nationwide Offering of Letters to Congress on an issue that is important to hungry and poor people. As a non-profit, Bread for the World works in a bipartisan way. Our network of thousands of individual members, churches, and denominations ensures Bread’s presence in all U.S. congressional districts. Together, we build the political commitment needed to overcome hunger and poverty.

The SW PA Bread for the World Team is a regional Bread for the World Chapter.  The Bread Team meets periodically at Christian Associates of SW PA, located at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.  We host an annual Bread for the World Workshop in the spring and promote the annual offering of letters in area Christian Churches and Congregations, meet with US Senators and Representatives in their local offices, and attend the annual Bread for the World Lobby Day in early June.

For more information, contact Myra Mann at 412-882-6252 mannm36@hotmail.com  or Joyce Rothermel at 412-780-5118 rothermeljoyce@gmail.com