Overview

The “Offering of Letters” is sponsored by the Bread for the World (BFW) organization.  BFW is a well-known and established collective Christian voice urging Congress to end hunger at home and abroad.  Bread for the World is endorsed by the PC(USA).  The PC(USA) encourages participation in the “offering of letters” as a means for Hunger Action Congregations, such as ours, to demonstrate “public policy witness” to combat hunger in the U.S. and around the world.

This year’s “Offering of Letters” campaign seeks increased funding for both domestic and international programs.  In the U.S., it urges expanding and seeking additional funding for the summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) program, which provides funding for low-income families who cannot access a summer meals feeding site to obtain food (in the U.S. of the 22 million schoolchildren who receive meals during the school year, only 3.7 million benefit from summer nutrition programs).  Overseas, this year’s effort advocates for increased funding for global nutrition programs (22% or 149 million children in the world suffer from malnutrition and are not growing as they should).

Instructions

1. Learn More About the Issues
   Find two fact sheets here from BFW about the two anti-hunger issues for which we are urging support:
   Fact Sheet: Why We Need $200 Million for Global Nutrition Programs
   Fact Sheet: Why We Need $50 Million for Summer EBT
2. Prepare Your Letters
   Below are links to four sample letters:  one for each of your senators and one for your representative (either Rob Wittman or Elaine Luria).  You may prepare up to three letters (senators (2); representative (1)).
   ◦    You may use the samples, or
   ◦    Use the sample and include a personalized message, or
   ◦    Write your own letter.
   ◦    Please sign and print your name and include your address so the senator or representative knows you are a constituent. Note that these letters are offered both in Microsoft Office (.docx) and Adobe Acrobat (PDF) formats.

3. Send Letters
   Either:
   Mail the letter(s) to the address in the header of the letter; or
   Email the letter on each congressperson's website:
   
   • Senator Tim Kaine
     
   • Senator Mark Warner
     
   • Representative Rob Wittman
     
   • Representative Elaine Luria
   Note:  each website requires you to fill out a form before cutting and pasting in your letter/message.
4. Report Back
   Once you have sent your letters, please notify Jim Winthrop (fivewinthrops@verizon.net or (757) 564-7052) and tell him how many letters you sent and to whom.  Jim will report the tally of letters to Bread for the World.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION!