Saturday, July 12, 2008

A resource you should know: Bread for the World



Not sure when I first discovered Bread for the World (BFW), but I know that my life has been aimed in a different direction since that first day.

BFW provides ordinary citizens and people of faith the simple tools and direction needed to become activists on behalf of the poor and the hungry at home and around the world. Thanks to my involvement with BFW, I remained fully informed on issues that affect the weakest and most vulnerable men, women and children on earth.

But beyond reliable information, BFW has positioned me to make a difference in the lives of the impoverished by being a consistent advocate for the measures, issues and actions that attack the poverty that devastates millions of our brothers and sisters around the world.

Art Simon, past president of BFW, once told us that every time a person stops to write a letter to Congress on behalf of the poor, a life is saved. Over the years, I've become friends with many elected officials thanks to BFW. Following the leadership provided by BFW, you can really make a difference.

If you don't know about BFW, click on the icon or the title line and check it out. You can make a real and lasting difference by getting involved.

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9 comments:

Chris said...

I would like to encourage everyone to do a little research on Obama's Global Poverty Act (S.2433) Bread for the World gets it wrong. It is actually a 845 BILLION dollar welfare to 3rd world countries. That's $845,000,000,000. It is basically a blueprint for the looting of America by third world countries via the corrupt United Nations. Just google Global Poverty Act and educate yourselves if you haven't already.

Anonymous said...

The cost estimate for S.2433 from the Congressional Budget Office is 1 million dollars per year. The 845 billion dollar figure has been widely reported, so I tried to find factual basis for that number and couldn't. Do you have a link for that, Chris?

Anonymous said...

Laura M, please be careful here. You may end up confusing chris with the facts! Bread for the World has long been recognized as an organization devoted to bi-partisan and non-partisan solutions to world hunger issues. The fact is, most of our foreign aid ends up paying for weapons systems and other materials that end up benefitting the good old USA more than the hungry in Third World Countries.

Chris said...

Laura:

If we were talking about one million dollars/year to make a hugh dent in global poverty we would not be having this conversation.

I would suggest "The Global Poverty Act: The Wrong Track for U.S. Aid Policy."

The U.N. called for countries to give 0.7% of their GNP to developing countries to help end extreme poverty. That amounts to a world tax because they would be in charge. I do not believe you can end poverty by throwing money at it. With the corrupt U.N it would probably not get to the people who needed it. The policies of the countries themselves must change. The Millenium Development Goals of 2000 also called for other goals which the U.S. would be locked into if this Poverty Act should pass, all to the detriment of our country.

Anonymous said...

My wife drops a few food pellets into her betafish bowl each day and the fish is fed and she likes doing it. It's a pretty blue fish that seems content with this arrangement.

Larry James said...

c hand, sorry, but I need you to say more. I'm trying to find a way to understand what you meant without being completely outraged. Help us here.

Anonymous said...

Larry, Are you sure that the BFW approach is the best way to "advocate for the measures, issues and actions that attack ... poverty?"
There are many more fish in the creek behind my house, but cumutavely they don't comand the attention from my wife as that single beta. Why?
I applaud BFW for handing out bread today. What do they want to do tomorrow?

Larry James said...

c hand, thanks for the clarification. In fact, BFW attempts to do exactly what your illustration implies. They fight for systemic changes in policy that affects domestic and foreign policy around issues related to poverty. They are not a hand out organization--they don't feed any fish. They advocate for more adequate responses that are sustainable via policy decisions.

Anonymous said...

c hand,

Does the betafish have a choice? I believe it was your wife who put it in the bowl, was it not?