Faith Action
As followers of Christ, we seek to express and embody God’s reconciling love at all times and in all places. Throughout the Scriptures, God speaks of our purpose to rebuild, restore and renew all that is broken (Isaiah 61). We work to end the brokenness of hunger and poverty in our communities, in our country, and around the world. We partner in God’s work to remove the barriers that impede the flourishing God intended for all people.
Our faith moves us
The themes below are important faith motivations for working to end hunger.
Loving our neighbor
Scriptures speak to the role and responsibility of leaders in caring for poor people (Psalm 72; Jeremiah 22; Proverbs 31:8-9). In the New Testament, Jesus calls his follows to love their neighbors (Matthew 22:39-40) and warns that the nations will be held accountable and judged for the ways that they have treated the least among them (Matthew 25:31-46).
Christian discipleship
In the Gospels, Jesus was compassionate to all people, especially the widow, the orphan, the stranger, the hungry, the poor, and the infirmed — the most vulnerable in society (Isaiah 61:1-2; Matthew 11:2-6; Luke 4:18-21). Jesus loved all people — rich and poor — and actively cared for people in need. He urged his disciples to do the same (Matthew 25:31-46). We too are commissioned to do the same today.
Confession of our complicity to sin
Human sin has marred every aspect of creation. Sin is both individual and social, personal and structural. Because of greed and disobedience to God’s commandments, humanity experiences social and economic disparity that leads to hunger and poverty. Through the prophets, God held rulers accountable for the sin of the nation of Israel (Jeremiah 22:1-5). Poverty is a disastrous aspect of human sin.
We gather in communities of faith
Many Christians belong to a church, a place where they worship, learn, and practice their faith. Because congregations are where many Christians gather regularly, and because congregations form disciples for work in the world, Bread launches its mobilizing of Christians for advocacy through communities of faith.
Bread partners with local congregations and the denominations or networks to which the churches belong to connect with people of faith. Local churches have structures for teaching and training people to live out their faith in the world. Bread works with people in churches to help carry out this important aspect of Christian faith: loving our neighbors, enabling people to eat, and reconciling the world.
Christians’ involvement in civic affairs
As people of faith, we heed our moral call to engage with our government. Practicing citizenship is our right under the U.S. Constitution. Hunger is a profoundly important issue that should be a top concern of our government. We are serving God when we raise issues of hunger and poverty with our government. It is our responsibility to engage in the processes that remind all elected officials to make relief from hunger and poverty a priority and to address their root causes. To convey this message, concerned people of faith can and should be involved in advocacy before the government.
"You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
Matthew 22:39
How much can food banks and charities do?
Food banks and charities provide only one out of every 20 bags of groceries that feed people who are hungry. The federal government provides the rest.
Tools
from our Resource Library
For Education
The Nourishing Effect
Hunger and food insecurity add at least $160 billion a year to U.S. healthcare costs.
The U.S. Contribution to Ending Global Malnutrition
We have a new opportunity in 2017 to speed up global progress against malnutrition among pregnant women and young children. Worldwide, maternal and child malnutrition causes millions of deaths each year. In some countries, it holds entire generations back from reaching their economic potential....
Fact Sheet: Nutrition During Famine
Famine means that 20 percent or more of the households in an area have “an extreme lack of food and other basic needs where starvation, death, and destitution are evident.”
Famine has been declared in two counties of South Sudan, while other areas of South Sudan, Nigeria, Somalia, and...
For Faith
The Bible on Health as a Hunger Issue
A brief examination of the biblical approach to health as a hunger issue.
Includes an introduction to the issue, a Scriptural reflection, practical actions you can take, and a prayer.
Bread Newsletter January 2016
In this issue: Another Great Year for Bread; Catholics Begin Observance of Holy Year of Mercy; Serving on ‘God’s Wave Length’ for 39 Years; and more.
Interfaith Religious Leaders’ Pledge to End Hunger
A wide array of the nation’s faith leaders have come together on the eve of Pope Francis’ arrival in the United States to commit ourselves to encourage our communities to work for the end of hunger by 2030 and, toward that end, for a shift in U.S. national priorities.
We are deeply pleased...
For Advocacy
Grassroots Advocacy Toolkit
A set of how-to sheets for carrying out advocacy and fact sheets on the current issues Bread for the World is working on.
For new and current Bread grassroots hunger activists.
Ideal as a starter toolkit for new Bread activists or as a set of updates for current activists.
...
The State of Black Poverty: A Pan-African Millennial Perspective on Ending Hunger by 2030
Over the past year and a half, about two-dozen young adults from the United States and countries in Africa and the Caribbean, have gathered virtually and in person to reflect on the effects of hunger and poverty in black communities. The working group has been considering socio-political and...
Fact Sheet: The Hunger-Medicaid Connection
Congress is considering proposals that would jeopardize healthcare coverage for millions of poor and near-poor adults and children.
Legislation under consideration in the House and Senate would gut...