c. 1996 Religion News Service
WASHINGTON (RNS)-People may not live by bread alone, but members of the Christian anti-hunger lobbying group Bread for the World hope congressional candidates may be elected by it.
The 44,000-member ecumenical organization representing mainline Protestant, Catholic and evangelical congregations, has launched a campaign in which its more than 1,000 churches throughout the United States will encourage candidates to sign a statement declaring their commitment to end childhood hunger.
Larry Goodwin, chairman of the group’s”Elect to End Hunger Now”campaign, said the effort is designed to offset attitudes prevalent in society and the GOP-controlled Congress that blame the poor for their plight and expect private charities, rather than the federal government, to help people in need.”There seems to be a lot of antipathy toward poor people and poor families, and there seems to be a sense that the federal government doesn’t have a responsibility toward poor people,”Goodwin said.”To disparage poor people because they are poor is completely the wrong way to go about things.” Candidates for national office should think about”national responsibility”Goodwin said, adding that while individuals have”a very real responsibility toward the hungry children,”the government does too.
Welfare overhaul legislation now pending in Congress could hit American cities hard, according to John Stoesz, associate director of the Greater Dallas Community of Churches.
Dallas’ summer feeding program serves 20,000 to 30,000 children in low-income neighborhoods throughout the city.
Proposed changes in welfare could reduce federal reimbursements for Dallas’ Summer Food Program from $2.12 per lunch to $1.82, he said. That means far fewer children would get the nutrition they need.”I believe that it would devastate the summer food program in our community and all across the country,”Stoesz said.”We’re not opposed to making changes, but we are opposed to weakening the food and nutrition programs for children,”Stoesz said.”The commitment statement is to support strong federal programs to overcome childhood hunger.”
MJP END CAMPBELL
