2020 Area -wide offering of letters
BETTER NUTRITION,   BETTER TOMORROW

Note: The information below was mainly written before the coronavirus severely disrupted life in the US.  The requests originally planned for the 2020 Offering of Letters are still valid, but the coronavirus has our political leaders preoccupied with limiting the damage caused by the virus. Check Bread.org for guidance on how you can help shape Congress's response to the crisis at hand. For example, Bread for the World is advocating for an increase in SNAP (food stamp) benefits.
​This year’s Offering of Letters (letter-writing campaign) builds upon last year’s request that Congress affirm the need for strong US leadership in providing global nutrition. Last January the Senate fulfilled our 2019 request by unanimously passing a Global Nutrition Resolution! In 2019 the House also introduced a Global Nutrition Resolution, which (though not yet passed) has garnered 153 co-sponsors, including Representative Bill Huizenga whose district includes Ottawa County.
 
Now we want Congress put money behind its resolutions: we are requesting that the budget for international nutrition programs be increased from $150 million in the current year to $200 million next year, and we are asking for $50 million to fund a Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) program. The Summer EBT program provides additional resources to families who rely on free and reduced-price school meals during the school year.
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In addition to causing human misery, hunger incurs staggering costs. It raises health-care costs, stifles economies, and leads to unrest and extremism. Conversely, improving access to proper nutrition reaps generous rewards by averting the myriad of problems associated with hunger.
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In recent decades, the world has made tremendous strides against hunger. Since 1990 our world has cut hunger roughly in half. Moreover, we know much more about effective ways to reduce hunger than we did just two decades ago. God is indeed working in our time! Our advocacy is a way of cooperating with God’s grace and a means of fulfilling our responsibility to respect life.

So, for 2020 we are asking churches to organize an Offering of Letters and then pass the letters collected to the Holland Bread Team.  We hope to arrange a meeting with Todd Whiteman, district manager of Rep. Huzienga, in his Grandville office and personally deliver the stack of letters, along with a list of participating churches. The letters addressed to other members of Congress will be mailed to their DC offices.

​The ability of area churches to conduct their usual Offering of Letters has been stymied for now, since congregations are unable to gather for worship.  Hopefully, we will be able to reschedule our Offerings for a later date. Meanwhile, consider using internet tools to encourage people to speak up for our hungry brothers and sisters.
Several area churches have been conducting these Offerings for years and consider them to be an essential component of our mission to carry out God’s work in today’s world.  The Offering of Letters can be carried out with only modest effort, and we are available to help! (E-mail us at us@hollandbreadteam.org.) Though handwritten letters are most effective, we have found that providing a form letter for parishioners to sign is most practical when large numbers of people are solicited.
If you would like to provide Bread for the World brochures, we have quite a few  here in Holland.  So, feel free to email us at us@hollandbreadteam.org and ask us to drop some off to you.
Resources          St Francis end-of-Mass appeal 2020    
  • Bulletin Insert:        ​               
            St. Francis bulletin insert 2020
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Letter counts for 2019 Offering of Letters
First United Methodist (Holland)           62 Rep. Huizenga, 8 Rep. Upton
Hope Church                                               34 Rep. Huizenga, 9 Rep. Upton
​St. Francis Catholic                                 134 Rep. Huizenga, 32 Rep. Upton
Third Reformed                                          58 Rep. Huizenga, 17 Rep. Upton
CROP Walk                                                  54 Rep. Huizenga, 10 Rep. Upton
Community Action House                       82 Rep. Huizenga,  4 Rep. Upton
Total letter count: 504 (424 for Rep. Huizenga and 80 for Rep. Upton)
Letter counts for 2018 Offering of Letters
First United Methodist (Holland)           58 Rep. Huizenga, 23 Rep. Upton
Hope Reformed Church                             45 Rep. Huizenga, 8 Rep. Upton
Our Lady of the Lake Catholic                 90 Rep. Huizenga
St. Francis Catholic                                  176 Rep. Huizenga, 30 Rep. Upton
Third Reformed                                          83 Rep. Huizenga, 19 Rep. Upton
CROP Walk                                                   42 Rep. Huizenga, 8 Rep. Upton
Total letter count: 582
Letter counts for 2017 Offering of Letters
Christ Memorial Church                           12
First United Methodist (Holland)           18
Hope Reformed Church                             67
​Hope United for Justice (Hope College) 51 Rep Huizenga (plus an unknown number to other reps)
New Community Fourth Reformed        40
Our Lady of the Lake Catholic                 70 Rep. Huizenga,   2 Rep. Upton
St. Francis Catholic                                  173 Rep. Huizenga, 25 Rep. Upton
St. Patrick Catholic (Grand Haven)        16 (many more sent separately, count unknown)
Third Reformed                                          70 Rep. Huizenga, 23 Rep. Upton
CROP Walk                                                   43 Rep. Huizenga
Total letter count: 610+
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