The Work of Lutheran World Relief in Niger

A few days ago, I posted a short note with impressions from Carole Jampsa Southam as she arrived in Niger to review some of the projects sponsored by Lutheran World Relief. West Africa is experiencing a serious food crisis, and LWR is responding to the emergency with short-term assistance and longer-term sustainable development support.

Carole, a former vice president for finance at Bread for the World, is now international finance officer at LWR.  Here are some photographs that she took in Kalfou, Tahoua, Niger, along with captions that she wrote for each image.

One of the objectives of the project in Kalfou is to build small "half-moon" dams and plant vegetation to stop the rain from washing down the sides of the mountain so quickly. Here I am planting a bush right above one of the demi-lunes. I'm the LWR finance person, and I'm planting with the project accountant to show our teamwork..

Over 80 camels waited for us at the village gathering to welcome our group. It was a sign of honor. We walked from one end to the other to observe them and show our appreciation. And then I got to ride one!
 



One of the project staff who helped translate the local language to French.

People of the 2nd village we visited - these are a handful of the 1000+ people who came to greet us. Their dress shows they are Tuareg. Note the Nigerien security force person there.(He was one of 12 that accompanied us).

The chief of the area (several villages) coming to welcome us to the project and thank LWR for our work with them.

A Place at the Table to Show Twice in New Mexico in Coming Week

Two congregations in New Mexico are showing the documentary A Place at the Table over the next week.  The documentary is an anchor for Bread for the World's 2013 Offering of Letters.

On Sunday, Sept. 1, Albuquerque Mennonite Church will show a segment of the movie to members of the congregation as part of its Adult Education series and its Offering of Letters. In addition to writing letters to Congress, participants will have the opportunity to sign a petition to President Obama (if they haven't already done so).  The petition asks the president to set a goal and work with Congress on a solid plan to end hunger. The goal is to to send at least 100,000 signatures to President Obama urging him to make this happen.

On Wednesday, Sept. 4, Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Santa Fe (107 W. Barcelona Rd.) is hosting a public screening of A Place at the Table at 6:00 p.m.. The screening, which will be shown at the congregation's Fogelson Hall, will be followed by a brief discusssion.  Sponsors are UUCSF Social Justice Team, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry-New Mexico (LAM-NM) and the Santa Fe chapter of RESULTS.  Admission is Free.

You can  also watch A Place at the Table in the comfort of your home. The documentary is available  (DVD rental, DVD purchase or streaming) on several popular media, including
Amazon. Netflix, VUDU, and I-Tunes.

Everything You Need to Know about Food Stamps in One Easy-to-Remember Lesson

Lady Coffee Promotes Fair Trade in Her New Autobiography

The "real" authors: Hank Bruce and Tomi Jill Folk

Perhaps the first autobiography by a plant, dictated by Ms. Coffea Arabica, aka Lady Coffee, this story presents the wit and wisdom of a lovable yet sassy tree. She traces the connections intertwining between people and coffee throughout history, from prehistoric poker games to go-carts on Mars. Come along on this journey and discover Lady Coffee's deep family roots. Learn how her cunning ancestors convinced humans to transport their seeds throughout the world. -Description in Amazon.com

By Hank Bruce
Lady Coffee's primary reason for being the first plant to ever write a book was to be a voice for fair trade and help define what this means to the everyday consumer of not only coffee, but chocolate and so many of the other foods and products we consume on a regular basis.

She chose to use a light and unique style as the spokesplant for the Kingdom of Plants and the Coffee Empire. She discusses briefly what fair trade and sustainability really mean to the plants and people, the families and communities planting, nurturing and harvesting what we find on the store shelves and coffeehouse counters. Soon her facebook page will be in place and she will in the near future have a blog as well. her hope is to engage the literate public in sharing thoughts, ideas and solutions. She is firmly convinced that the Coffee-Human Connection is a gentle force for reason and is now recruiting Theo Broma, our resident chocolate tree, in her efforts. Theo has already begun gathering notes for Chocolate and the Garden of Delights. It is dangerous having these two living in the same study, surrounded by moringa seedlings.

Lady Coffee insists that fair trade isn't about money, it is about people, the environment, sustainability, empowerment, health and education. She considers herself "Coffee with a conscience" and insists that coffee has spent thousands of years enlightening, inspiring and domesticating humanity partly because she knows that humans too have a conscience, and can be inspired to use it.

Chapters include Coffee from Africa to the Moon, Rituals and Ceremonies, A Coffee Theme Park, Coffee and Your Health, Growing a Coffee Companion, Coffee Quotes and  many more topics such as Our Future Together, Promoting Fair Trade and Sustainability.

(Husband and wife team Hank Bruce and Tomi Jill Folk are anti-hunger and strong pro-fair trade and pro-gardening advocates. The two residents of Rio Rancho, New Mexico, are strong supporters of Bread for the World).

You can order Lady Coffee's Autobiography on Amazon, $9.00 for the paperback edition and $2.99 on kindle.

No Kid Hungry: Cooking Matters at the Store

In the world’s wealthiest nation, no child should grow up hungry. Almost one in five kids in America is at risk for hunger. Share Our Strength® is connecting children with the nutritious food they need to lead healthy, active lives through its No Kid Hungry campaign. Teaching parents and caregivers to stretch their food dollar and provide the best nourishment possible to their families is a critical part of ending childhood hunger in America.   Read More and Check out the Video below:

Random thoughts on today, spanning two West African countries

 By Carole Jampsa Southam

- It’s 1 AM, and having just arrived in Niger, I am again made aware of how kind and helpful the Nigeriens are. (For those with inquisitive minds, you should know that Nigeriens are from Niger, whereas Nigerians are from Nigeria. And, by the way, Burkinabes are from Burkina Faso.)
- “Petit Hassan” (not “Grand Hassan” as he was careful to tell me!) carried my luggage to the room, far from the lobby across two courtyards, then kindly ran back to get me a water bottle for tonight. (You do not want to brush your teeth with tap water here...) He then bid me bonne nuit with one of the biggest sparkling smiles I’ve seen.
- I have a roommate tonight. A 3-inch long tan gecko is in my bathroom. I hope he doesn’t try to crawl into my bed. - More security barriers are around Niamey than the last time I was here, a telling sign that the Arab spring repercussions are still being felt this far south and this many months later.
- Most interesting comment today from a colleague: “A small cat has adopted my family. We are feeding it, but I had to tell the guard that this is not a cat for eating - do not eat this cat!”
- Good news: My French is improving each day. Bad news: It took 4 days for this brain to rewire itself again to have a successful conversation.
- And, today’s highlight: The security officer checking passports at the Ouaga airport kept looking at my passport, then looking at me, then looking at my passport, then looking at me. “This does not look like you,” he said. “Yes, it is!” I emphatically replied worrying I was going to have a issue, “It is my picture!” But then I saw he was pointing at my birth year and smiling. I smiled back! — in Niamey, Niger.

(The author is  senior international finance officer at Lutheran World Relief and former vice president for finance at Bread for the World)

Baseball and Community Anti-Hunger Efforts

Isotopes recognize Roadrunner Food Bank, others in 2009

The baseball season is entering its final stretch. The minor leagues are completing their games around Labor Day, and the majors have about a month left before the regular season ends on Sept. 29. So this is a good opportunity to talk about the activities of baseball teams outside the diamond, particularly anti-hunger efforts.

Whether they are in a major, minor or independent league, baseball teams give back to their community by collecting and distributing food for the local food bank. Check out the food drive organized by the Midland Rock Hounds of the Double-A Texas League to collect food for the Jubilee Center Food Bank.

And the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League are partnering with the Harry Chapin Food Bank and others to hold Hunger Awareness Day on Sunday, Sept. 8.

Sometimes these food-collection efforts are more targeted. The New Orleans Zephyrs of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, for example, partner with Food for Families, which provides nutritional food boxes to seniors. 

Many times, the players' wives take the lead in organizing food drives, such as the one sponsored by the Chicago Cubs on Aug. 11.  As a member of the board of Harvesters, the Kansas City food bank, in the 1980s I served in a committee chaired by Janie Quisenberry, the wife of the Kansas City Royals star relief pitcher Dan Quisenberry.  Janie Quisenberry and the Kansas City Royals wives were very serious about making a difference in the community and held several food drives. 

Major League Baseball offers baseball fans the opportunity to offer more than just food donations.  If you look at the volunteer opportunities available via MLB Community, Feeding America and City Harvest are at the top of the list.  The list also includes opportunities to help the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

Sometimes individual players take the initiative.  Roy Halladay, a pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, launched the Roy Halladay Foundation in 2011 to support hunger initiatives and other programs supported by his baseball team.

The Josh Lindblom Foundation
Because I am a Los Angeles Dodgers fan, I love highlighting the charitable work of some of the players.  I already wrote about star pitcher Clayton Kershaw and his work in Africa.  Now I want to take the opportunity to highlight the work of ex-Dodger relief pitcher Josh Lindblom (currently a member of  the Texas Rangers organization), who I saw pitch a couple of times for the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes.  Lindblom.  In 2011, Lindblom created the Josh Lindblom Foundation, which is intended both to raise awareness and provide assistance and support to organizations that help people in need.

Pitching for Albuquerque Isotopes in 2009

Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports tells a fascinating story about how Lindblom and his wife Aurielle became involved with the Dream Center in an area of Los Angeles known as Skid Row.  Here is an excerpt:

Josh Lindblom had listened to Pastor Matthew [Barmett] on his car radio. He'd never heard of the Dream Center, never heard of Matthew Barnett, never heard of any of this. "But he was screaming at me," Josh said.  When he got home, he researched the man and his mission, and discovered both were mere blocks from Dodger Stadium. He told Aurielle. Then they showed up and asked what they could do. Josh makes frequent trips to Skid Row. Aurielle helps with the families on-site, or travels into the community to provide bedding, food and services. Down on 6th and Crocker, while Josh walked the neighborhood, Aurielle served scrambled eggs to hundreds.

"He's living out his dream," Aurielle said, nodding to Josh, meaning the baseball. "We thought we should use it for good. You know, you can only live for yourself for so long. "It's making him – both of us – realize there's so much more to life than his baseball career. I can just tell, even if he doesn't do as well as he'd like, he knows it's OK, that it's just a game."  

I recommend that you read the full article, which was published in June 2012--when Lindblom was still in the Dodgers organization. And if you want more, here is a second article in Dodger magazine.  I watched Lindblom pitch for the Albuquerque Isotopes in 2009. He was eventually promoted to the Dodgers and subsequently traded to the Philadelphia Phillies, who then traded him to the Texas Rangers. Lindblom will return to Albuquerque as a member of the Rangers Triple-A affiliate, the Round Rock Express, for the Isotopes' final series of the season on Aug. 26-29..

Barbie Izquierdo to Participate in Feeding America's Virtual Town Hall on September 17

Barbie Izquierdo at Bread for the World's National Gathering

Remember Barbie Izquierdo, the single mother from Philadelphia who is among the people featured in A Place at the Table?  If you weren't able to chat with Barbie at Bread for the World's National Gathering in June, you have another opportunity chance to interact with her on Tuesday, September 17, during a virtual town hall sponsored by Feeding America.  The online event will also feature Bob Aiken, chief executive officer of Feeding America. 

Here is what Feeding America says about its upcoming virtual town hall.

This will be a moving conversation. Barbie, has experienced first-hand the struggle of putting food on the table for her family. Now she's active in efforts to protect SNAP and other programs that provide a lifeline for hungry families.

Feeding America CEO Bob Aiken will also be in the middle of taking the SNAP challenge — a week long challenge where participants live on $4.50 a day — and will share his experience and thoughts on what we need to do to end hunger in America.

$4.50 a day. Some people spend that on a cup of coffee every morning. But, for millions of Americans, the $4.50 they receive through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) could be the difference between a hot meal or going to bed with an empty stomach. 

The online town hall is one of many activities sponsored by Feeding America during Hunger Action Month to highlight the stories of real Americans who have faced hunger and relied on important programs like SNAP (food stamps) to feed their families.

To participate in the virtual town hall on Tuesday, September 17, at noon eastern time (10:00 a.m., mountain time), all you have to do is click on this link to sign up online. 

Thinking About a Christmas Card in August

What is the first thing that comes to mind on hot summer afternoon in August? Lemonade. Baseball (or perhaps preseason football). The swimming pool. The start of the fall semester. Christmas cards????  That's right. Christmas cards. This is the time when Bread for the World reveals the image that will be used for this year's Christmas card.   And without much fanfare, I present you with that image.

This image was one of three choices available on the Bread blog for voters to choose.  The winning image,which brings to mind the shepherds who first heard the good news of Jesus’ birth. received an overwhelming 59 percent of the vote.

Christmas cards are important to the outreach efforts of of Bread for the World,  When you send Bread for the World cards, your family and friends learn about our vital work to foster hope and opportunity for hungry and poor people," said the organization.
 
So now that you know about this year's Christmas card, you can pre-order one or two or three sets via Bread for the World's online store. You also have the choice of ordering cards from recent years.

And after you place your order, you can go back to your late-summer activities.

Save the Date: Oxfam Action Corps Invites You to Community Dinner in Observance of World Food Day

Do you know yet how you are going to observe World Food Day? (I know--it's two months away!) I's not too early to start planning. The local team from New Mexico Oxfam Action Corps wants me to pass on their invitation to a community dinner on Saturday, October 19.  Here are the details:

Hungry for change? To celebrate World Food Day, the NM Oxfam Action Corps is hosting it's 2nd annual FREE Community Dinner for 100 people at St. Thomas of Canterbury Episcopal Church across from the UNM campus. 

The meal will be entirely local, made from the generous donations of farmers present at the Downtown Growers Market. Join us for a night of fun, great food, and excellent discussion on how we can decrease hunger and poverty not only in New Mexico, but all over the world.

Not required, by much appreciated if you could RSVP here

From Albuquerque to Haiti

By Ahmed Dawson
I traveled from Albuquerque to Haiti with a faith-based organization named Hope For Haiti’s Children.  This was my first trip ever to that country. I was part of a team of 29 people from around the U.S. who went to the Caribbean nation  for an eight-day mission trip to host a youth camp. I led group sessions with the kids and spend extensive time interacting and hearing their life stories.  We also visited the organization's two orphanages, their schools, their earthquake emergency housing camp, and their food programs for the community’s children.  Many of these facilities are in or near Port-au-Prince.

The poverty and malnourishment is so real in Haiti, and the work of non-governmental organizations is vital to get proper medical care and food to the community and sustain it over a long-term period. There is hope that future leaders are being molded and that communities can be supported through a very difficult period until they are able to be self-sufficient. But for now it is still an emergency and crisis situation in Haiti. I hope to return again next year and have recently become a sponsor of a 6-year-old child so he can go to school.

At left is a picture I took of a mother and her 1-year-old baby girl  for whom the medical mission team  cared for and prayed for over a year ago. The mother was told the child had a severe health issues that could be fatal very soon. But one year later during our visit the team was so excited to see the mother with her baby child.

The Haitian teens of today are the Haitian leaders for tomorrow. The HFHC Christian Leadership Camp combines devotionals, discussion groups, and recreational activities for about 180 sponsored Haitian teens to encourage and equip them to become mature Christian leaders in their communities.

(The author is a member of Fellowship Missionary Church in Albuquerque.  He has been on mission trips with his church to Guyana and China. But the recent trip was not with his church; he accompanied his uncle, who lives in Houston, and his mother, who lives in Louisiana, on the trip to Haiti.)

Bread Staff Delivers Petition with 30,000 Signatures to White House

Photo: Joseph Molieri for Bread for the World

Tens of thousands of anti-hunger advocates signed the petition to President Barack Obama asking him to set a goal and work with Congress on a plan to end hunger in the United States and abroad.

Some of those signatures were collected during an Offering of Letters.  Other advocates signed the petition online.

Several members of the Bread staff delivered the  petition to the White House on Wednesday, August. 14.  They met with members of the president's staff to discuss the content of the petition.  The petitions were carried by (left to right on the photo) Amelia Kegan, Gary Cook, Eric Mitchell and LaVida Davis.

But even though 30,000 signatures were handed over to the president, the petition drives continues.  Read More in this note from Bread for the World.

Udall, Heinrich Join 22 Other Senators Calling For Emergency Help To Support Food Banks

There were no members of the U.S. Senate who took the SNAP challenge this year.  Nevertheless, hunger is very much in the minds of a group of 24 senators, who wrote a letter urging Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack tot use existing funds in the Agriculture Department (USDA) budget to expand assistance to food banks via the The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP).  The list included Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich from New Mexico.  They were joined by other prominent members of the Senate, including  Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Robert Casey (D-Pennsylvania), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and Susan Collins (R-Maine),

“The need for emergency food assistance has outpaced supply at a time of continued elevated unemployment and underemployment, increased food and fuel costs, and reduced funding for TEFAP storage and distribution, increasing the challenges facing food banks, Thirty-seven million people— one in eight Americans— are now receiving emergency food assistance each year through the nation’s food banks,” the Senators wrote. “With the millions of families across the country continuing to struggle to make ends meet in the wake of the recession, TEFAP commodities are critical to emergency food providers like food banks.”

Our two senators alluded to recent studies from Feeding America and the Annie E. Casey Foundation ranking our state last in terms of food insecurity. “Child hunger is a serious problem facing New Mexico. With the highest rate of child food insecurity in the nation, I'm committed to supporting local food programs that provide healthy meals for children and families in need,” Udall said. "In order to do that, we must ensure our food banks and other programs have the resources to help families through hard times. I look forward to Secretary Vilsack's reply to our request, and I look forward to working with him for New Mexico families."

TEFAP buys food and makes it available to agencies, such as New Mexico’s Human Services Department, which work with the state’s major food banks to distribute to food pantries, soup kitchens and homeless shelters.

Here is a link to a joint press release issued by Udall's and Heinrich's offices, followed by the text of the letter sent to Secretary Vilsack

Day Shelter in Ciudad Juarez Helps Children in Crisis

Volunteer and child (June 2013)  Photo: Victoria Tester

Casa de Soles de Anapra, in Ciudad Juarez, is a community-run day shelter aimed at helping children whose parents have been killed or incarcerated for drug-related crimes. The center provides food, education and healing for more than 65 children whose families have suffered immensely during Mexico's recent crisis.  Here's an excerpt from an article that the El Paso Times published in April of this year.

"The majority of the children that come here are not with their parents, either because they were killed, or are in prison or (they) just abandoned them," said [founder Lourdes] Contreras, who runs the center in a three-room house owned by a woman who is currently in jail for drug crimes. "Many of these kids just need to be hugged and listened to."   Read full article

School Supplies Needed
The center is in need of school supplies. Your donations of spirals, primary tablets, pens, pencils, erasers, crayons and drawing paper can make a huge difference in the life of a child orphaned by the crisis. If you live in the El Paso-Las Cruces area and can help, please contact Mario Alcazar, member of St. Raphael Church in El Paso at 915-309-7699, or email alcazm1223@yahoo.com.

The SNAP Challenge (Part 3): The Detractors and Skeptics

There were 27 members of Congress who participated in the SNAP Challenge at about the time that the House of Representatives was first considering the Farm Bill.  The House separated the nutrition programs from the Farm Bill and is considering deep cuts in food stamps.  The House action must still be reconciled with the Senate version of the Farm Bill, which would cut only $4 billion in SNAP.

Anyway, Part 1 and  Part 2 of this series looked at the legislators who participated in the exercise.  

But the SNAP challenge also stirred legislators on the other side of the issue. Rep. Steve Stockman of Texas had an aide take challenge and then announce that it's "a breeze, no problem."

For $6.03 at the Shoppers Food Warehouse next door Ferguson bought a gallon of milk and a box of maple and brown sugar oatmeal.  So he's got a lot of cereal for breakfast, and he can have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch, along with maybe some applesauce and fruit drink. For dinner, it looks like he's eating spaghetti for a couple nights and otherwise eating beans and rice. Also popsicles and cookies. Healthy diet, there! And such a varied menu at dinner. Perhaps Ferguson isn't aware that the definition of low food security is "reports of reduced quality, variety, or desirability of diet. Little or no indication of reduced food intake."   Read more in the online poitics site Politico

As it turns out, the aide did not complete the SNAP challenge  Read more here

And bloggers for the two Washington newspapers also weighed in.  A Washington Post  blog,simply pointed out that "The SNAP program is intended as a supplement; it is not expected to be the only source of income for food."  But the newspaper also said: "Various reports have indicated that it has had a positive impact, in particular in raising families out of poverty and helping people pay nonfood bills."

We wondered: Does $4.50 really reflect the reality of receiving SNAP assistance?  (We obviously take no position on whether benefits should be increased or decreased.)  Read More

Other detractors directed their criticisms on the lawmakers who took the SNAP Challenge, accusing them of inefficient budgeting skills in the choices of food purchases that they made during the SNAP Challenge. While there might be some truth that that argument, the criticisms miss the point.  The program is a lifeline for millions of low-income of Americans, and there is no justification to cut the funding in the way that many in Congress have proposed.  (And incidentally, the USDA, which manages the SNAP program, offers a handy guide entitled 10 Ways to Fill Your Grocery Bag through SNAP)

Regardless, the SNAP Challenge achieved one of its goals, which was to cast light on the food stamp program at a time when other issues seem to be getting more headlines.

Matthew 22:37-40

Is Your Neighbor one of the 442,000 New Mexicans Who WIll Lose SNAP Benefits this Fall?

More than 442,000 New Mexicans, including 215,000 children, stand to lose SNAP benefits this Fall.  And the loss of food stamps does not have anything to do with the pending decision on Congress on implementing deep cuts in SNAP as part of (or parallel to) the 2013 Farm Bill.

Shortly after the recession of 2007-2008, Congress approved a federal stimulus bill that helped many families around the country cope  with the economic crisis. And according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, this assistance saved as a lifeline for many families around the country.

SNAP has responded effectively to the recession. SNAP caseloads increased significantly between late 2007 and 2011, as the recession and lagging recovery battered the economic circumstances of millions of Americans and dramatically increased the number of low-income households who qualified and applied for help from the program. SNAP enrollment growth slowed in 2012, however, as the economy began to recover. In addition, the 2009 Recovery Act increased SNAP benefits as a way of delivering economic stimulus. Policymakers deemed SNAP to be effective for this purpose because of its broad reach among low-income populations and its high efficiency.  Read full piece
That federal stimulus is set to expire this fall, which would reduce food-stamp assistance for 47 million of our neighbors.  Roughly 442,000 of the total population affected by the expiration of the stimulus are our neighbors here in New Mexico. This includes about 42% (215,000) of the children residing in our state.

“The small increase in SNAP benefits that was included in the federal stimulus bill has helped thousands of struggling families in New Mexico stay afloat during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression,” Dr. Veronica C. García, Ed.D., executive director of New Mexico Voices for Children, said in an article posted by the KOAT-TV site. “This modest assistance is providing a lifeline to those parents who are struggling to find work, or are working at jobs that do not pay them enough to put food on the table.”

So how do you measure the impact of the cuts?  According to Garcia,  for a family of three, the cuts will mean a reduction of $29 a month. “Given the fact that SNAP benefits are already inadequate for many families, these cuts will be particularly painful,” said García. 

Living on SNAP without the cuts is already difficult proposition.  Just ask the members of Congress who took the SNAP Challenge, including Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

Congress, President Obama: The ball is in your court.

If You Can't Go to the Wild Goose Festival in North Carolina to Hear Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber...You Can Catch Her Here in Albuquerque

Nadia Bolz-Weber is preachng this weekend at the Third Annual Wild Goose Festival in North Carolina on Aug. 8-11. And chances are most of us won't be able to make it out to Hot Springs, N.C., to hear Rev. BolzWeber and several fabulous speakers (including long-time New Mexico resident John Dear, S.J.).

But fear not: Rev. Bolz-Weber, founding pastor of House for All Sinners and Saints in Denver, is coming to Albuquerque shortly after the Wild Goose Festival. She will be the featured presenter for the first segment of the New Mexico Conference of Churches' Congregational Vitality Series at the Bosque Center, 6400 Coors Blvd. NW.  She will lead us in a conversation about innovative, compelling, and Gospel communities in the 21st Centry.

Cost is $35. Lunch and refreshments will be provided  Register here.  All lay and ordained leaders are invited!  For more information contact the NMCC,  This event is co-sponsored by the New Mexico Conference of Churches, Called Back to the Well, and the Bosque Center.   

If you want to know more about Rev. Bolz-Weber, check out the video below (featuring her 2011 address at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary and read The Pentecost sermon she preached at the Festival of Homelitics.

Here is the Video of Kristi Jacobson and Mariana Chilton on Moyers & Co.

In case you missed the Moyers & Co. broadcast featuring Kristi Jacobson, co-director of A Place at the Table, and Mariana Chilton, director of the Center for Hunger-Free Communities, you can watch it here.  They offer great insights about the documentary in this interview with Bill Moyers. And there is more information in Encore: The Faces of America's Hungry on the Moyers & Co. Web site.

The SNAP Challenge (Part 2): Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham

One of the SNAP challenge meals

Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham has been very clear in her opposition to proposed cuts to the SNAP program. To demonstrate her solidarity with SNAP recipients in New Mexico and around the country, she joined more than two dozen other members of Congress in the SNAP Challenge.   Read more in Part 1 of this series.

In a recorded statement for members of the audience who attended a screening of A Place at the Table on June 24, Rep. Lujan Grisham offered some impressions on her experiences with the SNAP challenge.

Here are some excerpts:  

"I realized soon enough there was no way that I was not going to be able to afford a week’s worth of nutritious food on just $31.50, just as many families in New Mexico do...I filled my basket with just that food the night before, mostly processed food and carbohydrates, pasta, ramen and rice...I did manage to get in a few apples and bananas, but certainly not enough fruit to last a week only a meal or two...I couldn’t afford a single fresh vegetable or two.

I will admit it. A SNAP Challenge is tough...I was constantly hungry, I was sluggish, and I had trouble focusing on my work....In a state where one in three are chronically hungry, the worst in the nation, this is a sacrifice in that many parents in New Mexico make every day...What did I learn from my SNAP challenge?...It’s a possible to live on just $4.50 a day…It’s impossible to feed yourself and your family sound nutritious food."

The congresswoman has frequently spoken out against the proposals by the Republican leadership in Congress to cut SNAP.  She provided the following answer in a  "townhall meeting" on Facebook on June 18.

Hi Susie, Sheryl, Dorothy, and Carlos. Thanks for your questions regarding the Farm Bill and SNAP cuts.

I voted against the Farm Bill in the Agriculture Committee based on my concerns about cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, “food stamps”), totaling $20.5 billion. New Mexico was recently ranked worst in the nation for child hunger, and 49th for adults. In the midst of a continuing recession, and with such widespread food insecurity, I cannot support cuts of this magnitude to such a vital program. Further, taking the #SNAPChallenge has shown me how difficult it is to try and get by on the benefits provided now. At the same time, I recognize how important the Farm Bill is to farmers, ranchers, and consumers, and I will continue working with my colleagues to produce a bill that supports vital farm programs while maintaining funding for the SNAP program.

Rep. Steve Pearce and Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, the two other members of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Mexico, did not participate in the SNAP Challenge, but each has made statements regarding the   vote in Congress on the Farm Bill.

Rep. Ben Ray Lujan
When the first version of the bill was first proposed with a $20 billion cut, the congressman from northern New Mexico issued the following statement:

"I am deeply disappointed that at a difficult economic time when families are struggling to put food on the table, farmers and ranchers are struggling with drought conditions, and New Mexico’s dairies are in need of important tools for success, House Republicans brought a Farm Bill up for a vote that makes drastic cuts to vital food nutrition programs and fails to provide the help our farmers and ranchers need. With New Mexico leading the nation in childhood hunger and families still struggling in the wake of the recession, we should not be slashing aid that helps feed our children."

That first version of the House bill was defeated, but the House came back with another measure that stripped provisions to fund nutrition programs, including SNAP, from the main Farm Bill.  At that point, Rep. Lujan issued this statement:  

“Last month, House Republicans brought a Farm Bill up for a vote that slashed $20 billion from food assistance programs that help families and their children from going hungry when they fall on hard times.  Today, House Republicans went one step further by bringing up a new bill that completely removes funding for these programs.  At a time when New Mexico leads the nation in child hunger, the last thing we should be doing is attacking programs that help prevent our children from going to bed hungry.  Read Full Press Release

Rep. Steve Pearce
In contrast, Rep. Steve Pearce, whose district covers southern New Mexico, supported the move in the House to separate nutrition programs from the Farm Bill.  Here is his statement:   

We as a Congress must provide farmers and hardworking families nationwide with the certainty this legislation offers.  The assurances nutrition assistance programs provide are too important to be denied and should be addressed immediately. The separate bills provide an opportunity to remove waste, fraud, and abuse from these programs, making them work for the families who need them the most. I urge my colleagues in both the House and the Senate to work together to find the solutions and reforms needed to provide all Americans with the certainty this legislation can offer for years to come.”  Read Full Press Release

Next: Part 3: Detractors and Skeptics

Budget Committee Reactions to Sister Simone Campbell's Testimony

At Loyola University-New Orleans

Sister Simone Campbell, president of the Catholic Social Justice Lobby Network, testified before the House Budget Committee last week.  We posted a video of her comments a few days ago.

The chair of the committee is Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, who openly supports cutting federal spending on safety-net nutrition programs.  While we focused on Sister Simone's testimony, there was initially little information about how Rep. Ryan and other members of the Budget committee reacted.  Here is some information from  U.S.Catholic magazine, which takes a middle ground on the issue (defending both approaches).

Ryan, in his opening remarks, acknowledged the country’s failures in the war on poverty and blamed government programs as being part of the problem, not the solution. To Ryan, the supposed safety net is actually a hindrance to the poor that keeps them from getting out of poverty, and it is our local communities, not the federal government, that should be taking the lead in helping people in need. Ryan did, however, welcome a conversation on how to rethink our approach to poverty and, most importantly, how to get people out of it. 

While Rep. Ryan and Sister Simone fully disagree on the approach to address poverty,there has at least been some conversation between the two.  And this was reflected at the hearing.  Here is an account from Greg Kaufman,  a staff member of Moyers & Co.

Republican Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee used her allotted time to try to discredit the sole Democratic witness...“You said you come to this hearing today as a Catholic sister living under Christian tradition,” said Rep. Blackburn. “Would it be fair for this Committee to question the validity of your testimony knowing that the Vatican has reprimanded the Leadership Conference on the Women Religious and singled out your organization for only promoting issues of social justice, and being silent on the right to life from conception to natural death?”

Sr. Simone replied that the exchange with the Vatican was about “theological struggles, not about our engagement in political activity, and our organization works on economic issues.”  Republican Chairman Paul Ryan seemingly admonished Rep. Blackburn, albeit indirectly, telling Sr. Simone: “Speaking as a Catholic who usually disagrees with you on some of these issues, I think you are very well within Catholic social teachings to give the testimony that you gave here today.”

The bottom line, as Sister Simone pointed out, is that the problem cannot be addressed at the local level or by having churches pick up the role of providing assistance because of the magnitude of the problem. 

Sr. Simone said the need for government assistance is more about the “dimension of the issue.”  She noted a Bread for the World study that calculated the funds religious institutions would have had to raise if the food stamp cuts proposed in last year’s House Republican budget had been implemented.  She said “every church, synagogue, mosque, and house of worship in the United States” would have needed to raise $50,000 in additional monies — every year, for ten years.

Read Greg Kaufman's full article, entitled Chairman Ryan and the Real World.

The SNAP Challenge (Part 1): Nearly 30 Members of Congress Living on $4.50 a Day

More than two dozen members of the House of Representatives participated in the SNAP Challenge this year, in effort to experience what life is like for millions of low-income Americans living on the average daily allowance of only $4.50 per day. Rep. Barbara Lee from California was one of the organizers of the effort in Congress.

Wisconsin Hunger Task Force billboard

The grouip was comprised of a mix of recenly elected House members (Reps. Michelle Lujan Grisham from New Mexico, Beto O'Rourke from Texas, Suzan DelBene from Washington, and Mark Pocan from Wisconsin) and veterans (Reps. Jim McGovern from Massachusetts, Peter DeFazio from Oregon, Keith Ellison from Minnesota, and Jan Schakowsky from Illinois). Here is the full list  of participants.  Check out this video with comments from Rep. McGovern and other SNAP Challenge participants..

This year's challenge attracted special attention because organizers timed the exercise to bring attention to the proposed cuts of about  $20.5 billion in the SNAP program as the Farm Bill was coming to the floor of the House for a vote.  That particular version of the Farm Bill was defeated.  But the House later separated the safety-net nutrition programs from the Farm Bill and brought the measure to the floor for a vote. That bill won by a narrow margin. The Republican-led House is now expected to consider a measure that only deals with the nutrition programs with proposed cuts of $40 billion in SNAP. If approved, these cuts would have to be reconciled with the Senate version of the Farm Bill, which cuts $4.5 billion from the SNAP program. 

Next:: Comments from Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham

Now that Peacecraft is Closed...Here is an Option

A few weeks ago, we wrote about the closing of Peacecraft after nearly a quarter of a century.  Later we mentioned how it would affect a group of artisans that had been selling their products at the fair trade store. That space is now occupied by the Maple Street Dance Space.

It's possible that another fair-trade store will fill the void in Albuquerque.

In the meantime, we can purchase Fair Trade coffee, chocolate, sugar and other fair-trade foods at retailers like La Montanita, Trader Joe's and Whole Foods).  And some fair-trade crafts are available online.

Still, it would be nice to have a fair-trade store in town, wouldn't it? 

But WE DO have a fair trade store in the vicinity.

Just take the Rail Runner in the northerly direction or drive about 60 miles north on I-25 to...Ten Thousand Villages in Santa Fe. 

The store is located at 219 Galisteo St. (and is walking distance from the Plaza). The hours are 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m, Monday through Saturday, and 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sundays.  Happy Fair Trade Shopping!

House Plan Would Cut $40 Billion from SNAP Over 10 Years

When the Republican-led House voted to separate the nutrition title  from the Farm Bill, this left the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other safety-net programs very vulnerable to sharp cuts.  Those fears were realized this past week, when reports appeared that the House was working on a plan to cut $40 billion from SNAP over 10 years.

If these cuts become a reality, they could spell bad news for New Mexico, which ranks last in the nation in terms of child hunger, according to reports by Feeding America and the Annie E. Casey Foundation (Kids Count Data Center).  Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a member of the House Agriculture Committee, has spoken out passionately against the cuts in SNAP. Fortunately, the House is not the only chamber of Congress that decides policy.  The Senate's version of the Farm Bill only cuts SNAP by $4 billion.  

The cuts in food stamps raised strong concerns among anti-hunger advocates  “Bread for the World is outraged by the proposed $40 billion cut to SNAP in the new food assistance bill being formulated in the House," said Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World. "We know firsthand the suffering and crises that poor families face every day, even in a recovering economy. This cut would substantially increase the suffering of 47 million Americans who depend on SNAP to keep hunger at bay." Read More

And stay tuned for advocacy opportunities.

Rededication of Children's Peace Statue this Sunday

Photo courtesy of Camy Condon

The picture on the left shows a single paper crane on the Children's Peace Statue in New Mexico.

The statue, shaped as a globe of the world, was funded and designed entirely by 3,000 children, who contributed animal and plant sculptures.

The small sculptures symbolically join all the continents on Earth to form a single community on the larger sculpture.

Originally installed in 1995, this is a re-dedication of this wonderfully creative and symbolically powerful sculpture, which stands as a symbol of hope for a peaceful future. This touring statue was originally designed and built by a group of children from Arroyo del Oso Elementary School in Albuquerque, who were inspired by the story of two Japanese students who made a monument for the victims of the atomic bombs,. Th children formed the Kids’ Committee for the Children’s Peace Statue and opened a nationwide design contest for the statue. Shortly thereafter the children designed and built a touring exhibit to promote the project.  Here is an early timeline.
And here is more early history. 

Residents of Albuquerque and nearby communities are invited to the rededication ceremony on
Sunday, August 4, 2013, 
02:00 PM - 04:00 PM, 
Albuquerque Balloon Museum, 
9201 Balloon Museum Dr NE

Along with the dedication of the statue, the Albuquerque Balloon Museum is hosting a special exhibition that focuses on the five-year process of creating the statue—from the initial idea, to the design competition leading up to its creation, to its original dedication at The Albuquerque Museum in 1995.

Sister Simone Campbell's Testimony to House Budget Committee

On July 31, Sister Simone Campbell, executive director of the Catholic Social Justice Lobby NETWORK, was given the opportunity to testify before the House Budget Committee about government programs that address poverty. The committee is chaired by Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, whose 2012 budget proposals were criticized by NETWORK and NETWORK’s “Nuns on the Bus” because they included heavy cuts to vital programs that help people at the economic margins.

She spoke about the importance of public/private partnerships in serving the needs of all people, including those in poverty. Noting that one of the key drivers of poverty today is low wages, she reminded the committee that “68% of the children living in poverty live in families with working parents… The most important programs that help these families survive are principally EITC, CTC and SNAP, Medicaid and CHIP. They are hugely successful programs making a big difference.”   Read More

And she ended the her testimony with these words: