Today on the train I read several articles that relate to my work here at World Hunger. I suppose this is not surprising given the current economic situation.

Paul Krugman commented on the Federal Reserve open market committee’s prediction that “unemployment would remain substantially above its longer-run sustainable rate at the end of 2011, even absent further economic shocks” and that “more than five to six years would be needed for the economy to converge to a longer-run path characterized by sustainable rates of output growth and unemployment and by an appropriate rate of inflation.” It looks like the Church will have several opportunities to offer food and drink “to the least of these” for quite some time.

David Brooks explained why those who are in part responsible for this mess need to nonetheless receive governement aid. Apparently that old biblical adage that it rains on both the just and the unjust still holds true.

Perhaps the most compelling article to me described the increased use of food pantries and how the “next layer of people” (secretaries, nurse’s aids, child care workers, and so on) have begun to seek help. What I was most struck by (and I’m still formulating my thoughts on it) is the shame that many of these people felt for seeking help in a food pantry. I think it reveals implicit assumptions about people who need this kind of aid and the stigma that being needy carries.
I found myself thinking about the assumptions that I bring to the table when I think about those who are most vulnerable. How would I feel about myself if I found myself in their shoes? What misguided assumptions do I need to actively address?

David Creech

I just read an interesting report from the Global Policy Forum that makes important connections between food and finance. One little factoid that struck me: more than half of U.S. grain and nearly 40% of world grain is being used to feed livestock. The author of the report cites a 1997 news release from a Cornell ecologist who suggests that the U.S. could feed 800 million people with the grain that livestock eat. Granted, not all the grain that cattle eat is suitable for human consumption (thank you Mark Goetz for pointing that out to me), but again this underscores for me how lowering our own meat consumption could be an effective way to lower food costs and perhaps improve food distribution (to say nothing of the amazing environmental benefits of consuming less meat).

On a related note, Lent is just nine days away (and yes, as you may have already guessed, it is my favorite church season). One way to experiment with consuming less meat would be to practice the ancient and venerable tradition of abstaining from meat on Fridays (and Wednesdays if you wish!) for the six weeks of Lent. Or if you’re adventurous, you could fast from meat for the whole 40 days. I am tempted to do just that, and I would probably succumb to peer pressure if I heard from enough people who would join me…

David Creech

Hunger Rumblings will periodically highlight the work of organizations that received financial support through an ELCA Hunger Education/Advocacy grant in 2008. We hope you are as inspired by these stories of our faith in action as we have been!

Tour de Revs – 100 Days for Hunger and Wellness
www.tourderevs.org
2008 ELCA World Hunger Education Grant Recipient

The 2008 ELCA Hunger Education/Advocacy grant was used to plan for the 2009 Tour de Revs Bicycle Ride, and to create a promotional DVD and other printed materials. From May 13 – August 20, three ELCA pastors from the West Virginia/Western Maryland synod will ride over 13,000 miles on a bamboo bicycle built for three to increase awareness of world hunger and generate financial support for the ELCA World Hunger Appeal. Tour de Revs will be making stops at each ELCA synod, the 2009 ELCA Youth Gathering and the ELCA Churchwide Assembly.

A prologue ride was taken to all the congregations of the West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod in September, 2008, with much success. In the evenings, most churches hosted a dinner and invited the community, resulting in contributions to ELCA World Hunger of over $2000 (some of those funds were also matched by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans). The prologue ride received a lot of press, allowing many people outside the Lutheran church to learn about ELCA world hunger efforts through local and state newspaper coverage. We expanded our audience further by posting a promotional DVD on YouTube where it has been viewed over 1,100 times, and by creating a group on Facebook that has gained over 200 members.

Two of the three Tour de Revs pastors were at Camp Luther, the synod’s youth summer camp. Interest in the ride and in hunger issues became a secondary part of the camp experience. Some campers gave much of their money brought from home to World Hunger instead of buying treats at the camp store as they had originally intended. At the end of the week, over $2000 had been raised – an amount made even more significant and touching given the average camper age was 13.

Tour de Revs and the grant from ELCA World Hunger have caused many churches in the WV-WMD synod to rethink their commitment to ending world hunger and increase their giving to ELCA World Hunger. One church indicated a planned increase in ELCA World Hunger giving of 400% for 2009! We hope that by the end of the Tour de Revs ride many more congregations around the country will respond in as generous a manner.

Connie Twedt
Tour de Revs

posted by Erin Cummisford

Last night while perusing the New York Times online, I ran across this little article. It outlines just how difficult it would be for those poor Wall Street executives to live on a measly $500,000 a year. The article spells out the cost of maintaining an executive lifestyle: the cost of a nanny, private school, personal trainer, summer houses, European vacations, charity galas, and so on. The article concludes that at least 1.6 million dollars a year is needed to live comfortably as an executive.

What is troubling to me is that we find ourselves in very difficult circumstances due to (at least in part) the greed of Wall Street. As I noted in a previous post, by the time we begin to emerge from this downturn, as many as 50 million people in the U.S. could be living below the poverty line. That’ll be nearly one-sixth of the U.S. population dealing with the stresses of basic needs like food, housing, and health care.

I am working my way through the Bread for the World Institute’s 2009 hunger report (which is well worth your time!). I came across this little statistic that is both frightening and hopeful.

According to a 2008 poll, 47% of likely voters in the U.S. think that we give too little to reduce the global hunger problem. That means that over half of likely voters think that we either give enough or too much. Over half!

The frightening part is this: the U.S. allocates a paltry .16% of the federal budget to development assistance. The commitment we made to the Millenium Development Goals was .7%. We consistently rank near the bottom of the industrialized nations in money devoted to development assistance. In fact, we spend less than half of the average of those nations. In short, we’re not pulling our weight.

Now to the hopeful part: in 2003, nearly 3/4 of likely voters (73%) thought that we gave either enough or too much in foreign development assistance. That’s a 20 point swing in only four years.

Let’s continue to get the word out. Let’s see if we can move 20 more points closer to reality.

David Creech

Where our food comes from and how it’s produced is no laughing matter. But this video is just too much fun to pass up! Whether you agree with what the video has to say or not, it’s certainly an entertaining way to get a conversation started. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
-Nancy Michaelis

A beautiful poem by Adrienne Rich sent to me from one of my traveling partners, Kim Winchell:

My heart is moved by all I cannot save,
so much has been destroyed.
I have to cast my lot with those
who age after age, perversely,
with no extraordinary power
reconstitute the world.

David Creech

Below, find a time-sensitive announcement from Anne Basye in ELCA Global Mission. Speaking of Global Mission, on Monday, February 2, I will assume a new position as assistant director for Global Mission Support (www.elca.org/globalmission/support). I’ll keep the same e-mail address and phone extension as I move to a new cube on the 10th floor of the Churchwide Office. Please welcome Laury Rinker as she assumes the marketing and interpretation role for ELCA World Hunger and Disaster Appeal. Blessings on your heads, Sue

For adults ages 19-29: Applications are now being accepted for the 2009-2010 Young Adults in Global Mission program, a one-year international cross-cultural experience of service learning and leadership open to ELCA members ages 19-29 who are active in their church or campus ministry. Young adults raise a minimum of $4000 towards their support. Participants are placed according to interest, skills, gifts or growth areas in Argentina and Uruguay, Jerusalem/West Bank, Malaysia, Mexico, Slovakia/Hungary, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. Applications submitted by February 15 will get priority attention. The deadline for applications is March 1, 2009. Applications and details about countries and assignments can be found at www.elca.org/globalserve/youngadults.

For all ages: Join the 250 ELCA missionaries now serving in 48 countries! You can explore the basics of global service and find listings of dozens of international positions at www.elca.org/globalserve New mission personnel recruited this winter and spring will receive an orientation in August and begin their service in August/September 2009.

For more information contact the ELCA Global Mission unit at 1-800-638-3522, ext. 2520, or by email at dgmSERVE@elca.org.

As you’ve no doubt been reading, David Creech is in Nicaragua learning about the effects of climate change on life. In keeping with that theme and bringing it closer to home, I have a suggestion: eat less meat. It’s not an original suggestion. Today, I’ve lifted it directly from The Sierra Club. They recently had a post on on their blog, The Green Life, which I thought made their case succinctly. You can click here to read the original, but I’ll quote the two paragraphs that I found most fascinating and actionable (and, actually, comprise most of the post):

I am in the airport waiting for my flight back to the United States. My experience down here in Nicaragua has energized me for my work and given me new perspective on the challenges we face. I am sure that more stories and pictures and reflections from the trip will continue to find expression on this blog.

For now, I’d like to leave you with a Bible verse that our hosts gave us for reflection to open and close our trip. Genesis 8:22 reads, “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” There is a rhythm to life and that rhythm is being interrupted. We are called to care for the earth. The issue is pressing–creation groans waiting for redemption and those who are poorest and hungriest already feel the impact. May we find the courage to accompany those who are marginalized, to do God’s work with our hands.