World poverty is focus of Lenten 'Offering of Letters' campaign

Published: 2006-02-14

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Bread for the World, the Christian citizens' anti-hunger lobby, will tackle world poverty in its annual Lenten "Offering of Letters" campaign. Under the theme "One Spirit, One Will, Zero Poverty," Bread for the World is asking for letters to advance its One Campaign, which seeks to fight extreme poverty, hunger and HIV/AIDS in the developing world. Each year congregations have been asked to send letters to members of Congress asking them for legislative action relevant to the goals outlined that year by Bread for the World. The letters are typically written by church members after church services, then placed in the offertory collection the following Sunday to be dedicated to God and accompanied by special prayers for hungry people. Lent begins this year on Ash Wednesday, March 1. Legislatively, the letter campaign is calling for an increase in poverty-focused development assistance for poor countries in the federal budget for fiscal year 2007 with hopes that by fiscal year 2010 an additional 1 percent of the federal budget will go to such assistance.

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