Bread for the World - 2011 Offering of Letters workshop

Hunger at Home: Food for our Neighbors

Saturday, April 9, 2011
First Presbyterian Church, Allentown


Overview
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Bread for the World

Lehigh County Conference of Churches

Justice & Advocacy

Plenary Speaker

    Larry Hollar is Senior Regional Organizer with Bread for the World. He is also an ordained Presbyterian elder, a professional Biblical storyteller, church musician and liturgist.
    From 1985 to 1991, Mr. Hollar was a policy analyst and later Director of Issues for Bread for the World, heading the organization's policy and Washington-based advocacy staff. He has traveled to countries in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean, meeting with grassroots organizations engaged in sustainable development, cultural preservation, and justice advocacy. He is the author/coauthor of Bread background papers on topics that include micro-enterprise credit programs, democracy in Haiti, and the U.S. legislative process. He is editor of the three-volume "Hunger for the Word: Lectionary Reflections on Food and Justice."
        Before coming to Bread for the World's staff in 1985, Mr. Hollar spent a dozen years in government legal positions in Washington, serving as staff counsel to the Committee on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs of the U.S. House of Representatives, and as special assistant to the General Counsel and staff attorney with the U.S. Department of Transportation.


Workshop Leaders

    Rev. James D. Anderman is an ordained elder and pastor of Salem United Methodist Church, Allentown. He came to Allentown four years ago and led the church in starting a food pantry that is now open twice a month and serves over 300 families each month.
        Before coming to Allentown, Anderman served churches in Carbon County, where he also became Board Chairperson at Shepherd House, the Carbon County Food Pantry System; and he was later elected to chair the Advisory Board at Second Harvest.

    Sheila Clever is a member of the Mission Committee at First Presbyterian Church, Allentown, which hosts our annual gatherings, and she is a member of the Justice and Advocacy Committee which organizes these events.

    Emelie Swackhamer is the horticulture extension educator for Penn State Cooperative Extension in the Lehigh Valley.  She provides leadership  to 120 Master Gardener Volunteers who help to educate home gardeners. In 2010, the Master Gardeners worked in at least 18 of our community gardens.

    Elisa Zaehringer is Advocacy Coordinator for Second Harvest Food Bank of Lehigh Valley and Northeast Pennsylvania. In this position, she develops programs and conducts outreach initiatives to increase awareness among volunteers, member agencies, and the general public on major hunger issues. Additionally, she advocates for systemic changes that can eliminate the root causes of hunger. Second Harvest Food Bank distributes food to nearly 200 member agencies throughout Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton, Pike and Wayne Counties.
        Elisa received her undergraduate education from Muhlenberg College where she studied Philosophy/Political Thought and a Masters degree in Political Science from Lehigh University. At Lehigh, Elisa participated in the Community Fellows Program, which focuses on combining the theoretical study of political science with the practical art of community organizing. During her time at Lehigh, she completed a fellowship as Assistant Director of the Muhlenberg Institute of Public Opinion.


*The program and workshop offerings are subject to change. Please check this page again for updates.

Last Updated: 3/22/11
Created: January 14, 2011