This annual gathering will include discussion of both local and national food and hunger issues and tools for advocacy with our elected members of Congress.

Plenary Presentation:     "Feed Our Children" with Larry Hollar, Senior Regional Organizer, Bread for the World and Caryn Long, Executive Director, Feeding Pennsylvania. Every five years, Congress must re-authorize the law that funds our federal government's major child nutrition programs, including those for school meals, summer feeding, and the WIC nutrition program for pregnant and new mothers along with their small children. Bread for the World and Feeding America are urging Congress to renew these programs, which have helped millions of children over the decades... read more.

Also, there will be time for conversation with special guests:

Oxfam reports that by the end of 2016, the wealth of the top 1% of the world's people will exceed the total wealth of the other 99%. How do we begin to address such stark inequality and protect our most vulnerable people? Our spring event this year will provide resources for several related federal, state, and local issues, with a focus on legislative advocacy for poor and outcast people in our communities, and especially families with children.

Workshop topics (in plenary and breakout sessions) will include: Renewing U.S. Child Nutrition Programs: WIC (Women, Infants Children), school meals, summer feeding program Pennsylvania Economic Issues: inequality, minimum wage, tax policies Prison Justice: ending mass incarceration, assisting families of prisoners, and restoring people released from prison to productive lives Food Security in the Lehigh Valley Advocacy basics / "Offering of Letters" 101 - What is it? How to do it.

Hunger and Advocacy Resources

• 2015 Offering of Letters Campaign
  "Feed Our Children".
  This year's campaign focus is child nutrition reauthorization.
  • Background Paper #231: Feed Our Children provides an overview of the campaign issues.
  • "Offering of Letters" resources are posted HERE, or you can order the printed Offering of Letters kit HERE.
• Hunger Report 2015:
    "When Women Flourish...We Can End Hunger"
  Download or order a printed copy of Bread for the World's annual report HERE.

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Sponsored by Bread for the World, the Justice and Advocacy Committee of The Lehigh Conference of Churches, and Second Harvest Food Bank.

This is a preliminary program announcement. Check here again for updates.

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There will be other Bread for the World workshops in Pennsylvania in 2015.
Click on the links below for details and registration.

• March 28, 2015 (Saturday, 9:00am - 2:30pm) in Pittsburgh area.
  Christ United Methodist Church, 44 Highland Road, Bethel Park, PA 15102 See details here.

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