PETITION
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Joseph Molieri/Bread for the World
Bread’s work to engage this nation’s decision makers around issues of hunger
and poverty.
The president must lead by setting
time-bound goals and bringing together
those affected by hunger and poverty,
experts, and policy makers to develop
a comprehensive plan to end hunger.
The president must then work with
Congress and other leaders to enact the
plan and put our country on track to
achieve an end to hunger.
“We must continue to show the
president and Congress that the movePaulette Aniskoff, deputy assistant to the president and director of the White House Office of
ment to end hunger has momentum,”
Public Engagement (center) met with Bread for the World staff members (left to right) Amelia
says Mitchell. “Together we can compel
Kegan, LaVida Davis, Gary Cook, and Eric Mitchell at the White House on August 7, 2013. The
our leaders to show moral courage and
staff members hand-delivered Bread’s presidential petition.
work to end hunger.
House that there is a strong constituenBread staff and OPE staff also disto the president and director of OPE,
and Paul Monteiro, OPE’s associ- cy of advocates waiting for the admin- cussed how decisions made during the
ate director. During the meeting with istration to speak up about hunger and next few months are especially important and will affect the lives of hungry
OPE, which is the office that facilitates poverty.
The petition is part of a multi- and poor people for years to come. Your
direct dialogue between the Obama
administration and the public, Bread pronged approach to persuade Con- voice is desperately needed. (See this
updated the White House on our work gress and the president to make ending month’s “Policy Focus” for an overview
to end hunger in the United States and hunger a national priority. Bread for the of current, crucial issues that will be at
the forefront of poabroad, and stressed how crucial the World will continue
to ask advocates to
litical debate in the
president’s role is in this fight.
“In our conversation with
coming
months).
“We shared with them the strength of add their signatures
This is a critical time
Bread’s membership,” says Davis. “Our to the petition, col- White House staffers,
for programs such
members’ actions and calls for a circle lect the signatures my colleagues and I
emphasized the importance as the Supplemental
of protection around programs that of others, and also to
help hungry and poor people made a write letters to Con- of presidential leadership in Nutrition Assistance
Program (SNAP),
big impression. My colleagues and I em- gress about legisla- ending hunger.”
international food
phasized the importance of presidential tion that helps hun– LaVida Davis
aid, poverty-focused
leadership in ending hunger and also gry and poor people.
The 30,000-plus
development assistalked about the farm bill, sequestrasignatures collected thus far reflect an tance, Head Start, and WIC, as well as
tion, the budget, and immigration.”
Bread for the World has held similar incredible showing on the part of Bread immigration and the debt ceiling.
“We need faithful advocates to remeetings with White House staff in the members—the goal is to generate at
least 100,000 signatures and make ad- main vigilant this fall, and continue to
past; they are part of our work to engage
the administration. The petition—a new ditional deliveries to the White House. both spread the wor