For I was Hungry and You Gave Me Food

- Matthew 25:35
June 2012

Cuts to Food Assistance will Cost Lives!

Tell Your Representative to oppose any amendment to cut international food assistance in the Agriculture Appropriations bill today.
International food assistance, through the Food for Peace program, makes it possible for this mother and her child to receive life-saving nutrition in the drought prone Sahel region of West Africa. Mariama Abdoulaye, a Malian refugee, fled with her one-year-old daughter Awa to a temporary refugee camp in northern Burkina Faso, around 30 miles from the Malian border. Over 65,000 refugees have fled rebel violence in Mali to come to Burkina Faso. Many thousands more are in neighboring countries. CRS is supporting the refugees with food and water, sanitation and hygiene projects. Burkina Faso, along with other countries in the Sahel region, is already facing a severe food crisis. After rains failed, food prices rose and instability in the region limited migrant work. CRS has a number of ongoing projects to try to help people survive the worsening food crisis, but food assistance is critical. Without this food, hungry children like Awa pictured above could die. Right now the House of Representatives is making important decisions about how much funding to make available for international food assistance in programs like the Food for Peace initiative. We know that the Food for Peace program saves and changes lives around the world. Despite this programs effectiveness and success, the House Agriculture Appropriations committee slashed more than 20% of the funding for Food for Peace, a program that provides both long-term and emergency international food assistance. As a result of this cut, up to 8.5 million people will no longer be served by Food for Peace programs. This cut will cost lives.

Your action is needed now! Tell your Representative to oppose any amendments that further cut international food
assistance in the Agriculture Appropriations bill. The House could vote on the bill as early as Tuesday, June 26! By funding Food for Peace we help the poor overseas survive the food crises they are facing today, and help grow the food they need for tomorrow. We know that our nations fiscal challenges are significant. However, poverty-focused international assistance, which includes the Food for Peace program, is less than 0.5% of the U.S. federal budget. Cutting this assistance will not balance the federal budget, but it will cost lives as people starve. For further background, read the letter sent to the House Subcommittee by Bishop Richard Pates, Chair of the Committee on International Justice and Peace of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Dr. Carolyn Woo, President of Catholic Relief Services, earlier in the spring.

TAKE ACTION!
Visit this website or call 1-702-577-2339 to contact your Representative now.
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops th 3211 4 St., NE, Washington, DC 20017 www.usccb.org/globalpoverty globalpoverty@usccb.org (202) 541-3160 Catholic Relief Services 228 W. Lexington St., Baltimore, MD 21201 www.crs.org/globalpoverty globalpoverty@crs.org 1-866-608-5978

MESSAGE TO MEMEBRS OF CONGRESS Dear Representative: As a supporter of the Catholics Confront Global Poverty initiative of Catholic Relief Services and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, I urge you to oppose any amendments to cut lifesaving funding for international food assistance provided through the Food for Peace and McGovern-Dole programs in the Agriculture Appropriations bill. As a global leader, our nation has a special responsibility to help poor and vulnerable people overseas. As a Catholic, I am personally committed to helping them. As you vote on the Agriculture Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2013, please protect funding at the highest possible levels for the Food for Peace and McGovern-Dole programs. The House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee slashed more than 20% of the funding for Food for Peace, a program that provides both long-term and emergency international food assistance. In dollar terms, over $300 million was cut from the current $1.466 billion level. As a result of this cut, up to 8.5 million people will no longer be served by Food for Peace programs. This cut will cost lives. People cannot live without food. For refugees fleeing violence or hard-working men and women in areas experiencing drought, food assistance provided by the U.S. gets them through difficult times. Similarly, the McGovernDole program provides lunches to children to encourage school attendance, and has been especially effective in keeping girls in school to provide better opportunities for their futures. While I do believe that we must be fiscally responsible, we must do so in morally responsible ways. Food for Peace, McGovern-Dole, and other poverty-focused international accounts comprise a mere 0.5% of the federal budget, but keep millions of people alive overseas. We cannot balance our budget on the backs of the poor. When the Agriculture Appropriations bill comes to the House floor, I hope you will strongly oppose any amendments to cut this life-saving food assistance. Thank you for your consideration of this urgent life or death issue. Sincerely,