BFW President delivers keynote address at anti-poverty conference

Bread for the World
Tuesday, 5 December 2000

Trenton, New Jersey -- Speaking before the Anti-Poverty Network conference in Trenton, New Jersey today, Bread for the World President, Rev. David Beckmann, urged the U.S. Congress to restore food stamps to legal immigrants. "As Congress comes back to work in this post-election session, Republicans and Democrats could join together to take this simple step," he said. "By allowing legal immigrants, many of whom work and pay taxes, access to food stamps some 450,00 people who struggle with hunger would be helped."

Beckmann went on to say that, "We could cut hunger in half in America for pennies per person per day."

The strong job market and roaring economy now make rapid progress towards ending hunger feasible, he said. "If Congress would restore half the funding that has been cut from the Food Stamp Program since 1996, that would be enough to cut hunger in half in our communities."

He called upon groups that are helping poor and hungry people to work together, think strategically, and push to make the reduction of poverty a higher priority for our prosperous nation.

This year, Bread for the World members generated nearly 100,000 handwritten letters to members of Congress urging passage of the Hunger Relief Act, a food stamp provision bill. Two of the legislation's key provisions have already passed and been signed into law, allowing nearly 1 million people in the U.S. more nutrition assistance. The remaining piece of the Hunger Relief Act, yet to be passed, is the provision allowing legal immigrants to have access to food stamps.

For more information, or to contact Bread for the World, see their website at: www.bread.org