November 25, 2009

WASHINGTON – On the heels of a federal report showing a significant increase in hunger in the United States, a synod bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) met Nov. 23 with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack.

The Rev. Michael L. Burk, bishop, ELCA Southeastern Iowa Synod, Iowa City, participated in a National Anti-Hunger Organizations' (NAHO) meeting here with Vilsack. The ELCA is a partner of the NAHO coalition.

"It's a sin and source of sadness that we live in a land of such abundance, and increasingly we know that there are those who lack for food," said Burk.

This meeting followed the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) 2009 Household Food Security report that said 16.7 million children were food insecure in 2008, up 4.2 million from 2007. The number of people in the United States who lack enough food is at its highest level since 1995, according to the report.

"The timing of the meeting was profoundly important," Burk said. "Here we sit in this week of Thanksgiving when so many people will feast with loved ones, often having more than enough to eat. We need to keep our eyes on the reality that there are those who don't have what we have and that we can share with them."

"President Obama has committed his administration to ending childhood hunger in the United States by 2015," said the Rev. Andrew Genszler, ELCA director for advocacy. "Lutherans know the front lines of hunger issues and have a long-standing and effective commitment to reduce hunger and poverty. We also need to hold the administration accountable for this commitment."

Burk noted that the meeting allowed partners to thank Vilsack for his leadership on the issue of childhood hunger and to encourage him to keep the issue "on the forefront" of the Obama administration agenda.

The NAHO group and Vilsack discussed a vision for significant rural development and "wealth creation opportunities" as well as the importance of child nutrition, according to Burk.

The USDA and the White House announced Nov. 24 the "United We Serve: Feed a Neighbor" initiative to address hunger from Thanksgiving to Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January. The effort is part of U.S. President Barack Obama's National Call to Service Initiative, and challenges Americans to help feed people in more than 17 million households in the United States who struggle to put food on the table.

"The ELCA Washington Office knows that Lutherans are respected for the volunteering and social service work we do to combat and reduce hunger, especially through ELCA World Hunger," Genszler said. "We want to engage as many Lutherans as possible in a coordinated movement to tell our public officials that we know childhood hunger can be ended – it's a matter of public will."

Burk believed a "credible case" was made to Vilsack to end childhood hunger by 2015. "He has a position of influence, but his influence comes from the people who are mobilized and see this as a particularly important issue," he said.

Burk is also a member of the ELCA Conference of Bishops' domestic concerns committee that addresses hunger, poverty and economic justice issues in the United States.

Information about ELCA World Hunger is at http://www.ELCA.org/hunger/, on the ELCA Web site.

Information about the "Feed a Neighbor" initiative is at http://www.serve.gov/, on the Web.

ELCA News Service