October 14, 2010

DES MOINES, Iowa – God is calling on people of faith to change the "politics of hunger" by convincing members of the U.S. Congress to adopt legislation that will reduce domestic and global hunger and poverty, said the Rev. David Beckmann in a news conference here. Tonight Beckmann, a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), economist and president of Bread for the World, Washington, D.C., and Jo Luck, chief executive officer of Heifer International, Little Rock, Ark., will be awarded the 2010 World Food Prize here in a ceremony at the Iowa State Capitol.

The World Food Prize honors outstanding individuals who have made significant contributions to improving the quality, quantity or availability of food throughout the world. It is often compared to the Nobel Prize. It was founded in 1986 by the late Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, a lifelong Lutheran, prominent agricultural scientist and winner of the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize.

Bread for the World is a grassroots organization dedicated to building political will to fight hunger. It engages Christians and citizen advocates to call on political leaders to support policy changes that focus on long-term solutions to hunger. Heifer International provides livestock and training to communities in need, and promotes sustainability and gender equity.

The ELCA is a denominational partner with Bread for the World, and it is a covenant agency with Heifer International.

Beckmann said Bread for the World engages people of faith to urge elected officials to work in a bipartisan way "to do the right things for hungry and poor people in our country and around the world."

The world has made remarkable progress on hunger and poverty, and there is more to do, Beckmann said.

"God is calling us to get with the program," he said. "Specifically, God is calling us right now to change the politics of hunger because we are in a time of increased hunger and poverty in our communities and all over the world. There are also clear opportunities to make big changes through legislation that is pending in the U.S. Congress."

Beckmann specifically pointed to reforms to make U.S. foreign aid more effective, resulting in better use of taxpayer dollars to reduce hunger and poverty.

"This is a holy obligation. If we're going to be decent people we ought to use Nov. 2 to change our politics and put people in power who are going to do their part," he said, referring to next month's congressional elections.

The faith community is fundamental to Bread for the World's work, said Beckmann.

"We really rely on churches to teach people [and] to help people have a sense of the abundance and love of God, so that they are moved to try to help people in need," he said. "When the religious community really does its job, they also teach people that it's not just about direct assistance but it's also about establishing justice. That is in the Hebrew Scriptures, it is in the New Testament. We rely on the churches and other religious communities to shape [groups] of people who are trying to change the world for God."

The ELCA pastor said that people can change the world when they pool their resources with tens of thousands of other people for a cause such as reducing hunger and poverty.

Luck said Heifer International focuses on helping people help themselves. "We think we're about peace," she said. "If people would work together in Congress, we really sincerely think this is a prerequisite to peace. We want people to move from hunger to dignity. We want them to own it and make the decisions. And we want to help them."

Heifer International is known for providing livestock to people in need, but the animals are a way to accomplish greater things. "The animals are catalysts. It's really about people and about development," said Luck.

Luck added that the support of the faith community is critical to her organization's efforts.

Information about the World Food Prize is at http://www.worldfoodprize.org/, on the Web.

ELCA News Service