Bread Portland Open House

The Portland based staff of Bread hosted a very nice open house on 7/16/2008 at the office on 0245 SW Bancroft St. There were 4 staff members there (Robin, Shawnda, Joanne, and Matt) and our two summer interns (Danielle and Cora). Snacks were provided including a great lemon bar kinda thing that Shawnda made (I had 3 of those). They had door prizes which included eggs from Matts chicken's and they showed the new Bread intro video.

Its great having them based in Portland!

Bread for the World's Western Regional Office
0245 SW Bancroft St (map)
Portland , OR 97239
503-922-2182

PS - if you try to look up the map on Mapquest or Google maps, it will probably come up incorrect because of the leading "zero" in the address. Use this map or simply copy and paste this search term instead in google maps: SW Bancroft St and Sw Kelly Ave Portland , OR
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Time is running out on the Global Poverty Act

We sent out an action alert today to our networks about the Global Poverty Act. Congress is quickly approaching the end of its congressional session. We'd like to see the Global Poverty Act reach the senate floor for a vote. If it doesn't go to the floor, we'll need to start all over next year with the new congress. Your voice is important. Here are a few easy steps for taking action:

1) PRAY: Please pray that God will work in the hearts and minds of all U.S. senators. Pray that God moves them to understand that taking actions like passing the Global Poverty Act helps our nation keep the promises it has made to the world's poorest people. Pray that the senators will be motivated by a deep concern for justice for all God's people.

2) ACT: Before you make your call, check to see if your member of congress is a cosponsor of the Global Poverty Act (S. 2433). If so, read a list of talking points for existing cosponsors (Both Wyden and Smith are cosponsors)

Senator Gordon Smith
Phone: 202-224-3753

Senator Ron Wyden
Phone: 202-224-5244


If your senator is not listed as a cosponsor, ask them to cosponsor the Global Poverty Act (S. 2433) and pass the legislation before the end of this congressional session. Call 1-800-826-3688 as soon as possible but no later than July 25.

[Note: This toll-free number will connect you to the Capitol switchboard, where you will ask to be connected to your senator's office in order to leave your message. Find out who your senators are.]

Key points to make when you call:

Please cosponsor the Global Poverty Act. (If your senator is already a cosponsor--click here for the list--your talking points will be different. Read the list of talking points for senators who have signed on as cosponsors.)
With time running out on the legislative calendar, Senate leadership needs to see a robust list of cosponsors to move this important bill to the floor.
The Global Poverty Act seeks to bring clarity, coordination, and accountability to our foreign assistance programs has already passed through the House and has bipartisan support in the Senate.
The act would require the president to develop and implement a coordinated strategy of U.S. aid, debt relief, and trade policies to meet the goal of cutting by half the number of people who live on less than $1 a day by 2015.
Visit this page for background information.
Click Here to Read More!

PEPFAR Victory (One Campaign)

And it was a big one. In the past few weeks, more than 100,000 ONE members have written letters, signed petitions and made phone calls, asking our senators to support the reauthorization of PEPFAR, America's lifesaving response to global AIDS, TB and malaria.

On Wednesday, 80 senators did just that by voting to pass PEPFAR. Overwhelming bipartisan majorities stuck together to defeat a number of amendments that threatened to cut funding or otherwise undercut the success we've had in fighting these diseases.

In Oregon, both Senators Gordon Smith and Ron Wyden voted to reauthorize PEPFAR, answering your calls and providing hope for the millions of people around the world who look to America as a partner in fighting these deadly, but treatable diseases. In fact, Senator Smith went a step beyond by co-sponsoring PEPFAR reauthorization and showing unshakeable commitment to our cause.

I hope you'll take a moment to call Senators Smith and Wyden at the numbers below to thank them for standing with us and reaffirming America's commitment to saving lives in some of the poorest parts of the world.

Senator Gordon Smith
Phone: 202-224-3753

Senator Ron Wyden
Phone: 202-224-5244


When you speak to your senators' staff, make sure to tell them:

1. You are a constituent and a ONE member.
2. That you appreciate and support their vote to reauthorize PEPFAR for five more years.
3. You are especially grateful for Senator Smith’s decision to co-sponsor PEPFAR.
4. You recognize how important it is for America to continue to lead the world in efforts to end global disease and extreme poverty – even as we face challenges at home.

After you've made your calls, please report your call by clicking here:

http://one.org/call?tg=FSOR_2.FSOR_1&cp_id=30&id=418-3533236-UryluHx&t=1

A victory of this scale calls for reflection and recognition of everyone who made it possible. After PEPFAR passed the House of Representatives with strong support from President Bush, it got stuck in the Senate, where a handful of opponents used procedural tactics to prevent all action on the bill. Their unwillingness to allow open debate on PEPFAR prevented it from being passed before the G8 Summit in Hokkaido, Japan, earlier this month, where it could have been a powerful diplomatic tool to leverage commitments from other wealthy nations.

It took your voices, combined with the work of many others, and patient and persistent efforts by our allies in Washington to get PEPFAR unstuck. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Senators Biden and Lugar, and the White House all demonstrated extraordinary leadership in making this all possible.

And just as we pushed and prodded our senators to support this bill over the past weeks, it's important that we take a moment now to thank our leaders for their support.

Senator Gordon Smith
Phone: 202-224-3753

Senator Ron Wyden
Phone: 202-224-5244


After you've made your calls, please report your call by clicking here:

http://one.org/call?tg=FSOR_2.FSOR_1&cp_id=30&id=418-3533236-UryluHx&t=2

This new PEPFAR is going to do a whole lot of good for millions of people. It will provide care for 12 million AIDS patients, including five million orphans. It contains massive increases in investments in fighting TB and malaria, two diseases that are at their most devastating in the world's poorest countries. And in places desperate for doctors and nurses, PEPFAR will provide training for 140,000 new healthcare professionals.

Reauthorizing PEPFAR is an accomplishment we can be proud of and the Senate vote was the last major hurdle. In the coming days we expect the House to pass the Senate version of the bill and President Bush to sign it into law.

It's a victory for the world's most vulnerable people that won't be forgotten. And we can be sure our senators don't forget by thanking them for their leadership and reminding them of our ongoing support for acts of diplomacy that save lives and reflect the generosity of Americans.

Senator Gordon Smith
Phone: 202-224-3753

Senator Ron Wyden
Phone: 202-224-5244


Thank you for your voice,

Josh Peck, ONE.org
Click Here to Read More!

Sen Ron Wyden Cosponsors the Global Poverty Act!!

Senator Ron Wyden has recently signed on as a cosponsor of the Global Poverty Act!! Thanks to all who have written letters and urged him to get on board. We now have both Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith on board. Thanks again for your help and support.
Click Here to Read More!

Battle for the Soul of the Nation

Secular and Religious Organizations co-sponsor forum on The Ethics of Torture and Human Rights

Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008

Portland, Oregon

A growing national campaign against the use of torture by the U.S. government will touch down in Portland on Wednesday, July 23, when several religious and secular organizations sponsor a one-day forum on “The Ethics of Torture and Human Rights.”

What is torture? Why do most religions find the use of torture to be morally repugnant? What international laws and treaties restrict the use of torture? Is there a universal human right that prohibits the use of torture under all circumstances or are there special situations that justify the use of torture? These questions and more will be addressed during the day’s discussions.

George Hunsinger, PhD, founder of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) and professor of Systematic Theology at Princeton Seminary, will be the lunchtime keynote speaker, presenting “A Battle for the Soul of Our Nation: Why Torture Matters.” Other speakers include:

• Richard Amesbury, PhD, professor of religion and ethics at Claremont School of Theology.
• Jeff Bachman, chair of the Board of Amnesty International USA and an attorney with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.
• Alison Brysk, PhD, professor of political science at University of California, Irvine, and author or editor of six books on international human rights topics.
• Dr. J. David Kenzie, director of the Oregon Torture Treatment Center at OHSU.
• Steven T. Wax, Chief Defender, Federal Public Defender 's Office for Oregon, and author of “When Kafka Came to America.”
• Travis Hall, attorney and former Army captain in the Judge Advocate General in Iraq, currently an attorney with Bateman Seidel.
• Mike “Abudharr” Branch, an advisory board member of the Muslim Educational Trust (MET).
• Rabbi Maurice Harris, Temple Beth Israel in Eugene and member of Rabbis for Human Rights, North America.

The forum will be held on Wednesday, July 23, 2008, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1624 NE Hancock Street, Portland, Ore.

The cost is $15 (includes lunch), and the registration deadline is July 16. Visit www.emoregon.org to download the registration brochure, or call (503) 221-1054 for more information.

The event is sponsored by Amnesty International, Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon; Jewish Federation of Portland Community Relations Committee; Muslim Educational Trust; National Religious Campaign Against Torture; Oregon Area Jewish Committee; and Willamette University Center for Religion, Law and Democracy.

George Hunsinger will also give his presentation on July 23, 7:30 p.m., at Central Presbyterian Church in Eugene, and on July 24, 12 p.m., at Nativity Lutheran Church in Bend.

Questions? Contact Kevin Finney or Jan Elfers at 503-221-1054, or at kfinney@emoregon.org, or jelfers@emoregon.org for more information.


Kevin S. Finney
Public Policy Director
Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon
Interchurch Center
0245 SW Bancroft St. Suite B
Portland, OR 97239
www.emoregon.org
kfinney@emoregon.org
503-221-1054 x204
503-250-0937 cell
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Reauthorize Pepfar (Aids funding)

HIV/AIDS is a global emergency. In developing countries, where effective antiretroviral drug treatments are financially out of reach, it can kill with alarming speed. Around the world, there were 2.1 million deaths from AIDS related complications in 2007. The suffering is compounded by malaria, which causes a child in Africa to die every 30 seconds from a mosquito bite, and tuberculosis, which preys on those already weakened by AIDS.

An emergency this serious requires an all-out response. Since 2004, ours has been PEPFAR, the President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief. PEPFAR is saving lives and a vote to re-authorize for another five years it is about to happen in the House of Representatives.

Visit our call action page to contact your member of Congress and ask for his or her vote to re-authorize PEPFAR, and expand funding for this historic fight from $15 billion over five years to $50 billion:

http://one.org/call?tg=FHOR_01&cp_id=20&id=276-3533236-Xy4AQp&t=2

The first PEPFAR five-year plan was built with real-world strategies and $15 billion in funding. The numbers already tell a story of hope.

In 2004, only 400,000 people were receiving life-saving antiretroviral drug treatment around the world. By September 2007, 1.45 million patients, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa, were getting the medicine they needed through PEPFAR-supported programs.

But PEPFAR goes well beyond distributing antiretroviral drugs. PEPFAR funding helps train doctors and nurses to reliably track and respond to AIDS cases. It provides necessities for children who have lost parents to the ravages of AIDS. PEPFAR also supports the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis, which has already helped deliver 46 million insecticide-treated bed nets to protect families from malaria.

PEPFAR is working, and there's nobody better to tell your member of Congress about grassroots support for PEPFAR than you. Go to the call action page for your member of Congress' phone number, talking points and more in-depth information:

http://one.org/call?tg=FHOR_01&cp_id=20&id=276-3533236-Xy4AQp&t=3

This reauthorization goes beyond providing more of the same. This is PEPFAR 2.0.

This new and improved PEPFAR sets audacious goals for the next five years:
Stop 12 million new cases of HIV infections
Double the number of people on antiretroviral treatment to three million (including 450,000 children)
Train 140,000 new health-care workers
Care for five million children who have been orphaned by AIDS
The new PEPFAR also tackles new challenges, with $9 billion allotted to fight malaria and TB. There is also funding to make sure HIV/AIDS patients have access to proper nutrition
Click Here to Read More!

Debt & Aids : A Global Perspective

February 26th, 2008
4:30 - 7:30pm
Native American Center
Portland State University

Special Guests:Adolfo Pérez Esquivel -Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
Beverly Keene - Jubilee South/Americas Coordinator
Vice Provost Shawn C. Smallman - PSU Dean of Undergraduate Affairs

Featuring Short Film - Their Brother’s Keeper
Also Original Student Film - The Haiti Resolution: A Call To Action

Click here to see the Flyer
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Film Screening & Panel Discussion: Iron Ladies of Liberia (Wed, Feb 27)

Wednesday, February 27, 2008
8:00 p.m.
FREE ADMISSION

After 14 years of a brutal civil war, Liberia elects its first female president—Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, nicknamed the Iron Lady. With her predominately female cabinet, President Johnson Sirleaf struggles during her first year in office to rebuild a war-ravaged country, fight rampant corruption and prevent a descent back into war.

In the film we will follow Ellen Sirleaf Johnson through her first year in office as she faces angry mobs, ambitious political rivals, and high-ranking members of the international community. Her story is inspiring a new generation of leaders in Africa and around the world.

Global Sistergoods is delighted to partner with ITVS, Independent Lens, and Oregon Public Broadcasting to bring this exciting new film series to our hometown: Portland Community Cinema. On the last Wednesday of each month from September-May, we will be screening a social issue documentary at St. John's Theater (map). Each film will be followed by a panel discussion, and will be FREE TO THE PUBLIC. We are proud to facilitate an informed discussion about pressing social issues.

The World Affairs Council of Oregon and Mercy Corps are proud co-sponsors of the film Iron Ladies of Liberia.
Visit http://www.globalsistergoods.com/events/ for more information.
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New Resources from the Catholic Office of Justice and Peace

In an effort to provide up-to-date and useful information, the Office of Justice has created a new Resources section on our website (http://www.archdpdx.org/justice_and_peace/)

These new resources include:

January 1st World Day of Peace Insert from the USCCB
Faithful Citizenship Insert from USCCB
Full Text of the Seamless Garment Speech from Cardinal Bernadin
Scripture and Catholic Social Teaching Quotes on the Human Dignity of the Poor

The Office of Justice and Peace has also added two new titles to our library:

Voices from the Street: Truths about Homelessness from Sisters of the Road by Jessica P. Morrell
Solidarity Will Transform the World: Stories of Hope from Catholic Relief Services by Jeffrey Odell Korgen

Both are ideally suited for both individual and small group use (Solidarity Will Transform the World also has an internet-based small-group study guide.)

The Office of Justice and Peace aims to be a resource for individual Catholics as well as for parish groups focused on issues of justice and peace. Please email cwillett@archdpdx.org for more information on any of the office's resources.
Click Here to Read More!

Christmas Message From our regional organizer Matt

Just wanted to wish every one of you a very Merry Christmas. Thank you all for your extremely hard work this year. It was certainly a year full of ups and downs.

I'm reminded of a passage in John Lewis' autobiography, Walking With the Wind. Lewis, the President of SNCC during much of the civil rights movement, talks about the need to be a "pilot light" - a steady light in the world that never burns out. It's easy, he reflects, to want to something more glamorous, like a firework, but movements are long-term endeavors. Movements require steadfastness - and we are required to be faithful even if it seems victory is far away. Not that all of your reading lists aren't long enough already, but if you get a chance, I highly recommend reading it. It's an amazing first-person account of the Civil Rights Movement, and it's a testament to staying faithful amidst great adversity, and what it means to be committed to building God's Kingdom here on earth.

In case you didn't see it, I wanted to share with you a note from David Beckmann, President of Bread - call it our "holiday letter" sans the picures of the family and the dog (or in my case, chickens). Merry Christmas, and a very Happy New Year. Let's keep the pilot lights burning in 2008...

Peace ane Blessings this Christmas,
Matt


Dear Members and Friends:

As our hearts prepare for the coming of the Christ Child, I have been pondering the mystery of God's saving activity in our time. Bread for the World members have worked hard in 2007 for justice for hungry people. In some ways our work has been rewarded with inspiring, hopeful change. Yet, we did not achieve all that we desired and prayed for. The Senate and House both passed disappointing versions of the Farm Bill. And yet Congress approved a $1.4 billion increase in funding for development assistance focused on reducing global poverty.

We still have our work cut out for us. The Farm Bill isn't finished and Bread for the World will continue to campaign for reform as the House, Senate and administration negotiate the final version of the Farm Bill early next year. And Bread for the World's 2008 Offering of Letters will focus anew on improving and expanding effective assistance to fight global hunger and poverty.
We are convinced that God is moving in our time to end hunger, and we are part of this great liberation. We also know that every great change in human history does not come in an instant, but through the steadfast, Spirit-filled efforts of God's people. So, I am deeply grateful to each to each of you for your support of Bread for the World, your unchanging commitment to justice, and your faithful action on behalf of poor and hungry people in every season of the year.

Merry Christmas, and may Christ bless our work together for poor and hungry people in 2008!

David Beckmann
President Bread for the World
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