March 22, 2000
EDITORIAL:
Fight hunger; pick up your pen
___The greatest weapon in the war on hunger may be your pen.
___Tens of thousands of people of faith across this country are fighting hunger by participating in an "offering of letters" sponsored by Bread for the World, a non-partisan, multi-faith organization that seeks to eradicate hunger.
___"A Fair Share: Working to End Hunger" is the theme of this year's letter-writing campaign. It's designed to influence Congress and the president to support two initiatives that could reduce hunger in America--the bi-partisan Hunger Relief Act and a proposal to increase the minimum wage by $1 (to $6.15/hour) over two years.
___"In the United States--in the midst of an economic boom--31 million people live in families that can't always afford the food they need," insisted Bread for the World President David Beckmann. "But hunger is one problem we can actually solve. We could cut hunger in half in this country in two years."
___The Hunger Relief Act would take steps to help the poorest families receive sufficient food by strengthening the Food Stamp Program and helping food banks. For example, it would allow families to own a car worth more than $4,650 and still receive food stamps, no longer forcing them to choose between reliable transportation and enough to eat. It also would allow low-income legal immigrants to receive food stamps and would alter the cap on housing expenses as a factor in the food-stamp formula. And it would increase funding for The Emergency Food Assistance Program, which provides commodities for local food banks, many of which are experiencing an increased demand for aid.
___The Food Stamp Program primarily assists children and other vulnerable people. Households with children receive 81.7 percent of all food stamp aid. One-quarter of all food-stamp households include a disabled person. And the elderly comprise 8.2 percent of food-stamp recipients.
___Similarly, an increase in the minimum wage could make a significant impact on U.S. families. A full-time minimum-wage earner makes $10,712 annually--an amount $3,000 below the poverty line for a family of three and $348 below the poverty line for a family of two. About 40 percent of minimum-wage workers are the sole providers for their families. And among teens who earn minimum wage, more than half live in households with below-average incomes, meaning many of these youth are supplementing low-income families' budgets.
___Despite its relatively strong economy, Texas is not immune to the pangs of hunger and the barbs of poverty. According to the latest studies, Texas topped the hunger list, with 5 percent of its families classified as "food insecure with hunger," meaning even children go without eating. Texas ranked third among "food insecure" states, with 12.9 percent of households unable to purchase all the food they need each month. Texas placed 10th in the nation in poverty, with 15.1 percent of the population living in poverty.
___"According to Scripture, feeding our brothers and sisters in need and working for justice on their behalf is a Christian imperative," observed Phil Strickland, director of the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission. "Every follower of Jesus should be involved in this (letter-writing) effort. The 'Fair Share' campaign is a superb example of how we can use our citizenship to support working families who are still living in poverty."
___The Hunger Relief Act (S. 1805, H.R. 3192) was introduced in both houses of Congress last fall and will be considered this year. A proposal to raise the minimum wage by $1 over three years passed the Senate Feb. 2. A plan to raise it by $1 over two years passed the House March 9. However, President Clinton, who supports raising the wage by $1 over two years, has threatened to veto the plan because it includes tax cuts.
___You can support these hunger-fighting initiatives by writing your senators and representative, as well as the president.You can voice support for the plans, and urge them to work out political details so that both plans are implemented.
___Write to:
___The White House, Washington, D.C. 20500; e-mail, www.whitehouse.gov.
___
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___ Marv Knox
E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com
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