Food for the Hungry Asks Supporters to Call Congress and Urge Continued Support for the Poor on "National Call in Congress Day" - September 18
Phoenix, Ariz. (PRWEB) September 17, 2013 -- In partnership with Bread for the World, Food for the Hungry (FH) and other poverty-fighting organizations are urging their supporters to call Congress on Wednesday, September 18, for the organizations’ National Call In Congress Day. With hopes to combat U.S. budget cuts for helping the 1.2 billion people living on less than $1.25 a day, FH and other organizations want Congress members to know the dire importance of keeping funding programs to end global poverty, hunger and disease.
With President Obama asking for $20.4 billion for FY2014 for humanitarian and development work led by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), many Congress members have their eyes on ending foreign assistance—which makes up one percent of the U.S. total budget— in order to reduce the deficit.
Lucas Koach, FH Senior Policy Advisor, says, “While we need to reduce the deficit, we cannot balance the budget on the backs of the poor. These programs have helped cut extreme poverty in half especially over the last decade and saved countless lives. Gutting compassionate international humanitarian assistance will cost lives, while not making a dent in the deficit.”
Between 1990 and 2010, the number of people living in extreme poverty decreased in half, by approximately 1 billion people. It’s projected that if efforts continue to help the current 1.2 billion people living in extreme poverty, this number can be reduced to zero by the year 2030.
Participants are encouraged to call 1-800-826-3688 and to promote the day on their social media platforms. For people who need support, they can find a script at http://files.bread.org/gr/september-call-script.pdf.
Founded in 1971, Food for the Hungry provides emergency relief and long-term development programs with operations in more than 20 countries to help the world's most vulnerable people. Learn more by visiting http://www.fh.org. Social connections include http://www.facebook.com/foodforthehungry and http://www.twitter.com/food4thehungry.
Megan Rose, Food for the Hungry, 602-690-0801, [email protected]
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