Bread for the World: Oregon
Oregon BFW is part of a nationwide Christian citizens movement seeking justice for the world's hungry people by lobbying our nation's decision makers. 
02/03/2010

An effective response to hunger must combine private and public actions, neither can do the job alone. Christians have worked well in the private arena, Bread for the World provides a means where Christians can work equally well for effective public policies in the fight against hunger...


Announcements:

2010 Offering of Letters Resources: Tax Credits

Local resources

  • Goals - Small Groups: Our goal for the next year is to start numerous small groups based in local neighborhood's, towns, schools, or church's. The idea is to meet for 1 hour each month to discuss and take an action around hunger related issues. Check the small group resource page for downloadable leaders guides, sample meeting agendas and sample letters. Please contact me for information on how to get started. I will post a page with topic ideas for each months meetings and give access to our blog for announcements and comments from the groups. (more details)
  • Bread Oregon Blog: Latest Posts  (View the blog)

  • Email Webforms (click the links to contact your representative through throgh their webforms):  Wu, Blumenauer, Schrader, Wyden, Merkley. Baird. DeFazio. Walden.
  • Monthly Email Newsletter: Contact me to signup for our enewsletter, or arrange a speaker.
  • Facebook: Follow us on Facebook
  • 2010 Hunger Report (Just and Sustainable Recovery): http://www.hungerreport.org/2010/

2010 Offering of Letters

In 2010, Bread for the World members will urge Congress to adopt changes to U.S. tax policy that will benefit low-income families.

But what do tax credits have to do with hunger?

This year, taxes will be near the top of the agenda in Congress because a series of tax cuts and tax credits enacted in recent years will expire. In the midst of the debate over which taxes to change and which to renew, the needs of low-income people could easily be lost. Our 2010 Offering of Letters will ask Congress to protect and strengthen key tax credits that can make a big difference for low-income workers and their families.

The tax code has many incentives that encourage taxpayers to make certain fiscal choices, like saving for retirement, getting a college education, or owning a home. But many of those credits are out of reach for low-income earners who often do not have the same tools for those kinds of expenditures or long-term financial investments.

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) was established in 1975 to help low-income families hold on to more of their earnings. The EITC is a refundable tax credit geared primarily toward families who have one or two children. According to a 2006 Brookings Institution study, the EITC lifts more children above the poverty line than any other government program. In 2005, more than 22 million households applied for the EITC and received an average of $1,864. As a result, an estimated 5 million people, including 2.6 million children, were lifted above the poverty line.

As effective as this simple program is, it could be made even more helpful to low-income families. For example, the size of the tax credit does not increase for families with more than three children even though their poverty rates are higher. Filing for the EITC is also complicated, leading most eligible families to use commercial tax preparation services. This means that EITC filers each pay hundreds of dollars every year—money needed to support their families—for tax preparation. Tax filers are also tempted to surrender much of their refund with Refund Anticipation Loans—short-term, high-interest loans based on the tax filer’s expected refund—because their immediate needs are so pressing.

Another credit, the Child Tax Credit, is worth up to $1,000 for each child under age 17 claimed on a worker’s tax return. It provides close to $50 billion to families with children every year. Until recently, this credit was not available to families with incomes below $11,300, meaning nearly 10 million children living in poverty did not benefit from the credit. We want to ensure that recent improvements stay in place beyond their 2010 expiration.

In 2005, half of all African-American children, 46 percent of Hispanic children, and 18 percent of white children were in families that did not qualify at all or qualified for less than the full amount of the credit.

  • We will urge Congress to protect and strengthen the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit.
  • We will also seek additional funding for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites, which provide financial education and free tax preparation assistance to low-income people.

This Offering of Letters will help policy makers understand that ending childhood hunger requires a broader array of policies that address the issue of poverty as well as strong nutrition programs aimed at low-income children and their families.

 




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Conduct an Offering of Letters at your church

An offering of letters, is a letter writing event held at a church or campus urging our representatives to support effective action against hunger. For churches interested in planning an Offering of Letters, you can:

Bread is also active on many college campus' (its where I first heard of Bread many moons ago).

Hunger Issues Speaker

We are also available to come and speak before your church or group. Some ideas include: Adult Sunday School, Young Adults Group, Minute for Mission, Guest Sermon, Letter writing table, etc. Contact me (Mike Hiland) for more information. 
Review the sample presentation.

Additional Resources

Justice and the Bible

Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute. Speak out; judge righteously. Defend the rights of the poor and the needy. (Proverbs 31:8-9)

Keep Informed:

  • You can signup for the National or Oregon Bread ENewsletters above, or to receive the monthly advocacy alert focusing on Oregon state government hunger issues send your name, address and email to: advocacy@oregonfoodbank.org

Action Alerts

 



Chat Meetings

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