Religious leaders from a smorgasbord of faith groups hammered down on world hunger June 6-7 during the first Interfaith Convocation on Hunger at the Washington National Cathedral.
With fervor and conviction, religious leaders from Jewish, Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Muslim, Sikh and Buddhist traditions urged the more than 1,000 participants to advocate for the end of hunger in the United States and abroad.
“There is a new day dawning in this country,” said David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World. “God has made it possible in our time for us to end hunger. This is an age-old dream, but it is also an urgent opportunity.”
On June 7, several hundred religious leaders culminated the weekend conference by visiting Capitol Hill offices to lobby Congress on behalf of the “Hunger-Free Communities Act of 2005.”
The legislation sets a goal of ending hunger in the United States by 2015 and would require the Department of Agriculture to report on progress toward that goal annually. It would also include “sense of Congress” language in an attempt to keep future Congresses from cutting funding for anti-hunger programs.
In addition, the legislation would create a $50 million fund to provide grants to what its supporters call “grassroots” anti-hunger and anti-poverty programs.
The legislation is S. 1120 in the Senate and H.R. 2717 in the House.
The call to end hunger stretched over partisan and religious lines. The night before the lobby day more than 1,000 partipants in the One Table, Many Voices conference gathered for the rally against hunger.
“The massive reality of global hunger and poverty and is bringing us together,” wrote Jim Wallis, head of Call to Renewal, which co-sponsored the conference, in Sojourners magazine’s online edition.
(ABP, NCC)
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