JCPA talks hunger with Cabinet officials

The Jewish Council for Public Affairs met with two Cabinet officials to talk about poverty. JCPA leaders as well as representatives of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger had meetings with Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to discuss "potential partnerships" between the Jewish community and the administraiton regarding poverty and childhood hunger.

"The Jewish community believes we have a moral obligation to help those in need, and one way to help is to provide individuals and families with the means to help them help themselves,” said Rabbi Steve Gutow, president of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs and co-chair of the meetings.  “We encourage our government leaders to not only do what they can to provide immediate relief and assistance to the nation’s most vulnerable through proven government programs and initiatives, but also to strive to create avenues for personal growth through sustainable job development.”

JCPA’s full press release is after the jump:[[READMORE]]

In response to the U.S. Census Bureau’s report on the number of Americans living in poverty, the faith community led by the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) is mobilizing its grassroots to encourage sustainable job creation and government assistance for the nation’s most vulnerable.

On Monday, JCPA, which leads the national anti-poverty initiative, “There Shall be No Needy Among You,” along with MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, organized meetings with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack as well as Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to discuss potential partnerships between the Jewish community and the administration regarding poverty and childhood hunger. 

“The Jewish community believes we have a moral obligation to help those in need, and one way to help is to provide individuals and families with the means to help them help themselves,” said Rabbi Steve Gutow, president of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs and co-chair of the Jewish community’s meetings with Secretaries Vilsack and Sebelius.  “We encourage our government leaders to not only do what they can to provide immediate relief and assistance to the nation’s most vulnerable through proven government programs and initiatives, but also to strive to create avenues for personal growth through sustainable job development.”

In light of a report issued last week by the U.S. Census Bureau estimating the number of Americans living in poverty increased from 37.3 million in 2007 to 39.8 million in 2008, representatives from over a dozen Jewish organizations specifically called on the administration officials to support reauthorization of childhood nutrition funding of at least $1 billion a year as well as efforts to make poverty reduction a goal of next year’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) reauthorization.  The Jewish groups also asked the secretaries to endorse an effort to organize a White House Conference on Hunger and Nutrition that would discuss strategies and set government-wide benchmarks that would help meet the administration’s goal of ending child hunger by 2015.

“As the Jewish community approaches the Days of Awe, we are reminded through Isaiah to ‘Share your bread with the hungry, And to take the wretched poor into your home; When you see the naked, to clothe him, And not to ignore your own kin.”’ said Rabbi Gutow.  “In the new year, we should all make a resolution to follow Isaiah’s teachings and make poverty reduction in this country a top priority and to this end, we organized these meetings to show Secretaries Vilsack and Sebelius that the Jewish community is committed to reform and full of ideas to help the administration meet its goal to end childhood hunger by 2015.”

Additionally on Monday, JCPA hosted a free webinar to provide detailed analysis and discuss what the Census Bureau’s report means for ongoing and future advocacy efforts.  Participants from across the country heard from Father Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA; Heather Boushey, senior economist, Center for American Progress; Rachel Gragg, federal policy director at the Workforce Alliance; and Jason Walsh, national policy director for Green for All.  The webinar was moderated by Becky Eisen, poverty campaign coordinator at JCPA.

On October 14 – 21, JCPA and Catholic Charities USA will coordinate 34 national faith organizations for the second annual interfaith week of action, “Fighting Poverty with Faith.”  This year’s theme, “Good Jobs, Green Jobs,” aims to set our communities on a path toward energy self-sufficiency while simultaneously fighting poverty. During the Fighting Poverty with Faith week, religious, civic and community-service organizations across the country will organize public events to promote sustainable job creation as an effective tool to combat poverty at events in scores of cities across the United States. 

A recording of Monday’s webinar, including the slideshow presentation, as well as more information on this year’s Fighting Poverty with Faith initiative can be found at www.fightingpovertywithfaith.com.

The “There Shall Be No Needy Among You,” anti-poverty initiative was launched in 2007 to urge local, state and national leaders to advance anti-poverty legislation and programs that help provide food, shelter, additional work and educational opportunities for the nation’s most vulnerable.  JCPA’s grassroots efforts have led to an increased national commitment to reduce poverty.