Writing Letters to Members of Congress

Your letter, your email, or your fax to your congressional delegation can make a big difference in feeding the hungry throughout the world.

Bread for the World encourages us to write our senators and representatives telling them that we support the increase of poverty-focused aid to hungry nations through out the world.

Your letters are effective. Bread for the World tells us that last year your calls, letters, faxes and emails kept food stamps from being cut in our own country and increased our countrys aid to Africa. Here is a sample letter.

The names and addresses you need are Senator Patty Murray (or Senator Maria Cantwell), US. Senate, Washington, DC 20510 or Rep. Brian Baird, US House of Representatives, Washington DC 20515. If you wish to email, go to www.House.gov/baird or www.murray.senate.gov or www.cantwell.senate.gov.

Handwritten letters using your own words are the most effective. Heres a sample letter:

Date

Your address

Dear Senator ________(or, Dear Representative _____________)

I support an increase in poverty-focused development aid to hungry nations throughout the world.

I believe that such aid not only offers hope to the hungry but also stabilizes poor regions and underscores our commitment to democracy.

We have an opportunity to cut global poverty in half this coming decade. Lets not waste it.

Sincerely,

Your name

Writing a letter is one of the most effective ways we can communicate with our elected officials and advocate for hungry people. Most representatives and senators tally handwritten letters from their constituents to gauge public opinion, so the more letters we write, the greater influence we have over public policy.

Contrary to what some people think, it doesn't take an expert to write a good letter. Read the sample letter at the bottom of the page. Just a few sentences can convey a need and motivate our leaders to specific action.

Letter-Writing Tips

You can write a letter in 90 seconds! Just follow this simple outline:

1. Be personal.

A mailed handwritten letter attracts much greater attention than does a preprinted letter or card, or e-mail. Be sure to include your postal address on both your envelope and letter so your member of Congress can know you are a constituent.

2. Be concise.

Express your request clearly in one or two paragraphs.

3. Request specific action.

Ask your representative and senators to support and provide full funding for Millennium Challenge Account legislation that is focused on poverty reduction. With this focus, the MCA will help poor people feed their families, fight infectious diseases, and put their children in school.

As the time approaches to write your letter, please contact your BFW regional, campus or local church organizer at 1-800-82-BREAD for an update on the legislation. Click here to find your regional organizer by state.

4. Put the situation in concrete terms

"Approximately 800 million people in the developing world are chronically undernourished. "

"Undernutrition, measles, diarrhea and dehydration remain the four leading causes of death in 6 million children under the age of 5 each year."

"In the developing world, 850 million people are illiterate; nearly two-thirds of these are women."

Send your letters to:

Senator ____________
U.S. Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510