Republican Candidates Urged to Boost Progress Against Hunger

COLUMBIA, S.C., Jan. 8, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On the eve of the Kemp Forum on Expanding Opportunity, Bread for the World is urging Republican presidential candidates to ensure that safety net programs and policies that promote opportunity are a part of their plans to address poverty. Bread for the World is a sponsor of the forum.

"We need the next president and Congress to make hunger, poverty, and opportunity a national priority," said Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World. "Economic growth and private charity are important to making progress against hunger and poverty. But we also need strong leadership from our national government, including safety net programs and policies that promote opportunity."   

The forum will bring together seven Republican presidential candidates to articulate their plans to offer greater opportunity to those struggling to move out of poverty.  

In South Carolina, 1 out of every 7 households struggles to put food on the table. Approximately 845,000 people live in poverty – including nearly 1 in 4 children. Nationwide, more than more than 48 million Americans struggle to put food on the table.

Bread for the World, a bipartisan Christian organization, is working to elect leaders to office who will change U.S. national priorities so that the next president and Congress put the government on track to end hunger in our country and around the world by 2030. It is not endorsing any political candidates.

"It has been a long time since our country has made ending hunger and poverty a national priority," added Beckmann. "If we want this to happen, then we must vote people in to office who will do something about it. The Kemp Forum provides voters with the opportunity to evaluate the candidates so they can vote for who they believe offers the best solution to ending hunger and poverty."  

Resources on the 2016 elections for people of faith are available at www.bread.org/elections.

Bread for the World (www.bread.org) is a collective Christian voice urging our nation's decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad.

SOURCE Bread for the World

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