Join Heifer and stand up for the needs of the poor and hungry

Heifer International works in partnership with and stands for the too-often voiceless poor around the world and is committed to doing all we can to help bring about the end to hunger and poverty and to ensure protection for the earth’s resources.

The U.S. Congress is poised to vote on a budget that puts at risk critical humanitarian and development programs, which save millions of lives every year. And recent rises in world food prices have caused food riots and violence in places like Tunisia and Algeria, and threaten to push hundreds of millions of families back into poverty.

America’s international affairs budget is a critical component of feeding millions of families who daily suffer hunger and poverty and ongoing efforts that target disease, hunger, poverty, climate change and programs that help build sustainable futures for all. It’s also a critical component of national and global security, which become very unsettled with a potential rise in famine and disease.

At risk in these cuts is USAID’s forward-thinking anti-hunger and poverty program Feed the Future, which aims to bolster poor countries' food production capabilities. This isn’t a question of charity; it’s an issue of life or death for millions of people—especially women and girls who produce most of the world’s food but suffer the greatest hunger and poverty and derive the fewest benefits.

Failing to fund these programs thoughtfully and responsibly threatens not only the health and welfare of hundreds of millions of families; it threatens the security of individuals and the world.

America faces an unparalleled budget deficit and it’s clear that Congress must scrutinize spending in every department at every level. But it’s critical that human health and progress not be sacrificed by shortsighted cuts to an international affairs budget that provides life-saving results with low-investment interventions.

Heifer International implores Congress in its deliberations to consider the costs of its actions on the world’s most vulnerable populations—the poor, the hungry—left hopeless without the kind of help provided by these essential funds. We must all work together to end hunger and poverty, to keep our global commitment to the poor and hungry.

We encourage you to act, too, to take a stand for the poor, the hungry, to ask that America hold to its moral and humanitarian commitments.

Write a letter to or make an appointment with your local congressman or woman. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. Host a community meeting at a school or library to energize others in this important conversation. Help give voice to those whose lives depend on America and others doing the right thing.

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