Subject: Update
From: "Rick Leach" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2011 17:09:44 -0500

TO:  Members of the Board of Directors of WFP USA

FR:  Rick Leach

DT:  February 17, 2011

Following is a brief update on (1) congressional action related to funding of global hunger programs for the current fiscal year, (2) new fundraising opportunities and (3) our new Vice President for Communications and Outreach.

(1) FY11 Funding for Global Hunger Programs

As you know, there is a bipartisan commitment to address the deficit and decrease government spending.  In furtherance of this commitment, the new majority in the House of Representatives has introduced a spending bill to fund government through the end of the current fiscal year that includes cuts to almost all non-defense discretionary programs.

·         Programs that address global hunger were cut significantly in the bill:

o   Food for Peace Program – from $1.69 to $1.003 billion.  This program provides emergency food aid to help vulnerable populations impacted by natural disasters and civil conflict.

o   McGovern-Dole International Food for Education Program – from $209.5 to $100 million.  This program provides food to hungry children in schools in the world’s poorest countries.

o   International Disaster Assistance – from $845 to $429.7 million.  These funds address the non-food needs associated with emergency operations.  In addition, funds available in this account were used last year to purchase food close to the disaster site – thereby enhancing the speed of delivery and decreasing transportation costs (approximately $300 million was provided to WFP last year).

o   Child Survival Account – from $2.5 to $2.1 billion.  This account primarily covers the cost of health interventions.  Approximately $200 million of this account was used for targeted nutritional assistance for vulnerable populations.

o   Development Assistance – from $2.5 to $1.7 billion.  This account covers a range of development activities and is the main funding source for the administration’s Feed the Future initiative (approximately $1.2 billion from this account was allocated to agricultural development for poor farmers/the Feed the Future Initiative last year.)

·         The bill is currently being debated on the House floor and will likely pass the House before the end of the week.  The Senate will not pass the House bill.  The Senate will begin consideration of its version of the FY11 spending bill on approximately March 1st.  After the Senate passes its version, negotiations between the chambers will commence.  No one is certain how this process will play out.

·         We have been working diligently with all of our partners (NGOs, business community, administration, Hill allies, etc.) to ensure that global hunger programs are maintained at current funding levels, including:

o   Working directly with Members of Congress who have been long-time allies to further educate and build support among other Members of Congress.

o   Working with our NGO partners – we released a letter signed by 40 NGOs before the spending bill was released urging Members to maintain longstanding bipartisan support, a Statement as initial levels were announced and the Statement copied below after the final levels were published (this statement was endorsed by the world’s largest humanitarian organizations).

o   Mobilizing grassroots advocates - our Action Alerts generated over 15,000 messages to the targeted Members of Congress (a record for WFP USA) and our NGO partners also sent Action Alerts to their supporters throughout the country.  Our related web stories garnered over 1000 page views and our “tweets” were reposted extensively.

o   Developing advocacy materials and a letter signed by 27 members of the business community that focused on the US jobs and economic benefits associated with US food assistance programs.

o   Organizing NGO meetings with members of the key committees in the House and Senate and organizing/participating in a congressional briefing on global hunger that was attended by more than 200 people.

o   Working with allies in the Senate appropriations committee to develop materials for distribution to Members of the Senate that describe the magnitude and impact of the cuts.  We have also been collaborating with WFP and administration colleagues on messaging and data collection.

·         With record global food prices, the number of people in extreme poverty increased by 44 million people (according to World Bank data released on Tuesday).  There is concern that food-related riots and instability may once again occur in the near future (the price increases in 2008 led to riots and instability in 30 countries).  We have highlighted the direct connection between hunger and national security/global stability in urging Congress to maintain US commitment to addressing hunger.

·         The unity and close collaboration among all NGOs, the business community, civic groups and faith-based organizations is unprecedented.

****Joint Statement****

Proposed Cuts to International Food Aid Programs Threaten Lives and Stability

The proposed cuts in U.S. international food aid announced by the House Appropriations Committee would significantly increase hunger among children and other vulnerable people and decrease the U.S. government’s ability to address instability arising from record food prices.  H.R.1, the proposed Full-Year Continuing Resolution for FY 2011, includes a 41 percent cut to P.L. 480 Title II (from $1.69 billion to $1.003 billion) a 52 percent cut to the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education Program (from $209.5 million to $100 million) and a 50 percent cut in International Disaster Assistance (from $860.7 million to $429.7 million), which provides cash to meet emergency food needs.

Cuts of this magnitude would eliminate feeding programs for about 18 million of the world’s poorest and hungriest people.  Approximately 2.5 million young children in school benefiting from McGovern-Dole would lose their daily school meal and with it, their chance for a better future.  Another 15 million people, primarily women and children, suffering from hunger as a result of conflict and natural disasters would lose access to the lifesaving food provided to them through Title II.  In addition to undermining our ability to respond to immediate emergencies, proposed cuts to the Development Assistance account will significantly undermine our efforts to implement sustainable solutions to food crises and instability.  These cuts would hit as rising food prices are making the world’s poorest people even more vulnerable to hunger and malnutrition.

Many of these cuts would occur in countries where the U.S. has vital national security and foreign policy interests, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan and Haiti.  In January, food prices rose to levels even higher than those recorded during the devastating 2008 crisis, when more than 30 countries experienced protests and unrest tied to skyrocketing food prices that pushed more than 100 million additional people into hunger.  As record food prices once again provide a spark for riots and instability across the Middle East and Northern Africa, we fear that these cuts will have significant consequences for global security.

We urge the House of Representatives to maintain the longstanding bipartisan support for our vital global hunger programs.  This means supporting all elements of the U.S. government’s global food security effort, including emergency food aid, agricultural development focused on poor farmers and targeted nutrition interventions for the world’s most vulnerable people.  Otherwise we will see more suffering, hunger, and loss of life among millions of the world’s poorest people, as well as increased unrest and instability across the developing world.

Alliance to End Hunger

Bread for the World

CARE

Catholic Relief Services

Congressional Hunger Center

Mercy Corps

Partnership to Cut Hunger and Poverty in Africa

World Food Program USA
World Vision

(2) New Fundraising Opportunities

·         Coins 4 Kids

o   In March we will launch the Coins 4 Kids Program.  This volunteer fundraising initiative will generate funds to provide school meals to children in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya.  Coins 4 Kids Program participants will collect bills and change in a red collection cup - similar to the cup that WFP uses in its school feeding programs. The Program is sponsored by International Paper which has underwritten all costs associated with the initiative (including the salary for the staff person running the effort).  We are actively recruiting organizations, businesses, restaurants and individuals to collect funds and participate in the Program.

·         The Palm Restaurant

o   We are planning a Palm Restaurant / WFP Anniversary event to be held during the first two weeks of November 2011.  The event will celebrate the 85th anniversary of the Palm Restaurants and the 50th anniversary of WFP.  Palm restaurants in six cities – DC, NY, LA, Miami, Chicago and Dallas – are hosting special fundraising dinners with all proceeds going to WFP USA.  Representatives from WFP and WFP USA will be at these six featured restaurants, which will include presentations about global hunger. The same night, diners at the other Palm restaurants throughout the country will be encouraged to support WFP USA.  We are developing an outreach kit for Palm Restaurant personnel in the six featured restaurants to educate them about global hunger and encourage them to become full time supporters of WFP USA.

(3) Vice President for Communications and Outreach

I am very happy to announce that Ann Andrews Morris has been hired as our new Vice President for Communications and Outreach (as you may recall, we merged the Communications and Outreach Departments).  Ann started work on January 24th.  She is an award-winning communications executive with more than 20 years of global experience in national news media, public relations, and corporate and nonprofit communications. Ann has worked at ABC News, U.S. News and World Report, Share Our Strength, The American Red Cross, Ogilvy Public Relations, Global Rights, and United Way of America.

While at Share Our Strength, Ann helped supervise the development of the SOS/American Express Charge Against Hunger campaign — one of the first cause-related marketing campaigns which generated $20 million for the organization.  At United Way of America, Ann supervised the communications response to the events of September 11th, 2001. At Global Rights, the international human rights group, Ann guided the organization through a brand repositioning process, including the development of a new name, tagline, and logo which helped increase fundraising by 25 percent. She also directed the creation of an award-winning website which increased visitor traffic by 100 percent.

Most recently, she ran AndMore Communications, a Washington, D.C.-based firm specializing in nonprofit strategic communications, public relations, print & web development, social media, crisis communications, and media relations. Her clients included: Research!America, the United Nations Development Program and National Geographic.

I look forward to seeing you at the board meeting on March 1st.  Thanks again for your dedication and commitment to addressing hunger.

All the Best,
Rick