Poverty

A man who was once part of America’s homeless population is now spreading the word about a new website that captures the stories of the homeless people across the nation – one at a time.

Through his website, invisiblepeople.tv, Mark Horvath sheds light on real stories told by real people in their own very real words. The innovative pieces, which began broadcasting last November, are raw, uncensored and unedited – just like life on the streets.

“I not only feel their pain, I truly know their pain,” Horvath says. “I lived their pain.” more >>

Operation Blessing International, one of the largest charities in America, recently celebrated the milestone of delivering 1 billion pounds in food and relief aid since the inception of its program Hunger Strike Force in 1992.

The 1 billion pounds in food consists of: 865 million pounds of food, 95 million pounds of hygiene and relief aid, and 42 million pounds of disaster response goods.

“Thirty years ago, Pat Robertson founded Operation Blessing International as a pipeline to the poor; a conduit between those willing to help and those who need help,” said OBI president Bill Horan. more >>

The ONE Sermon Challenge is calling on preachers of all faiths to submit their lectures on global poverty to a campaign Web site where they will be featured in hopes of inspiring people of all religions to fight against global poverty.

As part of the ONE Sabbath campaign, ONE Sermon is an effort that seeks to mobilize people of faith to speak and act for those struggling against poverty and disease around the world.

Preachers from all religions are encouraged to submit their messages that incorporate their own holy text to the One Sabbath Sermon Challenge Web site. Whether the religious leader is a pastor, rabbi, imam, or has another title, all are asked to share their message to ONE’s millions of members and congregations. more >>

Young United Methodists may soon find themselves fasting to connect to the world’s poor as part of the church’s upcoming anti-poverty campaign.

The “B1” campaign, a 24-hour fasting event for youth, will launch in six pilot conferences across the country in March, according to the church’s Global Ministries Web site. B1 stands for “one being, being one,” promoting the idea that each person should live with a sense of responsibility and connection to others.

Participants will be encouraged to take part in voluntary food fasts, education and fundraising for anti-poverty projects. more >>

A Christian anti-poverty group launched its letters campaign on Monday to gather thousands of letters from churches across the nation asking Congress to make U.S. foreign assistance more effective in serving the world’s poor and hungry people.

Bread for the World’s 2009 Offering of Letters Campaign already has more than 1,400 churches and denominations throughout the United States signed up to participate.

“Even in an economic crisis, people of faith are continuing to fight global poverty. Just by doing foreign aid better, we can do more for the poorest of the poor - people who survive on less than $1.25 a day,” said the Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World. more >>