Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Library Youth Department Collects for Niles Food Pantry

Summer vacation is a fun and busy time for the whole family, but there are families in our community who need help now for the most basic necessities. The Morton Grove Public Library Youth Services Dept will be collecting items for 9 weeks this summer for the Niles Township Food Pantry starting this Friday as a way to help kids learn about sharing and the needs in our community. Each week they will be collecting different featured items to encourage variety of donations. Here's the schedule:

July 11-17 Personal care items like shampoo, lotion, razors
July 18-24 Boxed food items such as pasta, crackers or tea
July 25-31 Food in jars such as jam and pasta sauce
Aug 1-7 Canned items such as juice, soup, and vegetables
Aug 8-14 Household and laundry items such as dishwashing soap and detergent
Aug 15-21 Dental hygiene items such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouthwash
Aug 22-30 Personal hygiene items such as tissues and toilet paper

Donations can be dropped off at the Youth Services desk any time the library is open. Feel free to donate whatever you can and as often as you like! Please make sure your items are unused and have not passed their expiration dates.

The Truth about the Global Poverty Act (#2)

Myth #2 about the Global Poverty Act (from Bread for the World)

MYTH: The bill subordinates U.S. foreign policy and foreign aid spending to the United Nations.

TRUTH: The Global Poverty Act would ask U.S. agencies and departments headed by the Secretary of State, to develop a comprehensive strategy for U.S. programs and policies to eliminate extreme global poverty. This would be a U.S. strategy for U.S. agencies. The legislation does not prejudge what the details of the strategy should be—only what components should be included in its creation. Decisions on U.S. policy and spending would remain exclusively with the U.S. government.


Truth About Global Poverty Act link

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

The Truth about the Global Poverty Act (#1)

Bread for the World has put out a very clear info sheet about the Global Poverty Act (S 2433). Here is the link to it:

The Truth about the Global Poverty Act

If there is any doubt about any of these, remember, the GPA is a very short piece of legislation. You can always read it for yourself to confirm what you read here! Here's the first mythbuster...

MYTH: The Global Poverty Act would commit the U.S. to spending 0.7 percent of its gross national product on foreign aid. This would require a new tax on all Americans.

TRUTH: The legislation neither authorizes nor obligates the federal government to spend more money. Rather, it seeks to put our current foreign aid programs into a comprehensive strategy involving trade policy, debt cancellation, and private sector efforts to ensure that existing U.S. programs are more effective and efficient. The legislation calls for a strategy to determine the right mix of aid, trade and debt policies and investment. The strategy also includes the private sector, civil society organizations, and the developing countries themselves as critical components in global development. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated the bill would cost less than $1 million to implement.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

We Are Bread for the World video

This is a new video put out by Bread for the World highlighting some of its superstar members who fight against poverty every day. Way to go, guys. Great to see you!

We Are Bread for the World link