Quote of the Week:
Imagine childhood poverty cut in half. These tax credits have the power to do just that, and citizens have the power to make sure it passes! – Willie Dickerson’s letter in the Columbia Gorge News, Feb. 24, 2021.
“The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now.” I came across this quote and thought how it could apply to any of the seemingly insurmountable issues threatening our planet. For those of us addressing hunger and poverty this quote would read: The best time to end hunger and poverty was twenty, thirty, or fifty years ago. The second best time is now.
In 1980 RESULTS Founder, Sam Daley-Harris was encouraged and motivated to start our organization from reading the 1977 World Food and Nutrition Study prepared for President Gerald Ford on steps needed to lessen the grim prospect that future generations of peoples around the world will be confronted with chronic shortages of food and with the debilitating effects of malnutrition. The study found that “overcoming the problems of widespread hunger and malnutrition in the world and greatly increasing food availability at reasonable cost will be extremely complex endeavors, requiring action along many lines, there is reason to be hopeful, nevertheless. This report concludes that, given the political will here and abroad, it should be possible, by the end of this century, to eliminate most of the hunger and malnutrition now associated with mass poverty.”
So here we are in 2021 and RESULTS, in partnership with many other organizations, has played a vital role in cutting poverty by more than 50% in the past forty years. Though good progress has been made, there is much work ahead to reach the ultimate milestone for humankind of ending hunger and poverty.
Since the launch of our First 100 Days Campaign on February 6th the COVID Relief bill has passed in the House and has now moved to the Senate for debate and a vote. Dr. Joanne Carter, RESULTS Executive Director, made clear the significance of the opportunity at hand; “I truly believe in the 40-year history of RESULTS, we may never have had more consequential 100 days, or more consequential opportunity to meet with Congress, to build relationships, and to help ensure the bold action needed.” RESULTS advocates heeded the call and are hard at work building strong relationships with the Biden Administration and our Members of Congress and setting a long term agenda on poverty, racial wealth inequality, tax, global education, nutrition, and more.
We are committed to working with Congress through the budget appropriations process to ensure these vital programs are funded. RESULTS grassroots around the country are meeting with congressional offices and pushing for an equitable global response to the pandemic, new housing relief, and a package of tax and anti-poverty policies that together would cut child poverty in the United States in half.
Washington State RESULTS volunteers have already met with the offices of Sen. Patty Murray, Sen. Maria Cantwell, Rep. Jamie Herrera Beutler, Rep. Derek Kilmer, Rep. Marilyn Strickland, Rep. Adam Smith, and Rep. Pramila Jayapal. Meetings are scheduled or in the works with the offices of Rep. Kim Schrier, Rep. Suzan Delbene and Rep. Rick Larsen. Let us know if you are interested in participating in any of these meetings. We know the time to act is NOW!