With nearly 800,000 New Jersey residents living in poverty, the New Jersey Catholic Conference along with other faith-based organizations met at the State House Annex on Nov. 30 for “A Call to Action” to express their concerns about hunger and poverty in one of the wealthiest states in the country.
“As people of faith, we must come together to take action to help our neighbors in need,” said Patrick Brannigan, executive director of the N.J. Catholic Conference in a prepared statement. “We have no excuse; we cannot fail to act on behalf of the poor, even during the current difficult economic times.”
The event took place not more than a week after the New Jersey Catholic bishops held a press conference in Newark and released a statement calling for urgent action to address poverty in the state.
The bishops support an “Agenda for Action” to convene four task forces that will focus on what they say are critical issues affecting poverty in the state: the weakening of family life, failing education systems, unemployment and low-paying jobs.
The interfaith Nov. 30 event, “A Call to Action: Working Together to End Hunger,” was convened by the New Jersey State Association of Jewish Federations, the N.J. Catholic Conference, and the Lutheran Office of Governmental Ministry New Jersey along with at least 20 other faith-based and hunger advocacy organizations. They are part of a national mobilization to cut domestic poverty in half by 2020.
Also participating in A Call to Action were Catholic Charities, Center for Understanding Islam, Community Food Bank of N.J., Episcopal Diocese of N.J., Hindu American Seva Charities, National Council of Jewish Women — State Policy Advocacy Network, and Wesley United Methodist Church of Trenton, among others.
The 90-minute program began at 10:30 a.m. with prayer, followed by various multi-faith presentations. Adele H. LaTourette, director of the New Jersey Anti-Hunger Coalition, spoke on hunger in the state and was followed by government officials, Jeanette Page Hawkins, director of the Division of Family Development in the Department of Human Services, and Michael Pock, project specialist in the office of U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, who commented on what the state and federal governments were doing.
For more information go to www.FightingPovertyWithFaith.com
by Rich Luongo for the Catholic Star Herald