Over the last few months, millions of Americans have been inspired to, in their own way, celebrate and defend what they believe makes our country so…American. Last Wednesday, I declared that I’d give a donation equaling the sum of every dollar spent over the course of two days at ricksteves.com/shop to Bread for the World, an advocacy organization that’s devoted to giving hungry people a voice in Washington DC.
An impressive 627 of you responded, spending a total of $17,274 on our Rick Steves guidebooks, DVDs, travel accessories, and travel bags. That’s more than double our normal sales. Thanks!
As promised, I’m giving an amount to Bread for the World equal to your collective shopping spree. And — further motivated by our government’s threat to drastically cut domestic and foreign aid programs — I’m tripling the amount and upping my gift to $50,000. Thinking about how this money will help advocate for poor and hungry people in our nation and around the world brings me (and, I hope, all of us) real joy.
Industrialists pay for lobbyists to defend the interests of the extremely wealthy (tax cuts and fewer regulations for corporations) — often at the expense of the poor. But who lobbies for the hungry? With this small fundraiser, collectively we are funding lobbyists to explain to our government what we believe America should be: We are a great and wealthy enough country that we should have no hungry people, and our trade policies should not make the lives of hungry people south of our border more difficult. That’s what advocacy is. And, while I wish our leaders could simply do what they know in their hearts to be right, the reality is that they tend to do what lobbyists encourage them to do. With this $50,000, we are giving hungry people a chance to have their needs heard in Washington DC. That’s why, now more than ever, I prefer advocacy to charity.
For Bread for the World (and other advocacy groups), the work has never been more critical. They are making a huge difference. This donation will empower them to help soften drastic changes in government policy that will make life even more difficult for hungry people in the United States and worldwide. I have friends who are dedicating their lives’ work to the cause at Bread, and what they accomplish truly inspires me. This gift will help them get traction with their hard work.
I’m thankful for your support in this small but exciting initiative. To me, this is helping to make our country the great land we know it can be. Thanks again and happy travels!