Remembering Bread founder Art Simon

Bread’s founder and first president Art Simon has passed away. Dear Bread Member, Last week, we bid farewell to a remarkable servant leader and cherished friend, Rev. Art Simon, the esteemed founder and first president of Bread for the World. On November 14th, he passed away peacefully in his home. Over his 93 years, Art showed unwavering selflessness in his love for family and colleagues and achieved extraordinary feats. Art first became involved in hunger issues during his pastorate at Trinity Lutheran Church in New York City’s Lower East Side. He found himself frequently responding to emergency situations caused by hunger and poverty in his neighborhood, and soon recognized that emergency response was not enough – he needed to find a way to address the reasons why people were experiencing hunger. Art pulled together an organizing committee of seven Catholics and seven Protestants to explore how they might address the root causes of hunger. And in May 1974, with no staff and virtually no money, the group founded Bread for the World with the mission of ending hunger by encouraging Christians to speak out to their elected officials in Washington, D.C. Art became its first president, a position he held for 16 years. Now, almost half a century later, Bread for the World has become the largest Christian citizen’s movement against hunger in the United States, a 200,000 strong network that leads large-scale and successful changes to policies and programs that allow hunger to persist. What a legacy he has left to us and the world! You can [read more]( about Art’s remarkable life on our blog. On December 4 at 7 p.m. Eastern Time, Bread will hold an [online memorial service]( to remember and celebrate Art’s life and legacy. You can join night-of or [register in advance]( to receive a calendar invitation. If you’d like to express your condolences, share memories, and reminisce, please [visit the memorial board]( has created. I'm incredibly grateful for Art’s friendship and kindness. He would regularly reach out to encourage me in my early years as president of Bread and I will never forget our conversation at his home last year. I hope you will join me in prayer for his wife Shirley and the entire extended family. Thank you, brother Art, for your faithfulness and obedience: “Well done, good and faithful servant…” Sincerely, Rev. Eugene Cho President and CEO P.S. Art’s family has asked that memorial gifts be made to organizations that help people. If you would like to make a gift to Bread, you may do so at [bread.org/RememberingArt](. [GIVE]( ©2023 Bread for the World 425 3rd Street SW, Suite 1200 | Washington, DC 20024 | USA Tel. [202.639.9400](tel:2026399400) | [800.822.7323](tel:8008227323) | Fax [202.639.9401](fax:2026399401) [Unsubscribe]( | [Manage Your Email Preferences]( | [Privacy Policy]( bread.org [supporter]