FELLOW PROFILE
Aligning with God’s Will
As a fellow working at Bread for the
World, Ericka Elion knows something
about hunger firsthand.
When she was 20 years old, Elion was
a single mother without enough income
to feed and clothe her child. She didn’t
want to seek public assistance because
of the associated stigma, but eventually
relented when her mother assured her
that she was only asking for help that
she truly needed. Elion still remembers
picking up the phone to request a food
stamp application, fighting back a combination of doubt and shame, and being met with scolding and interrogation
on the other end of the line. She hung
up the phone, resolved to overcome
poverty and speak out for others experiencing similar injustice.
Today, years later, as an Evangelical Covenant Church Fellow in Bread’s
Washington, D.C., office, Elion helps
young adults to use their gift of citizenship to champion solutions to poverty
and hunger. One of her recent projects
was organizing Bread’s first Google
Hangout, which drew 81 participants.
In addition to educating and empowering new activists, these efforts have
strengthened Bread as an organization
by building and diversifying its membership base.
For as long as she can remember, Elion has always identified with margin-
alized people. She moved frequently
as a child, attending more elementary
schools than she can name. Blessed
with natural confidence and a bubbly
personality, she was quickly accepted
into social circles, but without the time
to build deep relationships, she always
felt like an outsider. She gravitated
instinctively to children who were
less readily accepted, befriending the
lonely and defending those who were
bullied.
Elion has combined her personal
connection to people struggling with
hunger and poverty with her faith. She
began a successful career in business
and attended Trinity United Church of
Christ in Chicago, where she was active
in the congregation before receiving
God’s call to ministry. She was a minister in training for four years under
Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., studying social justice, race reconciliation,
and advocacy. This community became
her foundation, giving her the strength
to press on and to lift up others. It was
strength she would need, because Elion
was one of millions of Americans who
lost their jobs in the economic recession. She found herself turning to public assistance once again.
Fortunately, Ericka recognized this
setback for the opportunity that it was
and completed an application she had
Courtesy Ericka Elion
A Fellow’s Journey to Bread
Ericka Elion combines her faith, personal
experiences, and gifts in helping Bread for
the World reach out to young adults.
started years before at North Park
Theological Seminary in Chicago.
Even though she worked part-time, the
following few years presented another
grueling struggle with food insecurity—
including expiring unemployment benefits and a second dispiriting application for SNAP (formerly food stamps).
Even on days she didn’t have enough
money for a full meal, she recognized
t his adversity as God’s work in her life—
a reminder to focus on her family and
her calling instead of wealth, comfort,
or status.
Today, Elion is just a few classes away
from completing a Master of Divinity and nonprofit management degree,
and she is one of five Bread fellows. Her
fellowship is sponsored by Covenant
World Relief, the Evangelical Covenant
Church’s response to human suffering
and injustice through disaster relief and
community development, and a longtime partner of Bread.
Elion describes her work with Bread
as “truly ordained and perfectly in alignment with God’s will. The timing could
not have been better. I want to publicly
thank the entire organization for pouring into me. Thank you, Bread!”
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