Maine Chapter Letter to the Faith Community Leader Recommendations for Use

For Maine Chapter Meetings and PI Reps

*adapted from recommendations at www.foodaddicts.org by Maine Chapter PI Committee Chair 9-19-17

Faith community leaders, priests, ministers, rabbis, imams, parish nurses, and others may find information about FA helpful. A Maine Chapter PI Committee version of the letter to Faith Community Leaders can be downloaded here or email to request a copy at meoffice@foodaddicts.org.

Here are some suggested uses: 

• The PI rep for your meeting is responsible for preparing packets for the faith community leader to be placed on your meeting’s literature table. To assemble the packets, PI reps should print the letter on resume-quality paper, per the instructions below, and include the letter, a trifold brochure with your local meeting’s information on it or the pamphlet “Are you Having Trouble Controlling the Way You Eat?” in an envelope, preferably a 6 x 9 booklet envelope so that you can fold the letter in half and easily include the pamphlet or trifold. Keep a supply of these packets for the faith community leader in envelopes on the literature table for members at your meeting to take to their clergy members or religious leaders.
• Take the letter with you when meeting with clergy or religious leaders, talk about FA, and ask if information is desired. If yes, give the letter with several trifolds, which include explanations of FA and a listing of local meetings. 
• If you meet a member of a faith community or congregation socially or elsewhere, and he or she expresses interest in FA, offer to mail further information. Send the letter with a personal cover note and use the person’s title, i.e. “Dear Father Michael,” “Dear Rabbi Mintz,” etc. instead of the generic “Dear Faith Community Leader.”
• Do a large mailing to faith community leaders in your local area. When you do a mass mailing, be sure to use the generic title “Dear Faith Community Leader.”

That starts first with printing a Faith Community Leader letter:

There are 2 options to get a printable copy of the Faith Community Leader letter – you can use the already completed Maine Chapter PI Committee letter or create your own.

1. A Maine Chapter PI Committee version of the Faith Community Leader letter can be downloaded here or email to request a copy at meoffice@foodaddicts.org  
2. You can create your own as follows:

• Request a Word version of the letter using this method:
  • Send an email to docrequest@foodaddicts.org and request your specific document in WORD format.
  • In the subject of the email, please enter the name of the document you are requesting For example: “Request - letters to healthcare professional & faith community leader.” 
  • In the content of the email, give specific information about your requested document(s) and, if possible, include the url(s) for the specific document(s) you are requesting.
  • For example: “Please send me the template letters to the healthcare professional & the faith community leader which are located on the ‘Professionals & Faith Community Outreach’ page on the PI section of For Members. The url’s for these documents are:

• http://www.foodaddicts.org/downloads/letter%20to%20the%20healthcare%20 professional.pdf
• http://www.foodaddicts.org/downloads/letter%20to%20the%20faith%20comm unity%20leader.pdf    
• The FA Office will email you the requested document in WORD format for your use. Please note: the FA Office does not customize or update any documents.

Read the entire letter very carefully to see where it needs to be edited for your particular use or area.  For example: the date, the end of the last paragraph under, “Would you like more information?” and the signature section. 

• Include an identifying title for yourself or, where appropriate, for the group doing the mailing (eg “Public Information Committee” or “Chair, Public Information Committee”). If you are not sure who to put in the signature section, use the full name and contact information of your Chapter or Intergroup’s PI Chair with their permission or the World Service PI Chair’s information or a local member with preferably two years of abstinence who will field any follow-up requests from healthcare professionals.
• Always provide means of contact through a phone number or email. A local contact person is most effective.

Please contact the FA Maine Chapter World Service Public Information Committee at mepi@foodaddicts.org to share your experience or if you have other suggestions regarding the use of this letter. Thank you! 

Recommendations for your healthcare letter (printing and making packets): 

When handing out or mailing the letter to the faith community leader, maintain the professional message of the letter by following these guidelines: 

• copy the letter onto resume-quality paper
• include a copy of your area’s meeting directory, where relevant.
• include the pamphlet “Are you Having Trouble Controlling the Way you Eat?” and/or include a trifold brochure (You or your meeting can decide which one. Many areas choose the trifold brochure to limit costs of ordering the pamphlet.)
• place the letter, directory, and pamphlet in a professional quality envelope, many prefer a 6 x 9 booklet envelope

Revised September 2017