From Northwest Harvest: Advocates Update

Advocates Update Friday, May 11   IN THIS ISSUE UPCOMING EVENTS Attacks on SNAP Take Action   UPCOMING EVENTS May 14 and 21 Community Conversation on the City Budget Seattle City Council  - Central Seattle   May 14, 6 - 7:30pm   Seattle Central College   1701 Broadway, Broadway Edison Building, Rm BE1110   - South Seattle   May 21, 6 - 7:30pm   New Holly Gathering Hall 7054 32nd Ave S.        May 21 Cross Cultural  Training Seattle Food Committee 12:30-4:30 p.m., Solid Ground.   RSVP here      June 1 Northwest Harvest Annual Conference Mercer Island Presbyterian  RSVP today      June 6 Public Health and Food Policy Summit Puget Sound Regional Food Policy Council Event details      Northwest Harvest PO Box 12272 Seattle, Washington 98102 800-722-6924 Your Weekly Update: Attacks on SNAP In the last few weeks, we've talked about proposals in Congress that will make drastic cuts to SNAP, our federal food stamp program. Here's an update and some information from our partner coalitions on what you can do to help protect and strengthen this program. Read more...         Messages from Our Advocacy Partners Thank you for your efforts to call and email Congress in response to our advocacy updates in the last few weeks about SNAP. If you want to take action to continue educating our Senators and your Representative about the need to strengthen and protect SNAP and the impact that the proposed cuts will have on your program and your community, please take a look at some of the action alerts from our coalition partners: Bread for the World, a coalition of faith-based organizations, has a petition that lets Congress know that it is estimated that on average, church sponsored food banks and meal programs will need an additional $50,000 per year to meet the increased need for services due to loss in SNAP benefits. You can find the petition by clicking here.     The Food Research Action Center has more information about Heat and Eat and talking points for urging members of Congress to protect SNAP in our Farm Bill. Visit their page here.      Leave a comment for the House Agriculture Committee about the importance of SNAP, TEFAP, and CSFP for your program and the customers you serve. The deadline for comments is May 20:  agriculture.house.gov/farmbill_feedback.html.     Find your U.S. Representative here: house.gov/representatives/find/    The mission of Northwest Harvest is to provide nutritious food to hungry people statewide in a manner that respects their dignity, while fighting to eliminate hunger. Our vision is that ample nutritious food is available to everyone in Washington state.