Action Alert from AHNC

Action Alert ! Legislators Must Hear from You BY WEDNESDAY NIGHT to Fund our Anti-Hunger Priorities Please drop what you are doing right now and take 5 minutes to call your legislators about funding our hunger safety net. As you've heard by now neither the House nor the Senate budget proposals fully funded our priorities; here's where we stand as they get ready to go into conference and reconcile the differences in their budgets: Only the House proposal includes tax reforms - or any revenue at all. The House and the Senate didn't increase EFAP by even a dollar - despite efforts to educate lawmakers about how food banks are struggling to keep up with record numbers of clients with fewer resources. The Senate adds some funding for State Food Assistance (up to 75% of federal benefits, from current 50%) but the House proposal makes no progress at all in restoring funding - or fairness. Though both the House and Senate put in $250,000 for WSDA's Farm to School and Small Farms Programs, that's only half of what we've asked for - we can do better for farms and for kids. We ask you to take action a lot, we know - but RIGHT NOW is when state lawmakers are deciding what they're willing to fight for in the upcoming budget negotiations. Make sure they fighting against hunger - explain why it's so important to fight for these programs. Give them a reason to make these their top priorities. If there is any hope for fully funding our hunger relief system and fighting hunger, your legislators need to hear from you now! Flood the phone lines today! Here's what you can do right now: Find the legislators for the district in which you live AND in the districts where your program serves residents: http://app.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/   Find the office phone numbers for those legislators here:http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rosters/Members.aspx Call your Senator and your 2 Representatives and tell them: - Who you are and where you work. - Why it is critical that we have a budget that adds revenue AND funding for these anti-hunger programs. - Tell them about the numbers of clients you're seeing that struggle with hunger - Talk about how these programs make a difference to your clients, your program, your community Share this information with your board members, your staff and your volunteers RIGHT NOW.   Share this with clients TODAY. Print the Legislative Hotline (1-800-562-6000); ask clients to let their legislators know how much they need support from your program - and from their lawmakers.  Thanks so much for raising your voice to all those who need to hear it! (And thanks, Washington Food Coalition & Northwest Harvest, for contributing to this alert) Claire

Advocacy Update from Food Lifeline

ADVOCACY UPDATE STATE BUDGETS RELEASEDHow did hunger relief programs fare? Washington's state Senate, House, and the Governor have release their budgets. You can read more details below but the bottom line is this: the failure to invest $3.7 million in the Emergency Food Assistance Program and our hunger relief system makes it more challenging for individuals and families to find their way to financial independence. The legislature will vote soon on these budets so now is the time to make your voice heard. Niether the Senate nor House budgets provide additional funds for the Emergency Food Assistance Program (EFAP). This program keeps the lights on and shelves stocked at food banks that continue to see record demand. Since the start of the recession, emergency food providers have seen new clients at their doors, with need increasing by 35%. An additional $3.7 million towards EFAP would help food banks across our state keep their doors open and feed all the hungry people coming to their doors. The current Senate budget increases funding for State Food Assistance and partially restores Farm to School and Small Farms Direct Marketing but failed to increase revenue. This means deeper cuts to programs that help lift people out of poverty including childcare for working families and services for seniors and the disabled. Cuts to these programs mean individuals and families have less income to buy food, undermining the modest increases to hunger relief programs. The current House budget also provided partial funding for Farm to School and Small Farms Direct Marketing but took a key step by developing a revenue package providing $1.2 billion in income for the state. Call your legislators! TAKE ACTION NOW!   This is the time - ask your Senators and Representatives to fully fund vital hunger relief programs. Please take just a few minutes to call or email your legislators and urge them to fully fund these programs in the final budget. To email to your legislators and key committee members, click here.  Want to make a phone call but don't know how to contact your legislators? Find out how to get in touch with them here. Not sure what to say? Here is suggested messaging: For House members: "Thank you for increasing revenue in the House budget proposal, and closing outdated tax loopholes. However, I'm concerned about the limited investment in hunger relief programs. Without additional funds for the Emergency Food Assistance Program, and restoration of State Food Assistance and Farm to School and Small Farms Programs, hungry families and kids in Washington will continue to struggle. Please work to ensure these programs are fully funded in the final budget." For Senate members: "Thank you for making a partial investment in our hunger relief system in the initial budget. However, there were no additional funds allocated for the Emergency Food Assistance Program as emergency food providers continue to face record need. I'm also concerned with the methods for funding these programs and the cuts to child care support and support for people with disabilities. Please raise revenue in order to fully fund these key programs in the final budget." Food Lifeline feeds hungry people. We stock the shelves and fill the tables of 275 food banks, meal programs and shelters throughout Western Washington. The 35 million pounds of nutritious food we secure from restaurants, grocery stores, farmers and manufacturers feeds 745,000 of our hungry neighbors every year. Find out how you can be a part of ending hunger in Western Washington at www.foodlifeline.org. We value your input. Please share your thoughts and comments at advocacy@fll.org. Food Lifeline thanks MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, for supporting our advocacy program.

AHNC Advocacy Alert: Senate releases $33.2b budget - falls too short and leaves too many behind

Update - Senate budget released  Senate budget: What's in (restoring some funding for some AHNC priorities) and what's out (closing tax loopholes, sufficient revenue, and basic needs program support) Revenue: We all need to talk to our Senators about revenue. We stand in strong support for the need to find revenue to help Washington pay for existing need for services and meet its duty of improving basic education under the McClearydecision. We can't look at education or services in isolation-hungry kids in crisis can't learn. The Legislature, including the Senate, should keep all revenue options on the table, but we believe in the following principles: Find new sources of revenue because our existing system is primarily based on the retail sales tax at local establishments. It's regressive and has diminishing returns each year - it's not a solution for the Washington of today or tomorrow. Close wasteful and unnecessary tax loopholes and exemptions. Gov. Inslee's proposal starts us on the right path to help ensure improvements to basic education while investing in critical supports to help low-income families. The Senate maintains tax exemptions for oil companies, pharmaceutical makers and luxury vehicle owners - the Governor didn't. Reform our tax code and improve tax fairness for low and moderate income Washingtonians who are currently paying a disproportionately high amount of their incomes in taxes, yet are losing out on more and more of the critical state supports that they need to meet basic needs. Gov. Inslee's budget can pay for child care for working families, smaller class sizes in schools, and lifeline services for low-income kids and homeless people. The Senate budget can't pay for these things because it doesn't fix our tax code. State Food Assistance: The Senate budgets $9.4 million for State Food Assistance - this increases the food stamp benefit level from its current 50% of federal (SNAP) benefits to 75% of federal benefit levels. We are glad to see that the strong showing by legislators signing onto our letter of support for SFA encouraged the Senate to reinvest in this critical program. Yet a majority of Senators wanted full restoration, and this budget continues to fall short for the thousands of kids, parents and elders that need a full plate every day - not ¾ of a plate. Emergency Food Assistance Program: The Senate budget funds EFAP at $5.3 million per year - no increase in funding. We used to say that cuts to SFA mean that more people will be at the food bank's door, but those families are already customers. Food stamps are - and should remain - our first line of defense against hunger. But as long as benefits still fall short for an adequate food budget, families have to rely on both food stamps and food banks. To really fight hunger, we need to strengthenboth systems of support. Farm to School / Small Farms Programs: The Senate budget finally reflects that these programs are important to Washington and invests state general funds back into the programs - at $250,000 for the biennium. Yet the proposed budget for both these programs at $250,000 over the next 2 years is not sufficient. It's estimated that this would reduce the previous staffing of 4.5 staff for both programs to only 1 staff member for both. Combined, WSDA's two programs have had a major impact on ensuring a healthy, vibrant local agriculture economy and healthy schoolkids by pairing local growers with local buyers, including schools. We applaud the effort by the Senate to put some state funds back into these critical programs - but they can fulfill both their mission and their promise better if funded at the level advocates and more than 60 legislators have asked for: $500,000 for the biennium. School Meal Programs and Farmers Market Nutrition Program for WIC & Seniors No cuts Other safety net programs: The investments in our food system will be undermined by cuts to critical support services. Slashing programs for low-income families like TANF/WorkFirst and Disability Lifeline and Working Connections mean less income to buy food. Hunger will continue to rise and the need for food assistance programs will deepen. The Senate needs to make a stronger stand to reform taxes and generate revenue to pay for the most basic needs. Without comprehensive change to our tax system, we're pitting one part of the safety net against other critical public services. Next AHNC memberships meeting:   Tuesday, April 9 (2:30 - 4:30pm) @ WithinReach 155 NE 100th #500, Seattle WA 98125    Follow us on