Advocacy Update: Advocacy Champions Role in our EFAP ask

This year we tried something new for the legislative session: Advocacy Champions!  Each WFC district had an extra representative to help leverage our impact across the state. These Advocacy Champions played an essential role in this year's EFAP legislative ask.  As you may know, we were successful in securing $800,000 in additional EFAP funding for the next budget year.  Although we were unable to get the full $1 million funded, this is still a big win for emergency food programs across Washington State.  

Advocacy Champions helped:

• Share ideas and spread information through weekly advocacy update calls
• Provide testimonials at House and Senate budget hearings to make the voice of emergency food programs heard
• Boost Hunger Action Day attendance and legislative reach
• Spread local awareness through Op-Ed's and advertising our Community Sigh-On Letter
• Reach individual legislators through emails, phone calls, and targeted visits

Thank You Advocacy Champions!

To find out more about Washington Food Coalition's Advocacy Efforts, please visit:  www.wafoodcoalition.org/advocacy

Meet Our Members: Emergency Food Network

In addition to serving as Washington Food Coalition's Board Chair, Helen McGovern-Pilant serves as the Executive Director for Emergency Food Network (EFN) in Pierce County. This organization is the only food distribution center in the county, and provides an incredible source for hunger relief programs throughout the community.

The main facility for EFN is its distribution center, which is located in Lakewood. There is over 20,000 square feet for dry storage at this location. Food is received and sent out into the community, often being repacked right at the warehouse before being sent out. This distribution center provides critical access to high-quality food at high-quantity pricing (with most of it even being donated!) to local agencies that lack the capacity to receive, store, and repack this type of inventory.

EFN is committed to sourcing the healthiest food that they reasonably can. Over 50% of what is distributed is fruits and vegetables, and over 80% is highly nutritious.

The clients that EFN serves includes 67 feeding programs throughout the county. At EFN, they are always looking for innovative ways to partner with their clients. A recent example of this is their development of Break Bags, and they are partnering with St. Leo's Food Connection to make this happen. These bags will send school children home with an ample supply of food to keep them fed during spring break when they won't have access to school meals.

Executive Director Helen McGovern-Pilant displays one of their Break Bags, a new and innovative way to fight child hunger during school breaks.

The distribution center is only 1 of 3 different programs that is run out of Emergency Food Network. The additional programs include Mother Earth Farm, and their Orchard. Visit their website to learn more about the distribution center and these other wonderful programs.
EFN recently worked with Washington Food Coalition to develop interactive maps for our members across the state. They also developed interactive maps to illustrate the food system in Pierce County. You can check out the results from this mapping project here and here.

EFN adds cooking instructions in multiple languages to
many of their products - a huge benefit to clients!

EFN partners with their client agency FISH Food Banks of Pierce County to stock Pierce County's mobile food bank.

Meet Our Members: ROOF Community Services

In the cozy community of Rochester, you can find a hub of activity towards the end of town on Highway 12. In this hub is located the Boys and Girls Club, a school, Grand Mound Rochester Park, and ROOF Community Services. ROOF is home to the food bank, the kids place program, and family & emergency services.
Kellie McNelly is the Executive Director of ROOF and is also a Board Member for Washington Food Coalition. She works closely with Cindy Caturia, who directly manages the food bank operations. The food bank's volume of food distributed has nearly doubled since the levels they were giving out prior to the recession. Still, these ladies meet the challenge with a smile, and a friendly atmosphere is prevalent throughout their business. The food bank is open 4 days a week, aiming to make it as easy as possible for hungry families to access its services. Clients are able to choose the foods that is most fitting to their families needs and preferences through the shopping model at this location. There are also resources posted all over the food bank to provide assistance with other types of needs and information on nutritious food options.
The other programs at ROOF compliment and expand on the food bank's services. Kids Place offers advancement for at-risk children, and family & emergency services meets other financial literacy and emergency support needed by low-income families. There is a garden in the back of the building that ROOF now manages, offering an opportunity for education as well as fresh foods brought directly into the food bank. The adjacent park lends itself perfectly for their summer meals program as well.

Learn more about ROOF Community Services by clicking here.

The garden was recently revamped through a United Day of Caring and is ready to grow!

ROOF's building is a remodeled school.

Overflow storage for the food bank is housed in the hallways.

Creativity and excellence is encouraged in the classrooms for Kid's Place.

Resources are made readily available for anyone who comes in the building. 

Food banking is fun!

Cindy and Kelly repack shelf stable milk.

Washington Nonprofits: March Policy Newsletter

Policy Newsletter                  March 2014

60-day Legislature Adjouns The session ended on time Thursday evening with a compromise operating budget but with few other accomplishments.  The budget passed on a bipartisan vote of 85-13 in the House and 48-1 in the Senate.  Many observers saw this session as a "calm before the storm" as the Legislature may have to deal with a signficant budget shortfall next session depending how it handles constitutional "basic education" requirements for K-12.   Budget Overview The one-year supplemental budget adds $155.1 million dollars to a $33.6 billion 2013-2015 budget. In other words, this budget adds a little more thanfour-tenths of one percent to the overall biennial budget. Of the $155.1 million, $89.2 million was spent to maintain current level services and a net $65.9 million was added as new programs or services.  Budget Increases The supplemental budget add $214 million in new funding.  K-12 Education programs received the bulk of the new appropriations but nonprofit related services in mental health and human services also received new funding.      Budget Cuts The budget also contains $148.1 million in cuts to programs.  Nonprofits are potentially affected through a number of these cuts.  Policy Bills Visit our Google+ page for information on bills affecting the nonprofit community.   Events Visit our calendar for a full listing of training opportunities and events.       WASHINGTON NONPROFITS Washington Nonprofits, Washington's state association for nonprofit organizations, is a membership-based organization that builds a strong, collaborative network of nonprofits serving Washington communities through education, advocacy, and capacity building.  It is a member of the National Council of Nonprofits.  Join us today!

WN Education WN Public Policy WN Membership

Washington Nonprofits 120 State Avenue #303, Olympia, WA 98501 t: 253-330-8850 | e: info@washingtonnonprofits.org

AHNC: 2014 Legislative Session Wrap-Up

2014 Legislative Session Wrap-Up Anti-Hunger and Nutrition Coalition   Legislative Session Update - March 14, 2014   Late last night, the 2014 legislative session adjourned.  This is the first time in several years that session has ended on time!  Below is a summary of how the Anti-Hunger and Nutrition Coalition priorities ended up. The House and Senate released their compromise budget yesterday afternoon and it passed both houses. Here's how the AHNC Priorities fared in this budget:     Program AHNC Request Amount Final Compromise Budget Amount Emergency Food Assistance Program (EFAP) $1 million $800,000 Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) $500,000 $200,000 State Food Assistance (SFA) $1.367 million $0 Breakfast After the Bell $101,000 (fiscal note for the bill) $0 While it is disappointing that not all of our funding requests were included, securing the additional dollars for the Emergency Food Assistance Program and the Farmers Market Nutrition Program were great wins.     Even though State Food Assistance didn't receive additional funding, there was a positive revision made to the budget language that creates a floor for the state funding for the program.  It now must be funded at no less than 75% of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit amount.  Congratulations to those who worked so hard on educating legislators about these programs! Unfortunately, the Breakfast After the Bell bill did not pass this session.  The bill had some really great hearings, got some media coverage, and there is definitely a lot of interest in this issue. The good news is that United Way King County is mobilizing funds to support demonstration projects across Washington State to keep the momentum going and continue to build interest around this successful approach to increasing school breakfast utilization.  Thank you all so much for being such great advocates throughout this legislative session; especially to those who came to Hunger Action Day!
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From OSPI and USDA: Where will the kids eat lunch this summer?

Where will the kids eat lunch this summer?

Please help children enjoy a nutritious meal every day throughout the summer by considering one of the following:

1.      Sponsor summer feeding sites.
2.      Operate a summer feeding site.
3.      Provide meals for a sponsor of summer feeding sites.

If you are already doing one of the above, consider one of the following:

1.      Open multiple summer feeding sites.
2.      Serve two meals and/or snacks daily instead of one.
3.      Increase the number of days meals are offered this summer to at least 40 days.

The USDA has provided the following information to assist you in this process:

How You Can Help Feed Children This Summer Through the Summer Food Service Program         Quick Links: Training Videos Summer Meals Toolkit Raise Awareness Best Practices State Agency Contacts What is the Summer Food Service Program? Millions of eligible low-income children may be going hungry in the summer. Of the 21 million children who receive free and reduced-priced meals through the National School Lunch Program during the regular school year, only 3.5 million participate in summer meal programs. You can be a game-changer by feeding more children nutritious meals during the summer and lowering the risk of hunger. The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is a federally funded program administered by the States that helps fill the summer meal gap for low-income children by reimbursing organizations that serve children meals at feeding sites during summer months.  Schools, churches, recreation centers, playgrounds, parks, and camps can provide summer meals in neighborhoods with high percentages of low-income families, making a positive impact on the lives of children in need.  These summer food sites are safe and familiar locations where children naturally gather during the summer. How Can You Help Feed More Children This Summer? Become an Advocate Summer Flyer (english & spanish) – pass out to your community, hang up in your communities center, schools, etc. Social Media: Check out the sample twitter and facebook posts that you can use to help spread the word about Summer Meals!  Follow the Food and Nutrition Twitter account at @USDAnutrition and include the hashtag #SummerMeals when promoting SFSP PSA’s: Radio stations play public service announcements (PSAs) for free as part of their programming.  You can download our audio PSA’s and take them to a local radio station so they can play them for listeners.  Learn how by clicking here!  You can be creative and produce your own PSA for the Summer Food Service Program.  In 2012, Feeding America unveiled PSA’s to prevent millions of children from going hungry in the summer.  Check out their “Wishful Thinking” PSA.   Partner with Existing Summer Feeding Sites or Sponsors Volunteer at a feeding site – To find a feeding site near you that needs volunteers please contact your state agency or visit the United We Serve webpage. Host an activity at a feeding site – Bringing activities to feeding sites is what keeps participation high at feeding sites.  To see some great examples of activities at summer feeding sites check out FNS’s Best Practices Page. Find other organizations in your community that you can partner with such as your local Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCA’s, schools, etc.  Many organizations in your community may already serve summer meals but could use your help to expand their program. Open a new summer feeding site – You can work with your state agency to find an eligible location for a feeding site as well as a sponsor to oversee and provide the meals!  For more information on opening your own summer feeding site click here. When it comes to the summer feeding you can be creative in the ways that you help your community. Out of every 6 students that gets free or reduced price school meals, only 1 out of 6 received a summer meal! Get involved in the Summer Food Service Program to help close this gap.   For more information on the Summer Food Service Program please visit: www.fns.usda.gov/sfsp

For More Information, Contact:
Jennifer Mitchell MS, RD
Summer Food and Special Projects Supervisor, OSPI
(360) 725-6056

2014 Summer Meals - Funding opportunities and great new resources!

TOGETHER. WE CAN FEED MORE KIDS THIS SUMMER. Don't let kids go hungry this summer. Join forces with the Summer Meals Partnership to expand participation in your community. The Summer Meals program is for kids and teens across Washington State.

Get the Facts and Plan Now! Get the latest Summer Meal County Fact Sheet Look at your community's program and start planning for summer 2014. See last year's meal site data, assess service gaps and potential eligible sites for this year. Talk with current sponsors and work with community sponsors to build local summer meals for kids.Get the Fact Sheets How to Qualify First, find eligible locations for meal sites Eligible summer meal sites are in areas where more than half the kids are enrolled in free or reduced-price meals at school. Use the Fact Sheets to find schools that qualify Sites are eligible if more than half an area's residents are low-income according to census data.Use the FRAC Mapper (Internet Explorer only)  OSPI must confirm eligibility. Contact Jennifer Mitchell, OSPI Summer Meal Program Manager360.725.6056.    Become a Summer Meal Site Sponsor Get the required training now! Training Schedule OSPI offers required training in April for organizations wishing to sponsor a summer meal site (training webinars are also available). * Overview of Sponsor Roles and Responsibilities * OSPI Sponsor Memo * Letter of Intent to be a Sponsor (File with OSPI by 3/14/2014) Amber Horan at OSPI can answer questions: 360.725.6202 New Resources for Sponsors Download a comprehensive resource list, including SOS Sponsor Center, USDA training videos, menu ideas, transportation and support for rural communities. Thanks to Sydney Fang, Congressional Hunger Fellow Project. Summer Meals Resource Toolkit Like what you see here? There's more on ParentHelp123.org. Information to strengthen your summer meals program; outreach materials and ideas, too. Grants & Funding Help is available! Get your program running well! Feed Your Brain Grants for Summer Meal and literacy programs in high-poverty rural areas. Applications must be postmarked by 3/28/2014. Food Lifeline Grants to start new Kid's Cafe Summer Meal Sites in Western Washington. Applications due by 4/4/2014. United Way of King County Grants to increase participation or expand access to summer meals in King County. For equipment, activities, incentives, staff and outreach. Apply by 5/15/2014. OSPI Meals for Kids Summer Grants for start-up or expansion of Summer Meal programs that can fund equipment, training and outreach in any Washington community. Applications due by4/4/2014. * MFK Grant Overview * MFK Grant Instructions * MFK Grant Questions Summer Meals Webinars Get FREE training from national experts Register to participate * March 11 - Be a Summer Food Champion * March 13 - Can Elected Officials Help Feed Hungry Kids This Summer? * March 20 - SFSP and CACFP 101 * March 25 - Utilizing Grants & Unique Partnerships to Serve More Summer Food * March 27 - How Can You Solve Your Summer Food Transportation Problems? * April 3 - Finding Ways to Keep Schools Involved in Summer Food * April 9 - Make Your Summer Food Site the Talk of the Town Hunger Action Week Starts March 17 1 in 4 kids in Washington are hungry! Do something! Take the Hunger Quiz and $5 will go to fight hunger. Then volunteer for United Way of King County's Hunger Action Week Day of Serviceon March 22. And if you're really tough, take the Food Stamp Challenge and live on $6.30 a day.

Sue Waldin Partnership Development and Training206.830.7646 WithinReach makes the connections Washington families need to be healthy. Share with your colleagues! STAY CONNECTED