Food Lifeline ACTION Alert: Deep Cuts to Food Stamps Hurt Families

ACTION ALERT Billions in cuts to programs feeding hungry people?  We don't think so! Congress Proposes Up to $20.5 Billion in Cuts to SNAP (Food Stamps) The House and Senate Agriculture Committees have voted to approve the Farm Bill which funds U.S. farm, food and nutrition policy. As part of the vote, the Senate approved cutting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps or SNAP) by $4.1 billion over 10 years. The House cuts were considerably deeper, at $20.5 billion. The full Senate will begin deliberation on the Farm Bill this Monday. Senator Patty Murray just signed on to an amendment which would restore proposed cuts to SNAP. It's important for Senator Cantwell to join her by also signing on to the Gillibrand amendment. It's critical that you contact both of these Senators today and ask them to oppose serious cuts to SNAP for struggling families including over 1 million Washingtonians who rely on the program to place food on their tables.  Take Action Now SNAP helps hungry families purchase the food they need at  the grocery store. Take action now to send a letter to Senators Murray and Cantwell urging them to oppose cuts to SNAP. 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.

Farm Bill Action Alert from AHNC

Farm Bill Action Alert !   Senate Agriculture Committee Votes Out Farm Bill - Possible floor debate to begin this Thursday!    House Agriculture Committee Markup Scheduled forWednesday! As you know, it's a busy week in Washington: The Senate Agriculture Committee held its Farm Bill markup - and voted out the bill on Tuesday.    The House Agriculture Committee is scheduled to mark up its Farm Bill on Wednesday.   Below is our call to action you can take between now and Thursday - and a summary from our friends at FRAC of the Senate markup.  Action Needed:  Call your Members of Congress and urge them support and protect SNAP in the Farm Bill. Contact your Senators and urge them to: Co-sponsor Sen. Gillibrand's amendment to restore the $4.1 billion SNAP cut.  Current cosponsors include:  Cowan (D-MA), Lautenberg (D-NJ), Reed (D-RI) and Whitehouse (D-RI) Vote 'YES' on Sen. Gillibrand's amendment when it comes up for a vote on the Senate floor. Speak out, oppose and vote 'NO' on any damaging amendments to SNAP Contact your Representatives and urge them to: Co-sponsor Rep. McGovern's amendment to restore the over $20 billion/10 years SNAP cut contained in Chairman Lucas's Farm Bill.  Current co-sponsors include:  DelBene (WA), McCleod (CA), Vargas (CA), Courtney (CT), Scott (GA), Enyart (IL), Nolan (MN), Kuster (NH), Lujan Grisham (NM), Fudge (OH), Gallego (TX), Vela (TX) Vote 'YES' on Rep. McGovern's amendment when it comes up to a vote (in markup and/or on the House floor). Speak out, oppose and vote 'NO' on any damaging amendments to SNAP (in markup and/or on the House floor). Co-sponsor House Resolution 90, a Resolution opposing cuts to SNAP.  Ask them to contact Keith Stern in Rep. McGovern's office, keith.stern@mail.house.gov, to co-sponsor.  Senate Agriculture Committee Markup Today, the Senate Agriculture Committee, by a vote of 15 to 5, passed its farm bill, containing a ten year SNAP cut of $4 billion ("Heat and Eat" cut).  Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) voted no because of the SNAP cut.  Others voting against bill passage but for different reasons were Senators Mike Johanns (R-NE), Pat Roberts (R-KS), John Thune (R-SD), and Mitch McConnell (R-KY).  The bill could go to the Senate floor as early as this Thursday, May 16th. Senate SNAP Amendment Highlights: Senator Gillibrand (D-NY) offered and withdrew her 'Restore SNAP Cuts' amendment with the intent to offer it on the Senate floor.  During discussion of the Gillibrand amendment Sen. Mo Cowan (D-MA) spoke out in support of SNAP, explaining that he had heard concerns about SNAP cuts from many of his constituents and that he had personal concerns given his family's need for public assistance at times earlier in his life.  Sen. Johanns' (R-NE) amendment to restrict Categorical Eligibility ("Cat El") was defeated by voice vote.  Ranking Member Thad Cochran (R-MS) urged members to vote 'no' on the Johanns Cat El amendment, noting that it would eliminate SNAP benefits for 1.8 million individuals and undermine free school meal access for 280,000 children.  Sen. Thune's amendment to cut SNAP Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Grants failed by a vote of 8-12 (all Committee Democrats and Sen. Cochran voted against).  Also defeated on a voice vote was Sen. Thune's amendment to cut back on high jobless area waivers that ease the time limit on SNAP benefit receipt for certain jobless adults without dependents seeking work. Summary of Amendments Gillibrand 2 - Restores $4.1 billion/10 years SNAP cuts; offset in crop insurance (offered and withdrawn, noted intent to offer on floor) Brown 2 - Increases funding to SNAP Employment and Training, TEFAP, Community Food Projects (offered and withdrawn) Johanns 2 - Restricts Cat-El to TANF cash-only (defeated on voice vote) Thune 4 - Caps SNAP Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Grants at $5/person, $2 billion/10 years cut (defeated on roll call vote, 8-12) Thune 9 - Restricts eligibility to certain jobless, childless adults without dependents (Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents, or "ABAWDs")  (defeated by voice vote) Roberts 5 - Eliminates 'Heat and Eat', restricts Cat-El to TANF cash-only, eliminates Employment and Training funding, eliminates state bonus performance payments, and terminates ARRA boost (offered and withdrawn) Roberts 6 - Eliminates 'Heat and Eat' (Noted intent to offer on floor) Roberts 7 - Eliminates Employment and Training (Noted intent to offer on floor)  House Agriculture Committee Markup On Wednesday, the House Agriculture Committee will mark up its Farm Bill at 10am ET.  Chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK) released his "mark" last week that includes over $20 billion/10 years in SNAP cuts ('Heat and Eat', Cat-El, State bonus performance payments and SNAP-Ed cuts ).    You can follow FRAC's live tweeting during the mark up: @fractweets.  Thanks so much for raising your voice to all those who need to hear it!   Claire   Follow us on

Northwest Harvest Advocates Update

Advocates Update Tuesday, May 14      IN THIS ISSUE Fill the Plate with Your Message to Protect and Strengthen State Nutrition Programs! Tell our Senators and your Congressional Representative that SNAP WORKS! Upcoming Events  June 11, 2:30-4:30 p.m.:Anti-Hunger and Nutrition Coalition general membership meeting(Location TBA) Northwest Harvest PO Box 12272 Seattle, Washington 98102 800-722-6924 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.  Your Weekly Action Alert:   Farm Bill Proposals Make Deep Cuts to SNAP; Speak Up for Hunger during Special Session State Level:  Legislators have another 30 days to come to an agreement on the budget and hopefully invest funding in our state's nutrition programs. READ MORE    Take Action Fill the Plate with Your Message to Protect and Strengthen State Nutrition Programs! Now is the time for legislators to hear from you about the importance of protecting and strengthening key nutrition programs in our state budget. Please print out this "Placemat" template. The template lists our priorities in Olympia and gives you the space you need to write a personalized message. Partner Programs: Please print out at least 10 copies of this template and distribute it to your clients, volunteers and staff. (If printing color copies is too expensive, feel free to print copies in black and white.) Collect their completed messages and either send them to your legislators or return them to Christina at Northwest Harvest by Tuesday, May 27 so that we can deliver them to your legislators. If you want us to send you hard copies of the template to distribute, please email partners@northwestharvest.orgno later than this Thursday, May 16. Tip for our Partners for Sharing with Your Network: Set up a table at the end of your grocery line on your next distribution day. Have a volunteer available with a stack of our templates and a printout of this advocacy update so they can talk with customers about the importance of filling out one of these templates. Make sure that all requested information about an address and a personal message-even a short one-is completed on the template. If the customer needs an address, you can substitute the address of your program.  ACT NOW   Federal Level:    Today, Congress begins debate on a new five-year Farm Bill. Both the Senate and the House proposals that will be discussed in committee this week make deep cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps.) READ MORE Take Action Tell our Senators and your Congressional Representative that SNAP WORKS! Take a few minutes to think about a client, a family member, a friend, or perhaps yourself and how SNAP helped that person. Maybe SNAP helped that person while they did an AmeriCorps internship and now they are a successful advocate with a nonprofit program. Maybe SNAP helped their children have access to nutritious food so they could learn in school. Maybe SNAP helps the lines at your food bank doors stay manageable. After you've thought of your story about how SNAP works, pick up the phone or put the story in an email message to Senators Murray and Cantwell and your U.S. Representative. Just speak from the heart but be sure to tell them to vote NO on a Farm Bill that cuts SNAP because SNAP WORKS!  ACT NOW

AHNC Alert - Farm Bill action & State budget action

Alert - Farm Bill action & State budget action The Farm Bill & Congress members: Both the House and Senate are planning to mark up new versions of the Farm Bill - the Senate may begin this week - so let's get going (again)!   Neither the Senate nor House versions of the Farm Bill passed in the full Congress last year; with November's elections, it's a new Congress so they must begin again. The Farm Bill includes SNAP (food stamps, or Basic Food), TEFAP and CSFP (food for food banks) and Farmers Market Nutrition Program for Seniors.   It's time for a new Congress to start with a fresh Farm Bill that makes no cuts in programs that feed hungry families, especially SNAP.    For information about sustainable agriculture issues in the Farm Bill, please check out our partners' priorities at Washington State Farmers Market Assoc. andWashington Sustainable Food & Farming Network. What to know about the Senate: The Senate Agriculture Committee will release their draft bill any day now.   Last Congress's Senate Farm Bill cut $4.3 billion from SNAP by cutting the 'Heat and Eat' option. In Washington, that equals big cuts in food stamp benefits to more than a quarter million families, only adding to Washington's hunger problem. We estimate 234,000 households will get $90 less (average) on their EBT cards for groceries each month if Congress eliminates this option.    This spring Committee chair Sen. Stabenow has made public comments that indicate she may be willing to give up food stamp benefits for certain low-income households.  We think that's the wrong answer, and both our Senators agree:Sen. Cantwell - along with one-third of all Senators - signed Sen. Gillibrand's (NY) letter in support of SNAP funding; Sen. Murray, as Senate Majority leadership, has also been strongly supportive of no cuts to food stamps in the Farm Bill or the budget. What to know about the House: The House Agriculture Committee will release a Farm Bill proposal after the Senate - maybe in the next 2 weeks. Last Congress created a House Farm Bill so controversial it never came to a vote because it cut $16.5 billion from SNAP. In addition to cutting 'Heat and Eat', last year the House also eliminated 'Categorical Eligibility' - mostly working poor families with children and seniors on fixed incomes would be cut off food stamps altogether. We estimate 88,000 households in Washington would no longer have any SNAP benefits. Yet some House members have been saying they would like to cut more this year: up to $20 billion from SNAP. Because this is much higher than last year, details on those cuts are not clear until the House releases its proposal soon.   What is clear - no Farm Bill would be better than one that cuts SNAP. What to do now: Take Action In the 14th hungriest state in the country, with demand at food banks up 35% and further state and local cuts to the safety net expected, Washington families deserve for a new Congress to start with a fresh Farm Bill that makes no cuts in SNAP. Spend 3 minutes thinking about 2 clients (or students or patients or friends) that you know SNAP benefits helped in some way. What improved for them? How did it make a difference? What would happen if they soon had $90 less - or all their SNAP was gone? Ask your Congress member (via phone, fax, email) to protect and strengthen SNAP.Make this contact to your lawmakers personal - explain how important SNAP has been to those 2 clients. Ask them to reject SNAP cuts, whether those are included in a 2013 Farm Bill or other legislative vehicles in the new Congress. Thank Sen. Cantwell, Reps. McDermott, Smith and now Heck for signing letter/ co-sponsoring support of SNAP funding. Urge other House Members to co-sponsor H. Res. 90.    Olympia: Closing Tax Loopholes and Funding Services After 105 days of session, legislators are facing off in overtime over one high-stakes question: What's a higher priority: preserving tax loopholes that don't serve the public interest, or ample funding for education and saving critical services that help ensure families don't go hungry? Legislators are in the middle of two weeks of critical budget negotiations that will determine the direction of our budget and our state. There is only one way to move them to support our agenda: pressure from their constituents. Now is the time to flood legislator's inboxes with support for a budget that puts our kids and our communities first. Take Action: Print the attached plate with our priorities, add a personal message, and sendto your legislator before special session begins on May 13. When you contact your legislators, ask them: PLEASE close costly tax loopholes! The House and Senate have passed two very different budgets. The Senate budget doesn't close a single tax loophole. It makes inadequate investments in education and does so at the expense of many critical safety services. The House budget, by comparison, takes the approach recommended by Gov. Inslee to make a substantial investment in education and most critical services by closing tax loopholes and extending parts of the 2010 revenue package. The House budget isn't perfect - they need to increase funding for State Food Assistance at least as much as the Senate budget does. But the House takes the right approach of tax reform and reflects our value of putting the people of Washington before costly tax loopholes. Let your legislators know you support a budget that closes tax loopholes to fund education and critical services for hungry families. Thank you. These next few days and weeks are critical, and every action you take is getting us closer to more fair, healthy futures for hungry families. Call me or email if you have any questions. Claire Lane   (206) 830-7642   Follow us on

Summer Meals - Getting ready for 2013

May 7, 2013 It's Time for Sponsors to Turn in Their Summer Meals Application  As sponsors put together their applications, they should talk to local partners to learn where new sites might feed kids all summer long.   Consider low-income housing organizations, YMCA/YWCAs, Boys & Girls Clubs, Parks and Rec. programs and other places kids frequent in the summer. For questions about the application, contact Donna Vincent (360-725-6202) Consult County Fact Sheets to qualify summer meal sites using eligible schools Use the FRAC Mapper to qualify summer meal sites with census data Getting applications in now helps OSPI approve summer meal sites before school lets out and helps us spread the word to families about where to go this summer. Make-Up Sponsor Training May 23 is the last opportunity for new or returning sponsors to participate in OSPI’s required training.  This make-up session will be held at OSPI Annex in Olympia.  Details are below:   Date:  May 23, 2013 Place:  OSPI Annex (234 8th Avenue, Olympia) New Sponsors:  9am-5pm Returning Sponsors:   1pm-5pm Sponsors MUST confirm participation in this training withDonna Vincent (360-725-6202) FRAC Conference Calls to support successful Summer Meals programs Take advantage of these conference calls from the Food Research Action Center: May 15th: 10:00am  “Nutrition Quality”  (FRAC Afterschool Meals Matter conference call) This call can help you improve food quality for Summer Meals too!  Food will draw children into your program and high-quality food can ensure that children continue to come. Learn strategies for communicating with vendors, serving culturally appropriate meals and other steps to offering healthy high-quality meals. Click here to register June 3: 10:00am  “Summer Meals Awareness Week & Communications Strategies” June 10 will be the start of the third annual Summer Food Service Program Awareness week. Discuss ways to celebrate and promote summer meals and share strategies to maintain high attendance at summer meal programs.   Click here to register   Summer Meals Outreach Ideas Whether you are a sponsor, meal site or community organization, you can help families learn where kids can eat this Summer.  Review these resources to develop summer meals outreach strategies for your community: Sodexo Foundation Summer Meals Outreach Toolkit USDA Summer Meals Outreach Toolkit 47 Ways to Promote Summer Meal Programs More outreach ideas Summer Meals Resource Toolkit The online toolkit offers information and resources to help schools and community-based organizations start or strengthen a summer meals program with links to grants, forms, outreach materials and more. Check out the Summer Meals Toolkit The WA Summer Meals Partnership sends periodic newsletters to keep statewide partners up-to-date on the latest information about the Summer Meals Program.  http://www.icontact-archive.com/C9ZecoQL5yw3xrxuUf8TXi9j4P-OQyXq?w=4