Washington’s very own
Congressman Rick Larsen has lead the way on improving the Summer Meals Program
by co-introducing House Resolution 5012 (a.k.a. S.2527 and Summer Meals Act of 2014). On June 26th he joined
Congressman Young of Alaska in the bill’s introduction, making it a bipartisan
effort.
The bill has
potential to make the Summer Meals Program more effective and impactful. The
new amendments propose funding for innovative ways to reach traditionally
underrepresented communities in need, and will hopefully streamline some
administrative hiccups.
There are also initiatives
to reach more kids more often! This will be achieved by changing the requirement threshold for communities to
participate. The requirement to participate in the Summer Meals Program is based on the percentage of kids living in an area
who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The new amendments will let those
who have 40% or more kids on free and reduced lunch participate, compared to the current
50% requirement. Also, the Summer Meals Act of 2014 changes the meal allotment from two meals a day
to three, bridging that one meal gap which can determine if a child experiences
hunger or not.
So, what should we
do? This bill is currently assigned to a committee to be reviewed before being
sent to the house and senate floors. Which means we need to urge our congress
members to cosponsor the bill, with special focus on convincing Reps. Beutler, McMorris Rodgers, and Reichert. To explain to them why this bill matters, we need
to have some background knowledge on it. On Monday July 14th we have
the opportunity to join Congressman Rick Larsen on an advocacy conference call
(details below). Please RSVP and join! Also, check out the one page summary of the bill
provided by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) below or read the actual
text of the bill here. Another way to advocate is to get an elected official out to your summer meal site. FRAC's Child Nutrition Site Visit Guide provides important organizing tips to ensure your site visit compels your representative to become a Summer Meals champion.
Now is the time to
advocate for a fairer, more effective and cutting edge Summer Meals Program!
You're invited...
Please join us for a
Washington Advocates Conference Call with
Congressman
Rick Larsen
Monday, July 14
Washington currently
ranks 39th in the
nation in summer meals participation. Congressman Larsen will discuss HR 5012,
a bipartisan summer meals reform package. Find out more about the legislation
and its proposals to improve the Summer Food Service Program to increase
participation and break down barriers for program sponsors and providers.
To
join the call:
Dial 1-866-210-1669
Please
RSVP by emailing Christina Wong (christinaw@northwestharvest.
Washington’s very own Congressman Rick Larsen has lead the way on improving the Summer Meals Program by co-introducing House Resolution 5012 (a.k.a. S.2527 and Summer Meals Act of 2014). On June 26th he joined Congressman Young of Alaska in the bill’s introduction, making it a bipartisan effort.
Information and photo for header provided
by the Food Research and Action Center, additional resources include:
S. 2527 Bill Text (pdf) (Same as H.R. 5012)
Representative Young’s Press Release Re:Introduction of H.R. 5012
No comments:
Post a Comment