Virtual Rally for CNR: Thurs, 10/21

Our Message to the White House: "A strong Child Nutrition Reauthorization Bill should not include cuts to future SNAP/food stamps."

No plane tickets or bus fare necessary - just go online and/or pick up the phone to join organizations across the country for a Virtual Rally about CNR. Let's tell the White House that we need to improve the child nutrition programs, but not at the expense of SNAP/food stamp benefits.

Here's how you can participate in the Virtual Rally:

1. Mark your calendar: Thursday, October 21st (tomorrow) from 12:00 noon - 4:00 pm. Take action during those times.
2. Spread the word and share the flyer with your networks (click here)
3. Use Twitter or Facebook to relay our message to the White House. Click here to see sample messages.
4. Call the White House comment line at (202) 456-1414 and/or e-mail via an online comment form.

Classroom Breakfast Highlighted on CNN

During an interview on CNN, Gary David, founder of the Got Breakfast? Foundation speaks about child hunger, school breakfast, and breakfast in the classroom.

Click here to view the brief video clip.

New York City says no to using Food Stamps for sodas

Food Politics Blog by Marion Nestle
Posted October 7, 2010

New York City is serious about trying to reduce rates of obesity and the expensive and debilitating conditions for which obesity raises risks. Its latest move? It is asking the USDA for a Food Stamp waiver for two years during which recipients would not be allowed to use their benefit cards to buy sodas.

I hardly know where to begin on this one. I learned about this from the front page of this morning’s New York Times and from reading the accompanying op-ed by city Health Commissioner Tom Farley and New York State Health Commissioner Richard Daines.

This is an old, old idea that has been consistently rejected by USDA and by public health advocates for the poor. It is based on the commonly held notion—never conclusively demonstrated by independent data—that recipients of Food Stamps (now called SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program)–make worse food choices than everyone else.

more...

Now Available! Request for Proposals from Community-Based Organizations to Help Alleviate Hunger

The Nutrition Consortium of New York State, Inc. is pleased to announce that the Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Nutrition Outreach and Education Program (NOEP) is now available.

Through the NOEP, 501(c)(3) community-based organizations are funded to: promote the benefits of the Food Stamp Program (FSP) to the local community; provide outreach to eligible, non-participants of the FSP; assist households through the FSP application process; and help resolve barriers to participation in the FSP. In addition, NOEP projects promote awareness of the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and the School Breakfast Program (SBP).

The link to the RFP is http://www.nutritionconsortium.org/documents/NOEPRFP.pdf

USA Today: A Hunger-Free America

On September 17th, USA Today released an editorial insert about hunger in America.

To view the document, please click here.

The supplement includes information about the face of hunger in children and seniors. Also included is information on what government, advocates, and businesses are doing to end hunger in our nation, and how individuals can help.

Congress Adjourns without House Action on CNR

From the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC):

Congress adjourned without the House acting on child nutrition, meaning that it did not pass the Senate's flawed bill that cut SNAP. It's anticipated that the House of Representatives will take up Child Nutrition Reauthorization in the Lame Duck session after the elections.

Your hard work has given Congress more time to find another way to pay for this bill and to keep our nutrition safety net strong. Our message has been clear: A good reauthorization bill can make the much-needed improvements to child nutrition programs without cutting SNAP benefits.

As we look to the weeks ahead, it will be important to continue to stay in touch with your Members of Congress. Thank House members for being willing to work for a better bill. We need to keep encouraging House members to fix the SNAP cut and pass a good child nutrition bill that isn't funded by another nutrition program - they are both important priorities and there shouldn't be a choice between them.