Advocacy in Action!

While Xavier strives to provide the basic necessities of food, clothing and shelter to those in need, we understand that an end to hunger and homelessness will not come without visible action to change the policies and legislation that underlie these ongoing problems. To that end, whenever possible, we engage in letter-writing and phone call campaigns, rallies, and other actions designed to attract the attention of our elected officials regarding specific policy changes. We invite you to take part in an advocacy action and learn more about the root causes of hunger and homelessness. Together, we can hold our public servants accountable for the care and well-being of our fellow brothers and sisters!

From Food Research and Action Center (FRAC)

Senate Moves Forward on $11.9 Billion Cut in SNAP/Food Stamp Benefits; Legislation Needs to Be Fixed Before Passage

Breaking News: The Senate, by a vote of 61 to 38, ended a filibuster on a bill that provides for enhanced Medicaid funding to states (FMAP) and preserves teachers' positions, but pays for much of it by reducing future SNAP/Food Stamps benefits by $11.9 billion. (To read FRAC's statement, click here). That bill still awaits final Senate passage this week and further action in the House in September - or possibly as early as next week if Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) calls the House back from recess. In addition, the manager's amendment to the Senate Agriculture Committee's Child Nutrition Reauthorization (CNR) bill (S. 3307), which could go to the Senate floor this week, also would cut SNAP benefits. In contrast, the more robust House version of CNR (H.R. 5504) contains no SNAP cuts.

Messages

1. Overall Message: Oppose cutting SNAP/Food Stamps to pay for other programs - regardless of the merits of those proposals.
2. FMAP Message: Support a fixed FMAP bill that does not take money from SNAP.
3. CNR Message: Support enactment of a robust Child Nutrition Reauthorization Bill that does not take money from SNAP. Senate Leaders should fix the CNR manager's amendment (S. 3307) and delete cuts to SNAP.

Immediate Action Step One - Circulate and Sign Group Letter

Immediately sign your group on to a letter opposing SNAP/Food Stamps cuts and circulate it to allied groups and urge them to sign on. Already 800 groups have signed on in three days. The interim deadline is August 5th at noon (the final letter will be kept open). Click here to sign on. (If you have any technical difficulties signing on, e-mail your sign-on information to emelcher@frac.org.)

Immediate Action Step Two - Tell Members of Congress and the White House to Fix the Bills and Stop SNAP/Food Stamp Cuts

Contact Senators and the White House and tell them cutting SNAP/Food Stamps benefits, now or in the future, is unacceptable. For the Capitol Switchboard, call 202-225-3121; for the White House, call 202-456-1414. For toll-free calls, call 1-866-277-7617 and get connected first to the Capitol Switchboard and then routed to the White House. (Thanks to Voices for America's Children for use of its toll-free number).

Background - Legislative Vehicles

The proposal to pay for spending for other programs by rolling back the boost that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) made to SNAP benefit levels has cropped up in a variety of contexts. The FMAP bill would reduce SNAP benefits in April 2014 to generate $11.9 billion to pay for items such as aid to states and funding for teachers' salaries as well as to reduce the budget deficit. The manager's amendment to the Child Nutrition bill would reduce monthly SNAP benefits beginning August 2016 to generate $2.4 billion to pay for part of the Reauthorization (S. 3307). These bills should be fixed - they should not be paid for with low-income peoples' food benefits. Congress should not be voting to increase hunger.

Questions and Answers

A brief from FRAC provides greater background on the proposed SNAP benefit cuts. It explains the context and impact on needy low-income households. It addresses head-on the misstatements commonly made in connection with the benefit cut proposals. Feel free to use this brief as well as the group sign-on letter in your communications with Members of Congress, the White House and local media.

Updated State-by-State SNAP Participation Data

SNAP participation in May 2010 rose to another record level (more than 40.8 million people). New FRAC charts provide data on the numbers of SNAP participants by state in May 2010 as well as what percentage of each state's population is participating in SNAP.

Longer Term Outlook

FRAC will be providing you with additional information in coming days on ways to build opposition to the SNAP benefit cuts during the August recess.

 

HPNAP Suspended Until Further Notice - Tell Albany to End This Crisis!

Albany's dysfunction is now literally keeping food from people who desperately need it. The state has not reimbursed for emergency food purchased through the Department of Health's (DOH's) Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program (HPNAP) since April, causing a real crisis for the food banks, food pantries and soup kitchens that participate in this program. And without a completed state budget, not only have expenditures on existing HPNAP contracts come to a halt, contracts for the current fiscal year cannot be approved – meaning the state supply of emergency food has been cut off.

We understand that this will impact your ability to provide needed food to your community. We know that the recession has driven up demand at food pantries and soup kitchens across the city, but until the Governor, the State Senate and the Assembly take action, this crisis will continue.

Tell them that New Yorkers who struggle to put food on the table cannot go another day without HPNAP – EMAIL ALBANY'S LEADERSHIP AND YOUR LEGISLATORS NOW!

Clicking on the link above will take you to a pre-filled form for all of your elected reps--NO Searching Involved! Please take ONE MINUTE to fill in your address and click SEND!

General information

Hunger and Homelessness:

• For more information on hunger and ways that you can help, contact the following organizations:
• New York City Coalition Against Hunger: www.nyccah.org
• Hunger Action Network of New York State: www.hungeractionnys.org
• Food Bank for New York City: www.foodbanknyc.org
• City Harvest: www.cityharvest.org

• For more information on homelessness and ways that you can help, contact the following organizations:
• Coalition for the Homeless: www.coalitionforthehomeless.org
• Interfaith Assembly on Homelessness and Housing: www.iahh.org
• Partnership for the Homeless: www.partnershipforthehomeless.org
• Picture the Homeless: www.picturethehomeless.org

Find Your Elected Officials!

Find and contact your local, state and federal legislators to urge them to support programs that alleviate hunger and homelessness and assist people in moving out of poverty!

• Mayor Michael Bloomberg: NYC Government Web Portal
• City Council members: http://council.nyc.gov/html/members/members.shtml
• Governor David Paterson: http://www.state.ny.us/governor/contact/index.html
• New York State Assembly members: http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/
• New York State Senators: http://www.nysenate.gov/
• President Barack Obama: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact
• U.S. Representatives: http://www.house.gov/
• U.S. Senators: http://www.senate.gov/