Help Protect Food Assistance Programs - Capital Area Food Bank
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Help Protect Food Assistance Programs

By Brian Banks • May 7, 2012

Your support is urgently needed! Please reach out to your Congressional representatives and ask them to support the Farm Bill’s food assistance programs. Proposed spending cuts will impact over 46.2 million of our nation’s less fortunate that rely on federal food assistance. Public hearings commence tomorrow. Now is the time to act.

Farm Bill Background
The U.S. House of Representatives is considering reducing the Farm Bill by $23 billion and the U.S. Senate cuts are estimated at $33 billion.
The Capital Area Food Bank’s Public Policy and Community Outreach Department works to ensure that our Congressional representatives support the our nation’s nutrition safety net.
Those of us who work in the area of hunger-relief are very concerned that two important programs in the Farm Bill are in jeopardy of being cut – the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamp benefits; and the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). SNAP is facing $4.2 billion in funding cuts. Other programs in the Farm Bill that ensure that food is available for children, senior citizens and the disabled are also in danger of being reduced or cut altogether.

How You Can Help


Locate and contact your state’s U.S. Senators and House representative. Ask to speak to the person on staff who works on the Farm Bill. Feel free to use the script we prepared below:

Hello. My name is ________________, I am calling from YOUR ORGANIZATION and we are located at CITY & ZIP CODE . I learned of the potential cuts to SNAP funding in the 2012 Farm Bill from the Capital Area Food Bank. As your constituent, I am concerned that people in need across our country and in our region will suffer greatly if the SNAP program is cut. Farm Bill nutrition programs are working effectively to protect against hunger and promote nutrition among our nation’s most vulnerable, including children, seniors, the disabled, and low-income families. We urge your member to protect the Farm Bill and its critically important safety net programs.

Also, invite the member, or his/her staff member to volunteer at your organization and meet the people that you serve.

Finally, email the Capital Area Food Bank at advocacy@CapitalAreaFoodBank.org to let us know you made contact with one of your Congressional representatives or staff members and let us know what response you received.