As an organization working to get good food out today and build brighter futures for tomorrow, we know that advocacy is a key part of making that mission possible. From working with legislators to secure funding for essential anti-hunger initiatives to empowering clients to share their stories through our Client Leadership Council, our work advocates for effective policies at every level of government.
We sat down with Joe Liu, CAFB’s Director of Policy and Advocacy, to learn more about the team he leads and how they work throughout the year to influence policies that can reduce food insecurity.
1. What does the advocacy team look like at CAFB?
The advocacy team at Capital Area Food Bank is comprised of a team of three that works closely together to analyze and advocate for policies across DC, Maryland and Virginia. We also recruit clients and support them in becoming advocates through our Client Leadership Council, a 10-month long training program that empowers individuals to use their lived experiences to influence change and shape policy decisions.
2. What is your mission with advocacy?
Our mission is the same as everyone else’s here at the food bank: to provide good food today and brighter futures for tomorrow. Our policy agendas focus on what we can do right now to help those facing food insecurity as well as other long-term policy changes we pursue over time. Some goals may take several years to achieve, but we work steadily toward them so we can make meaningful progress over time.
3. Tell me more about CAFB’s unique position in covering 3 state level and multiple county level jurisdictions.
It means many miles in our cars driving to Annapolis, Richmond, and various county government offices. We track a lot of moving pieces and really rely on our coalition partners who also work on these issues. That way, we can share responsibilities and ensure that everything gets covered without having to be everywhere at once.
4. What does it mean to work with coalition partners?
We work closely with groups like the Maryland Hunger Coalition, and with food equity councils and food policy councils in each jurisdiction. I also sit on the Maryland Food Resilience Council, which includes city and county officials, as well as legislators, all examining food policy issues. We’re part of a larger network of people who share common goals.
5. Do you have any examples of working with members of a coalition?
One of my favorite recent examples is when I went and testified for a bill about helping schools get easier access to local foods at school lunch and school breakfast. The other person testifying was from the Farm Bureau. We were able to bring watermen from the Eastern Shore who are catching and freezing invasive blue catfish out of the Chesapeake and distributing that fish straight to schools. Collaborations like that show how we can improve policy and make local, healthy foods more accessible to school kids.
6. What are the top priorities for advocacy this year?
First, we want to secure more resources for the food bank and subsequently for our partners directly distributing food and putting it into the hands of our neighbors to meet the elevated levels of need we’re seeing. In Maryland, our top priority is to expand funding for food banks in the state, and that’s us covering Montgomery and Prince George’s counties and the Maryland Food Bank out of Baltimore that covers the rest of the state. We aim to ensure that public investments are multiplied by private philanthropy and donated food from the food industry, so everyone benefits on a much larger scale.
Another priority is expanding Food Is Medicine initiatives. Our healthcare pilot programs show that providing healthy food to people with chronic conditions not only improves health and food security but also reduces healthcare costs. We also continue to push for universal school meals and expanded SNAP eligibility.
7. How do you work to advocate for these policy agendas?
We are constantly talking to legislators and other key stakeholders about potential bills. Sometimes we are used as a reference, “We heard from CAFB that this is a big issue.”
When a bill is introduced, we analyze it, suggest amendments, and provide additional perspectives. We try and talk with everyone in our region as much as possible. During busy legislative sessions we focus on hearings for bills with traction while building long-term relationships with policymakers.
8. How does having data from the Hunger Report shape the creation of advocacy agendas?
The Hunger Report is probably the tent pole for our advocacy work. It’s a hard edged, data driven presentation of what food security looks like in the Washington Metropolitan Area. Everybody from policy makers, foundations, members of state and local government look for and expect the yearly report. They rely on the data to make their own assessments of what and where needs are, and what they should do to address the need for food assistance. It provides us an opportunity to make the rounds and say: here is the latest data on food insecurity in our region.
9. How does the Client Leadership Council (CLC) fit into your advocacy work?
Our Client Leadership Council brings in the voice of people with lived experience who are actually affected by many of the policies and bills that are being considered. They can say, “this policy made a huge difference in my life,” whether by helping them finish college, get a better job, or feed a family. That is a powerful motivator, which resonates with legislators. I hear that from legislators, that they want to fight for a bill because the story of someone’s lived experience made an impact on them. These connections ensure that our clients’ voices are heard and that they know they can influence policy.
10. Is there anything else you want to share?
We know that there are a lot of people who care about the food bank and care about the communities we serve. We want to expand our advocacy to other people who want to be involved and make their voices. Our hope is to take advantage of the knowledge and insights that our stakeholders already have and use them to strengthen the food bank’s impact to better serve our clients.
Click here to see our 2025 policy agendas and learn more about our current advocacy priorities.