The major debate in the House Agriculture Committee was whether to reform the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps. Close to 50 million Americans are eligible for SNAP, which provides grocery purchasing assistance to people who meet the federal requirements determined by the United States Department of Agriculture. The committee voted to remove state programs that increase SNAP benefits, and to stop federal incentives to states for getting eligible people signed up for the SNAP program. SNAP for college students has been limited, and the USDA will no longer be able to spend funds to advertise the program.

Many anti-hunger organizations, including food banks, do not agree with the proposed cuts to the SNAP program. To this day, Congress has not reauthorized a new Farm Bill. It is the responsibility of the people to continue letting Congress know that SNAP is an important program and that we should not limit benefits to those who are eligible. Limiting benefits would cause an increase in hunger in the local area, as well as across our entire country.

I would like to know about your experience with the SNAP program. Will you e-mail me your story? I will take these stories to Congress so that our voices can be heard. So leave a comment here, or e-mail me at BBanks@CapitalAreaFoodBank.org.

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The SNAP Challenge is a week-long commitment to buying and eating on a limited budget; specifically, a SNAP budget. SNAP is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program formerly known as Food Stamps. Close to 50 million Americans are at risk of or suffering from hunger. In the Washington metro area, around 680,000 people are at risk of hunger. Many of our neighbors rely on their SNAP benefits to put food on their tables.

Critics see the SNAP Challenge as a political ploy or a fad. No matter how it is perceived, the challenge is an opportunity to bring awareness to an issue that many people forget about after the holidays. Recently, I had the opportunity to join Montgomery County Councilwoman Valerie Ervin as a guest on radio host Kojo Nnamdi’s program on NPR’s WAMU 88.5 as the three of us discussed the SNAP Program.

You can listen to a recording of the program here. Please let us know what you think about the SNAP.

We also encourage you to contact the Capital Area Food Bank with your questions about the SNAP program. You can reach us at 202-644-9800. We have staff members who focus on specific areas in the region and can answer your questions about SNAP eligibility and the application process. If you live in Montgomery County, ask for Christine Paukstis. Prince George’s County residents, please ask to be directed to Jahnin Davis. Residents of the District of Columbia should contact Amanda Melara with questions. If you live in Northern Virginia, contact Lilia Torres at 703-541-0179.

The post Radio Host Kojo Nnamdi Sheds Light on Hunger appeared first on Capital Area Food Bank.

Now is the time to get on the phone or e-mail your state delegates and senators and ask them to support organizations that work to assist those who are in need of food assistance and other safety-net issues. Hunger in our community is here and we must take advantage of all available resources in order to obtain the healthy and nutritious foods our community members need, as well as empower those in our community with information that will help them in their time of need. Our legislators have the power to not only bring attention to the issues we all care about; they can also provide funding and other valuable resources to the entire region that we serve.

In Maryland:

1. 12 percent of citizens in Suburban Maryland are at risk of hunger and 18 percent of children age 18 and under are suffering from hunger. US Census ACS
2. In Prince George’s and Montgomery counties, 1 in 5 children under the age of 18 is at risk of hunger. US Census ACS

In Virginia:

1. Over 217,000 people (about 13 percent) are at risk or experiencing hunger in Northern Virginia. (This includes Alexandria City; Manassas City; and Arlington, Fairfax, and Prince William counties.) US Census ACS
2. In Northern Virginia, 1 in 6 children under the age of 18 is at risk of hunger. US Census ACS

No matter where you are in the Washington metro area, many of your constituents are having to make the sad choice between buying food this month or paying the bills. Our senior citizens have to make the choice between purchasing food or buying the medication that is vital for them to lead healthy lives.

Will you take a moment to contact your state delegate and state senator? Tell your Maryland or Virginia legislator about your community’s needs, the challenges you face in serving the community and ask them to make a commitment to the hungry people in your community.

The post Now is the Time to Contact Your State Legislators appeared first on Capital Area Food Bank.

For Americans and food banks across the nation the passage of the American Tax Relief is good news. However, there is much work still to be done to ensure that our nation’s entitlement programs do not disappear or receive major cuts at the end of FY 2013.

Congressional Republicans are moving forward to support cuts to programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Prior to the recent passage of the American Tax Relief Act, the U.S. Senate approved SNAP cuts of $4 Billion and the House called for cuts of $16 Billion. The proposed cuts will most likely include the removal of the employment training program which is under SNAP. This enables people to receive the help and assistance needed to not only find career opportunities, but to obtain the skills to maintain consistent success once in the workplace.

Experts believe that cuts to the Farm Bill’s safety-net programs will occur after the one-year extension just approved by Congress and that Congress will probably have less funding for a five-year Farm Bill reauthorization. Therefore, if there is less funding, there will be fewer dollars to put into the programs that people in need rely on to get them back on their feet. The question you are most likely wondering is, “how much should we expect in cuts?” My answer to that is simple; don’t ask that question just yet. At this time you should contact your legislators, and encourage them to protect the safety-net programs in the Farm Bill.

Will you take time to write your legislators? Please tell them your own personal story, and why the safety-net programs are important to you, your family, your neighbors, your friends and your co-workers. And when you write please ask them not to cut the SNAP or TEFAP programs.

Other important items included in the American Tax Relief Act:

• 2009 expansion of Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Credit and the American Opportunity Tax Credit will be extended for five years,
• taxes will not rise on middle class and low-income Americans,
• a congressional pay freeze will be in effect, and
• unemployment insurance will receive a one-year extension, benefitting the unemployed if they have not worked in 26 weeks.

The post Congress Passes American Tax Relief Act of 2012 appeared first on Capital Area Food Bank.

But the 2012 election is over now, and in addition to re-electing President Barack Obama, Democrats held on to the majority in the U.S. Senate and the Republican Party remains the majority in the House.

What happens now in the White House and in Congress?

There are many issues: health care, education, taxes… but I will focus on an issue near and dear to our hearts: agriculture.

During President Obama’s first term he and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack made a commitment to support agriculture and nutrition programs, and both have vowed to continue that commitment. In 2012 the White House was unsuccessful in negotiations with Congress to pass a five-year Farm Bill, while the President endorsed the Senate’s Bill.

Different versions of Farm Bill

The Senate Farm Bill has a total of $4.5 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), compared to $16 billion of cuts in the House Bill and the House version will impact program eligibility resulting in people losing some or all of their benefits.

The Senate Bill also included an extra $174 million to The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). The Senate bill received bi-partisan votes for passage in the Agriculture Committee and on the Senate floor.

Despite the House and Senate making progress on both versions of their bills, the Farm Bill expired on September 30, 2012. In both bills there are cuts, and cuts will remain. The difference is that the House Bill cuts $35 billion in spending and the Senate cuts $23 billion over ten years.

The prediction from many experts is that it is highly unlikely for Congress to reauthorize the Farm Bill during the current lame duck session. Therefore we should expect the Farm Bill to receive a one-year extension, with the 113th Congress working to reauthorize a five-year bill. We should expect the Republican Party to continue seeking cuts to the SNAP program.

Let’s keep moving

We should also expect the White House to continue investing in reform to combat childhood obesity through First Lady Obama’s Let’s Move campaign, and the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 which brings healthy food into our nation’s school systems.

The Capital Area Food Bank would like to see the administration bring attention to the lack of access to healthy and nutritious foods, and to form a solid plan to give access to our most vulnerable neighbors.

While 2012 brings an end to election season, many issues discussed over the past year remain in limbo.

Although we will see progress in 2013, we must continue working with our legislators to inform them what their constituents find important. We must continue telling our stories, inviting elected officials to our facilities to see not only how we serve people, but to experience firsthand the reality constituents face on a daily basis. The time for progress is now, and we will move forward.

The post Moving Forward After the Election appeared first on Capital Area Food Bank.

The Capital Area Food Bank had a fabulous time with Anne Holton, wife of former Virginia Governor and current U.S. Senate candidate Tim Kaine on October 16 when she stopped by to volunteer at our Northern Virginia food distribution center located in Lorton.

“I came to highlight the great work these guys are doing, and how important it is during these tough days,” she told me during her visit.

Ms. Holton was Virginia’s first daughter when her father Linwood Holton served as governor from 1970-1974. She became Virginia’s First Lady in 2005 when her husband Tim Kaine took office.

Ms. Holton devoted her career to serving as an advocate for Virginia’s families and children. She served as an attorney for the Central Virginia Legal Aid, served as a judge on the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court and was the Chief Judge to the court from 2000-2002.

When her husband was elected, Ms. Holton stepped down from the bench and launched her signature initiative, “For Keeps: Families for all Virginia Teens,” finding and strengthening permanent family connections for older children in foster care, or children at risk for entering care.

During her visit to the food bank, she packed Kids Cafe bags, and told me “programs like Kids Cafe at the Capital Area Food Bank provide critical services for children in need in our communities.”

Our Kids Cafe program works with local partners and community centers to provide nutritious meals to children in Northern Virginia. Last year, the program served more than 344,000 meals to more than 1,800 children.

The Capital Area Food Bank thanks Anne Holton for volunteering her time and bringing attention to the issue of child hunger in Northern Virginia. If you would like to volunteer your time please visit http://www.capitalareafoodbank.org/volunteer/ to sign up to volunteer.

The post Anne Holton Volunteers at CAFB’s Virginia Branch appeared first on Capital Area Food Bank.

On this day, local dignitaries helped bag groceries at the ShopRite in White Oak to raise awareness of hunger while shoppers were given the opportunity to make monetary donations to the Capital Area Food Bank and other food pantries in the state.

Representing the Capital Area Food Bank, it was my distinct honor to participate in “ShopRite Partners in Caring Day” with congressional and county executive staffers and members of the Hillandale Baptist Church. It’s important to note that the food bank is able to provide three meals for each dollar that it receives as a donation.

I would like to thank ShopRite’s staff for inviting me to be an honorary grocery bagger for the day, and for doing their part to support our community’s families who are at risk of hunger.

ShopRite is an impressive grocery store that not only raises money for the hungry, but also offers the services of a staff dietician to help customers buy the appropriate foods to support their diets.

The post ShopRite Supports the Hungry appeared first on Capital Area Food Bank.

Years ago, the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the terms of surrender, the twelve districts agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual event that would be televised throughout all the districts.

The event is known as The Hunger Games, a strategic fight to the death that can have only one winner. If the odds are in your favor and you win you will forever be showered in fame, wealth and food. This story is fictitious, however, every day there are people throughout the United States who are in a strategic fight to put healthy and nutritious food on the table to feed their families. These people are reluctantly starring in the real life hunger games; unfortunately, their lives are reality and really not a game.

The reality is that one in six Americans suffers from hunger. Did you see six people today? If so, statistics tell us that one person that crossed your path is suffering from hunger. In the Washington metro area there are 680,612 people that are at risk of hunger and lack adequate access to food, 200,000 of whom are children. In the United States, 95.9 million American are at risk of, or suffering from hunger by living at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty level (see chart below). This includes 30.3 million children under the age of 18, and 12.1 million senior citizens.

Imagine living a life where you work five days a week and are paid $8.25 per hour, the minimum wage in Washington, D.C. In Maryland and Virginia the minimum wage is $7.25. Earning $8.25 per hour would translate into an annual income of $17,160. This same person would have to pay monthly utility bills that average:

Gas $70.00 + Electric $55.00 + Water $40.00 + Cable $50.00 + Phone $70.00 + Rent/Mortgage $1,800 = $2,085/month ($25,020/year).

The person in Washington, DC making a minimum wage would easily need an extra $7,860 just to pay bills. Did you notice this person has not paid for health care, transportation, clothes, or any other normal expense? And, yes, that minimum wage earner has not purchased food. For those reading this who cannot relate to a person making a minimum wage, I will gladly share this fact with you: A person making $60,000 per year before taxes lives on an estimated $34,980 after bills are paid annually. This also does not include the purchase of health care, transportation/gas, clothes, food and any other necessities. This also does not include child care expenses which could easily be $250 a week per child. Have you noticed in both of these real life scenarios that the money earned disappears rapidly?

In order to be self-sufficient in the Washington metro area, a person must net on average $61,277 per year. It is my belief that $61,277 is low and that many people with families bringing in this total amount per year are struggling to survive. I can only wonder if our United States Congress has an understanding of the effort it takes hard working Americans to live productive lives without the worry or how they will pay the bills, put gas in the car, pay for child care, afford health care, and put healthy and nutritious food on the table.

Do you have a personal story to tell about your very own personal Hunger Games? If so please respond to this blog, and take time to call your elected officials at 1-800-614-2803 and tell them about your everyday reality.

The post Hunger is Not a Game appeared first on Capital Area Food Bank.

If SNAP is cut this is what will happen:

• 500,000 households would see benefits cut on average by $90 per month
• 300,000 children would lose their free school meals
• 2 to 3 million individuals would lose their food assistance entirely

How You Can Help

Members of Congress are waiting to hear your opinions on the cuts. Please call your representative now at 1-877-698-8228. When you call:

1. Listen to the pre-recorded message and enter your zip code when prompted. You will immediately be connected to the appropriate congressional office.
2. Give your name and inform the person answering the phone that you are a constituent. Identify your city of residence. Also, please let them know that you rely on the Capital Area Food Bank for federal commodities and SNAP Assistance for your clients.
3. Use the following script:
   Hello. My name is ________________, I am calling to strongly oppose cuts to SNAP included in the Farm Bill. These cuts would cripple members of the community that are already struggling with putting food on the table to feed themselves and their children. The Capital Area Food Bank is already under pressure to meet the community’s needs. These cuts would force people to rely heavily on charities, and charities cannot meet the great need without help from the federal government. Please urge your colleagues on the House Agriculture Committee to reject cuts to SNAP and all hunger relief programs.
4. After you call, please encourage your network to make the same call.

Thank you from The Capital Area Food Bank! If you have questions please call Brian D. Banks, Director of Public Policy & Community Outreach for the Capital Area Food Bank at 202-526-5344 or send an e-mail to BanksB@CapitalAreaFoodBank.org.

The post Protecting SNAP is a Priority appeared first on Capital Area Food Bank.

All votes on nutrition programs have been concluded. Unfortunately Senator Gillibrand’s amendment to restore cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) failed. The cuts to SNAP will affect nearly 500 thousand households. These households will lose an estimated $90 per month that they used to put food on the table. This will undoubtedly boost the hardship that many families face in our area.

Despite cuts, the Capital Area Food Bank supports the Farm Bill moving forward during this session. It is still possible for the Senate to create a strong Farm Bill that supports the nutrition programs relied on by the people the food bank regularly serves. If the Senate decides to wait until next year to finalize the Farm Bill, there may be potentially larger cuts to food assistance.

How You Can Help

Your calls are critical to the success of strengthening the nutrition title in the Farm Bill and potentially reviving Senator Gillibrand’s amendment. The Capital Area Food Bank network has done a great job educating our legislators on the needs of their constituents. We must not let up. Phone calls to both of your U.S. Senators will make a difference this morning. Ask to speak to the person on staff who works on the Farm Bill, and simply state:

Thank you in advance for all your help!

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