Special Edition Nutrition Action Alert: Make an Impact! Support CFPA's Work to End Hunger and Poor Nutrition in California

November 24, 2015

In This Issue

CFPA Sac Bee Op-Ed: "Have You Eaten Today?"

Support CFPA's Work this Holiday Season

Take Action! Tell Congress to End Summer Hunger!

Please join CFPA this Thanksgiving in identifying solutions for California's families and individuals who lack adequate access to the healthy food they need to grow, learn, and thrive. We believe in the powerful benefits of our federal nutrition programs, which is why CFPA is taking action on policy and advocacy opportunities that increase access to and maximize the benefits of these programs.

In this Special Edition Nutrition Action Alert, you'll hear from CFPA's Board and Executive Director about the promising practice of conducting food insecurity screenings for children in healthcare settings. You'll also learn about ways to make an impact by supporting CFPA's work. Take a look and consider helping CFPA decrease food insecurity and promote improved health and well-being in California by making a small donation.

CFPA In the News!

CFPA applauds the American Academy of Pediatrics' new recommendations on food insecurity screenings for children

In Sunday's Sacramento Bee opinion page, CFPA Board Member Dr. Hilary Seligman and Executive Director George Manalo-LeClair praise the American Academy of Pediatrics for encouraging healthcare providers to conduct food insecurity screenings for all children they treat. The Academy also goes further than simply identifying instances of childhood hunger by promoting federal nutrition programs like WIC (Women, Infants and Children), CalFresh and school meals as resources for families struggling to afford enough food.

There are a number of ways California's policymakers can and should play a vital role in supporting hungry families:

Moving school breakfast after the start of the school day, which has been shown to dramatically increases student participation.

Creating a water benefit for low-income Californians living in communities where the public water system is unsafe to drink.

Closing the summer hunger gap for students by supporting Summer EBT, which allows families to purchase groceries for their children from supermarkets and other food stores with a debit card during the summer months when school meals aren't being served.

Read the full op-ed. PDF

Questions? Contact George Manalo-LeClair at 510-433-1122 ext 103

This Holiday Season, Support CFPA's Work to

End Hunger and Poor Nutrition in California

Impact.

A pear. An egg sandwich. Milk. That is what thousands of school kids in one southern California school district ate last Friday thanks to our past efforts to establish a breakfast after the bell policy in their community.

A shopping cart full of groceries. That is what tens of thousands of our neighbors were able to purchase this month thanks to our efforts to remove barriers to participation in CalFresh.

A drink of water . That is what school what many school children were able to enjoy at lunch this week thanks to our policy efforts to require access to water at school.

A pile of paper. A free lunch. The former is what school administrators were able to avoid in providing the latter to hundred of low-income students thanks to our efforts to expand paperless enrollment to free school meals.

These are just a few of the real-world impacts resulting from the work of California Food Policy Advocates.

We haven't yet eliminated hunger and poor nutrition in California. How can we can continue this history of success and have even more of an impact in the future? With your support.

Here are several ways to support the work of California Food Policy Advocates. Take a look and see if there's a comfortable one for you. Then together we can celebrate the impact of your support.

Learn more about how to support CFPA's work. link

Questions? Contact George Manalo-LeClair at 510.433.1122 ext.103

Take Action: Tell Congress to End Summer Hunger!

Congress is making important decisions about the child nutrition programs. Now is the time to act: show your support of the Stop Child Summer Hunger Act today!

Nearly 2 million of California's most vulnerable kids fall into the summer nutrition gap. While these children benefit from free or reduced-price school lunches during the academic year, they miss out on similar meals during the summer. That puts California's low-income kids at further risk for hunger and food insecurity.

By expanding the Summer EBT program, the Stop Child Summer Hunger Act would help ensure that all California kids have year-round access to nutritious meals they need to learn, grow, and achieve. Summer EBT is a nutrition benefit available to low-income families with children. The benefit can be used to purchase groceries when school is out of session.

Join us to support all children having year-round access to nutritious meals! Act TODAY by asking your California Representatives to become co-sponsors of this important legislation.