Nutrition Action Alert
February 2, 2016
In This Issue
Immediate Action Needed: Contact your Senators Today! 
Congress is making important decisions that will affect critical child nutrition programs for years to come. Now is the time to act: tell Congress that California kids deserve better access to nutritious meals!

EMAIL, CALL, OR TWEET SENATORS BOXER AND FEINSTEIN TODAY!

CONTACT INFORMATION: 

Senator Barbara Boxer
Phone: (202) 224-3553, EMAIL
Twitter: @SenatorBoxer

Senator Dianne Feinstein
Phone: (202) 224-3841, EMAIL
Twitter: @SenFeinstein

CFPA has drafted a customizable sample letter to Senators Boxer and Feinstein. Please feel free to personalize and adapt this letter for an email or phone call. doc

Read CFPA's letter to Senators Boxer and Feinstein and the Senate Agriculture Committee. PDF

Additional Information
On January 20, the Senate Agriculture Committee passed a bipartisan child nutrition reauthorization bill, the Improving Child Nutrition Integrity and Access Act of 2016. The bill proposes changes to the school lunch and breakfast programs, the Summer Food Service Program, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, and WIC, among others.

Read the full Senate bill. PDF

CFPA is optimistic about many of the program improvements put forward in the bill. We also recognize opportunities for the bill to go further:
  • Expand Summer EBT to substantively reduce hunger and improve nutrition.
  • Automatically enroll eligible children in free school meals and uphold program integrity by strengthening existing direct certification requirements and expanding Medi-Cal (Medicaid) direct certification.
  • Allow an additional meal for children in child care for nine or more hours.
Read CFPA's full response to the Senate bill. link

TIME IS RUNNING OUT!

Child Nutrition Reauthorization decisions are being made right now. Please be sure to contact your Senator TODAY!

Questions? Contact Anna Colby at 213.482.8200 ext 204
The White House Focuses on Child Hunger 
Last week, the White House hosted a conversation on child hunger in America and announced two promising new investments in child nutrition: (1) a proposal to give more kids year-round access to nutritious meals by expanding Summer EBT for Children and (2) federal action to improve eligible students' access to school meals by increasing direct certification with Medi-Cal data.  

These investments highlight two policy priorities that CFPA has long championed as a means of connecting California kids with the nutritious meals they need to learn, grow, and achieve at their full potential.

Read more about the White House announcements on Summer EBT and direct certification. link

CFPA Board Member, Dr. Hilary Seligman, was invited to join the 1/27 White House event. She presented a summary of research on the connections between food insecurity and health, highlighting some of the medical costs that result from insufficient food budgets.

Watch Hilary in action. link

Read the event fact sheet. link

Find the event agenda here. link
 
Questions? Contact Anna Colby at 213.482.8200 ext 204
You Are Invited to ENACT Day 2016!
The annual ENACT Nutrition and Physical Activity Day brings community members and advocates from all over California together in Sacramento to learn about and support state policies promoting physical activity.

March 30, 2016 - 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
St John's Lutheran Church
1701 L St, Sacramento, CA 95811


ENACT Day is FREE. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. All you need is your passion, and an optional donation. Space is limited! If you are unable to attend the event in person but would still like to participate, you can register for Virtual ENACT Day, where we will work with you to use your email, telephone, and social media accounts to tell your story and get your message across. No matter where you are, we welcome you to join us!

Registration closes March 21st.

A limited number of travel scholarships are available. We encourage you to apply early to help us fulfill as many requests as possible. If you would like to apply for a travel scholarship, please complete the online application survey by February 29. link

ENACT Day is a collaborative effort of the following organizations:
American Heart Association,
California Food Policy Advocates,
CA4Health,
California Center for Public Health Advocacy,
California Pan Ethnic Health Network,
Prevention Institute,
Public Health Institute,
Safe Routes to Schools National Partnership

Questions? Contact Tracey Patterson at 510.433.1122 ext 101
Apply Now for 2016 Sarah Samuels 
Public Health Fellowship
We are currently seeking graduate-level applicants for the Sarah Samuels Public Health Fellowship for Summer 2016.

The Sarah Samuels Public Health Fellowship is now open. link

Long-time board member, Sarah Samuels, left an indelible mark on California Food Policy Advocates. Sarah was a leader in conducting and applying research to shape sound nutrition policies. She was also a supportive mentor of new public health professionals. To honor these contributions and to continue her work, CFPA has established the Sarah Samuels Public Health Fellowship. 

Applicants must be currently enrolled in an advanced degree program and demonstrate a strong interest and commitment to public health (particularly public health nutrition). Applications are due by March 4.  PDF

Questions? Contact Tracey Patterson at 510.433.1122 x 101.
Main Office | 436 14th Street, Suite 1220 | Oakland, CA 94612 | 510.433.1122
Los Angeles | 205 S. Broadway, Suite 402 | Los Angeles, CA 90012 | 213.482.8200