TAKE ACTION TODAY!
Contact Your
Congress Member 
ACT NOW TO HELP SAVE THE CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS!

Child Nutrition Partners,

 On May 18th the House Committee on Education and the Workforce passed the Improving Child Nutrition and Education Act of 2016 (H.R. 5003). In addition to diminishing the impact of the child nutrition programs, this bill included (at the last minute) a dangerous provision to block grant school meals. Advocates, school professionals, industry, and individuals are coming together to tell Congress that this bill sets a dangerous precedent and hurts children by weakening the child nutrition programs.

Here's everything you need to know to take a stand for our child nutrition programs. link
Here are 4 simple ways you can show your support:
  1. Sign on to this letter opposing the three-state block grant of the school meal programs contained in H.R. 5003.
  2. Tweet your Representative. Find their Twitter handles here. 
    • Sample tweet: Join @[your org twitter handle] & 1000s of orgs opposing school meal block grant. #stoptheblock #cnr2016 Sign statement today! bit.ly/1VA1C1u 
  3. Call or send an e-mail to your local Representative.
    • Find your Representative's contact information.
    • Feel free to personalize and adapt the following script to use for an e-mail or phone call:
My name is (name) and I live in (city), California. I am writing/calling to strongly urge you to reject the Improving Child Nutrition and Education Act of 2016 (H.R. 5003), which, unlike its name suggests, decreases access to healthy meals and rolls back progress made on nutrition standards.

Nearly 2.5 million children live in food-insecure households in California. For those vulnerable children, meals served at school are a critical resource -- and may be the only nutritious meals they receive all day. Eligible students' access to these healthy meals supports their growth and development and boosts their academic success. H.R. 5003 counters these benefits by:
  • Allowing a block granting demonstration project in three states and setting a dangerous precedent for the future of these programs in all states.
  • Limiting eligible students' participation in the school meal programs through harsh changes to the Community Eligibility Provision, increasing verification that will inevitably cause eligible students to lose access to free and reduced-price school meals, and restricting schools' ability to effectively conduct outreach.
  • Rolling back progress on school meal nutrition standards, which nearly all California schools are meeting; and
  • Denying California the opportunity to implement Summer EBT for Children - a highly effective strategy for reducing childhood hunger during summer months.
H.R. 5003 harms California's most vulnerable children. Please consider the importance of the vital child nutrition programs and let me know that I can count on you to oppose H.R. 5003.
   

4. Share this alert with your colleagues and friends by clicking "Forward this email" at the bottom of this email.

Helpful CFPA Resources
Learn more about food insecurity in your county through CFPA's County Profiles.
Learn more about student participation in the National School Lunch & School Breakfast Programs and the resulting fiscal impact on California's public school districts through CFPA's school meal analysis.  

Questions? Please contact Elyse Homel Vitale at 510.433.1122 ext. 206.

 www.cfpa.net