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SB 499 (McGuire): California-Grown for Healthy Kids

SB 285 (Wiener): CalFresh Connect 

AB 842 (Limón): Hunger-Free Pre-K & Child Care

AB 1508 (Bonta): Breakfast After the Bell


SB 499 (McGuire):  California Grown for Healthy Kids


 
SB 499 (McGuire): The California-Grown for Healthy Kids Act expands the availability of universally free school meals by increasing school districts' capacity to provide healthy meals free of charge to all students through equitable  state funding for California fruit and vegetables.

We are grateful for Senator McGuire's continued leadership to advance universally free, nutritious school meals in California schools, and are counting on you to show strong support:

1) Call, Tweet, Email Your Support for SB 499!  Click here for sample call scripts, emails, and tweets. Prioritize your outreach to Senator Anthony Portantino (D-Glendale), Chair of the Senate Committee on Appropriations. This should take just a few minutes.

Ph. (916) 651-4025
Twitter: @Portantino

2) Stay tuned for a call to action to support Senator McGuire's  budget campaign for funding!

More info at cfpa.net/sb499.

Learn more and stay informed by signing up for CFPA's Action Alerts.

Questions?  Contact Elyse Homel Vitale elyse@cfpa.net
SB 285 (Wiener):  CalFresh Connect


SB 285 (Wiener): Establishes clear goals to improve CalFresh access, starting with seniors and disabled SSI recipients who will be  eligible  for assistance for the first time in decades. Ensures that all low-income Californians have efficient access to CalFresh by phone, online, and in person through dignified means, within an integrated safety net that mitigates poverty and supports health. Sponsored by CFPA, SF-Marin Food Bank, AARP and the California Association of Food Banks. 

We applaud Senator Wiener's commitment to statewide excellence with CalFresh and his leadership towards a human-centered safety net that truly works for the working poor and seniors struggling with poverty. We are counting on you to show strong support!

1) Call, Email, Tweet Your Support for SB 285!  Click here for sample call scripts, emails, and tweets .  Prioritize your outreach to Senator Anthony Portantino (D-Glendale), Chair of the Senate Committee on Appropriations. This should take just a few minutes.

Ph. (916) 651-4025
Twitter: @Portantino

2) Sign on to the coalition budget request for a simplified senior CalFresh application: 
    Send organization logo to jared@cfpa.net.

More info at cfpa.net/sb285.

Learn more and stay informed by signing up for CFPA's Action Alerts.

Questions?  Contact Jared Call  jared@cfpa.net
AB 842 (Limón):  Hunger-Free Pre-K & Child Care


AB 842 (Limón): passed out of the Assembly Committee on Education last week with a unanimous vote of support. AB 842 would increase access to healthy meals for low-income children in preschool and child care. A big thank you to Assemblymember Limón for championing this bill and to all of you for demonstrating wide support for this important piece of legislation! 

Next, AB 842 will head to the Assembly Committee on Appropriations where the bill will need your continued support.  Stay tuned for other opportunities to take action... we will be planning a call-in day to help move the bill out of appropriations and scheduling meetings with members of the appropriations committee. 

Call, Email, Tweet Your Support for AB 842!  Click here for sample call scripts, emails, and tweets .  Prioritize your outreach to Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego), Chair of the Committee on Appropriations. This should take just a few minutes.

Ph. 916.319.2080 
Twitter: @LorenaAB80

Learn more about how you can help increase access to meals for low-income children in preschool and child care.  Visit the AB 842 webpage:  www.cfpa.net/ab842

Learn more and stay informed by signing up for CFPA's Action Alerts.

Questions?  Contact Melissa Cannon melissa@cfpa.net
AB 1508 (Bonta):  Breakfast After the Bell


 AB 1508 (Bonta): will improve student attendance, academic achievement, and health by ensuring that more children in California, particularly those served by high-poverty schools, have access to school breakfast. 

When students are hungry, they can't focus and they struggle to learn. Targeted state investments that expand the availability of Breakfast After the Bell to ensure that all California students can access the nutritious breakfast they need to learn, grow, and thrive.

Learn more about how you can help increase access to nutritious school breakfasts for low-income students.   Visit the AB 1508 webpage:  www.cfpa.net/ab1508.

Stay informed by signing up for CFPA's Action Alerts.

Questions?  Contact Tracey Patterson tracey@cfpa.net
New CFPA Analysis: 2019 Food Insecurity in CA

Across California, 4.7 million adults and 2.0 million children live in low-income households affected by food insecurity. Having sustained access to enough food is tied to positive social, physical, and mental health outcomes. 

In many California communities, the official federal poverty measure does not reflect the true level of need - and neither do program eligibility criteria based on that measure. Below is a comparison of the maximum allowable income (before deductions) for CalFresh, income limits for school meal programs, and the living wage deemed necessary to meet the basic needs of a family of four in California.


The living wage for basic needs varies by California county, but in all cases that wage exceeds the highest allowable income for public nutrition programs such as CalFresh and free or reduced-price school meals. Families who fall into the gap between a living wage and program eligibility struggle to meet their most basic needs - and must do so without having access to the very nutrition assistance programs that are intended to prevent hunger and poor nutrition. 

Read the full Factsheet, with data for the state, counties, and county groups. PDF

Learn more and stay informed by signing up for CFPA's Action Alerts.

Questions?  Contact Tia Shimada tia@cfpa.net