October 13, 2010
Congress Passes Child Nutrition Reauthorization
Last week congress passed The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (S.3307) which puts more meals on the table for hungry children. The bill now heads to President Obama for his signature which he is expected to do quickly.
Although the passage of this bill represents great strides forward in feeding hungry children, there is still work to be done. Some SNAP (food stamps) benefits were cut in order to pay for parts of the bill. If you live in Western Washington please send a "Thank You" to your US Representative for voting yes on the bill and ask them to now turn their attention to restoring the cuts made to SNAP benefits.
Because of this bill more children will now be eligible to receive free or reduced lunches at school. After school meal programs will also be eligible to all 50 United States, and the legislation will establish new regulations for healthier food served in cafeterias.
These are significant achievements and we celebrate their success in taking on step closer to ending childhood hunger in America and here in Washington State.
Thank you for all of your e-mails, postcards, and phone calls over the past 2 years and for partnering with us to raise awareness on this issue! Through our Delivery Time action alerts nearly 300 messages, including calls and e-mails, were sent to our decision makers. Thousands of signed postcards collected during our Child Nutrition Reauthorization Postcard Campaign were delivered this year to Rep. Jim McDermott. The passage of S.3307 is proof that your advocacy truly made a difference.
We applaud the US House of Representatives for their fast work in passing this important bill during their busy lame duck session. However, there is still more work to be done. We will continue to work with our legislators and keep up the grassroots pressure to restore the SNAP (food stamp) benefit cuts that take away dinner to pay for lunch.
Do you have questions, or want to be more involved in advocacy? Contact Candace Wilkinson via email or by calling 206-545-6600.