Be a Voice for the Hungry

Together We Can Solve Hunger

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As part of the Feeding America network, we join with more than 200 food banks across the country to advocate for programs that increase opportunity and maintain a bipartisan commitement to protect hungry men, women and children.

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2017 Legislative Priorities

The Proposed 2018 Budget Could Take Meals Away from the People Who Need it Most!

• SNAP cuts: $193 billion in cuts to SNAP, resulting in at least 45 billion meals taken away over 10 years. The proposals would reduce eligibility and benefits and shift significant costs to states. Details of specific policy proposals are on HungerNet.
• TEFAP cuts: $289 million for TEFAP mandatory commodity purchases, which is a $27 million decrease from FY 2017 – this reflects a loss of 33 million meals. $54 million for TEFAP Storage and Distribution funds, which is a $5 million decrease from FY 2017.
• Reduction to the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit by $40.4 billion over 10 years.
• The budget proposed to eliminate the following programs: WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program, School Meal Equipment Grants, LIHEAP, CDBG, CSBG, Emergency Food and Shelter Program, AmeriCorps.

Click here for talking points and sample communication.

ENSURE THE NEXT FARM BILL REDUCES HUNGER IN AMERICA

The federal nutrition safety net is the cornerstone of food assistance to low-income Americans to ensure that they can get the food they need when they fall on hard times. Congress must protect SNAP and other critical programs like TEFAP, CSFP, and child nutrition programs to ensure they remain a resource for millions of Americans in need of food assistance, and should:
• Oppose efforts to block grant or cut SNAP through the federal budget process. The counter-cyclical structure of SNAP allows it to respond efficiently and effectively to changes in the economy.
• Oppose efforts to cut TEFAP and CSFP through the federal budget process.
• Ensure charitable giving incentives that nonprofits rely on and tax credits for working families are protected in any tax reform language included in a budget resolution.

ENSURE THE NEXT FARM BILL REDUCES HUNGER IN AMERICA

The Farm Bill sets food policy and support for numerous critical nutrition and agriculture programs and is a critical cornerstone of supporting both the agriculture community and those that rely on federal nutrition programs. The next farm bill has enormous potential to help reduce hunger and support agriculture by:

Protecting and Strengthening SNAP: SNAP is efficient and effective, reduces food insecurity and helps working families put healthy food on the table. Millions of unemployed Americans remain without a job, food assistance, or a job training program to enable economic recovery.
–Proposals to block grant SNAP, cap or cut funding, or otherwise restrict participation would result in millions more Americans losing food assistance.
–SNAP benefits are inadequate and Feeding America recommends Congress transition to calculating SNAP benefits based on the low-cost food plan.
Protecting and Strengthening The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP): To enable resources needed by food banks, Congress should increase funding for TEFAP food purchases and protect TEFAP storage and distributions funds.

Strengthening donation policies and incentives in the Farm Bill: Feeding America urges Congress to address policy and regulatory barriers to food donation through expanding FSIS and FDA guidelines to include food donation; expand access to USDA grant programs addressing agriculture policy and programs to ensure food donation and food banks are a key component of connecting US consumers with US grown food; and expand resources to invest in ag surplus removal programs in state and regional ag economies to provide growers and food banks a method to connect excess wholesome food with communities in need.

STRENGTHEN THE NONPROFIT COMMUNITY IN TAX REFORM

Tax policy plays a key role in the fight against hunger and helps reduce food waste. Feeding America food banks rely on support from a variety of sources, including individual giving, government commodities, and donations from all segments of the food industry.

Protect and strengthen the charitable tax deduction to ensure the ability of our network to raise vitally needed funds and supplement vital federal programs.
Protect and expand the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC), which lift millions of working families out of poverty and increase the stability they have found through the workforce.
Protect and strengthen food donation tax incentives, which play a powerful role in connecting excess nutritious food with people in need. Without the tax incentives, it costs growers, retailers, and food companies more to donate food than it does to landfill it.

PROTECT AND STRENGTHEN CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS

The federal child nutrition programs are an essential investment in the one in six children in America that face hunger. Ensuring all children have the nutritious food they need to learn, grow, and thrive is critical to our nation’s future. In addition to protecting SNAP, the largest safety net for children, Congress should help maintain strong nutrition standards and efficient access to all child nutrition programs.

• While federal CNR legislation will not likely be pursued in 2017, we urge Congress to protect the funding and structure of child nutrition programs in budget and spending legislation.
• We urge USDA to ensure that regulations on child nutrition programs protect access to these vital programs for the millions of children that rely on them for nutritious food.

Contact Your Members of Congress

Contact Congress through Feeding America’s hotline:

Call the advocacy hotline at (888) 398-8702
Listen to the pre-recorded message and enter your zip code when prompted.
Connect to your Representative first.
Once you are connected to your Representative, state that you are a constituent and give your name and your hometown. Be sure to give the name of the food bank or local agency you are affiliated with as well.
Let them know why you are calling and deliver your message.
Dial back in to make sure you talk to both of your Senators and your Representative.
Recruit others by spreading the word through your social media channels and share our posts for call-in day so others can help too.

Thank you for reaching out with us!

Tax Credit for Colorado Farmers and Ranchers Helping the Hungry

Colorado HB14-1119 helps Colorado farmers, ranchers and the hungry. Thanks to all who helped make this tax credit a reality. It’s expensive to harvest food farmers don’t plan to sell. This credit will help farmers and ranchers get food to food banks rather than letting it go to waste.

Read the act here.

We Appreciate Our Agricultural Community

More hungry people will have nutritious local food to eat because of our ag community’s generosity. If you’re a farmer or rancher with questions about donating, please contact us.

Key hunger facts

Who Are The Hungry?

Children make up about half of the clients served through Food Bank of the Rockies.
14% of clients are seniors, age 60+
31% are White, 18% are Black/African American, 38% are Hispanic/Latino , 13% identify as some other race
23% did not graduate high school or obtain a GED, 45% have a GED or HS Diploma, 25% have education beyond a high school diploma/GED and 7% have a 4-year college degree or higher
10% are living in temporary housing
10% do not have access to cooking facilities or refrigeration
37% of households had a member working for pay in the last four weeks, 63% had a person working for pay in the last 12 months
19% are grandparents who have responsibility for grandchildren who live with them
21% have a household member who has served or is serving in the US military
20% are in poor health
93% have incomes less than $30K/year, 48% have incomes of $10K/year or less
70% have incomes at or below the poverty level
61% choose between medicine and food
65% choose between mortgage/rent and food
68% choose between transportation and food
72% choose between utilities and food

Hunger and Poverty in Colorado

18.1% of Colorado children live in poverty and 8% are living in extreme poverty. (coloradokids.org – 2014)
39% of Colorado children live in households with incomes less than 200% of poverty. (coloradokids.org – 2014)
Poverty in Colorado has increased since 2001. The total poverty rate in Colorado increased from 9.6% in 2001 to 12.9% in 2012. Furthermore, Colorado’s child poverty rate increased from 12.2% in 2001 to 18.1% in 2012.
7% of Colorado seniors live below 100% of poverty and 28% live below 200% of poverty.