Call-in Action for Child Hunger

An action about Child Hunger from Bread for the World
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URGENT: Call 1-800-826-368 Today to tell your U.S. representative to support an additional $1 billion per year for child nutrition reauthorization.

Dear Friend,

We urgently need your help this week to convince your U.S. representative to allocate $1 billion a year in new investments for nutrition programs for our children.

So far, the Senate Agriculture Committee passed their version of the Child Nutrition Bill at $450 million annually. We now have to convince the House Education and Labor Committee, which is drafting its version of the Child Nutrition Bill, to find the full $1 billion requested by President Obama.

Today, nearly one in four children in the United States is at risk of hunger, while one in three is obese and overweight. We need adequate funding from Congress—at least $1 billion annually in the next five years—to reverse these trends.

The Child Nutrition Bill will strengthen programs such as school lunches, school breakfasts, summer feeding programs, and the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program. These are critical in protecting children from hunger and in improving their nutrition. Under current funding, far too many eligible children are not being served. Of the 19.4 million low-income children receiving lunch assistance each school day, only 46 percent receive breakfast assistance and just 11 percent have access to summer food programs.

Representatives James P. McGovern (D-3/MA) and Jo Ann Emerson (R-8/MO) are circulating a letter to their colleagues to show Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-7/CA) that a majority of the House supports a strong child nutrition reauthorization. As of last week, we have 116 signatures but we need at least 218. We only have until noon on Friday, April 30, to get 100 more signatures. Can you make a quick call to help us reach our goal?

Message and Key Points:

Please call your U.S. representative at 1-800-826-3688 by noon, Friday, April 30.

Tell your representative: Please sign onto the Dear Colleague letter being circulated by Reps. McGovern and Emerson in support of an additional $1 billion per year for child nutrition reauthorization.

You can explain your message by adding any or all of these points:

The House Education and Labor Committee will write a child nutrition bill soon. I want you to make sure that at least $1 billion in new funding is provided to strengthen child nutrition programs.
With nearly a quarter of America’s children struggling against hunger and one-third obese or overweight, the time for strong action is now. At least $1 billion per year in new investments in child nutrition programs is needed to reverse these staggering rates.
Child nutrition programs could do far more to reduce hunger and improve nutrition simply by reaching more eligible children. For every 100 children receiving lunch assistance each school day, less than half receive breakfast assistance and only 11 percent access summer food programs.
Thank you for your voice and your support.

Grace and peace.