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.

Education for All Act of 2010 introduced!

Just in time for Global Education Action week, Congress took action on Global Education. Cool!

Reps Nita Lowey (D) and David Reichert (R) introduced HR 5117,the Education for All Act of 2010, calling on the United States to be a leading voice in the call to action for access to basic education for the world's children. The bill seeks to ensure the U.S. provides the resources and leadership to ensure a successful international effort to provide all children with a quality basic education by 2015.

The EFA Act lays out U.S. policy that includes: 1) working with other countries, international organizations, and civil society to assist developing countries and strengthen their educational systems, 2) assisting NGOs and multilateral organizations, and promote education as the foundation for community development.

Please ask your representative to cosponsor this bipartisan legislation for Global Education. You can visit
this link from RESULTS to take action!

Call in to help the Working Poor: Bread for the World

A Call-in Action from Bread for the World:


Our country is focused on taxes this week, so let’s make sure that when Congress works on tax policy, the needs of low-income people aren’t forgotten.

ACTION NEEDED:
Please call your senators and representative at 1-800-826-3688 by 5 p.m., Friday, April 16, and urge them to protect and strengthen key tax credits — the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit.

These tax credits make a big difference for low-income workers and their families.

(Note: This toll-free number will connect you to the Capitol switchboard. Please ask for your senators’ and representative's offices so you can leave your message.)

Explain your message further by adding either or both of these points:

The EITC and CTC are critical to helping working families make ends meet and feed their families. The costs of basic needs have risen while wages have remained largely stagnant.

If Congress does not act to extend the most recent expansions to the EITC and CTC made in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009:
-7 million low-income people could lose EITC benefits
- 6 million children will lose the CTC benefit completely, and 10 million children will receive a smaller credit
- More than 1.5 million people -- including nearly 800,000 children -- will fall back into poverty.