Tell Legislators to Fund School Breakfasts, WIC/Senior Farm Direct
-- Deadline Passed -- Oregon Rural Action is joining with Oregon Hunger Relief Task Force to urge our state legislators to pass two important bills to address hunger: SB 695 and HB 2924.
-- Deadline Passed --
Oregon Rural Action is joining with Oregon Hunger Relief Task Force to urge our state legislators to pass two important bills to address hunger: SB 695 and HB 2924.
SB 695, the Elimination of School Breakfast Co-pay, would help to increase low income students' whose families make 185% of poverty access to the most important meal of the day. With this bill, Oregon could provide the state funds to eliminate the co-pay for school breakfasts that currently keeps 76% of eligible "reduced-priced" kids from eating breakfast. For every 30 cents provided by the state, at least $1.10 would be leveraged in federal funds. Already, in Washington, the elimination of the reduced price co-pay immediately resulted in a 45% increase in the number of reduced-price kids eating breakfast.
HB 2924, the WIC/Senior Farm Direct Programs bill, would improve access to fresh, locally-grown fruits and vegetables for women, children and seniors. A modest increase of $400,000 in general funds would provide enough money to serve most eligible seniors on the Food Stamp and/or Medicaid programs as well as more eligible women and children who participate in the Women, Infants and Children supplemental food program (WIC). WIC and Senior benefit participants can receive vouchers at farmers' markets and roadside stands for fresh fruits and vegetables, which in turn benefits Oregon farmers.
Both bills are in the Ways and Means subcommittees on education and human services, respectively, and are likely to face a vote this week.
Please contact your state legislators and ask them to help pass these important bills.
You can find your legislators by using the online tool at: http://www.leg.state.or.us/findlegsltr/
You can email your legislators at: sen.name@state.or.us or rep.name@state.or.us. Please cc your emails to leadership: sen.petercourtney@state.or.us; sen.richarddevlin@state.or.us; rep.davehunt@state.or.us; rep.marynolan@state.or.us.
Calls, emails and letters are needed to help these bills pass. Send a short message about why you care about these bills. You can attach Oregon Hunger Relief Task Force's fact sheets (see below) if you want to give them more information.
For more information and possible talking points, please refer to the fact sheets prepared by Oregon Hunger Relief Task Force:
You can also contact Patti Whitney-Wise, Executive Director of Oregon Hunger Relief Task Force, at patti@oregonhunger.org or 503-595-5501.
