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Advocacy is one of the key components in the Food Bank’s long-term approach to alleviating hunger. Our innovative Advocacy Team – which consists of Food Bank staff and a passionate corps of volunteers – promotes change in legislative policy to benefit low-income residents. We provide a voice for hundreds of thousands of Alameda County residents who face food insecurity. That voice is heard in city halls, county government, Sacramento and in Washington, D.C.

Take Action

Happy New Year! Still pleased with 2011’s successes, we are gearing up for another great year fighting poverty and hunger in our community. 2012 will require the same diligence and commitment from advocates as we have experienced in years’ past. Among our priorities:

  • Monitoring implementation of changes to the CalFresh program brought on by new legislation;
  • Fighting for local, state and federal budgets that are not balanced on the backs of poor communities;
  • Protecting and growing the nutrition safety-net

We won’t be able to do it without you. Please sign up for our advocacy alerts so that you may receive the latest news on important anti-hunger issues, and take action when necessary. Here’s to a successful 2012!

Hunger Action Month

September was Hunger Action Month, a nationwide effort to educate and empower communities to alleviate hunger in their neighborhoods. Here's how we celebrated:

On Sept. 8, we threw our first-ever Advocacy Open House. More than 30 people gathered at the food Bank to learn more about our work and discuss meaningful ways to increase our impact. It was also an opportunity to celebrate the past year's accomplishments.

In this month of firsts, we also hosted our inaugural Hunger Town Hall, a discussion with elected officials on how federal, state, and local budgets impact hunger in our county. Panelists included Alameda County Supervisor Wilma Chan; Assemblymember Nancy Skinner; Andrea Ford, Interim Deputy Director and Policy Director, Alameda County Social Services Agency; Eric Manke, Communications and Policy Director, California Association of Food Banks; and Peter Woiwode, Organizer, California Partnership.

The 40 advocates in attendance had a frank discussion about the challenges low-income communities face. Manke gave a crash course in how the debt ceiling deal's trigger cuts and looming Farm Bill fight will impact the future of an alphabet soup of vital nutrition programs like WIC, SNAP, TEFAP and CSFP.

Woiwode gave a compelling presentation about the power of grassroots action. "We've got to turn the tide and talk about what's good about government. We've got to talk about what we love about California, and what it takes to keep it healthy."

Thank you to our advocates for making September a successful Hunger Action Month!

Legislative Update

Great news!!! All of your hard work has paid off! AB 6, AB 828 and a number of other anti-hunger bills have passed out of the Assembly and Senate! But this only means one hurdle has been overcome — your advocacy efforts are still needed. Check back here for up to date information and calls to action!

A review of the bills that passed ...

  • AB 6 (Fuentes) The CalFresh Act of 2011 This bill will increase access to and participation in CalFresh by eliminating the finger print imaging requirement, moving to semi-annual reporting and implementing a “Heat and Eat” initiative.
  • AB 69 (Beal) Increase Access to CalFresh for Seniors: This bill would allow the legislature to direct the State Department of Social Services to establish a county opt-in in conjunction with the Social Security Administration to test streamlined strategies to enroll eligible Social Security recipients over the age of 65 into CalFresh.
  • AB 152 (Fuentes) Support California Growers and Donations to CA Food Banks: This bill makes more healthy food available to low-income Californians by creating a state emergency food assistance program for the purchase and distribution of healthy California-grown food to low-income communities and by providing a tax credit for California growers who donate fresh fruits and vegetables to California food banks.
  • AB 828 (Swanson) End the Lifetime Ban on CalFresh for Former Non-Violent Drug Offenders: A combination of social and legal barriers prevents many former non-violent drug offenders from re-entering their communities as contributing members. Additionally, these former offenders are prohibited from ever receiving CalFresh benefits, which are critical for a successful transition to self-sufficiency. Without benefits that provide access to basic food, nutrition, and a safety net for families, poverty and further crime are far more likely.
Call or fax Appropriations Chairman, Assemblyman Fuentes to let him know he has your support! Phone (916) 319-2039 and fax (916) 319-2139.

For more information about any of the Food Bank’s anti-hunger work, email advocate[at]accfb.org
or call (510) 635-3663 ext. 307.

What else can you do to make your voice heard?

The Alameda County Community Food Bank works with statewide and national anti-hunger organizations to support legislation addressing widespread food insecurity. We serve as a voice for hundreds of thousands of people in Alameda County.

In the 2010, the Food Bank team organized 70 meetings with legislators, grassroots anti-hunger advocates and other advocacy partners. Volunteers are the heart of our advocacy efforts. There is strength in numbers ... together we can make a difference!