The Hunger Advocacy Network's 2017 State Policy Priorities Pass!

Each year, the Hunger Advocacy Network (HAN), facilitated by the San Diego Hunger Coalition, selects State hunger relief policies to prioritize for its lobbying efforts. This year, HAN was aided by a new wave of support from its grassroots Hunger Free Activist network. These everyday activists and partners receive periodic opportunities to use their voice, when it matters most, to support key pieces of legislation that will protect and expand programs like CalFresh/SNAP (formerly known as food stamps) and School Meals. The Hunger Free Activists’ tweets, posts, calls, emails and letters over the past year worked! All of HAN’s state priority policies either passed or were included in the 2017-2018 state budget.

2017 State Priority Policy Initiatives

SB 138 (McGuire) - Feed the Kids: This law increases access to free and reduced-price school meals by implementing Medi-Cal Direct Certification statewide and calls upon very high poverty schools to offer free school meals to all students.
Signed by Governor Jerry Brown - October 12, 2017

AB 1219 (Eggman) – Good Samaritan Food Donation Act: This law clarifies and expands existing liability protections for food donors to reduce waste and increases resources for San Diegans struggling with food insecurity. 
Signed by Governor Jerry Brown - October 9, 2017

AB 607 (Gloria) - Community Resiliency & Disaster Preparedness Act of 2017: This law protects against increased hunger and hardship of low-income families during a disaster by requiring the CalFresh program to maximize replacement benefit options during a disaster or power-outage and provide additional budget resources to be triggered in the case of a disaster declared by the Governor to improve the success of a federal request for disaster anti-hunger assistance and administration of the aid.
Signed by Governor Jerry Brown - October 5, 2017

AB 214 (Weber) – College Hunger: This law addresses college student hunger by defining terms used in the CalFresh program to determine eligibility and clarifies the law concerning CalFresh Restaurant Meal Program on college campuses.
Signed by Governor Jerry Brown - July 24, 2017

AB 164 (Arambula) – California Leads to Meet Food Needs: This funding will establish a new state-funded anti-hunger CalFresh benefit to be issued under prescribed circumstances, such as drought, disaster, or in the case of federal SNAP ineligibility, and to be issued using the EBT system.
The 2017-2018 Budget includes one-time funding of $5 million for a CalFresh Unsafe Drinking Water Benefit Pilot program. This program will provide benefits to residents served by public water systems that fail to meet safe drinking water standards. 

What’s Next?

Both the Senate and the House of Representatives have passed versions of a FY 2018 Budget Resolution that expedites tax cuts for the wealthy, at the expense of programs that support low and middle-income people. This includes threats to cut SNAP (known as CalFresh in California). In the coming months, Congress will be writing the budget legislation that they will vote on. As details become available, we will be back in touch to ask you to contact members of Congress and ask them to protect important federal programs that provide food assistance to members of our community. 

Hunger Awareness Month 2017 was better than ever thanks to great partnerships and community support.

San Diego Hunger Coalition Executive Director Anahid Brakke addresses guests at the 2017 Hunger Free Fest

Each September, the San Diego Hunger Coalition takes part in Hunger Awareness Month to spread the word and raise money to fight hunger in our community. This year, our Hunger Awareness month efforts were bigger and better than ever thanks to great partnerships and community support. Throughout the month we partnered with different businesses to raise money to support our work. We also partnered with the member organizations of our Hunger Advocacy Network to make a greater impact spreading the word and advocating for hunger relief policies. Additionally, we held several opportunities for supporters to come together and have fun for a good cause.

On Saturday, September 16 we partnered with Ashley Lane Fitness to work out to fight hunger. Attendees got a heart-pumping 60-minute workout and were treated to refreshments and a raffle afterward.

Participants in the San Diego Hunger Coalition’s Work out to Fight Hunger at Ashley Lane Fitness pose to show their support after their workout.

On Thursday, September 21st we partnered with Panera Bread in Liberty Station and on September 28th we partnered with Chipotle in Mission Valley to eat out to fight hunger. Customers who dined out at these locations between 5 – 7 pm and showed the Hunger Coalition’s fundraising flier had a portion of their proceeds donated to our organization.

Our work culminated with our Hunger Free Fest on September 23rd at SMARTS Farm in the East Village. This family-friendly event brought together partners, donors, and other supporters for an afternoon of fun, gourmet food, and drinks in a beautiful setting. Guests enjoyed delicious hor d'oeuvres prepared by Chef Christopher Gardner of Volunteers for America Southwest and Chef Alex Caballo of Alpha Pizzeria and sipped on craft beer donate by 10 Barrel Brewing Company while playing yard games and bidding for the chance to win great raffle and silent auction prizes. Hunger Free Fest was a success thanks to a generous anonymous donation and sponsorships from Sharp Healthcare, Scripps Health, and the Smart & Final Charitable Foundation. From these contributions and proceeds from the event ticket sales, silent auction, and raffle we raised nearly $14,000 to advocate for state and federal hunger relief polices that help connect San Diegans in need to food assistance programs including CalFresh (also known as SNAP or food stamps) and school meals. Photos from the event can be viewed in an album on our Facebook Page.

Thank you to everyone who supported Hunger Awareness Month 2017!

September is Hunger Awareness Month - Ways to Support the San Diego Hunger Coalition

Nearly 1 in 6 people in San Diego County don't always have enough to eat. September is Hunger Awareness Month. Together with our partners, we are spreading the word and raising money to fight hunger in our community. Listed below are events where you can support the San Diego Hunger Coalition's work and get more involved.

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San Diego Hunger Coalition's Hunger Free Fest
Saturday, September 23
2 - 5 PM
SMARTS Farm (1326 Broadway, San Diego, CA 92101)
Tickets: $40 in advance / $50 at the door
BUY TICKETS HERE
This family-friendly event will offer delicious hors d'oeuvres created by renowned local chefs, refreshments, live music, a children's gardening activity by SMARTS Farm, and the opportunity to win fabulous raffle and silent auction items. Your ticket purchase includes entertainment, hors d'oeuvres and your first drink. All proceeds will go to support the San Diego Hunger Coalition's work to connect eligible people in need to food assistance programs. Join us to have fun for a good cause! 

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Work out to fight hunger at Ashley Lane Fitness

Sculpt Class (60 minutes) - $20/per person
Followed by refreshments and a raffle!
Saturday, September 16, 12 - 1:30 PM
1450 University Ave. #201 & 202, San Diego, CA 92103
REGISTER HERE (CLASS LISTED UNDER SEPTEMBER 16)
This class will guide you through a workout with dumbbells, kettlebells, resistance bands, and bosu balls. Ashley Lane Fitness guarantees that each class will be unique and fun! All proceeds from this class will go to support the San Diego Hunger Coalition.  

Hunger Advocacy Network Legislative Briefing on Hunger & Healthcare

Tuesday, September 19, 9 - 11 AM
City Heights Center (Price Charities Building)
4305 University Ave., Meeting Room 640 (6th floor), San Diego, CA 92105
RSVP for this free event by emailing Diane@sdhunger.org. 
Join the Hunger Advocacy Network for a panel discussion on the intersection of healthcare and hunger. Hear from medical professionals and anti-hunger advocates as they brief San Diego County's state representatives on why strengthening food security is important and what they can do to help. 

Eat out to fight hunger at Panera Bread & Chipotle

Panera Bread - Point Loma (Liberty Station)
Thursday, September 21, 4 - 8 PM
2445 Truxtun Rd., San Diego, CA 92106
Panera will donate a percentage of the proceeds from your order to the San Diego Hunger Coalition when you present our fundraising flier.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FLIER

Chipotle - Mission Valley (Westfield Shopping Center)
Thursday, September 28, 4-8 PM
1025 Camino De La Reina, Suite 2, San Diego, CA 92108
Chipotle will donate a 50% of the proceeds from your order to the San Diego Hunger Coalition when our fundraising flier is presented. 
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FLIER

HAN Lobbies for Anti-Hunger Policies in Sacramento while Hunger Free Activists Advocate from Home as Part of Digital Lobby Day

Members of the Hunger Advocacy Network between meetings with San Diego representatives at the State Capitol.

Members of the Hunger Advocacy Network (HAN) led by our Director of Policy and Advocacy Diane Wilkinson descended on the state capitol on May 17 to support anti-hunger policies that impact families struggling to put food on the table in San Diego County. Joining Diane was Ashley Harrington, Manager of Public Affairs and Young Adult Initiatives at Jewish Family Service of San Diego, Kelcey Ellis, Director of Programs at Feeding San Diego, Gabriela Arias, Resident Services Coordinator at Housing on Merit, and Nina Ghatan, Coordinator of the San Diego County Childhood Obesity Initiative at Community Health Improvement Partners. They shared their expertise with San Diego's representatives to demonstrate our region's problem with food insecurity and the positive impact anti-hunger legislation would have on hundreds of thousands of low-income San Diegans.

This year, HAN offered an innovative way for constituents who couldn’t travel to Sacramento to use their online voice to support statewide anti-hunger policies. HAN's Digital Lobby Day was the initial advocacy effort of the group’s Hunger Free Activist grassroots network. Leading up to Digital Lobby Day, Activists were sent information on how to contact their representative on social media as well as templates and memes to help create posts and tweets in support of HAN's priority state policies. The online support generated during Digital Lobby Day helped amplify and strengthen the presence of San Diego’s anti-hunger community.

While in Sacramento, HAN members met with Assemblymember Rocky Chavez and with the staffs of Senator Toni Atkins, Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez-Fletcher, Senator Ben Hueso, Assemblymember Brian Maienschein, Assemblymember Marie Waldron, and Assemblymember Shirley Weber. HAN’s discussions with representatives focused on the San Diego Hunger Coalition's latest food insecurity data and gaining support for the Network’s 2017 state priority policy initiatives:

• SB 138 (McGuire) - Feed the Kids:  This legislation would automatically enroll low-income children on Medi-Cal in free school meals and calls upon very high poverty schools to offer free school meals to all students.
   
• AB 214 (Weber) – College Hunger:  This legislation would address college student hunger by defining terms used in the CalFresh program to determine eligibility and clarifying the law concerning CalFresh Restaurant Meal Program on college campuses.
   
• AB 1219 (Eggman) – Good Samaritan Food Donation Act:  This legislation clarifies and expands existing liability protections for organizations that provide, receive and distribute donated food to reduce waste and increase resources to feed more struggling San Diegans.
   
• AB 164 (Arambula) – California Leads to Meet Food Needs:  This legislation would establish a new state funded anti-hunger CalFresh benefit to be issued using the EBT system during disasters such as drought and in the case of federal SNAP ineligibility.
   
• AB 607 (Gloria) - Community Resiliency & Disaster Preparedness Act of 2017:  This legislation would protect against increased hunger and hardship among low-income families by requiring the CalFresh program to maximize replacement benefit options during a disaster or power-outage and provide additional budget in the case of a disaster declared by the Governor to improve the success of a federal request for disaster anti-hunger aid.

The following week on May 24, Diane was back in Sacramento representing HAN alongside more than 200 anti-hunger advocates from cities and communities across California as part of Hunger Action Day. This time she met with the staffs of Senator Joel Anderson and Assemblyman Randy Voepel.

As the food security safety net continues to come under threat at the federal level, it is more important than ever to strengthen our state’s support for policies and programs that help San Diegans have enough food for a healthy active life. Learn more and sign up to be a Hunger Free Activist here. By doing so you'll receive periodic opportunities to use your voice to advocate for anti-hunger legislation so you can tailor your level of engagement.

Become an Activist for a Hunger Free San Diego – and Help Put Food on the Table

We are building on the Hunger Advocacy Network's four major policy victories from last year. In 2017, we’re providing more opportunities for you to join us. We invite all members of our community to participate in large-scale systems change to improve food assistance. 

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

— Margaret Mead

We are calling on you become an Activist for a Hunger Free San Diego. Sign up for email action alerts to stay up-to-date about how to strengthen access to food resources. As a Hunger Free Activist, you will:

• Stay up-to-date on issues of importance to our community
• Receive a variety of options for participation so you can decide your level of engagement.
• Access the information and tools you need to be effective – from specialized advocacy training to talking points.
• Enjoy privacy. We will not share your name or information with anyone outside our organization without specifically asking for permission.

Your voice can make a real difference in the lives of everyday San Diegans struggling to feed their families. Please sign up here today. Then share that you are a Hunger Free Activist on social media. (Facebook / Twitter) 

Celebrating 2016 Victories for Hunger Relief

In 2016, the Hunger Advocacy Network channeled expertise and support from member organizations to support important State legislation. From direct lobbying to education, we helped secure success for key bills and budget asks to ensure that all people in San Diego have access to enough food for an active, healthy life.  With advocacy, we can influence public policies, programs and funding to help more people access the food they need. After reading about last year’s successes, we hope you’ll sign up to become an Advocate for a Hunger Free San Diego.

Together, we leveraged our collective voices to achieve the following success for our community:

• Farm to Food Bank Tax Credit – This initiative will extend and increase incentives to allow for donations of fresh produce to food banks throughout the state.
• Food Assistance for Higher Education – Establishes the Public Higher Education Pantry Assistance Program for supporting an on-campus food pantry and hunger relief efforts for low-income students.
• Breakfast After the Bell - $2 million in funding to expand access and participation in the school breakfast program.
• Nutrition Incentives Funding - $5 million in State funding - that will be matched by Federal funding - to strengthen the Market Match program that makes fresh fruit and vegetables more affordable for low-income families.

With advocacy, we can influence public policies, programs and funding to help more people access the food they need. While we celebrate the important successes of 2016, we must proactively expanding our reach and partnerships to protect the gains we’ve made.

Paper Plate Stories: Celebrating Six Victories to End Hunger

As part of September’s Hunger Action Month, Hunger Advocacy Network member organizations across San Diego County collected stories from clients, volunteers, and community leaders about how hunger affects them and their communities. These people wrote their stories on paper plates to share with elected officials and the public how hunger impacts those in our community every day. These efforts are especially important as the California legislature makes its final decisions on legislation that would have a positive impact in reducing food insecurity.

Every year, the partner organizations of the Hunger Advocacy Network consider all the legislation proposed by the California Assembly and the Senate. We focus our advocacy efforts on initiatives that will make a lasting impact on reducing food insecurity in San Diego County.

Along with our statewide partners, including MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, California Food Policy Associates, California Association of Food Banks, and the Western Center on Law and Poverty, the Hunger Advocacy Network continues to leverage the combined expertise of our 21 member organizations to advocate for policies in Sacramento that address the needs of San Diegans that go hungry. With the State legislative cycle drawing to a close, we have a lot of success to be proud of and plenty of momentum to continue our efforts.

Six Legislative Changes that will Reduce Local Hunger

The Farm to Food Bank Tax Credit (AB 1577): This credit helps reduce waste by encouraging farmers to donate excess fruits and vegetables to food banks to feed families throughout the county.  Every dollar in credit leverages approximately 10 – 20 pounds of donated food. Along with our statewide partners, we were able to increase the credit to 15% and extend the program through 2022. Approximately 80% of the produce distributed by Feeding San Diego and San Diego Food Bank is the result of this important tax credit.  

YES - This program was included in the State budget agreement that was signed by Governor Brown.

Food Assistance for Higher Education Students (AB 1747):  As the cost for college rises, fewer working class families have the resources to support their children in securing a degree and there are increasing incidences of student hunger and homelessness.  Proposed by local Assembly Member Shirley Weber, this legislation offers meaningful steps in supporting students struggling with food insecurity by establishing the Public Higher Education Pantry Assistance Program for supporting on-campus food pantries and hunger relief efforts for low-income students.  

YES - Governor Brown signed this important legislation on September 12, 2016.

Market Match Nutrition Incentive Funding:  The California Market Match program was launched in 2009 to encourage low-income families receiving nutrition benefits to purchase fresh, locally-grown fruits and vegetables at farmers’ markets. This program doubles the purchasing power of nutrition benefits, such as CalFresh and WIC when used to buy California grown fruits, nuts and vegetables at farmers’ markets.  The California budget agreement that was approved by Governor Brown, includes an investment of $5 million dollars in this important program.  This will allow the state to leverage $5 million in Federal matching funds resulting in at least $10 million for the expansion of local nutrition incentive programs. 

YES -  This funding was included in the California budget agreement approved by Governor Brown.

Streamlining CalFresh Eligibility (SB 1232):  Low wage workers face significant barriers to participation in the CalFresh Program. Few have paid time off or reliable transportation to get to the county welfare department for the application process. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2012 reporting, only 53 percent of eligible working families in California receive this federally funded food benefit. This legislation would ease the burden on families by requiring state and county agencies that administer the CalFresh Program to use existing employment and income verification databases to simplify the eligibility process for CalFresh applicants. 

YES - Governor Brown approved this legislation on September 12, 2016.

Ensuring School Breakfast for Children: One in four kids in San Diego County arrive to school without breakfast. Numerous studies have shown that eating breakfast can bolster academic achievement, reduce absenteeism and tardiness, and improve classroom behavior. Breakfast After the Bell programs bring breakfast into the classroom, ensuring all children have the nutrition they need to succeed. Our own Robin McNulty provided critical testimony on the effectiveness of this program to the State Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance.

YES -  Governor Brown approved $2 million in funding in the State budget for public schools that want to startup or expand after-the-bell breakfast programs.

Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) for the State Supplementary Program for the Aged, Blind and Disabled (SSP) (AB 1584): The state supplementary program awards monthly grants to help prevent seniors and other disabled adults from living in poverty. This benefit provides income support to individuals who are aged 65 or older, blind or disabled. Starting in 2008, cuts made by the Legislature and the Governor reduced grants to individuals to amounts well below the federal poverty level. This bill would be an incremental step in lifting over 1 million California seniors and disabled adults out of poverty by re-establishing the automatic cost-of-living adjustment as a permanent component of SSI/SSP.  

NO - Unfortunately, Governor Brown vetoed this full effort on September 25, 2016. However, along with advocates across the state we were successful in securing a small one-time increase to the SSI/SSP program in the State Budget Agreement.  

Thanks to the efforts of advocates like you, we’ve been able to help inform our policy makers and generate real systemic change for San Diegans facing hunger. However, there is still more work to be done. Please join us in our efforts to ensure that all San Diegans have access to food at all times for a healthy future. 

If you are interested in more information on how you can make a difference as an advocate, please contact Diane Wilkinson at the San Diego Hunger Coalition at diane@sdhunger.org or by calling 619-501-7917.