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Hunger Action Alert!
Call your State Senator TODAY to support funding for three important programs
The State Senate has released its budget proposal for FY18 and unfortunately three specific priorities of the Worcester County Food Bank were not funded adequately, so we need YOUR help with passing three amendments. We also had one exciting win! Scroll to the end for more information on that!
Can you take 15 minutes to call your State Senator TODAY to ask them to co-sponsor three amendments that will provide access to food for our neighbors in need?
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Here’s how YOU can help:
2. Call or email and ask them to support Senator Lesser’s MEFAP amendment, Senator Gobi’s HIP Amendment, and Senator Donoghue’s Food Trust amendment.
Scroll down for sample phone or email script.
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Here’s all details and background information on each amendment:
1. MEFAP
ACTION NEEDED: Contact your state senator to ask them to sign on to Senator Lesser’s amendment to increase MEFAP funding to $20 million.
The Senate’s budget has MEFAP funded at $16.5 million, which is a decrease from our current funding of $17 million per year. We are asking for the Senate to increase funding to $20 million for the Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program (MEFAP), which would allow the four food banks in Massachusetts to distribute nearly 3 million additional meals.
2. Healthy Incentives Program (HIP)
ACTION NEEDED: Contact your state senator to ask them to sign on to Senator Gobi’s amendment to provide the necessary matching funds to operate the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP).
The amendment will provide slightly more than $1.7 million in program costs for the operation of HIP, which provides funds to incentivize SNAP recipients’ purchases at farmers markets, farm stands, CSAs, and mobile markets.
This funding will allow the state to leverage a $3.4 million grant from USDA, and will also mean increased sales for local farmers, creating jobs and preserving farmland.
3. The Food Trust
Last week, the Governor included in his Capital Investment plan $1 million for the Massachusetts Food Trust! This is a HUGE win! These are capital dollars which will be dispersed this year in the form of loans and grants to new and expanding healthy food retailers and local food enterprises.
To make this program a reality, and to leverage the $1 million in capital seed funding-it is essential to secure the necessary funds to operate and administer the Massachusetts Food Trust. Senator Donoghue has filed an amendment to the budget which would dedicate $100,000 for the operating costs of the Massachusetts Food Trust.
Here’s a sample script to adapt for phone or email:
Dear Senator ______________,
My name is ___________ and I live in ___________/work for ___________ and we serve many people who live in the Senator’s district. I am calling/emailing to ask for the Senator’s support on three budget amendments. Please support Senator Lesser’s amendment to increase funding for MEFAP. Please support Senator Gobi’s amendment to provide funding for the Healthy Incentives Program, and please support Senator Donoghue’s amendment to provide administrative funding for the Food Trust. These amendments are important to me because ______________________________ (ex. they will support my hungry neighbors, they will support my community in ending hunger, they will support my community in having more access to healthy food).
Can we count on the Senator’s support?
Thank you for your consideration.
Let us know you made the call and what happened by telling us on Facebook, Twitter, or shoot us an email.
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Our small but exciting win!
SNAP GAP WIN! One of our primary campaigns over the past two years has been to “Close the SNAP Gap” by creating a Common Application portal online so that people may apply for MassHealth and SNAP and other programs all in one place. The Senate Ways and Means created a NEW line item 4000-0328 with $100K, specific language and a deadline to publish a plan to implement an integrated eligibility system with the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) and other states agencies, but also requires “interim solutions” for integration between DTA and Medicaid (e.g. SNAP Gap), which gives that a priority. The $100K is small, but it represents an important message to EOHHS to get this done! The budget isn’t final yet, but we hope we are able to hold onto this new line item and have it signed by the Governor in June. We’ll keep you updated!
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