URGENT ACTION NEEDED ON COMMUNITY FOOD SECURITY ACT
Contact your representative immediately to support inclusion of the CFSA in
Farm Bill Conference Committee.
The Farm Bill has now passed the House and Senate and will be going to
conference committee as early as Monday March 4. It does not include the
Community Food Security Act in either the Senate or House version.
Nevertheless, we still have a chance to get it passed in the compromise bill
that will go back to the House and Senate for vote.
Previously, the CFSA was included in the vetoed Welfare Reform and Budget
Reconciliation Bills. It now looks like these bills are mired and may not go
anywhere until after November. The Farm Bill is our best chance to get a
Community Food Security Program up and running in fiscal year 1996.
To make this happen, conferees need to hear from you and your Congressional
representatives. Tell them to support inclusion of the Community Food Act
(otherwise known as the Farr Amendment to the Food Stamp Act) in the Farm
Bill conference.
WHAT TO DO AND WHO TO CONTACT:
* Fax a letter (or call) today or Monday to your representative. The Capitol
switchboard number is 202-224-3121 if you don't know their number.
* Contact any other representative you have spoken or written to before on
this issue.
* CC your letter to Rep. Bill Emerson (R-MO) Fax: 202-225-0917 and to Senator
Patrick Leahy (D-VT) 202-224-9278.
SOME POINTS TO MAKE
* The Community Food Act has bi-partisan support from 28 Congressional
representative co-sponsors. It has already passed Congress as part of welfare
reform, but needs to be urgently included in the Farm Bill to make it happen
this year.
* Community food security is about building up a community's food
resources-especially local agriculture- to meet community members' food
needs.
* It promotes local solutions to local problems.
* It takes an empowerment approach (like community gardening) to hunger
problems.
* Some examples are: increased support for farmers' markets, community
gardens, CSAs; support for the Farmers' Market Nutrition Program; improved
coordination among all levels of government; bringing supermarkets into inner
city neighborhoods; and nutrition education.