Safety net programs must be protected in the deficit reduction plan!

Right now the White House and Congressional leaders, including Illinois’ own Sen. Dick Durbin, are negotiating a deficit reduction plan that would impact key federal programs for decades to come. They are hoping to reach an agreement by Friday, July 1.

Some of the proposals on the table would result in deep budget cuts to safety net programs, and would radically change the structure of important programs and even the budget process itself.

Your voice is needed to protect the vulnerable in this negotiations process!

Please contact President Obama, Vice President Biden and Sen. Durbin and ask them to protect programs for low-income families and individuals in the deficit reduction plan. We must ensure that deficit reduction is achieved in a way that does not increase poverty. Please visit the Food Depository’s Advocacy Center for more information and instructions on how to take action TODAY!

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Why are you committed to ending hunger?

The Greater Chicago Food Depository is launching the “I am rallying to end hunger because…” project at the 26th annual Hunger Walk tomorrow at Soldier Field. This annual 5K (3.1 miles) directly benefits the Food Depository's network of 650 pantries, soup kitchens and shelters in Cook County that help hundreds of thousands of people put food on their table. It's also an opportunity to take a stand in the fight against hunger.

We want to know what motivates you to join the fight against hunger. If you could send just one message about this issue to elected officials and other decision-makers in our state, what would it be? The “I am rallying to end hunger because…” project seeks to capture the many voices of anti-hunger advocates like you across Cook County.

Here are the details of the project and how you can get involved:

1. Attend the Hunger Walk on Saturday – registration is available the morning of the walk beginning at 7 a.m. Step off is at 8:15 a.m.

2. Watch for volunteers with the “I AM RALLYING TO END HUNGER BECAUSE…” sign.

3. Answer the question: Why are you rallying to end hunger?

4. On the back of your message, sign a letter that will be sent to your elected officials, urging them to protect key nutrition safety net programs in the budget and Farm Bill.

5. Say cheese! Get your picture taken while holding up your message.

6. Enjoy the walk!

Stay tuned to the Food Depository's Advocacy Center to see pictures and video from this year’s event. Let's send a strong message that ending hunger in our communities should be a top priority!

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House votes to cut food for the hungry

The House voted on Thursday to slash the amount of food the federal government provides for hungry people. The bill, which will be advanced to the Senate, would slice 20 percent from The Emergency Food Assistance Program next year. This is on top of a possible 50 percent cut this year. For Cook County, this would mean at least 3 million fewer pounds of food in the next year just as we witness record levels of demand at pantries—65 percent higher than three years ago. Most troubling is that the bill cuts funding for the Women, Infants and Children Program.

Still, there is hope. First, there is time to take action. The Senate likely will not vote on this bill for several weeks. Another silver lining is that seven of eight Cook County House members voted 'no' on these cuts--that is because of you. Thank you to everyone who responded to our advocacy alert this week. As we address this “new normal,” it will require more support from every sector of the community.

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Knox College honors Kate Maehr

Kate Maehr, executive director and CEO of the Greater Chicago Food Depository, recently traveled to Galesburg, Ill., to accept an honorary degree from Knox College. The award is based upon the recommendation of the College's Honorary Degrees Committee, made up of trustees and faculty members, and honors Kate's civic leadership and efforts on behalf of hungry people. Congratulations, Kate! On behalf of the staff and volunteers of the Food Depository, thank you to Knox College for recognizing Kate's leadership and our work in providing food for hungry people in Cook County.

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Breakfast in the Classroom nourishes the next generation

Last Friday, the Chicago Tribune reported that Chicago Public Schools may change the structure of the mandatory Breakfast in the Classroom (BIC) initiative enacted in January. The Greater Chicago Food Depository has long advocated for expansion of Breakfast in the Classroom. The research is undeniable: Breakfast in the Classroom results in more children receiving more breakfasts. For the 82 Chicago schools that implemented the program in March, breakfast participation increased from 26 percent to 62 percent. In a school district where more than 75 percent of students are low-income, the program has meant more food for hungry children.

At many schools, the program has been lauded by administrators and parents. On a recent visit to Shoesmith School in Kenwood, the Food Depository witnessed a cheerful staff preparing healthy breakfasts for delighted students. We watched as children sat at their desks and dug in to a morning meal of an omelet, banana, bran muffin and juice. These nourishing building blocks are critical for a school where 90 percent of students are low income; research shows that proper nutrition and academic performance are inextricably linked. Students participating in BIC better concentrate on classwork once those early-morning hunger pangs are quelled.

For the Food Depository, whose mission includes “striving to end hunger in our community,” BIC is a key step in helping to nourish the next generation and build a better future. Children represent 37 percent of the people we serve, or 250,000 children under the age of 18. We must ensure that they have the nutrition they need to succeed. The Food Depository remains strongly supportive of Breakfast in the Classroom.

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Federal budget would take food off the family dinner table

Many people don't realize what a huge role the federal government plays in hunger relief in the United States. While the days of government cheese are (mostly) over, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) alone provides about a quarter of all food distributed by food banks nationwide. So we're monitoring the budget debate closely on a daily basis.

Wednesday brought grim news. A House committee proposed to cut TEFAP by 20 percent. As Feeding America noted in a statement yesterday, such a cut would be disastrous for food banks, pantries and the people we serve. For the Food Depository, it would mean emptier shelves and fewer foodstuffs just as we face a record need in Cook County.

The Food Depository is reaching out to Cook County's Congressional delegation and Sen. Durbin and Sen. Kirk. You can help too--visit our Advocacy Center and in a few clicks send an email stating that programs like TEFAP must remain full funded in the federal budget.

The budget debate is just the start of what promises to be a vigorous conversation in Washington during the next two years. The Farm Bill, which authorizes most nutrition programs, is up for renewal in 2012. But we must begin to spread the word about the importance of federal nutrition programs now. The well-being of thousands of people in Cook County is at stake.

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Getting Social with the Food Depository

You know, this social media thing might catch on. So, the Food Depository has taken up residence in several of the most popular social networks.

After all, just having a Facebook page and Twitter profile aren't going to cut it anymore. You have to be engaged with your fans and provide them with relevant, useful information that is worth sharing with their own network. The Food Depository has a growing audience in both of these places (8,500 fans and 1,700 followers, respectively), but we cannot rest on our laurels and expect people to flock to us just because we exist in the social space. Competing for the attention of more than 500 million active Facebook users is a daunting task. The average user may have 130 friends, but getting them to share a link or even just like a photo is not always easy. (source: Facebook)

That's why we enlist partners to help spread the word about the Food Depository. We're only just scratching the surface, but already we've run a YouTube cooking demo campaign with Sears and LG, where each view of the video meant 50 cents to us.

Currently, we are in the midst of a "Like" campaign with Menuism, a social network for foodies where you can review restaurants and their dishes; it's also the web's largest aggregator of online restaurant menus. Their campaign is simple: just “like” Menuism on Facebook and they’ll donate $1 to the Greater Chicago Food Depository. We're now at about $2,000 raised of a possible $5,000.

It’s these types of campaigns that not only share our mission of providing food for hungry people in Cook County, but also they help us raise funds to continue achieving that mission.

We still have the more traditional communication pathways (mail, e-mail, website), but when Facebook claims that more than 30 billion pieces of content (links, blogs, photos, etc.) are shared each month, it’s hard to ignore the power of social media and how it could help share our mission and raise awareness of hunger relief. Even if we are the slightest fraction of that monthly activity, then we—at least this little corner of the Food Depository—are doing our jobs.

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