Hunger Action Los Angeles | Headlines

News Update January 31, 2012

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:25:21 -0800

January 31, 2012

Save The Date! Hunger Action Day 2012

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:22:19 -0800

Save The Date! Hunger Action Day 2012 May 17, 2012 In Sacramento, California

May 17, 2012 In Sacramento, California www.hungeraction.net More information coming soon! Questions? Contact: Frank Tamborello (Southern California) 213.388.8228 or frank@hungeractionla.org Cat Burton (Northern/Central California) 510.635.3663 x307 or eburton@accfb.org Each May hundreds of anti-hunger advocates from across the state meet in Sacramento to educate their legislators about hunger and encourage their support for anti-hunger legislation. This year advocates from your community will be at the capitol on Thursday, May 17, 2012. With more than 3.7 million California adults struggling with food insecurity it’s critical that these issues are addressed in 2012.

News Update January 23, 2012

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:59:50 -0800

January 23, 2012

News Update December 13, 2011

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 20:01:40 -0800

December 13, 2011

Thanksgiving: Not the time to take food from the poor

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 15:45:19 -0800

Thanksgiving: Not the time to take food from the poor

Tuesday: November 22, 2011

By: Frank Tamborello, Executive Director of Hunger Action Los Angeles and Co-Chair of the California Hunger Action Coalition

With Thanksgiving just days away, the feast day looms large for low-income families. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, the cost of a traditional 10-person Thanksgiving dinner jumped by $5.70 or 13 percent this year to a total of $49.20, the biggest increase in the 26-year history of their annual study on meal costs. Unfortunately, the number of households who have lost jobs and have run out of unemployment benefits has also increased over the past year. As we enter the holiday season, the prevalence of food insecurity and the number of families living in poverty remains alarmingly high, leaving nearly four million Californians (only half of those who are eligible) trying to feed their families with only the $1.50 per meal, per person that they get from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), called CalFresh in California.

Now, even the minimal nutrition safety net available to Americans who are down on their luck is in danger in the name of deficit reduction. Proposals to make significant cuts to SNAP surfaced during the deficit reduction “Supercommittee” process, and though avoided for now, they represent an unconscionable attempt to balance the deficit at the expense of the poor and most vulnerable. And now, other equally important safeguards against hunger like the Women Infants and Children (WIC) program and the Emergency Food Assistance Program (EFAP) will be hit by budget sequestration (cuts) that will be triggered automatically because the Supercommittee process failed.

Any proposal to cut nutrition programs turns a blind eye to the current realities of a significant portion of Americans who depend on this critical safety net to weather the ongoing hardship caused by the recession. For families who rely on benefits from SNAP, EFAP or WIC to prevent hunger each month, setting even a modest Thanksgiving table may not be possible. In fact, most households receiving SNAP will already have run out of their monthly allotment by the time the 24th of November arrives (Source: Feeding America, Hunger: Faces and Facts). Some families will find their way to free meals at soup kitchens and pantries where generous volunteers will don aprons to help fill the need. These efforts will offer inspiration and hope to both the hungry and the volunteers, who are sometimes one and the same, and will temporarily resolve the food budget shortfalls afflicting some during the holiday season. But charity food distributions are unable meet the ongoing needs of so many families during the prolonged economic downturn.

Cutting the nutrition safety net for families who are struggling to make ends meet is in no way a fair or balanced approach to reducing our nation’s deficit. With millions of people struggling to pay for food, housing, health, and energy costs in this tough economy, now is the time to strengthen the safety net, not cut it. Previous bi-partisan efforts, including the Simpson-Bowles and “Gang of Six” plans, proposed significant deficit reduction without cutting SNAP or risking an increase in hardship. There is no reason to abandon that principle now. The increased cost of a Thanksgiving meal is just one indicator of how difficult it can be take make ends meet these days. With costs and need rising and with all indications that the economic recovery will be slow and long-term unemployment will linger in the double digits, it is imperative that our leaders remain committed to reducing the deficit without increasing poverty and inequality.

Before we all sit down for our holiday meals, our nation’s leaders will be considering new strategies to balance the budget in the wake of the Supercommittee’s failure. The California Hunger Action Coalition asks them to do so without putting the meals provided by nutrition safety net programs at risk. We urge the California Congressional delegation not to support any budget balancing legislation that will increase hunger or poverty by making cuts to nutrition or other safety net programs. We hope you will join us!

Contact your Member of Congress Today: https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

The California Hunger Action Coalition (CHAC) is a broad-based membership organization of emergency food providers, consumers, and anti-hunger advocates. United in the belief that access to adequate, nutritious, and safe food is a fundamental human right, the coalition advocates for freedom from food insecurity and hunger for all Californians. For more information, contact Co-Chairs Frank Tamborello at Frank@hungeractionla.org or Tim Shadix at Tim@cafoodbanks.org. Find us online at: http://www.hungeraction.net

News Update November 8th 2011

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 07:01:40 -0800

November 8, 2011

Hunger Action L.A. Meeting Oct 18, 2011 10am

Thu, 3 Nov 2011 08:17:37 -0700

All are welcome, no cost. We’ll be following up on the Sept 22 rally and other efforts to help preserve programs that Americans fought for long and hard, that are now supporting a good number of working people, especially the SNAP (CalFresh) (Food Stamp) program, but also Social Security and others. We’ll be discussing other actions being taken across the country and how to coordinate better with others doing similar work here in LA.

Panel on Sustainability at Occupy LA 1:30pm Sunday Nov 6

Thu, 3 Nov 2011 08:14:52 -0700

Panel on Sustainability at Occupy LA: HALA will be on the panel 1:30 pm Sunday Nov 6 at Occupy LA (at City Hall downtown), read the news for more details about the two-day Saturday Nov 5-Sunday Nov 6 teach in at Occupy LA

News Update November 2nd 2011

Wed, 2 Nov 2011 18:22:47 -0700

November 2, 2011

News Update October 24, 2011

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 18:28:06 -0700

October 24, 2011

News Update October 14, 2011

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 08:02:29 -0700

October 11, 2011

News Update September 28, 2011

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 08:30:56 -0700

September 28, 2011

Recommendation made to Eliminate Emergency Food & Shelter Program

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 20:38:11 -0700

The assault by the 12 person "Super Congress", appointed to slash $1.5 trillion from federal spending, has begun. One of the committee, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, is proposing total elimination of the Emergency Food and Shelter Program. Here in LA , the EFSP provided $5.9 million to 130 agencies that provided food and shelter to low income people, both housed and many homeless. This money is accessed by every major food bank, food pantry, and shelter program in Los Angeles County. With 1.7 million people not getting sufficient food and 90,000 or more homeless people we can’t afford to lose this funding.

This should be of concern to everyone. Please Call Representative Xavier Becerra who is the only California representative on the "Super Congress" and tell him: Don’t allow this proposed cut to go through! 202-225-6235

LEGISLATIVE ALERT

Please contact your member of Super committee & your member of Congress.

Emergency Food & Shelter Funding called " a mismanagement of homeland security resources".

Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin), the ranking Republican on the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, has submitted a recommendation to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (Super Committee) to eliminate the emergency food and shelter assistance at FEMA. Johnson is calling Emergency Food & Shelter Funding, "a mismanagement of homeland security resources". The Senator shared his ideas with News 18 " WQOW.com in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, appearing in an article published yesterday, Sept. 19, 2011.

You can read the entire article by going to: http://www.wqow.com/story/15500034/sen-johnson-makes-recommendations-to-reduce-federal-deficit The exact wording used by Sen. Johnson which appears on page 10 of his committee’s report to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction "14 Trillion in Savings" is as follows:

Cut Emergency Food and Shelter $1,000,000.00 Saved This program is for feeding the homeless; however, there are at least 18 domestic food and nutrition programs across the government - amounting to a tremendous duplication among agencies and a mismanagement of homeland security resources.

To read the complete list of recommendations contained in the committee report, go to: http://ronjohnson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/files/serve?File_id=b61bc3d5-a0e9-4d48-ba25-17d4b1f238b6

News Update June 9, 2011

Thu, 9 Jun 2011 18:11:42 -0700

June 9, 2011:

News Update May 31, 2011

Tue, 31 May 2011 12:35:10 -0700

May 31, 2011:

If you did the sane thing and took some time off, it will be Tuesday morning when you read this. Some of the alerts have a deadline of today or the next day (June 1 or June 2) to get in letters of support/opposition---please help!

News Update May 20, 2011

Sat, 21 May 2011 00:38:31 -0700

May 20, 2011:

CalFresh Awareness Month: May is the month LA County has designated to make people aware they may qualify for food assistance benefits, and they’ve collaborated with community groups to create several events where people can easily enroll in the program. You can see other press materials for CalFresh Awareness Month and a calendar of events for the entire month of May featuring CalFresh outreach, including festivals, several farmers’ markets events and the appearance of the LA County’s custom built mobile food stamp office. Go to this link:http://dpss.lacounty.gov/dpss/calfresh

May 2011 is CalFresh Awareness Month

Fri, 29 Apr 2011 14:57:19 -0700

News Update Apr 29, 2011

Fri, 29 Apr 2011 14:54:53 -0700

April 29, 2011:

May 1 Rally: On Sunday, May 1, tens of thousands of immigrants and working families of all backgrounds, community organizations, labor unions and many others will take to the streets across the country to demand legalization for all immigrants and to stop deportations and the attacks on workers.

The ANSWER Coalition is supporting and helping to organize May 1 demonstrations taking place across the country.Los Angeles, Calif.

10:00am
Corner of Olympic & Broadway, Downtown LA
(March to 1st & Broadway for mass rally)

News Update Apr 12, 2011

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 11:32:30 -0700

April 12, 2011:

Follow us on Twitter @HungerActionLA . Welcome to all the new people on the list: please respond to frank@hungeractionla.org if you wish to use a different e mail or be removed.

Hunger Action LA Monthly Meeting is this Friday April 15: 10 am to Noon at LAANE, 464 S. Lucas.

Eating locally grown food doesn't have to be expensive!

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 19:18:35 -0700

Whole Foods' "Local" signs make it easier for well-heeled shoppers to opt for locally-grown produce, but for Angelenos who can't afford to shop at Whole Foods, locavoring can sound like an environmental practice that's far out of reach. But eating local doesn't have to be expensive... read more:

News Update Mar 25, 2011

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 20:32:29 -0700

March 25, 2011:

March 25, 2011: Follow us on Twitter @HungerActionLA . Welcome to all the new people on the list: please respond to frank@hungeractionla.org if you wish to use a different e mail or be removed

News Update Mar 20 2011

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 17:13:43 -0700

March 20, 2011:

**Benefits Checkup promotes programs to end senior hunger during National Senior Nutrition Month. Check them out at :
http://www.benefitscheckup.org/

News Update Feb 4 2011

Fri, 4 Feb 2011 21:29:07 -0800

February 4, 2011

News Update Jan 27 2011

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 21:09:46 -0800

January 27, 2011

News Update Jan 21 2011

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 11:07:24 -0800

January 21, 2011

President Eisenhower’s famous 1953 quote about how military spending robs us of money to help feed and house people.

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 22:44:44 -0800

http://hungeractionla.org/dox/media/Eisenhower.mp3

Hunger Action Los Angeles: Monthly Meeting

frank@hungeractionla.org — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 21:01:03 -0800

Hunger Action Los Angeles

MONTHLY MEETING

Friday January 28, 2011

10 am to 12 Noon

Location: Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy ---

Miguel Contreras Room

464 S. Lucas St. LA CA 90017

(Just west of downtown, on Lucas btw. 6^th and 3^rd st.: Free parking! )

Agenda

1-Update on CalFresh Legislation

Jessica Jones, LA Regional Food Bank

2-Budget Update and Actions

Astrid Campos, California Partnership

3-Update on South LA Grocery Campaign :Fast Food Ordinance: Garden

Tanishia Wright, Community Health Councils

4-Important SSI Rule Changes

Ryan Bradley, Legal Aid Foundation

5-Volunteer for Hunger Action Day Subcommittees!

Please RSVP: frank@hungeractionla.org or (213) 388 8228

SPONSORED BY HUNGER ACTION LOS ANGELES

Frank Tamborello

Hunger Action Los Angeles

961 S. Mariposa #205

Los Angeles CA 90006

213-388-8228

frank@hungeractionla.org

News update Jan 14 2011

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 21:21:48 -0800

January 14, 2011:

GOVERNOR BROWN'S BUDGET PROPOSAL WILL WORSEN POVERTY AND HUNGER IN CALIFORNIA

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 21:02:49 -0800

GOVERNOR BROWN'S BUDGET PROPOSAL WILL WORSEN POVERTY AND HUNGER IN CALIFORNIA

Radio segment on the issues. CLICK TO LISTEN

How To Make Your School or Community Garden a Nutrition Education Center-August 25

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 03:27:58 +0000

Join the Network's Los Angeles Region, University of California Cooperative Extension and the Garden School Foundation for an exciting sharing forum to help you make school and community gardens a center for nutrition education. Registration information will be available at a later date.

What: Network for a Healthy California--Los Angeles Region Sharing Forum: "Planting the Seeds of Success for Your School or Community Garden"

When: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 from 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM

Where: 24th Street Elementary School, 2055 W. 24th St., Los Angeles, CA 90018

For more information please contact: Maggie Quintana at 323-260-3841 mquintana@ucdavis.edu

Project Youth Green Summer Festival August 19

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 03:26:47 +0000

Addressing a crucial lack of green space, shortage of youth activities, and widespread poverty, Project Youth Green promotes self reliance and empowerment for youth and their families living in the Northeast San Fernando Valley. Come celebrate the first Project Youth Green Summer Festival Thursday August 19. 5 to 7 PM

12457 Osborne St., Pacoima CA: Tour of four acre garden: Light refreshments, live music, brief program with elected officials and community leaders. Taste Locally grown produce. For more information call Rosana Ramirez at 818 890 2928 or visit www.youthspeakcollective.org

Promoting Healthy Choices for Food Stamp Participants: Farmers Markets

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 03:25:12 +0000

Banning the purchase of soda would be one way to make sure food stamp benefits purchase more nutritious food, but there are also proactive methods. The Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC) and Farmers’ Market Coalition (FMC)

have issued a new report on EBT & Farmer’s Markets. Many people are unaware that food stamp benefits can be used at many farmer’s markets. In addition, several bonus or “top up” programs have sprouted up around the country in which food stamp participants can get extra vouchers to spend on fruits and vegetables. Hunger Action LA is sponsoring one such program at the Adams/Vermont Farmers’ Market on Wednesdays, 2-6 pm. See the report here:

http://www.foodsecurity.org/pub/RealFoodRealChoice_SNAP_FarmersMarkets.pdf

Should food stamps not be used to buy soda?

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 03:22:24 +0000

Michael Jacobson, Executive Director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, suggests that food stamp benefits shouldn’t be used to buy soda—it represents about $4 billion a year in a government subsidy for a product known to have no nutritional value. Read more:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-f-jacobson/diabetes-soda_b_649369.html

Town Hall Meeting August 12: Zoning Out Unhealthy Food

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 03:21:14 +0000

Community Health Councils and Food Policy Roundtable are sponsoring a town hall to address the upcoming expiration of the South LA interim ordinance that restricts fast food chains from opening new sites in the area. Let’s stop fast food restaurants from taking over our community! Let your voice be heard!

Thursday, August 12th, 2010

6:00-8:00 p.m.

Light Refreshments and Children’s Play Area Provided

Second African Methodist Episcopal Church

5500 South Hoover Street

Los Angeles, CA 90037

Please contact Tanishia Wright at (323) 295-9372 or Tanishia@chc-inc.org to RSVP and if you have any questions.

LA’s Food Deserts

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 03:20:02 +0000

From Patt Morrison’s KPCC radio program “Los Angeles has some of the best restaurants in the country and the city is considered a mecca for foodies and gourmands. Despite this reputation, vast swatches of L.A. are limited to few grocery options. These are L.A.'s "food deserts" and their lack of nutritional resources is reflected in the health of the people who live in them.”

http://www.scpr.org/news/2010/07/26/lack-grocery-options-leads-higher-obesity-rates-so/

Listen to Patt Morrison’s broadcast on this page (you have to scroll down to “Navigating LA’s Food Deserts”):http://www.scpr.org/programs/patt-morrison/

Top Ten Reasons to Label Genetically Modified Food

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 03:16:31 +0000

Ronnie Cummins, director of the Organic Consumers Association, produces a slide show demonstrating ten reasons why genetically modified food should be labeled:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ronnie-cummins/top-10-reasons-to-label-g_b_659400.html

Baby Formula Companies Raise Prices, Undermine Breast Feeding

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 03:15:29 +0000

From MomsRising and Breastfeeding Task Force and California WIC Association:

Baby formula companies have been adding “functional ingredients” to formula and making claims that are not backed up by science, that these ingredients help the newborn’s health. According to Moms Rising: “Functional ingredients are things like prebiotics, nucleotides, and others ingredients that are marketed as improving a baby’s health.” The companies also use these as a reason to raise the cost of the product, and the health claims are undermining the message that “breastfeeding is best”.

People are urged to call their Senator and ask them to support Section 353 of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (S. 3307: the Re-Authorization of the Child Nutrition Act), which would ensure that all WIC formula and food decisions are science-based.

“Tell your Senator that the Child Nutrition Act should include independent scientific reviews of formula and other foods so parents can make the best choices for their infants.”

http://action.momsrising.org/go/WIC/282?akid=2222.160029.VRnRFB&t=4

LA Food Policy Task Force Releases Initial Report

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 03:12:35 +0000

The City of LA Food Policy Task Force has released its initial report. Over a period of nine months this group composed of stakeholders from various backgrounds identified six action areas for the city to make Los Angeles a hub of “good food”: Promote A Good Food Economy: Build A Market for Good Food: Eliminate Hunger in Los Angeles: Ensure Equal Access to Good Food in Underserved Communities: Grow Good Food in Our Neighborhoods: Inspire and Mobilize Good Food Champions. You can download the executive summary at the link below:
http://goodfoodla.org/

City of LA Sponsors Poverty Hearing August 10

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 03:10:12 +0000

8/10/10: Poverty Hearing of the L.A. City Council's Jobs and Business Development Committee

On Tuesday, August 10th at 1 PM in Room 1010 of City Hall, Councilman Alarcón will convene a hearing of the Jobs and Business Development Committee. The meeting will focus on a number of anti-poverty initiatives pending with the Council, many of which he introduced. We need your input & substantive feedback! We invite any comments you have on the following agenda items in writing or in person at the hearing.The agenda will include:

The One-E-App system and its roll out among the City's Family Source Centers (for those unfamiliar with One-E-App, it is a "one-stop" portal that allows individuals to screen for all the benefits programs they may be eligible for in a single application process);
The results of the 2009-2010 EITC Campaign and ways to continue to momentum in 2010-2011;
Hunger in Los Angeles and how to increase food stamp participation in the City;
Creating Banking Development Districts, a model from NYC and NY State that offers incentives to banks that choose to open branches in previously under-served neighborhoods.

Another Voice Raised for Food Surplus Ordinance

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 03:03:32 +0000

In the wake of the city of LA’s passage of the surplus food ordinance, LA Times columnist David Lazarus suggests ways that businesses can jump on the bandwagon---first by learning how the law protects them from liability for donated food (the 1996 Good Samaritan Act), and then suggesting a Craigslist-type website in which potential donors and potential recipients of food could connect: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-lazarus-20100727,0,5011780,full.column

Senate Leaders Include Proposal to Cut Millions from Future SNAP Benefits

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 03:01:39 +0000

From Food Research and Action Center: Washington, D.C. – July 28, 2010 – To offset part of the cost for the pending Small Business Jobs Act, Finance Committee Chair Senator Max Baucus (D-Mont.) has included a proposal to cut $500 million from future SNAP/Food Stamp benefits. The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) strongly opposes this proposal – the second attempt in just over one month to raid desperately needed SNAP/Food Stamp dollars to pay for other programs.http://www.frac.org/Press_Release/senate_proposes_snap_cuts_july2010.htm