Governor’s May Budget Revise: As you read this the Governor’s May Budget Revise is probably being announced. If it’s not too late you can join in a rally Monday May 14th at noon in downtown Los Angeles at the state building (300 S. Spring St.) This is one of several rallies occurring statewide. At each of these events, we'll be bringing attention to the devastating effects of year after year of budget cuts to health and human services and calling on legislators and the people of California to choose revenue solutions over more cuts. Contact: Astrid Campos acampos@communitychange.org 213.407.5840

• Hunger Action LA Meeting Friday May 25 Builds Bridge Between Urban Agriculture and Anti-Poverty Advocates.
• Market Match May: Market Match provides low income people, especially CalFresh participants...

• Farm Bill and Federal Legislation: SNAP Under Multiple Threats
• How We Can Respond
• And What About The Farm Part of the Farm Bill?

• Weight of The Nation
• Cornerstone Theater Presents Café Vida

• USDA Awards $4 Million For Expanding SNAP At Farmers Markets
• Food Prices In US Could Decline by Fall, But World Food Price Rises Could Cause More Hunger

Mothers Day Approaching: Order your Mother’s Day flowers from Flour LA: http://www.flourla.com/ .

• They use Fair Trade, organic and locally grown flowers whenever possible and have been featured in LA Weekly, Martha Stewart Weddings and Whole Foods.
• 10% of all orders placed from Sun, May 6th to Sun, May 13th will be donated directly to HALA. The donations will be specifically for the Market Match program which provides vouchers for low income families and individuals to buy fresh fruits and veggies at 11 LA County farmers markets in May.
• Treat your mom to flowers and help another mom buy their family locally grown vegetables and fruit!

events
• Letter Carriers Food Drive May 12
• Weight of The Nation
• KCET Departures Covers Food Activism
• Cornerstone Theater Presents CafÉ Vida

• Healthy Farms, Healthy People Priorities Survey

• Senate Ag Committee’s Farm Bill Not What We Need
• HOW WE CAN RESPOND

• May: Food Justice and Advocacy Trainings
• May 16-17 Hunger Action Day
• May 25: The next regular Hunger Action Day meeting
• Volunteers Needed
• Market Match May

• Many Still Unaware They Can Qualify for CalFresh
• Can EBT Be Used for Online Groceries?
• Media Under-Reports SNAP’s Effectiveness
• WIC Enrollment Declines Over Last 3 Years
• Meals on Wheels Study Reveals Spike in Senior Hunger
• 93,000 Californians Face Cutoff of Unemployment Benefits
• Education Has Strong Role In Underemployment
• Transnational Corporations Eye Mexico For Genetically Modified Seed Production
• GE Food Labeling Makes California Ballot
• World food prices fall but inflation fears remain:

• Market Match May and Veggie Voucher information
• So Why Farmers Markets?

• April 14: New Documentary on Child Hunger Premiere
• Nominate Someone for the 2012 Hunger Fighter Awards

• Tell Governor Brown Not To Cut In Home Support
• Help Restaurant Opportunities Center Send Advocates To DC

• Farm Bill and Help For Low Income Americans:
• Urban Gardening
• What Anything Has To Do With The Price of Orange Juice
• NY Times; Even Dairy Farming Has a 1%
• Slumping US Crop Reserves Blamed For Raising Food Costs In An Election Year
• NY Times: The Other Arab Spring: Food Prices, Global Warming
• Americans are snacking more

April 3, 2012

April: Food Justice and Advocacy Trainings
Free trainings sponsored by Hunger Action LA open to the public to explain current food policy initiatives on the city, state and federal level, and how to discuss these with your colleagues, the media and elected officials.

Boyle Heights: Tuesday April 17, 5-7 pm at Inner City Struggle, 124 N Townsend Ave, LA 90023. Co sponsored by Inner City Struggle

South LA: Thursday April 26 : Community Health Councils, 3731 Stocker St., LA CA 90008.Choose one  of two trainings: 3-5 pm and 6-8 pm. Co Sponsored by Community Health Councils.

RSVP frank@hungeractionla.org

May 16-17 Hunger Action Day: Join us in bringing together people to fight for a budget that serves all of us here in California, including seniors, people with disabilities, and families with kids. California Hunger Action Coalition’s annual event in Sacramento for rally, speakers and legislative visits on anti-hunger legislation: contact frank@hungeractionla.org . Sign up soon. Charter bus leaving Wed May 16 for overnight stay in Sacramento and events on May 17

Volunteers Needed: Email frank@hungeractionla.org if you’d like to volunteer for us. We are looking especially for volunteers for the entire month of May we’ll need volunteers to work at area farmers markets with the Market Match program (see www.hungeractionla.org for more info on Market Match)

• April 14: New Documentary on Child Hunger Premiere
  

  From national anti-hunger organization Share Our Strength: “Mark your calendar for Saturday, April 14.That night, Food Network will premiere Hunger Hits Home, a documentary that tells the story of three American families facing hunger…

• Nominate Someone for the 2012 Hunger Fighter Awards
  

  The California Hunger Action Coalition, a broad-based membership organization of food program providers, consumers and advocates from throughout the state, bestows Hunger Fighter Awards every year…

• Breakfast In The Classroom Launches in Los Angeles
• The National Budget and Safety Net
• Food Prices
• World Hunger and International Aid

April: Food Justice and Advocacy Trainings
Free trainings sponsored by Hunger Action LA open to the public to explain current food policy initiatives on the city, state and federal level, and how to discuss these with your colleagues, the media and elected officials.

Boyle Heights: Tuesday April 17, 5-7 pm at Inner City Struggle, 124 N Townsend Ave, LA 90023. Co sponsored by Inner City Struggle

South LA: Thursday April 26 : Community Health Councils, 3731 Stocker St., LA CA 90008.Choose one  of two trainings: 3-5 pm and 6-8 pm. Co Sponsored by Community Health Councils.

RSVP frank@hungeractionla.org

May 16-17 Hunger Action Day: Join us in bringing together people to fight for a budget that serves all of us here in California, including seniors, people with disabilities, and families with kids. California Hunger Action Coalition’s annual event in Sacramento for rally, speakers and legislative visits on anti-hunger legislation: contact frank@hungeractionla.org . Sign up soon. Charter bus leaving Wed May 16 for overnight stay in Sacramento and events on May 17

Volunteers Needed: Email frank@hungeractionla.org if you’d like to volunteer for us. We are looking especially for volunteers for the entire month of May we’ll need volunteers to work at area farmers markets with the Market Match program (see www.hungeractionla.org for more info on Market Match)

• April 14: New Documentary on Child Hunger Premiere
  

  From national anti-hunger organization Share Our Strength: “Mark your calendar for Saturday, April 14.That night, Food Network will premiere Hunger Hits Home, a documentary that tells the story of three American families facing hunger…

• Nominate Someone for the 2012 Hunger Fighter Awards
  

  The California Hunger Action Coalition, a broad-based membership organization of food program providers, consumers and advocates from throughout the state, bestows Hunger Fighter Awards every year…

• Breakfast In The Classroom Launches in Los Angeles
• The National Budget and Safety Net
• Food Prices
• World Hunger and International Aid

HALA Meeting: Next Hunger Action LA meeting HAS BEEN CHANGED TO FRIDAY APRIL 6---10 am to noon, 464 S Lucas Ave LA CA 90007. RSVP to frank@hungeractionla.org.  We have a nice panel on retail food issues all worked up for you, including guests from Community Market Conversion, Clare Fox, WIC Stores and others.  Free of charge and usually decent refreshments. Lots of good people to meet and conversation.

May 16-17 Hunger Action Day: California Hunger Action Coalition’s annual event in Sacramento for rally, speakers and legislative visits on anti-hunger legislation: contact frank@hungeractionla.org . Sign up soon. Charter bus leaving Wed May 16 for overnight stay in Sacramento and events on May 17

Volunteers Needed: Email frank@hungeractionla.org if you’d like to volunteer for us. We are looking especially for volunteers for the March 31 Good Food Day of Service and for the entire month of May we’ll need volunteers to work at area farmers markets with the Market Match program (see www.hungeractionla.org for more info on Market Match)

CFPA Legislative Agenda California Food Policy Advocates is sponsoring several bills this year including:

• AB 1872: Improving Child Care Nutrition (Alejo)
• AB 1781: Lining Up To Remove Stigma (Brownley)
• AB 1678: Building Healthy School Environments - Curb Mobile Vending to Kids (Monning)
• AB 1594: Improving Charter School Nutrition (Eng)
• AB 1560: Aligning Medi-Cal and Nutrition Assistance (Fuentes)

• March 31 Mayor’s Good Food Day of Service
• April 14 Save the Date Earth Day South LA
• April 23-24 California Partnership Budget Action Days
• May 2012  is CalFresh Awareness Month

• Whistleblowers: 70 percent of U.S. ground beef contains ‘pink slime’
• Loma Linda Vs McDonalds
• Labor  and Community Rally to Oppose New Walmart
• Alaska Man In Hunger Strike For Child Nutrition Bill
• UN Calls For Taxes On Unhealthy Food

March 6, 2012

HALA Meeting: Next Hunger Action LA meeting HAS BEEN CHANGED TO FRIDAY APRIL 6---10 am to noon, 464 S Lucas Ave LA CA 90007. RSVP to frank@hungeractionla.org.  We have a nice panel on retail food issues all worked up for you, including guests from Community Market Conversion, Clare Fox, WIC Stores and others.  Free of charge and usually decent refreshments. Lots of good people to meet and conversation.

Volunteers Needed: Email frank@hungeractionla.org if you’d like to volunteer for us. We are looking especially for volunteers for the March 31 Good Food Day of Service and for the entire month of May we’ll need volunteers to work at area farmers markets with the Market Match program (see www.hungeractionla.org for more info on Market Match)

• Common Ground Victory Garden Classes Available

• The Food Truck Flap Of 2012
• Cottage Food Bill Introduced In California
• Western Center On Law and Poverty Introduces 2012 Legislative Agenda

• Raise The Minimum Wage For Tipped Workers
• WalMart coming to Chinatown?

• March 31 Mayor’s Good Food Day of Service
• April 14 Save the Date Earth Day South LA
• April 23-24 California Partnership Budget Action Days
• May 2012 is CalFresh Awareness Month
• May 16-17 Hunger Action Day

• Growing Number of Americans Can’t Afford Enough To Eat
• How To Buy Healthy Foods Without Breaking The Bank
• Missouri Tackles Former Felon Food Stamp Issue
• American Jewish World Service Advocates For Farm Bill Reform
• Dow and Monsanto Band Together To Reintroduce Agent Orange Components Into Agriculture
• Walmart And Monsanto Band Together To Introduce Untested New Genes Into Humans

• Contradictions In the Anti-Hunger Movement

HALA Meeting: Next Hunger Action LA meeting is Friday March 30, 2012---10 am to noon, 464 S Lucas Ave LA CA 90007. RSVP to frank@hungeractionla.org.  More details as the month progresses

Volunteers Needed: Email frank@hungeractionla.org if you’d like to volunteer for us. We are looking especially for volunteers for the March 31 Good Food Day of Service and for the entire month of May we’ll need volunteers to work at area farmers markets with the Market Match program (see www.hungeractionla.org for more info on Market Match)

1. Global Day of Action: Occupy Our Food Supply: Today, Feb 27

1. Swipes for the Homeless, a UCLA student organization, is being recognized by the Obama Administration
2. March 31 Mayor’s Good Food Day of Service
3. April 14 Save the Date Earth Day South LA
4. April 23-24 California Partnership Budget Action Days
5. May 2012 is CalFresh Awareness Month
6. May 16-17 Hunger Action Day

1. Food Stamps/CalFresh In The News:
   • GOP on poverty programs
   • Sacramento leading the charge in increasing CalFresh enrollment in the state
   • Food Stamp Challenges
2. School Officials Give Girl’s Lunch An F
3. Hungary Destroys GM Corn: Peru Bans GMOs for 10 Years

1. Urban Agriculture At A Crossroads
2. Food stamps Perpetuate Myth of Consumer Choice
3. Farm Bill Hearing Will Address Local Food: March 14
   • Senate Agriculture Committee hearings
   • Farm Bill for Eaters
   • New York Times Articles on Farm Bill

1. Demand Labeling of GE Food

1. Hunger Action LA Meeting Friday Feb 24
2. California Alliance for Retired Americans Training on State Budget Feb. 28

1. Family Farmers Strike Back With Lawsuit Against Monsanto
2. San Diego Food Stamp System Is Broken
3. Program Trains New Beginning Farmers in California
4. First Lady Michelle Obama Highlights FreshWorks Program
5. President Obama’s Ag Proposals for 2013
6. Whole Foods Trying To Change Wallet-Draining Image
7. High Food Prices Contribute to World Malnutrition
8. U.S. Can Now Buy Local Food In Relief Operations
9. Chemical In Water Bottles Can Cause Obesity and Diabetes

1. Huffington Post Contributor Says Only Staples For Food Stamp Participants: HALA Responds
]]> http://hungeractionla.org/ 13695D52-93B2-40E5-A2C6-A6118EB16E53 Fri, 17 Feb 2012 20:11:10 -0800 February 10, 2012
actions
1. Petition to Oppose Obama Appointment of Corporate Ag Veteran To FDA
2. Valentine Delivery To Local Legislators Feb 14
events
1. Hunger Action LA Meeting Friday Feb 24
2. California Alliance for Retired Americans Training on State Budget Feb. 28
news
1. Food Pantry in Covina Closes After 80 Years
2. Angelinos Hit With Rising Rent, Utilities and Gasoline
3. States’ Attacks on Immigrants Increase Hunger
4. Food Stamp Use Rises To Record High in November
5. California Still Needs To Remove Food Stamp Barriers
6. Food Stamps Are Good For Consumers and Retailers
7. Robert Reich: Obama Is No “Food Stamp President”
8. Food Stamp Food Police?
9. Scientists Report: Sugar Should be Regulated Like Tobacco
10. WalMart adding a “Great for You” Label to Healthy Foods
11. Trader Joe’s Signs Agreement With Tomato Workers
12. Will 2012 Yield a New Farm Bill?
13. State and Federal Proposals Promote Local Food Growing
14. Can Farmers Feed 9 Billion?
15. The Seed Emergency: Threat To Food and Democracy
]]> http://hungeractionla.org 28D95160-5915-4EB5-B973-6F3BBCAD85AC Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:18:12 -0800 January 31, 2012
1. Hunger Action LA News
2. California Alliance for Retired Americans Sponsoring Training on State Budget Feb. 28
3. Nutrition Policy in The News
4. Newt’s Never Ending SNAP Flap
5. Kansas Legislators Question Policy Ending Food Assistance for Hundreds of Children
6. Tomato Workers Continue With Trader Joe’s Campaign
7. Higher Food Prices Caused By Everything From Drought To Speculation
8. The Outlook For Food in 2052
9. “Go Halfsies” Tackles Food Waste, Obesity, and Hunger
]]> http://hungeractionla.org 1EDD97BC-DA6B-4358-9109-4E725A2712C2 Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:25:21 -0800 <a href="dox/HAD_2012_complete.pdf" target="_blank" >Save The Date! Hunger Action Day 2012 May 17, 2012 In Sacramento, California </a><br /> <br /> 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. http://hungeractionla.org/dox/HAD_2012_complete.pdf 19023077-067D-4A6D-9FEA-EF12E129B1B8 Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:22:19 -0800 January 23, 2012
1. Hunger Action LA News:
2. Local News on Poverty and Assistance
3. Seed Lady of Watts Invites Angelenos To Join in New Project
4. Gingrich’s Attacks on Food Stamps Seen As Coded Racial Attacks
5. Local Farm Food News Around The Country
6. End Monsanto’s Attacks on Family Farmers
7. Can Supermarkets Help Increase Healthy Food Access
8. Food Waste Issue Goes Global
9. Biofuels Held Responsible For Grain Price Increases
10. Cattle Raids Source of Conflict in South Sudan
]]> http://hungeractionla.org D7DD99DE-FE4D-4BEA-BE1B-5C874B0589BC Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:59:50 -0800 December 13, 2011
1. Hunger Action LA News: City To Hear Resolution On Farm Bill, Dec 16
2. Upcoming Actions for A Fair Budget
3. Food Stamps : Hawaii, Frappucinos, And JP Morgan Chase
4. What’s Next On the Farm Bill
5. GE Food : Propaganda and Fact
6. By The Way, There’s a Rest of The World Out There
7. Food Prices:
8. What Is Fracking And What Does It Have To Do With Poverty And Hunger?
9. Occupy Wall Street Addresses Food Justice
10. Arsenic In Apple Juice and Rice
11. LA County Buries Unclaimed Bodies of Poor, Homeless
]]> http://hungeractionla.org A609176B-9AD5-4ABE-AE8E-69BF34B2887E Tue, 13 Dec 2011 20:01:40 -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]]> http://hungeractionla.org CBCF7DB9-7A26-4ADD-B2E5-0B6079D12701 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 15:45:19 -0800 November 8, 2011
1. Hunger Action LA News: Cornerstone Theater Panel Nov 17
2. Tell Congress NO to Secret Farm Bill
3. Wednesday Nov 9 Action: Defend Public Services
4. Support South Central Farmers
5. Poverty and Wealth Disparity
6. What Is a Robin Hood Tax?
7. Activists Hope To Ease Restrictions on Selling Homemade Food in California
]]> http://hungeractionla.org 6E499CD4-6CEF-415D-9D66-49D8FD3F11E0 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 07:01:40 -0800