Act Now to Support Farm to Cafeteria Programs!
Background
What's Happening NOW?
Call your Legislator
Submit an Op/Ed
Background
Over the past several years, the Community Food Security Coalition has worked to enact
legislation to support Farm to Cafeteria projects. Based on the successful Community
Food Projects grants, Farm to Cafeteria is designed to provide schools and non-profits
with seed grants to cover the initial costs of preparing locally-grown food for school
meals. These costs include equipment such as extra refrigerators and sinks, staff time
to set up the project, and experiential nutrition education projects, including school
gardens.
The 2004 Child Nutrition Act includes Farm to Cafeteria legislation under Section 122
entitled, "Access to Local Foods and School Gardens." The legislation will create a seed
grant fund to cover the initial costs of Farm to Cafeteria projects, including equipment,
nutrition education, and school gardens. The program was not funded last year, however,
because of tight budgets.
What's Happening Now?
On February 6, the President released his budget for fiscal year '07. By mid-April,
Senators and Representatives will be asked to identify their priorities for
appropriations--the actual doling out of money. We want Farm to Cafeteria
appropriations to be on those priority lists, and we specifically want members of
the Appropriations Committees to support funding. Fostering support early will make
a stronger statement when the bill is drafted this summer.
What Can I Do?
1. Contact your Congresspeople and ask them to include $5 million for "Access to
Local Foods and School Gardens," Section 122 of the Child Nutrition Act, in their
agricultural appropriations requests. Explain that the legislation will help bring fresh,
locally-grown food into schools, improving children's health and supporting family farmers
and that a modest investment in these start-up grants will help schools develop lasting
farm to cafeteria programs.
When you call, ask to speak to the staff who deals with agriculture and nutrition. Use the
information above, and tell the staff that you want your member to support funding for this
important program. If you leave a message, be sure to give your name, address, and phone
number, and tell them you are a constituent.
You can contact any legislator's office by calling the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.
You may also find your Senators' contact information at www.senate.gov
and your Representative's contact information at www.house.gov.
Letters, handwritten ones especially, also influence Congress members' decisions. If you mail
a letter, please mail it to a local office, rather than your legislator's DC office. Mail
coming to DC offices is first irradiated, so it takes longer to reach your legislator.
For more information or to receive updates, please contact Steph Larsen, Policy Organizer,
Community Food Security Coalition at Steph@foodsecurity.org
or 202.543.8602.
2. Submit an op-ed!
- Write an op-ed article describing the benefits of Farm to Cafeteria projects.
Click here for a sample op/ed.
- Click here for helpful tips in publishing an op-ed.
3. Write a Letter to the Editor!
- Write a letter to the editor, based on an article in your local paper related to
food, health, farmers, obesity, or any other subject you think relates to Farm to Cafeteria.
- Click Here for tips on writing a letter to the editor.
Remember, they usually are less than 150 words, and they should relate to a story that
recently ran in the paper.
Questions?
Actions Taken?
Call the Policy Office at 202-543-8602 or email
steph@foodsecurity.org
with any questions or to share what actions you have taken!
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