RVFB Goes to the Capitol!
Last month, Rainier Valley Food Bank volunteers congregated with 100 other hunger activists at our State Capitol in Olympia for Hunger Action Day.
Here are some of the key issues …. and what they mean
Pass Breakfast After the Bell: School breakfast legislation will require very high needs schools to offer breakfast in the classroom, grab and go, and second chance breakfast to almost 175,000 low-income and will clarify the use of instructional time so any school can serve Breakfast after the Bell.
Restore $25,000 to WSDA’s Farm to School and Small Farms/Direct Market Farms: More than $75,000 in these programs was cut since the recession, limiting the programs’ ability to serve kids, schools,and farmers, and diminishing Washington’s competitiveness for federal funds.
Restore TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) Funding: TANF provides minimal cash assistance to children and their parents, and the monthly grant to families was cut during the recession. The grant is used to help pay for families’ basic survival needs: rent, utilities, food, clothes, health, hygiene and more. We support restoring the final 9% in the supplemental budget.
Ban Housing Discrimination Based on Source of Income: In the search for a home, many face outright or unintentional discrimination by landlords unwilling to rent to people with Housing Choice (Section 8) voucher holders, seniors with Social Security income, veterans using housing subsidies, and people with disabilities who receive other legal sources of income. This discrimination has a significant impact on communities who disproportionately need to rely on subsidies to make ends meet, and increases their need for food security.
Pass Fair Chance Act (“Ban the Box”): Passing the Fair Chance Act would ban the box asking about convictions on job applications, allowing someone to be judged first on their qualifications and then have a chance to explain their past. This bill will boost employment, reduce recidivism, and will help households with past convictions make an income to meet basic needs and prevent hunger.
From left to right, Phoenica with Hunger Intervention Program, and RVFB’s very own Mary Kate Cartmill, Felicia Parsons and Lili Fischer.
RVFB’s Lead Check-in Volunteer and Home Delivery Guru, Felicia Parsons, got vocal with her district representatives during Hunger Action Day. It was her first time visiting the State Capitol and she says it will not be her last! Here’s what Felicia had to say about her experience…
I enjoyed going to the Capitol. The talks were very informative and for the first time in my life I believe in a Legislature.
We asked district representatives to pass Breakfast after the Bell, restoring funding to TANF, ban housing discrimination and pass the Fair Chance Act. These issues are important and so are the recipients of these bills because:
Children need to eat.
Mothers need job training and education.
No one should be discriminated from housing.
The Fair Chance Act will help offenders who have completed their incarceration and need someone to say “yes” to job and home.
Felicia Parson, RVFB Guest Check-in and Home Delivery Lead Volunteer! We love you, Felicia!
I’m passionate about the Breakfast after the Bell program. I feel all the legislators must know that kids with full bellies are less likely to disrupt the classroom and have a clearer view on subject matters. I hope all four bills are passed for our future legislators, council members and presidents.
You can read more on these bills from our Hunger Action Day Agenda, and use the Legislative Hotline at (800) 562-6000 to call your District Representatives to action on these issues!