April 17, Re: Strengthen and Protect SNAP/Food Stamps in the 2012 Farm Bill. Dear Member of Congress:

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1 April 17, 2012 Re: Strengthen and Protect SNAP/Food Stamps in the 2012 Farm Bill Dear Member of Congress: As constituent groups representing over 3.9 million SNAP recipients in California and the many other low-income and food insecure people in our state, we urge you to protect SNAP and to strengthen the program. In particular, we urge you to support proposals in the Farm Bill to ensure that California households have the resources to purchase a nutritionally adequate diet by increasing benefit adequacy; and we urge you to oppose proposals to cap or reduce funding, restrict eligibility or reduce benefits in SNAP. Households are facing impossible choices among food, home heating, gasoline, rent, medicine and other basic needs. Millions continue to struggle with hunger, as documented by food hardship data collected by Gallup and analyzed by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC). Nearly one in five Americans said there were times they didn t have enough money to buy food that they or their families needed in No state was immune from this challenge: in California, 19.3 percent of households told Gallup in 2011 that they struggled in this way. Rates for families with children are higher. For decades, SNAP has enjoyed strong bipartisan support and has helped ensure the poorest and hungriest people in our nation can put food on the table. If it is weakened, many millions of older Americans, people with disabilities, children, struggling parents working and unemployed and others will suffer, and the nation will see more hunger and food insecurity, worse health and educational outcomes, and higher health costs. SNAP s responsiveness to unemployment proved it to be one of the most effective safety net programs during the recent recession, providing families with a stable source of food. SNAP is targeted to the most vulnerable people in our communities. The average beneficiary household has an income of only 57 percent of the federal poverty guideline; and 84 percent of all benefits go to households with a child, senior, or disabled person. SNAP lifted 3.9 million Americans above the poverty line in 2010, including 1.7 million children and 280,000 seniors. The strengths of the SNAP program led every bipartisan deficit group in to insulate it from cuts. The Simpson-Bowles and Domenici-Rivlin commissions recommended no cuts in SNAP. The same is true of the Gang of Six. And the August 2011 deficit agreement protected the program from sequestration. In his FY2012 and FY2013 budgets the President has included proposals to strengthen the program. This is the time to strengthen, not weaken, our nation s nutrition safety net. Americans want the government to attack hunger aggressively, and they reject attempts to cut anti-hunger efforts. A January poll conducted by Hart Research for FRAC demonstrated broad support among Americans for the federal nutrition programs and opposition to cuts. Seven in 10 voters said the federal government should have a major role in ensuring that low-income families and children have the food and nutrition they need. Seventy-seven percent of voters said that cutting SNAP would be the wrong way to reduce government spending. We urge you to work with your colleagues in Congress to strengthen and support SNAP - our nation s first line of defense against hunger.

2 175 Organizations in California Have Signed Onto This Letter A World Fit For Kids!, Los Angeles Alameda County Community Food Bank, Oakland Alchemist Community Development Corporation, Sacramento Amador Street Hope Center, Vallejo Bay Localize, Oakland Beanstalk, North Highlands Benchmark Institute, San Francisco Black Alliance for Just Immigration/Global Exchange, San Leandro Boys & Girls Club of Stanton Bread of Life Rescue Mission, Oceanside California Association of Food Banks, Oakland California Association for Family Child Care, Lakewood California Association of Nutrition and Activities Programs, Davis California Church IMPACT, Sacramento California Emergency Foodlink, Sacramento California Food Policy Advocates, Oakland California Hunger Action Coalition, Los Angeles California Immigrant Policy Center, Sacramento California Latinas for Reproductive Justice, Los Angeles California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, Oakland California Partnership, Los Angeles California Reinvestment Coalition, San Francisco California/Nevada Community Action Partnership, Sacramento Carpinteria Children's Project at Main Catholic Charities, Modesto Catholic Social Service, Vallejo CDI/CDC/Choices For Children, San Jose Center for Nutrition and Activity Promotion, Chico Central Coast Hunger Coalition, Watsonville Child Care Food Program Roundtable, Concord Child Development Associates, Bonita Children Now, Oakland Children s Weight Coalition, Napa Childs-pace, Costa Mesa Church of St. Luke, La Mesa City Heights Assembly of God, San Diego Clinicas de Salud del Pueblo Inc., Brawley Clinicas del Camino Real Incorporated, Ventura Coalition of California Welfare Rights Organizations, Inc., Sacramento Communities-Adolescents-Nutrition-Fitness (CANFIT), Berkeley Community Action of Napa Valley Community Action of Ventura County Community Food Bank, Fresno Community Research Foundation/ Casa del Sol Clubhouse, San Diego Community Resources for Children, Napa Community Spice Company, Sausalito Comprehensive Child Development, Lakewood Congress of California Seniors, Sacramento County Welfare Directors Association of California, Sacramento

3 Daughters of Charity, Lynwood Del Norte Unified School District Network for Healthy California, Crescent City Democracy In Action, Placerville East Bay Agency for Children, Oakland East County Transitional Living Center, San Diego Eat Drink Politics, Oakland Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church, San Diego Environmental Working Group, Oakland Episcopal Refugee Network of San Diego Escondido Community Child Development Center, San Diego Executive Management Services, Fresno Family Caregiver Alliance, San Francisco Family Resource and Referral Center, Stockton Farm to Table Food Services, Oakland Father Joe's Village, San Diego Feeding America, San Diego Fillmore Police Storefront Food Bank Coalition of San Luis Obispo County, Paso Robles Food Bank for Monterey County, Salinas Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano, Concord Food for People, Eureka FOOD Share, Inc., Oxnard Foodbank Coalition of San Luis Obispo County, Grover Beach Great Beginnings, Inglewood Grupo de la Comida, San Francisco Healthy Aging Association, Modesto Hidden Harvest, La Quinta Home Start Inc., El Cajon Housing California, Sacramento Hunger Action Los Angeles Hunger Coalition, Sacramento Imperial Valley Food Bank, El Centro Inland Empire United Way, Rancho Cucamonga Insight Center for Community Economic Development, Los Angeles Interfaith Community Services, Escondido International Institute of Los Angeles Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank, San Diego JERICHO A Voice for Justice, Sacramento Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles King Community Action Organization, Hanford Korean Resource Center, Los Angeles La Hermandad Hank Lacayo Youth & Family Center, Oxnard La Maestra Community Health Center, San Diego La Mesa Adventist Community Services, El Cajon La Presa Community Church, Lemon Grove Learning Care Group - Childtime Childcare Inc., La Petite Academy, Modesto Lee Vining School and Community Garden Project Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County Lemon Grove Foursquare LIFETIME: Low-Income Families' Empowerment through Education, Oakland Loaves & Fishes of Contra Costa, Concord

4 Los Angeles Community Action Network Los Angeles Regional Food Bank Love Little Children, Sacramento Lutheran Office of Public Policy California, Sacramento Meals4Hunger, San Diego Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project, Oxnard Mountain Health & Community Services, Campo Mt. Manna United Methodist Church, Julian National Association of Social Workers, California Chapter, Sacramento Native American Health Center, Oakland Network for a Healthy California, Santa Rosa New Foundry Ventures, San Francisco North County Lifeline, Oceanside North Park Church, Lemon Grove Oakland Food Policy Council, Oakland Ola mo Keriso, El Cajon OLA St. Vincent de Paul Food Locker, Sacramento OLMC Catholic Church, San Diego Options Food Program, Baldwin Park Pacific Elementary School, Davenport Palm Springs Cultural Center Parent Voices Hayward Chapter, Hayward Placer Food Bank, Roseville Plumas County Department of Social Services, Quincy Project Open Hand, San Francisco Redwood Empire Food Bank, Santa Rosa Revival Tabernacle, San Diego River City Food Bank, Sacramento Sacramento Head Start Alumni Association, North Highlands Salud Para La Gente, Watsonville Salvation Army Family Services, Escondido Samoa Independent Full Gospel Church, Lemon Grove San Diego Food Bank San Diego Hunger Coalition San Francisco & Marin Food Banks Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, Irvine Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, San Jose Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County, Watsonville Shasta Senior Nutrition Programs, Redding Siskiyou County Public Health, Yreka Sister Dolores Social Outreach St. Rose of Lima Catholic Parish, Chula Vistaa Sister Evelyn Mourey Center, Inc., El Centro Sister of St. Joseph of Orange, San Francisco Sisters of Mercy, Burlingame Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Valley Center South Bay S.D.A. Church, Imperial Beach South Sacramento Interfaith Partnership Food Closet Southwest Community Center, Bristol Sparrow Project, Vallejo Specific Nutrition Consulting Service, Inglewood St. Anthony's Foundation, San Francisco

5 St. Joseph's Family Center, Gilroy St. Stephen CME Church Feed My Sheep, Fairfield Stepping Higher, Inc., Spring Valley Temple Judea, Irvine The Gleaning Field Foundation, Vista The Living Word Christian Fellowship, San Diego The Salvation Army, Los Angeles The Solid Foundation Mandela House Programs, Oakland The Unity Council, Oakland The Well Community Outreach Center, Dublin Time for Change Foundation, San Bernardino Tradition One Alcohol/Drug Residential Program, San Diego Ubuntu Green, Sacramento Union Station Homeless Service, Pasadena United Way of California, South Pasadena University Synagogue, Los Angeles Valley Oak Children's Service, Chico Victory Gardens San Diego West Oakland Health Council, Inc. Western Center of Law and Poverty, Sacramento Women Organizing Resources, Knowledge & Services (WORKS), Los Angeles Women's Wellness, Indian Wells Word of Life Worship Center, Chula Vista YMCA of Greater Long Beach YWCA of San Diego County For more information about this sign on letter or the role of the California s Congressional Delegation can play in protecting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly Food Stamps, contact: Jessica Bartholow Etienne Melcher jbartholow@wclp.org emelcher@frac.org (916) x3012 Western Center on Law and Poverty Food Research & Action Center Jessica Jones, Policy Co-Chair California Hunger Action Coalition jjones@lafoodbank.org (323) x172 Los Angeles Regional Food Bank Eric Manke eric@cafoodbanks.org (510) California Association of Food Banks Keisha Nzewi, Policy Co-Chair California Hunger Action Coalition knzewi@accfb.org (510) x 352 Alameda County Community Food Bank