The conference committee has reached a tentative agreement on the Farm Bill with $10.2b over ten years for nutrition. We have one more call to make:
Use this toll-free number to call Congress: (800) 826-3688. Ask for the agriculture staffer and tell them that nutrtion improvements in the Farm Bill should go toward:
Food stamp benefit increases, especially raising and indexing the $10 minimum monthly benefit and standard deduction
Greater food stamp access, especially raising and indexing household asset limits
Boosting purchases in The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), by raising and indexing funding
Friday, April 25, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Domestic Call April 24
The Farm Lobby has spent $80m lobbying Congress on the Farm Bill. If not for RESULTS members lobbying for the nutrition title, it would have long ago gone by the wayside.
Our task this week, since the conference committee extended the deadline to May 2, is to lobby Loebsack's office with these messages:
1)We need a new Farm Bill; with skyrocketing food prices, the Nutrition Title of the Farm Bill (Food Stamps in particular) can't afford to keep going at current funding levels.
2)We need to maintain the $11.5b over 10 years level for the Nutrition Title of the Farm Bill.
If you want to call Loebsack's DC office, dial 202-225-6576.
For Cedar Rapids, dial 364-2288.
Loebsack is not on the conference committee for the Farm Bill, but can talk to members of the House who are. He is sympathetic to the Nutrition Title of the Farm Bill, so this will be an easy call.
Our task this week, since the conference committee extended the deadline to May 2, is to lobby Loebsack's office with these messages:
1)We need a new Farm Bill; with skyrocketing food prices, the Nutrition Title of the Farm Bill (Food Stamps in particular) can't afford to keep going at current funding levels.
2)We need to maintain the $11.5b over 10 years level for the Nutrition Title of the Farm Bill.
If you want to call Loebsack's DC office, dial 202-225-6576.
For Cedar Rapids, dial 364-2288.
Loebsack is not on the conference committee for the Farm Bill, but can talk to members of the House who are. He is sympathetic to the Nutrition Title of the Farm Bill, so this will be an easy call.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Global Call April 23
There was rejoicing in abundance at Leslee's Op-Ed on the Education for All Act being accepted by the Gazette. Our letters from Monday night's meeting were faxed today. Some of them -- to Harkin -- went through yesterday. The others, to Loebsack and Grassley, went through today.
Child Survival Act
has stalled in the Senate. It has yet to pass the House Foreign Affairs Committee. If you want to take action on this bill, contact Congressman Loebsack's office and ask that he talk to the leadership of the House Foreign Affairs Committee to move the bill.
Herb Bread Fundraiser
This great mystery of the Episcopal Church turned quite a few heads on the call. We are going to do a dry run of about 25 loaves not only so we can be trained, but so that we can use the loaves to build our customer base at Lovely Lane and Peoples. In the past, the group has sold 150 loaves in November and 100 in December. By adding a second shift of workers, I think we can look at doubling that number, as well as adding bread sale for Easter. One of the sales will go for RESULTS, a second for Swaziland, and a third for a local charity to be named.
Child Survival Act
has stalled in the Senate. It has yet to pass the House Foreign Affairs Committee. If you want to take action on this bill, contact Congressman Loebsack's office and ask that he talk to the leadership of the House Foreign Affairs Committee to move the bill.
Herb Bread Fundraiser
This great mystery of the Episcopal Church turned quite a few heads on the call. We are going to do a dry run of about 25 loaves not only so we can be trained, but so that we can use the loaves to build our customer base at Lovely Lane and Peoples. In the past, the group has sold 150 loaves in November and 100 in December. By adding a second shift of workers, I think we can look at doubling that number, as well as adding bread sale for Easter. One of the sales will go for RESULTS, a second for Swaziland, and a third for a local charity to be named.
Diversity Taskforce Conference Call
I recently joined the RESULTS Diversity Taskforce and tonight was my first call with them. Both Meredith Dodson, Domestic Coordinator and Ken Patterson, Global Coordinator were on the call.
One of the important things that came out of the call was the desire to add diversity awareness training at the International Conference. There was also a strong desire to set up pilot cities where outreach to new members could be done -- both persons of color and persons in low-income households.
During the call I identified four additional outreach meetings we could pursue, in addition to the Zero Poverty group May 5 with Churches United. We would be looking to empower new members as we have been empowered.
Two sub-groups will be working before next month's call: the Pilot Project Team; and the International Conference/Dialogue Framing Team. I asked to be on the pilot project team.
We will talk more about this at our next meeting.
One of the important things that came out of the call was the desire to add diversity awareness training at the International Conference. There was also a strong desire to set up pilot cities where outreach to new members could be done -- both persons of color and persons in low-income households.
During the call I identified four additional outreach meetings we could pursue, in addition to the Zero Poverty group May 5 with Churches United. We would be looking to empower new members as we have been empowered.
Two sub-groups will be working before next month's call: the Pilot Project Team; and the International Conference/Dialogue Framing Team. I asked to be on the pilot project team.
We will talk more about this at our next meeting.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Monthly Meeting April 21
We were honored to welcome Leland Freie to his first RESULTS meeting. We look forward to what he can contribute to the important work of RESULTS in the future.
Kate asked Deb Thomas, wife of one of the Three Amigos, to relay to Phil our invitation to entertain at the Ice Cream Social. Peg is going to talk to Bob Ballantyne and Paula is going to talk to Bruce Nesmith. Poster and newsletter notices for the event were approved. Diane will distribute these to Christ Episcopal, Lovely Lane UMC and People's UU.
We will set a date for a dry run of the Herb Bread buttering after the International Conference.
Leslee shared her Education for All Act op-ed for critique. She did a great job putting this together.
We wrote letters to members of Congress and candidate Peter Teahen about the Education for All Act and Healthcare for All by 2010.
Diane will visit Polly this week and thank her for all her RESULTS work over the years.
Kate asked Deb Thomas, wife of one of the Three Amigos, to relay to Phil our invitation to entertain at the Ice Cream Social. Peg is going to talk to Bob Ballantyne and Paula is going to talk to Bruce Nesmith. Poster and newsletter notices for the event were approved. Diane will distribute these to Christ Episcopal, Lovely Lane UMC and People's UU.
We will set a date for a dry run of the Herb Bread buttering after the International Conference.
Leslee shared her Education for All Act op-ed for critique. She did a great job putting this together.
We wrote letters to members of Congress and candidate Peter Teahen about the Education for All Act and Healthcare for All by 2010.
Diane will visit Polly this week and thank her for all her RESULTS work over the years.
Jubilee Act passes House of Representatives
The Jubilee Act (H.R. 2634) passed on the House floor on Wednesday, April 16 and now moves to the Senate. The bill would cancel impoverished country debt, prohibit harmful economic and policy conditions on debt cancellation, mandate transparency and responsibility in lending from governments and international financial institutions, call for a new legal framework to restrict the activities of predatory “vulture funds,” and call for a U.S. audit of debts resulting from odious and illegitimate lending.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Farm Bill and Herb Bread
The Farm Bill is presently in conference committee. I will call Harkin's and Grassley's offices -- both are on the conference committee -- to encourage them to keep the $11.5B in nutrition in the final bill. Polly had been making our Senate calls. Unless someone steps forward to take this on, I'll do it. Let me know your thoughts.
After the Global conference call last Saturday Leslee came up with the idea of the Jubilee Commission taking on the Herb Bread project at Christ Church. We talked about expanding the customer base and increasing the bread buttering to include Easter as well as Thanksgiving and Christmas. I met with Trudy yesterday and she gave me the information, which I shared with Leslee. The group at the conference call thought one donation per year could be made to RESULTS, one to Swaziland and one to an internal effort. We will talk more about this at the meeting on Monday.
After the Global conference call last Saturday Leslee came up with the idea of the Jubilee Commission taking on the Herb Bread project at Christ Church. We talked about expanding the customer base and increasing the bread buttering to include Easter as well as Thanksgiving and Christmas. I met with Trudy yesterday and she gave me the information, which I shared with Leslee. The group at the conference call thought one donation per year could be made to RESULTS, one to Swaziland and one to an internal effort. We will talk more about this at the meeting on Monday.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Regional Coordinator Calls and Some Thoughts
I'm afraid I didn't take very good notes during either RC call this week. Muhammed Yunus is up for a Congressional Gold Medal. Senator Harkin has voted for it; Grassley not yet and Loebsack not yet. I will call Harkin's office tomorrow to thank him for that vote; I'll call Grassley and remind him of the work of Muhammed Yunus on microcredit -- a Grassley favorite; and I'll call Loebsack's office to ask that he support this effort. I need to touch base with Heidi Hotopp in Loebsack's office to follow up on a meeting request during the RESULTS International Conference.
On the domestic call this afternoon we talked about how to achieve greater diversity in our groups. Hopefully our presentation May 5 will reach people who are not white and middle-class. Also, healthcare is a hot topic right now among the presidential candidates.
On the domestic call this afternoon we talked about how to achieve greater diversity in our groups. Hopefully our presentation May 5 will reach people who are not white and middle-class. Also, healthcare is a hot topic right now among the presidential candidates.
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