Sunday, March 6th began the National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference in Washington, DC. The opening breakfast and plenary housed a packed room with over 500 employees, volunteers, fellows, and execs from 45 states and a wide-ranging variety of organizations fighting tirelessly to "End Hunger by 2015."

Over the course of three days workshops and training programs provided in-depth knowledge and training on communications, advocacy strategies, research, data use, child nutrition, programs, legislative discussions, capacity building and information on SNAP, and CACFP, to name a few. Luncheons included speakers like Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who spoke to the importance of Hill visits and the work that the organizations were doing to help Americans win the war against hunger.


Carrie Leach
carrie.leach@liveunitedsem.org

 

Teams gathered the last day of the conference by region to discuss visits to the Hill, strategies, talking points, attendance, and leadership roles. Fellow Michiganders from organizations like Yad Azra, Center for Civil Justice, Food Bank Council of Michigan, Forgotten Harvest, and Gleaners strategized about what meetings they would attend and what compelling data would be presented.
Talking points to present to legislators/staffers included:
* All of the 436 congressional districts had reports of food hardship. Two of the top 30 districts are in Southeast Michigan.
* Every time a family uses a SNAP (formerly known as food stamps) benefit, it supports the store and the employees where the purchase was made, the truck driver who delivered the food, the warehouse that stored it, the plant that processed it, and the farmer who produced the food.
* Every $5 in new SNAP benefits generates as much as $9.20 in local economic activity.
* One in 4 children are food insecure; hunger has long-lasting, devastating effects on children.
o Impedes growth and development
o Attentiveness to lessons
o Poorer mental health
o Greater susceptibility to obesity and its consequences
o Tendencies to have behavioral difficulties including more aggressive behavior, higher levels of hyperactivity, etc.
o Higher rates of illness
* Hunger security has been linked to national security.

After asking for support from legislative staffers, presenting our data, making our points, sharing a few short stories, and leaving our informational bulletins, a final thought was shared from one food pantry representative, “Unfortunately for us, business is booming.”