House votes to cut food for the hungry

The House voted on Thursday to slash the amount of food the federal government provides for hungry people. The bill, which will be advanced to the Senate, would slice 20 percent from The Emergency Food Assistance Program next year. This is on top of a possible 50 percent cut this year. For Cook County, this would mean at least 3 million fewer pounds of food in the next year just as we witness record levels of demand at pantries—65 percent higher than three years ago. Most troubling is that the bill cuts funding for the Women, Infants and Children Program.

Still, there is hope. First, there is time to take action. The Senate likely will not vote on this bill for several weeks. Another silver lining is that seven of eight Cook County House members voted 'no' on these cuts--that is because of you. Thank you to everyone who responded to our advocacy alert this week. As we address this “new normal,” it will require more support from every sector of the community.

Federal budget would take food off the family dinner table

Many people don't realize what a huge role the federal government plays in hunger relief in the United States. While the days of government cheese are (mostly) over, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) alone provides about a quarter of all food distributed by food banks nationwide. So we're monitoring the budget debate closely on a daily basis.

Wednesday brought grim news. A House committee proposed to cut TEFAP by 20 percent. As Feeding America noted in a statement yesterday, such a cut would be disastrous for food banks, pantries and the people we serve. For the Food Depository, it would mean emptier shelves and fewer foodstuffs just as we face a record need in Cook County.

The Food Depository is reaching out to Cook County's Congressional delegation and Sen. Durbin and Sen. Kirk. You can help too--visit our Advocacy Center and in a few clicks send an email stating that programs like TEFAP must remain full funded in the federal budget.

The budget debate is just the start of what promises to be a vigorous conversation in Washington during the next two years. The Farm Bill, which authorizes most nutrition programs, is up for renewal in 2012. But we must begin to spread the word about the importance of federal nutrition programs now. The well-being of thousands of people in Cook County is at stake.