Advocacy

 

“Like all of you, I am working on the front lines of hunger relief every day. I know how hard it is, how little money we’ve got, and how much time we spend to address this tremendous need across the state. But, I also know that when we organize together, advocate together, and support one another, we’re stronger for it and we deliver better services for our clients." 

-Kevin Futhey, Pike Market Food Bank

What We Are Watching Now

Get Involved

Food assistance Programs

Advocacy Resources

Partner Organizations


 

What we are watching now

Currently we are in the midst of Washington State's legislative session that will set a budget and priorities for the 2017-2019 biennium.

Legislative priorities for us this year have been developed in partnership with the Anti-Hunger and Nutrition Coalition.

 

Expand Access to School Breakfast in High Need Schools:

Hungry kids face extra and unnecessary struggles in school. Most schools offer school breakfast, but it's not reaching those who need it most: WA ranks 45thof 50 states in serving breakfast to low-income students. 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 students and will clarify the use of instructional time so any schools can serve Breakfast After the Bell.

 

Restore the Promise of Local Farms, Healthy Kids Act for Our Kids, Schools and Farms:

Connecting farmers to local schools and markets makes Washington's kids and communities healthier and Washington's farms stronger. Creating WSDA's Farm to School and Small Farms/Direct Market Farms programs (now jointly called Regional Markets Program) was good for kids, for schools, and for our agriculture economy. Yet more than $750,000 in these programs was cut in the recession, limiting the programs' ability to serve kids, schools, and farmers and diminishing Washington's competitiveness for federal funds. Restore $500,000 to WSDA's Regional Markets program.

 

Equip School Kitchens to Improve Nutrition for Kids:

School nutrition staff are often ill-equipped to prepare and serve healthy food because schools don't have needed equipment for cooking from scratch. In 2015, the Legislature appropriated $5 million for kitchen equipment grants so schools could prepare fresh, healthy food for students. It's clear schools need this support: grant requests totaled $18 million. Extend Healthy Kids, Healthy Schools grants with another $5 million grant in the capital budget to support school efforts to cook healthier meals for kids.

 

Map Food Insecurity & Track Performance in Federal Nutrition Programs:

USDA issues an annual report on hunger across the country that falls short in helping us understand exactly where and who hunger is hitting in our communities in Washington. Including food security in the state's BRFSS survey will provide local hunger data disaggregated by geography, race/ethnicity, and household characteristics. In addition, state agencies that manage federal nutrition programs will report annually on how these programs are meeting national standards of participation, and summarize the actual and potential federal dollars that support our state and local communities with these nutrition programs. Together, this data will equip decision makers at all levels with information to improve programs and develop targeted strategies to better address hunger in our communities.

 

Fix Our State's Tax System to Preserve and Restore Critical Services

Our coalition continues to support a balanced approach to creating a sustainable state budget that includes new sources of revenue and that reform our tax system in order to protect, strengthen and restore services that help low-income families to meet their basic needs and help meet the state's constitutional duties.    

 

Our Ongoing Commitment:

Protect Investments in Nutrition, Health, and Economic Stability for People in Need:

Our state has created innovative programs and proactive policies that help fight hunger and poverty in our communities. As lawmakers act to improve education, mental health services and more, it is critical to protect funding for basic needs services such as Emergency Food Assistance Program, State Food Assistance, Farmers Market Nutrition Programs, affordable housing, HENS/ABD and other programs for low-income people so these programs remain effective in fighting hunger and poverty. 

   

 

 

Back to menu


GET INVOLVED

Advocacy Updates:

Subscribe to our mailing list here 

Join us as an Advocacy Champion:

Advocacy Champions ensure their WFC Districts have their voices heard by connecting members to advocacy opportunities. Let us know if you want to help! call or email: Trish or Yvonne - [email protected] or [email protected], 1-877-729-0501.

On your own:

  • Contact Your Legislator -  Send your legislator an email, give him or her a phone call, or pay a visit to talk about your concerns.  Nervous? It's easier than you think!  Most legislators or congresspersons want to know what their constituents think.  See this sample visit for reference!  Not sure who your Senators and Representatives are?  Use this Find your Legislator tool from the Washington State Legislature to find both your state and federal representation!
  • Talk! - Simply talking to friends, family, clients, and coworkers about the issues facing your community is a form of advocacy!  If you want to be a bit more formal, try holding an educational meeting or creating a brochure to hand out to interested parties.

Back to menu


 FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS

Statewide

Washington State Legislature is made up of two governing bodies: the House of Representatives (members serve for two years) and the Senate (members serve for four years).  On odd years the regular legislative session is 105 days long while on even years the session is 60 days long (For example: The 2014 Legislative Session is January 13 to March 13, 2014).  The legislature can also hold extraordinary sessions that vary in length to discuss specific issues. For more detailed information on the legislative process or other information about the WA State Legislature see: www.leg.wa.gov/ 

Washington State Food Assistance Programs:

The WashingtGreenwood Food Bankon State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) administers three emergency food programs as part of their Food Assistance Program (FAP):

Emergency Food Assistance Program (EFAP)- A state program that provides flexible funding for food banks and tribal voucher programs

The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP)- A federal program sponsored by the USDA that provides states (and in turn food banks & other meal programs) with certain commodities to distribute to qualifying clients

Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP)- A federal program sponsored by the USDA that provides states (and in turn food banks & other social service agencies) with certain commodities to distribute to low-income women, infants, and children not receiving WIC and elderly residents 60 or older.

For more information about WSDA's food programs visit: agr.wa.gov/foodprog

Federal

The Federal Government offers several other nutrition programs on top of the state administered TEFAP and CSFP programs including:

SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program)—The federal food assistance program commonly known as “Food Stamps” or “Basic Food” in Washington

WIC (Supplemental Nutrition for Women, Infants and Children)—A federal program that offers States’ assistance for Women, Infants, and Children in need.

For a full list of Federal Nutrition Programs, please see: www.fns.usda.gov and the ABC's of Emergency Food Provision.
ADVOCACY RESOURCES

Advocacy vs Lobbying: Information every nonprofit should know!

There is a nasty rumor out that you cannot get involved in Advocacy efforts as a nonprofit....but it's just not true! Yes, there is a limit on the lobbying a 501(c)(3) organization can do, but even that is not completely banned. 

Hunger Action DayWhat's the difference between Advocacy and Lobbying?

Advocacy is more broad and involves the spreading of information about your cause.  Lobbying, however, is a specific type of advocacy that involves asking either government officials or the general public to support or renounce particular legislation.For example: letting people know that WA is the 15th hungry state would be advocacy while asking the general public to vote for an initiative that protects community gardens would be lobbying.  (For more information see: http://www.irs.gov/Charities-&-Non-Profits/Lobbying)Key to remember--Advocacy is not lobbying, but lobbying is advocacy! 

How much can I lobby as a 501(C)(3) organization?

The IRS limits lobbying activities of 501(C)(3) organizations to using the substantial part test. In short, this test does not give specific limits, but requires lobbying to be an insubstantial part of a 501(C)(3)'s activities.  These requirements can be confusing and leave nonprofits at the mercy of the IRS's interpretation of substantial versus insubstantial.  Many organizations instead choose to make something referred to as  an h election on their taxes using IRS form 5768.  This election makes you subject to a limit on expenses for lobbying based on your total organizational expenses.  For more information, see these helpful synopses by the National Council of Nonprofits and the Independent Sector.

Is there a limit on how much non-lobbying advocacy I can engage in?

Simply put--no!  You can and should actively engage your community in educational efforts surrounding hunger including discussions of current public policy as long as these efforts do not include a call to action. You also may not endorse specific political candidates.  For more information see these helpful resources: IRS.gov information on lobbying and political campaign interventionPlease Note: This webpage is intended to give you a brief glimpse of your options and not act as a legal reference.  Remember to talk to a tax professional before making any decisions that may affect your 501(C)(3) status.

Other Resources on How to Get Involved:
Advocacy vs. Lobbying, Coalition Building, and Public Engagement, CT Nonprofits - This fact sheet provides a quick reference for terms related to advocacy so you can make sure you understand what you're getting into!  

Five Advocacy Tips for Nonprofit Boards, WA Nonprofits - A quick guide to help your board start to engage in advocacy or refine your current strategy.  

About Nonprofit Advocacy, The Independent Sector - The Independent Sector provides some great rules for advocacy as well as tips to connect with congress, start an advocacy effort, and engage in lobbying.  

The Power of Information, National Council on Nonprofits - The National Council of Nonprofits provides a fairly comprehensive list of resources and toolkits to get your advocacy efforts started!

ADVOCACY GROUPS

FEDERAL:

  • Bread for The World, nationwide Christian movement that seeks justice for the world's hungry people by lobbying our nation’s decision makers. www.bread.org

  • Center on Budget & Policy Priorities, organization working at the federal and state levels on fiscal policy and public programs that affect low- and moderate-income families and individuals. www.cbpp.org

  • Coalition on Human Needs,alliance of national organizations working to promote public policies that address the needs of low-income and other vulnerable people. www.chn.org

  • Community Food Security Coalition, coalition of North American organizations, dedicated to building strong, sustainable, local and regional food systems that ensure access to affordable, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food for all people at all times. www.foodsecurity.org

  • Food Research and Action Center,national nonprofit working to improve public policies and public-private partnerships to eradicate hunger and under-nutrition in the United States . www.frac.org

STATE:
  • Children’s Alliance, Washington's statewide child advocacy organization. www.childrensalliance.org

  • The Olympia Report, as part of the Freedom Foundation, The Olympia Report strives to provide non-partisan and non-biased articles about Washington state government issues. theolympiareport.com

  • Statewide Poverty Action Network, works to eliminate the root causes of poverty in Washington, organizing social action and influencing decisions in the state capitol. www.povertyaction.org

  • Washington State Budget and Policy Center, provides credible, independent and accessible information and analyses of state fiscal issues with particular attention to the impacts on low and moderate-income persons. www.budgetandpolicy.org

  • Knowledge As Power, A small but mighty non-profit, KAP is a 501c3 organization based in Seattle. Their primary objective is to empower politically engaged citizens. If you care about an issue or a bill, they want to help you influence it. www.knowledgeaspower.org

Back to menu

 


PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS

 

We are lucky enough to work with these organizations to ensure the voice of emergency food programs is heard:

  • Catholic Charities of Spokane- Catholic Charities Spokane is a network of agencies, institutions, parishes and individuals who administer 12 programs in the 13 counties of Eastern Washington which providing food, shelter, clothing, education, counseling and support to those in need, regardless of creed. www.catholiccharitiesspokane.org

  • Children's Alliance - Washington's statewide child advocacy organization.  www.childrensalliance.org

  • Faith Action Network - a faith-inspired statewide partnership striving for a just, compassionate, and sustainable world through community building, education, and courageous public action. www.fanwa.org

  • Food Lifeline - As a Feeding America Affiliate, Food Lifeline works toward ending our Food Security issues in Western Washington by combining food distribution with public policy work to create a more sustainable food system.   www.foodlifeline.org

  • Food Research and Action Center(FRAC) - FRAC works with hundreds of national, state and local nonprofit organizations, public agencies, corporations and labor organizations to address hunger, food insecurity, and their root cause, poverty. frac.org

  • Hunger Intervention Program - Hunger Intervention Program works to end hunger in Seattle by providing hunger relief programs and collaborating with other community organizations. www.hungerintervention.org

  • Northwest Harvest - Northwest Harvest focuses on the needs of low-income, vulnerable populations through a statewide distribution network and public policy focus. www.northwestharvest.org

  • Nutrition First - Nutrition First uses advocacy, education, and training to ensure that young children of families with limited resources have opportunities for better nutrition to improve overall health. www.nutritionfirstwa.org

  • United Way of King County - UWKC works to bring people together to solve community challenges. www.uwkc.org

  • Washington State Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics - The Academy serves the public by promoting optimal nutrition, health and well-being and by translating the science of nutrition into practical solutions for healthy living. www.eatrightwashington.org

  • Washington State Anti-Hunger Nutrition Coalition (AHNC) - AHNC is a cross-industry coordinated effort to discuss and improve public policy surrounding hunger with the ultimate goal of ending hunger in Washington State.  www.wsahnc.org 

  • Washington State Farmers Market Association - Washington State Farmers Market Association supports and promotes vibrant and sustainable Washington farmers markets with the hope of creating access to sustainable farmers markets to all residents.  wafarmersmarkets.com

  • Washington State Food & Nutrition Council- WSFNC advocates for food, agriculture, and nutrition programs, services, and education and helps members work through nutrition issues and public policy affecting WA state residents.  www.wsfnc.org

  • Western Region Anti-Hunger Consortium (WRAHC) - A regional coalition working to strengthen anti-hunger advocacy in the western states, to foster collaborative work on regional issues, and to provide a united voice on federal issues affecting the region. www.wrahc.org

  • Within Reach - Within Reach provides connections for Washington's families to stay healthy. www.withinreachwa.org

Back to resources list
 

donate button