2010 the Honorable Harry Reid the Honorable Mitch Mcconnell
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May __, 2010 The Honorable Harry Reid The Honorable Mitch McConnell Majority Leader Minority Leader United States Senate United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20510 The Honorable Richard Durbin The Honorable Jon Kyl Assistant Majority Leader Assistant Minority Leader United States Senate United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20510 Dear Senators Reid, McConnell, Durbin and Kyl: We the undersigned organizations are writing to ask for your help in achieving passage of a robustly funded and comprehensive child nutrition reauthorization bill before the end of the 111th Congress that will ensure more low-income children have access to these valuable programs and take a strong step forward to meet the challenge of ending childhood hunger by 2015. According to the USDA nearly one in four children in the United States is food insecure: that is, some 17 million children who face hunger. Child nutrition programs offer the healthiest and most nourishing meals that many children receive each week. For many poor children, they may be their only fully-balanced meals. Moreover, there are many poor children who do not have access to nutrition programs at all. This is particularly true for children living in low-income and rural areas where breakfast, child care and after school, or summer and weekend food programs are not available to them. Data on child nutrition program participation illustrate the point that there are millions of low- income children who do not have child nutrition programs available to them. In FY2009, 19.5 million low income children received free and reduced price school lunches. This compared to only 9.1 million receiving free and reduced price breakfasts, and only 2.2 million children in summer food programs. Moreover, only 3.1 million children are in child care centers and homes with federally supported child nutrition programs. Clearly these are large gaps in service that must be filled quickly if we are to accomplish an end to childhood hunger, and time is running out to reach this goal by 2015. Our organizations are united in the call for completion of a strong and fully funded child nutrition reauthorization bill before the end of this year. Two hundred twenty one members of the House of Representatives have written to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, urging her assistance in identifying resources to achieve President Barack Obama’s commitment of $10 billion in additional funding for child nutrition over 10 years. We therefore respectfully request that you bring S.3307 to the Senate floor with the full funding increase proposed by the President, with the right mix of funding, and on a schedule that assures that this year this important legislation can fill the gaps in access that remain for millions of our nation’s poorest children. Respectfully, Signatures as of 5/19/10 National Organizations 9to5, National Association of Working Women National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Action for Children Good Shepherd Afterschool Alliance National Association for Family Child Care Alliance to End Hunger National CACFP Forum American Commodity Distribution Association National Collaboration for Youth American Community Gardening Association National Council of Jewish Women American Federation of State, County, and National Education Association/ Municipal Employees National Farmers Union American Federation of Teachers National Recreation and Park Association American School Health Association National WIC Association Americans for Democratic Action, Inc. National Women’s Law Center Association of Nutrition Services Agencies NETWORK: A National Catholic Social Justice Bread for the World Lobby Catholic Charities USA Presbyterian Church USA Center for Law and Social Policy RESULTS Children’s Defense Fund Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law Church Women United School Nutrition Association Coalition on Human Needs Service Employees International Union Community Action Partnership Share Our Strength Community Food Security Coalition Sodexo Congressional Hunger Center Sodexo Foundation Early Care and Education Consortium The Episcopal Church Evangelical Lutheran Church in America The United Methodist Church-General Board of Feeding America Church and Society First Focus Campaign for Children Union for Reform Judaism Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) United Church of Christ Half in Ten Campaign United Fresh Produce Association Jewish Council for Public Affairs Universities Fighting World Hunger Jewish Reconstructionist Federation Voices for America’s Children Land O’ Lakes, Inc. WhyHunger MAZON-A Jewish Response to Hunger State/Local Organizations Interfaith Food Bank International Institute of Los Angeles Alabama Los Angeles Coalition to End Hunger & Homelessness Auburn University Lord’s Pantry Jefferson County Child Development Council Inc. Napa ValleyFood Bank/CANV National Council of Jewish Women, California Alaska State Public Affair Newport-Mesa Federation of Teachers Food Bank of Alaska North Coast Opportunities Rural Communities Child Care Arizona Orange Children & Parents Together, Inc Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County Arizona Association of Family Day Care Providers Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County Arizona Community Action Association Sister Evelyn Mourey Center, Inc Association of Arizona Food Banks Sparrow Project Desert Mission Food Bank St Vincent de Paul, Dixon Grand Canyon Synod - ELCA St. Vincent de Paul, Concord St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance The Resource Connection Food Bank United Food Bank Western Center on Law and Poverty Arkansas Colorado Arkansas Affiliate American Association of Family 9to5 Colorado and Consumer Services Hunger Free Colorado Arkansas Hunger Alliance Lutheran Advocacy Ministry - Colorado Flint Street Fellowship Food Pantry Luv In Action Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas FPC Food Pantry Connecticut Project HOPE Food Bank South West Arkansas Food Bank Connecticut Association for Human Services Collaborative Center for Justice California End Hunger Connecticut! Food Bank for Larimer County 9to5 Bay Area Jewish Federation of Eastern Fairfield County 9to5 Los Angeles A World Fit For Kids Delaware California Association of Food Banks California Breastfeeding Coalition Food Bank of Delaware California Emergency Foodlink Central Valley Association for the Education of District of Columbia Young Children Child Care Food Program Roundtable Capital Area Food Bank Child Nutrition Program of Southern California D.C. Hunger Solutions CHILDS-PACE Community Child Care Council (4Cs) Florida Community Food Bank of San Benito County Continuing Development Inc. AME Missionary Society Contra Costa Child Care Council Boca Helping Hands Family Resource & Referral Center Caring For Others Ministries FCEOC Head Start CharityExpressInc. Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano Circle of Life FOOD Share Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Genesis House, Inc. Martin Counties Good Samaritan Baptist Church Community Partnership Group Greater Richmond Interfaith Program CROS Ministries-United Methodist Church Imperial Valley Food bank Easter Seals of S. Florida EBPrest Idaho ECHO (Emergency Care Help Organization) Episcopal Charities of Southeast Florida Monastery of St. Gertrude Evangelical Christian Bible Ministries Tables of Hope International Family Assistance Coalition, Inc. Illinois Family Central.org Florida Conference AMEC Women's Missionary Chicago Lights Elam Davies Social Service Society Center Florida Impact Greater Chicago Food Depository Gainesville Commission on the Status of Women Illinois Hunger Coalition Gulfstream Goodwill Illinois Maternal and Child Health Coalition Holy Name of Jesus Food Pantry Lutheran Advocacy—Illinois Housing Partnership National Council of Jewish Women, Illinois State IBEW #728 AFL-CIO Public Affairs ISF Group, Inc. Northern Illinois Food Bank Lutheran Social Services of Northeast Florida Inc Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry Million Meals Committee Respond Now Okeechobee County School District River Bend Foodbank Palm Beach County Community Food Alliance Vital Bridges NFP, Inc. Second Harvest North Florida St. George's Center, Inc. Indiana St. Luke's United Methodist Church St. Paul A.M.E. Church, Tallahassee Feeding Indiana's Hungry, Inc. Strong WoMen Network Food Bank of Northwest Indiana Tampa Jewish Federation Indiana Coalition for Human Services The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida Jewish Community Relations Council-Indiana The Jewish Community Relations Council of the KALP NETWORK, INC. Greater Miami Jewish Federation Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Treasure Coast Food Bank Indiana True Tabernacle of Jesus Christ Ministries, Inc United Methodist Women Iowa Zoe Ministries Food Bank of Iowa Georgia Kansas 9to5 Atlanta Working Women Chatham County Nutrition Program Children’s Mercy Family Health Partners Feeding the Valley, Inc. Church Georgia School Nutrition Church World Service-Great Plains Office Savannah Chatham County Public School System Communities In Schools of Kansas Douglas County Child Development Association Hawaii El Centro, Inc. Family Resource Center, Inc. Aunty Jill's Playgroup First Lutheran Early Education Center Family Support Hawaii First Street Church of God It's A Small World Daycare GraceMed Health Clinic, Inc. Kimberley Limasa's Day Care Heart of Kansas Family Health Care Knight’s Day Care Heritage Preschool Little Learners Preschool, LLC Hillview Christian Children's Center Maui Economic Opportunity Jewish Community Center PATCH Jewish Community Relations Bureau