CONGRESSWOMAN FUDGE PLANTS SEEDS TO FIGHT HUNGER, SUPPORT URBAN AGRICULTURE BY INTRODUCING "LET'S GROW ACT OF 2012"

For Immediate Release Belinda Prinz Communications Director Belinda.Prinz@mail.house.gov   (216) 522-4900 April 16, 2012

CONGRESSWOMAN FUDGE PLANTS SEEDS TO FIGHT HUNGER, SUPPORT URBAN AGRICULTURE  BY INTRODUCING "LET'S GROW ACT OF 2012" WASHINGTON, DC-- Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge (OH-11) today will introduce the Let’s Grow Act of 2012 to support sustainable agriculture activities in American cities, promote urban farming, eradicate hunger and improve access to healthy food.  The legislation addresses the epidemic of hunger and the high rate of childhood obesity, as well as encourages health and wellness in our communities.  "This bill will allow American cities to address chronic problems dealing with hunger and obesity as well as health and wellness.  It will provide a path for more Americans to live healthier lives by focusing on local, fresh foods.  It provides incentives for urban gardening, which are especially important in urban areas including Cleveland, and gives agricultural entrepreneurs the support they need to grow and build successful enterprises," said Congresswoman Fudge. "This bill will give a generation of children, many of whom are estimated to have shorter life expectancies than their parents due to poor health, a hope for the future.  It will allow low-income residents access to healthier foods and improve their diets, relieving some of the stress on our current health care system.  With thousands of acres of vacant property from the foreclosure crisis as well as a recession that hit middle class families hard, many cities need investment in their local infrastructure, local food production, and the health of their residents." The bill: Improves access to nutritious food by promoting an expansion of the use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit at farmers markets across the nation and assisting local corner stores to offer more fresh food options; Lowers the rate of childhood obesity by creating the Farm-to-Preschool Program and a private, public partnerships to conduct assessments on the availability of nutritious foods served to children through federal feeding programs; Eradicates hunger through the Weekends and Holidays Without Hunger program for kids, and the expansion and modernization of The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), which makes funding for TEFAP food more responsive to changes in need through the creation of a trigger that ties funding to the unemployment rate.  This will increase support to food banks during an economic downturn. Encourages training and job creation by establishing the Urban Agricultural Workforce Training Pilot Programming, which provides grants to develop and implement urban agricultural workforce training programs. Incentivizes urban farming through the creation of the Urban Entrepreneur and Microenterprise Assistance Program, which includes training and operation support for prospective and struggling urban farmers, as well as a grant program to assist with the creation and sustaining of community gardens.  The legislation includes grants for eligible individuals and entities to acquire abandoned and/or foreclosed properties in urban areas to convert for agricultural uses, while supporting the conversion of public land to usage for urban farms and community gardens. The legislation could increase annual regional output and expand state and local tax collections as well as increase the food security of hundreds of thousands of people, especially residents who live in food deserts.

Rep. Fudge Applauds New School Meal Standards

REP. FUDGE APPLAUDS NEW SCHOOL MEAL STANDARDS

WASHINGTON, DC--The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) unveiled new standards for school meals today that will help nearly 32 million kids receive more nutritious foods during the school day.  The new standards require both fruit and vegetables to be offered every day of the week, substantially increase offerings of whole grain-rich foods, ensure proper portion size based on a child's age, and focus on reducing the amounts of saturated fat, trans fats and sodium. 

Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge (OH-11), a strong advocate for children's health and wellness, applauded the new requirements and thanked the administration for raising school meal standards for the first time in more than fifteen years.

"Nearly one in three children is overweight or obese.  These children are on track to have a shorter lifespan than their parents, which is simply unacceptable.  Improving standards is the first step in combating preventable diseases like diabetes and heart disease due to overweight and obesity.  Let's take this momentum and continue to improve the foods our children eat."

When proposed new standards were issued in 2011, Congresswoman Fudge worked with USDA to ensure they would not adversely affect the budgets of local schools.  The new standards are expected to cost $3.2 billion over the next five years, less than half the estimated cost of the proposed standards. 

Congresswoman Fudge is dedicated to the cause of eradicating childhood obesity.  In the last year, she sponsored:

• H.Res. 2795, Fit for Life, a comprehensive approach to addressing the obesity crisis by improving the quality of and access to food, advancing preventative measures, expanding treatment of obesity in children and encouraging physical activity in underserved communities, was introduced in 2011.
• H.Res. 339, designates September 2011 as National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month.  In Ohio and around the nation during the month of September, parents, schools, and health care providers will promote fitness and nutrition for our kids.  The bill has support from over 30 national organizations.

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Congresswoman Fudge to Shop for 1 Week's Worth of Food for $31.50 as Part of the Food Stamp Challenge

For Immediate Release Belinda Prinz Communications Director Belinda.Prinz@mail.house.gov   (216) 630-0072

November 4, 2011 Media Advisory CONGRESSWOMAN FUDGE TO SHOP FOR ONE WEEK'S WORTH OF FOOD FOR $31.50 AS PART OF THE FOOD STAMP CHALLENGE WARRENSVILLE HEIGHTS, OH- Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge (OH-11) will visit a Dave's Supermarket in Cleveland at 12 noon on November 7th as part of her participation in a national Food Stamp Challenge.  At that time, the Congresswoman will purchase one week's worth of food; spending no more than $31.30, the average weekly allotment for a Food Stamp recipient.  That comes out to $4.50 a day per person, or $1.50 per meal.   Media are welcome to cover her shopping trip. Congresswoman Fudge joined the challenge to live off the average Food Stamp benefit for one week as part of the "Fighting Poverty with Faith, Working Together to end Hunger" mobilization campaign. This effort seeks to raise awareness of hunger across the Nation and defend the Food Stamp program (formally called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP) from proposed cuts in the federal budget. "In June, a staggering 45.2 million Americans filed for food stamps because they are living in poverty- that's 1 in 7 Americans.  The need is certainly great in our community with 20% of the residents of my district receiving food stamps. It would be an American tragedy if we balance the federal budget by reducing food aid to our most vulnerable citizens," said Congresswoman Fudge.   WHO:  Congresswoman Marcia Fudge WHEN:  12pm noon, Monday, November 7, 2011 WHERE:  Dave's Supermarket, 3301 Payne Ave., Cleveland, OH 44114 WHAT:  Shopping trip to purchase one week's worth of food for $31.50, the average weekly Food Stamp benefit

Brown Introduces Bill to Expand Markets for Farmers and Increase Access to Local Foods

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2011

Contacts:

Meghan Dubyak/Lauren Kulik (Brown) 202-224-3978

Willy Ritch (Pingree) 207-841-8400

BROWN INTRODUCES BILL TO EXPAND MARKETS FOR FARMERS AND INCREASE ACCESS TO LOCAL FOODS

Legislation Would Boost Ohio’s Rural Economy, Improve Consumer Access to Healthy, Fresh Foods

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME) introduced legislation today to support family farms, expand farming businesses, create rural jobs, and invest in local and regional food economies. The Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act is a comprehensive package of reforms that would help Ohio farmers and ranchers by addressing production, aggregation, marketing and distribution needs.  The bill would also prioritize consumer access to healthy, fresh food with support for technology and direct sales.

“Linking Ohio producers with Ohio consumers is common sense. By increasing access to fresh, local foods, we can expand markets for Ohio’s agricultural producers while creating jobs and strengthening our economy,” Brown said.

“Making it easier for farmers to sell food locally and easier for consumers to buy it translates directly into a more healthy economy and more jobs in our communities,” Pingree said.  “Consumers want to be able to buy fresh, healthy food that doesn’t have to travel half way around the world to get to them, we just need to create a farm policy in this country that makes it easier for them to do that.”

Right now, for each dollar that consumers spend on food, less than $0.16 goes back to the farmer. Supporting opportunities for farmers to sell their products directly to consumers or through shorter local supply chains means that more of a consumers’ dollar stays on the farm, where it is invested in local jobs and supplies and helps the local economy.

A recent study shows that if northeast Ohio’s residents and businesses spent 25 percent of their food dollars on local farms and businesses, 27,500 new jobs could be created while increasing economic output by $4.2 billion and generating $126 million in local and state taxes. 

The Local Food, Farms, and Jobs Act includes provisions that would:

• Improve crop insurance products available to small and diversified family farms.
• Eliminate existing penalties for production of fruits and vegetables on land previously dedicated to row-crops.
• Invest in critical infrastructure that would enable farmers and food-businesses to aggregate, store and distribute their products.
• Increase food safety training and technical assistance resources for small and mid-sized farming operations as well as to small slaughterhouses.
• Reduce barriers to institutional purchasing, better linking Ohio farms with Ohio schools, hospitals, and other institutions.
• Enable SNAP recipients to purchase fresh, Ohio-grown food by helping farmers and direct sales markets acquire the technology necessary to accept electronic benefits.

A summary of the bill can be found here.

Senate cosponsors of the bill include Sens. Robert P. Casey (D-PA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Tom Harkin (D-IA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Barbara A. Mikulski (D-MD), and Jon Tester (D-MT). House cosponsors include U.S. Reps. Earl Blumenauer (OR-3), David Cicilline (RI-1), Joe Courtney (CT-2), Peter DeFazio (OR-4), Keith Ellison (MN-5), Raul M. Grijalva (AZ-7), Janice Hahn (CA-36), Brian Higgins (NY-27), Rush Holt (NJ-12), Marcy Kaptur (OH-9), Ron Kind (WI-3), Dennis J. Kucinich (OH-10), Barbara Lee (CA-9), Ben Ray Lujan (NM-3), Ed Markey (MA-7), Jim McGovern (MA-3), Mike Michaud (ME-20), Gwen Moore (WI-4), Jim Moran (VA-8), Jerrold Nadler (NY-8), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-at large), John W. Olver (MA-1), Laura Richardson (CA-37), Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (MP) Northern Mariana Islands, Jan Schakowsky (IL-9), Louise M. Slaughter (NY-28), Peter Welch (VT- at large), and Lynn Woolsey (CA-6).

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