NO to Block Grants! Protect Child Nutrition!

In America, more than 15 million children — that's ONE in FIVE children — live in food-insecure homes. That’s a lot of kids who sometimes wonder when and where they are going to get their next meal.

Federal child nutrition programs, like free/reduced school lunch and summer meals, are critical for reducing this great and heartbreaking hunger among our nation’s children. But some members of the U.S. House of Representatives, at this very minute, are looking at child nutrition legislation – particularly block grants – that would literally choke off access to such programs for millions of kids.

Of the many harmful provisions in the Improving Child Nutrition and Education Act 2016, instituting block grants would be the most damaging. A block grant is a capped amount of funds granted by the federal government to a state with only general provisions as to how it should be spent, meaning it could be spent on something other than providing healthy meals to hungry kids.

Take action now to stop this legislation in its tracks now!

To Members of the U.S. House of Representatives:

More than 21 percent of our children live in households facing a constant struggle against hunger. This is heartbreaking and unworthy of the United States of America. Instead of strengthening the federal child nutrition programs that do so much to reduce child hunger, the current House effort to reauthorize child nutrition programs would do just the opposite and roll back years of progress.

Of the many harmful provisions in the Improving Child Nutrition and Education Act 2016, instituting block grants would be the most damaging. Block grants could be used to:

Block a state’s ability to respond to increased need or rising program costs;
Block the federal government’s ability to establish national standards for nutrition quality of meals and eligibility requirements for children;
Block the ability of the programs to accomplish their fundamental goals- reducing hunger, improving health, and supporting learning; and
Allow states to divert federal funds from providing school breakfast and lunch, afterschool snacks, and summer meals.

I urge you to stop block grants and the Child Nutrition And Education Action 2016, which hurt children by reducing their access to nutritious meals, leaving them more hungry and less ready to learn.

Please stand up for your smallest and most vulnerable constituents.

Sincerely,

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