Local Food Advocacy
Current Policy Priorities
Food Gatherers advocates for local, state, and federal policies and programs that address food insecurity and its causes, but we can’t do it alone. Your voice matters! Here are some of the current policy priorities, which need your support. Click the links below to learn more.
- 2023 Farm Bill to strengthen critical nutrition programs
- Child Nutrition Reauthorization (school meals, summer meals, child care meals, WIC)
- Enhancing SNAP benefits to promote economic stimulus
- Funding The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) to better support food banks
- Extending the increase in the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit to aid families with children
Take Action
We believe in a land of plenty, no one should go hungry. Take action to help our neighbors facing hunger and ensure our lawmakers make ending hunger a priority.
Contact your elected officials and encourage them to take action on hunger relief efforts and make decisions about legislation affecting millions of hungry Americans, including many in our local community. Visit Feeding America’s web page on Advocacy and Taking Action for detailed information on current policy priorities and legislation.
Contact Your Elected Officials:
U.S. House of Representatives
U.S. Senate
Michigan Legislature
Action Alert: Encourage Senator Stabenow to co-sponsor the Farmers Feeding America Act
We need your help to build support for a Senate draft of the Farm Bill that would roughly double the funding for TEFAP food purchases. TEFAP is an essential source of food for food banks such as Food Gatherers.
Please reach out to Senator Stabenow via the online contact form or by calling (202) 224-4822 and leaving a voicemail.
Some important things to note about the Farmers Feeding America Act of 2023:
- The bill would increase the funding amount for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) entitlement commodities to an estimated $960 million in fiscal year 2024.
- It would also raise the authorized amount of funding for TEFAP storage and distribution to $200 million and extend the $15 million authorization for TEFAP infrastructure grants.
We encourage you to use your own words and share who you are and why reducing hunger in Michigan is important to you!
Food Bank Council of Michigan
The Food Bank Council of Michigan (FBCM) provides statewide leadership to food banks in their efforts to alleviate hunger through the distribution of surplus food to those in need. Learn more.
Washtenaw County Food Policy Council
The Washtenaw County Food Policy Council is composed of 18 volunteers representing different parts of the food system. Food Gatherers is actively engaged with the Council, representing the emergency food system. The Council has multiple Policy Action Teams, which function as volunteer workgroups tackling different issue areas. Learn more.
Advocacy Action Email List
Click below to sign up for our advocacy email list. We’ll send you policy updates, as well as local and national action alerts.