RESULTS Weekly Update May 12, 2026
Quote of the Week
“So, what was the U.S. House thinking when it passed a Farm Bill that fails to support families facing hunger?”
– RESULTS advocate Lucinda Winslow, in a May 3 letter to the editor in the Concord (NH) Monitor
(Is this newsletter too long; didn’t read (TL;DR) the whole thing? Scroll to the bottom for the most important points or the “TL;DR”)
Email your senators about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
Recently, the Secretary of Agriculture announced that SNAP enrollment dropped by 4.3 million people in 2025. However, this isn’t a victory against fraud; it’s an attack against families. New work requirements. New bureaucracy. And the looming prospect of states having to absorb the unrealistic cost of benefits. The Farm Bill, however, can prevent this. Congress simply needs to add clear language in the bill delaying the cost-shift rule.
Will you email or call your senators on this today? Tell them to delay the SNAP cost-shift rule for all states until 2030 in the Farm Bill. And reject the Farm Bill if this delay is not included. You can use (and share) our online email alert to send your message.
“Amplify Every Voice” via the media while Congress is in session
To support our lobby push earlier in the year, our Amplify Every Voice media campaign helps keep our issues on the front burner. The campaign will allow us to create impressive print piles that can make an impact in meetings all over the Hill when many of us gather for the National Conference in July. Here’s our charge: submit at least one media piece each and request to at least one community ally or partner also submit a media piece, both by the end of July.
Op-eds are one type of media you can get printed as an advocate. But what is an op-ed? An op-ed has a slightly longer word count than a letter to the editor, and the key element is that it is a piece written by a community authority, leader, or expert. That leader is you! The longer length of an op-ed allows for a deeper discussion or explanation of both the issue at hand and the proposed solution or action that needs to be taken. There is more room in the piece both for personal narrative and persuasive facts. In some newspapers, the op-ed shows up as a guest essay or “voices from the community.”
Rattled by the threats to democracy that we are seeing in the news? Has your newspaper recently written on global food crises demanding humanitarian assistance? Or do any organizations in your area have a direct connection to either international affairs or direct international assistance? Utilize these connections as media hooks, making the local-global tie between the need you and how to meet it via global health and education campaigns that provide remedies.
Pro tip for op-eds. Lead with your “why.” This means you focus the reader first on the motivation for your piece. Why is this issue keeping you awake at night? Why are you so anxious, angry, or excited about it? That will capture the reader’s attention with energy and clarity.
Want more pro media tips? Check out our new blog post on the topic. Use our online starter templates on these issues and helpful hooks for other ideas. Encourage others to write as well! If you submit, let RESULTS staffer Sarah Leone know. If you get published, please report it via our form.
Board Candidate Forum and other events
Join this week’s Candidates Forum and vote in the Board Election. Do you care deeply about RESULTS and its mission? We need you to participate in choosing volunteers to represent you on the RESULTS Board of Directors. Join the Candidates Forum this Thursday, May 14 to hear from the three great candidates standing for the Grassroots Board Member Election. We need to fill two open seats on the RESULTS Board of Directors. Again, join the forum this Thursday, May 14 at 8:30 pm ET. Voting for the two open seats is now open until June 15. Read about the candidates and cast your vote today!
Register for the May 28 policy forum on the current state of global health. On Thursday, May 28 at 8:30 pm ET, join a policy forum on where are things now, sixteen months after the Trump Administration brought virtually all U.S. global health programs to a standstill. It’s a complicated story. Join us for an informal conversation led by the RESULTS global policy team about state of play of U.S. foreign aid, and what it’s meant for countries around the world. Register today!
Only one month left to register for the RESULTS Conference. Recently some advocates were talking about how the real draw of the conference isn’t guest speakers or the location or even the Lobby Day. While those things are wonderful, the VIPs of the conference? You! We come together in community, in solidarity, and in mutual support. The conference will be even better if you are there. Register today for the National Conference in Washington, DC, July 12-14. The deadline for registration, hotel booking, and equity fund applications is June 12. (P.S.: Once you and member of your group have registered, please start booking your meetings for Lobby Day on Tuesday, July 14!) See our sample meeting request template under “Documents for conference prep” on our conference page.
Remember the spring Friends & Family Fundraising push. Do you have friends, family, neighbors, or colleagues who enjoy hearing about your advocacy and care about our issues? Not everyone has the bandwidth to advocate but, instead, would like to support what you do because of the passion you bring and the difference you make. Why not create and offer a spring Friends & Family Fundraising fundraiser to capture that support? If you’d like to learn more about creating one of your own or need support with setting one up, contact Beth Wilson at [email protected]. Or you can also support your fellow volunteers by making a donation to their fundraisers. Every donation — big or small — makes a difference in advancing our lifesaving work!
TL;DR (too long; didn’t read): Email senators about protecting SNAP in the Farm Bill. Get Congress’ attention by getting published as we continue our Amplify Every Voice media campaign. Join the Grassroots Board Member Election Candidate Forum on Thursday, May 14 at 8:30 pm. ET. Mark your calendar for the May 28 policy forum. Register for the July National Conference by June 12. Launch a spring Friends & Family fundraiser.
Quick Links: Action Center, Events Calendar, National Webinar recordings