U.S. Poverty Weekly Update May 8, 2018

U.S. Poverty Campaigns

Weekly Update | May 8, 2018

“This House farm bill proposal is an attack on working families that needlessly increases hunger and jeopardizes the traditional bipartisan support needed to pass a farm bill for the security of both our farmers and our families.”

– RESULTS Topeka volunteer Lila Bartel in an April 26 letter to the editor in Topeka Capital Journal

Quick Media Action: Tell Congress to Protect SNAP

Got Two Minutes? Call Representatives Today and Tell Them to Vote NO on the Farm Bill

Today, anti-hunger organizations are holding a national call-in day to House members urging them to oppose the House Farm Bill. As you know, this bill would impose harsh new work requirements on SNAP recipients and further restrict access to the program, resulting in 2 million people losing all or part of their food assistance over the next decade. The House could vote as early as next week. House leaders do not yet have the votes to pass it, so your calls can help stop this bad legislation in its tracks.

TAKE ACTION: Take two minutes to call (888) 398-8702 and leave this message:

My name is _______________ and I am constituent from _________________. I am calling to urge Rep. _______________ to vote NO on the House Farm Bill. With its harsh new work requirements and restrictions on SNAP recipients, I am deeply concerned that this bill will increase hunger in America. Congress should be working to ensure every person has enough to eat, not forcing 2 million people deeper into poverty. Will you please tell Rep. _____________ to vote NO on H.R.2, the House Farm Bill?

In addition to making calls, here are additional things you and your group can do to stop the House Farm Bill:

• Contact your local Action Networks and friends on social media and urge them to call their representatives – we need as many people calling as we can get.
• Ensure that at least one person is talking to the House Ag aide(s) your group covers about your concerns about the House Farm Bill and ask his/her boss to vote no.
• If you have or will be submitting a letter to the editor about SNAP, mention that in your message when you call.

Got Ten Minutes? Protect SNAP with New Media (May Action)

Congress is back in session and the House is moving quickly to vote on their new Farm Bill.  A vote could come as early as next week. Fortunately, House leaders do not yet have the votes to pass the bill. They will be working to court Republican colleagues (and perhaps some moderate Democrats) this week to secure passage. You can make that work difficult for them by publicly demanding your representative vote NO on the House Farm Bill. Regardless of whether your representative is a friend or foe of SNAP, they need to hear from constituents that a “yes” vote for the House Farm Bill is a big mistake.

As Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-3) said on last week’s U.S. Poverty National Webinar, members should know that there is a political price to pay for those who support this bill. In an election year, politicians are not fond of bad press. When you tell lawmakers by name in letters to the editor and op-eds that harsh cuts to SNAP are unpopular in your community, you get their attention.

TAKE ACTION: Take ten minutes to draft and submit a letter to the editor (LTE) to your local paper about protecting SNAP from cuts or changes in the House Farm Bill. The May Action has a sample LTE and sample op-ed, background information, links to resources, and tips for getting published. Remember the tips RESULTS Director of Communications Colin Smith gave you on our National Webinar last week:

• Make it personal.  Make sure you tell them why you care. If you have personal experience with SNAP, write about it.
• Make it local. Remind Congress that SNAP matters to the people who voted them into office. Include local data and mention your member of Congress by name.
• Make it timely. Show the newspaper editor that this is urgent: reference a recent story on the Farm Bill, or call out that Congress could be voting soon.
• Make sure you submit it. Hitting “send” is the scariest part of publishing a letter – but it’s by far the most important.

If you need assistance with your media pieces, please contact Jos Linn.

Got Twenty Minutes? Register for the RESULTS Conference Now – Early Bird Ends Next Week!

The RESULTS International Conference is our biggest event of the year. This year, we are planning an agenda with amazing speakers, useful training workshops, and, of course, an inspiring Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill. But let’s be honest – coming to Washington, DC is expensive. Flights, hotel, and food are not cheap. The Conference is well worth it and we do our best to keep the costs down for our volunteers. But we if can save you a little more, then we’ll do it.

That’s why we offer our Early Bird discount – $50 off the Conference registration – for a limited time. That’s money you can use for your flight or hotel, or to cover a few meals, or help bring a friend or family member with you. Whether you are a RESULTS volunteer or someone new to the Conference, you can take advantage of this discount. But you only have one more week to do so. After May 15, the discount ends. Don’t miss out on both a great event and the chance to save money to attend. 

TAKE ACTION: Take twenty minutes to go to www.resultsconference.org and register for the 2018 RESULTS International Conference TODAY. Save $50 off your registration before it expires next Tuesday, May 15. After you have registered, remind people you know to get their registrations in too.

Need additional help? If you are an active RESULTS U.S. Poverty volunteer and want to come but you need help with the cost of registration, travel, and/or hotel, please fill out our RESULTS U.S. Poverty Scholarship application. If you are seeking help specifically with registration costs, please fill out the form by this Thursday, May 10 so we have time to get your discount processed before the Early Bird deadline.

Mother’s Day is a Great Reason to Join the Support Moms, Championing Kids Fundraising Campaign

This Sunday is Mother’s Day. To recognize the amazing and tireless work mothers do to support, nurture, and raise the world’s children, we are holding our Support Moms, Championing Kids online fundraising campaign all this month. RESULTS has spent nearly 40 years fighting for policies that help moms and kinds (and dads) get and stay out of poverty. Whether they live in Chicago, Houston, Kenya, or Bangladesh, their lives matter and they deserve to share in the prosperity that this world has to offer. But sadly, there are those who believe otherwise – who deny, shame, and abuse others into having less. We are fighting to end that kind of oppression. But we cannot do it alone. We need volunteers who are willing to speak up, staff who are willing to provide support, and resources to educate, train, and inspire new advocates for change. Making those things happen requires money. Therefore, we ask that if you can, join our Support Moms, Championing Kids campaign this month and help us raise the money needed to continue this fight. Our goal is $40,000. Will you join us? To get started, visit the campaign page or contact Grassroots Fundraising Manager Mea Geizhals. Thank you for your support.

Quick News

Join the Next Anti-Oppression Training Webinar Next Tuesday. To continue our organizational focus on dismantling systemic oppression, join us for our next training webinar on Tuesday, May 15 at 9:00 pm ET. We will do "cultural sketches" understand how our identities influence our values, decisions, behaviors, and opportunities. You don’t need to prepare anything ahead of time. Just come and learn. Login at http://fuze.me/33986526 or dial (201) 479-4595, Meeting ID: 33986526#.

Submit Your Memorial Day Recess Meeting Requests. Congress will again be on recess the week of Memorial Day, starting Monday, May 28. If you have not had a face-to-face meeting recently, ask for one during this recess. It’s a great way to deliver your #LetterGetLOUD letters and new media you get published this month. Use our online template to submit your request today.

Nominate a New Grassroots Board Member – Deadline is Monday. This summer, RESULTS volunteers will elect a new grassroots member to the Board of RESULTS/RESULTS Educational Fund. Grassroots Board Members provide an important bridge between the grassroots, Board and organization. They help connect the Board with what makes RESULTS unique and successful: our passionate and active grassroots members. Read more about the position on the RESULTS Blog and then nominate someone (or yourself) to run. But time is running out; nominations are due to Jesse Marsden no later than Monday, May 14. 

Correction on June Webinar Date; No July Webinar. During last week’s National Webinar, we listed the wrong date for our next National Webinar. The June U.S. Poverty National Webinar is Tuesday, June 5 at 8:00 pm ET. Also, the July 3 U.S Poverty National Webinar has been cancelled because of Independence Day and the RESULTS International Conference. 

Upcoming Events

Go to the RESULTS Events Calendar to see a full list of RESULTS events. Also, find a list of the RESULTS U.S. Poverty staff with contact information on the RESULTS website.

Upcoming U.S. Poverty staff time out of the office: Kristy Martino, last day at RESULTS, May 25.

U.S. Poverty Free Agents Calls, Tuesday, May 15 at 1:00pm and 8:00 pm ET. Login at http://fuze.me/32256018 or dial in by phone at (201) 479-4595, Meeting ID: 32256018#.

RESULTS Anti-Oppression Training Webinar, Tuesday, May 15 at 9:00p m ET. We will do "cultural sketches" understand how our identities influence our values, decisions, behaviors, and opportunities. Login at http://fuze.me/33986526 or dial (201) 479-4595 Meeting ID: 33986526#.

Memorial Day, Monday, May 28. All RESULTS offices closed.

House and Senate Recess, May 28-June 1. Submit your meeting request today. After any lobby meeting or town hall, please complete the RESULTS Lobby Report Form to let us know how it went.

RESULTS U.S. Poverty National Webinar, Tuesday, June 5 at 8:00 pm ET. Participate at http://fuze.me/32255914 or (201) 479-4595, Meeting ID: 32255914#.

2018 RESULTS International Conference, July 14-17, 2018, Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, D.C. Registration is now open – register today. Watch our new 2018 Conference video and share it (along with our flyer) with others you know!

Other Resources

Get Your RESULTS Promo Materials. If you need banners, pens, stickers, or business cards for your local RESULTS work, fill out our Materials Order Form and we’ll send them to you.

Got a Question for the RESULTS Board? If you have a question, comment, or suggestion for the RESULTS/RESULTS Educational Fund Board, please e-mail them to RESULTS Grassroots Board Member Steven McGee at [email protected]. View the most recently published Board minutes on the RESULTS website, as well as RESULTS’ most recent Annual Report.

Please Fill Out the Lobby Report Form. After any lobby meeting, please fill out the RESULTS Lobby Report Form to let us know how it went. When you have a meeting where both U.S. and global poverty issues are discussed, please fill it out twice.