What's 'MOO' At The Clearinghouse — March 2000
Gleaning, Food Recovery &
Community Food Security Forum in Arizona
WHY and USDA Workshop
Collaboration
Organic Standards Alert
National Hunger Clearinghouse
Questionnaire
Federal Funding Action Alert: Act
Immediately
Feinstein Announces Million $$$
Challenge
World March of Women 2000
Gleaning, Food Recovery & Community Food
Security Forum in Arizona
"Gathering Strength II"- a national forum, sponsored by
the Association of Arizona Food Banks, will be held
March 30-31, 2000 in Phoenix. This will be an exciting
opportunity for hunger fighters and community food
security advocates to share their ideas to maximize
individual programs and form new partnerships.
Highlights of this event will include a field trip to
Duncan’s Family Farm with a panel discussing
"Farm to Community Connections."
To register for "Gathering Strength II"
call:800-445-1914
WHY and USDA Workshop Collaboration
World Hunger Year and the USDA, Food and Nutrition
Service, are co-sponsoring a series of regional
workshops titled "Building Partnerships: A Dialogue
About Innovative Solutions to Hunger and Poverty." The
purpose is to broaden and deepen the dialogue on
innovative solutions to hunger and poverty between
community based hunger and poverty organizations and
federal, state, and local government agencies. The
goals are to showcase model programs, help
organizations have a greater awareness of the resources
that government agencies have available, and explain
how to access these resources. An area of emphasis will
be Food Stamp outreach and the availability of Food
Stamp Employment & Training money to fund job
training programs. The schedule includes:
Detroit - March 7 * New York City - March 21 *
Philadelphia - March 22
Sacramento - March 27 * Atlanta - April 20 * Denver -
April 25 * Southwest - TBA
For more information about the workshops
contact: WHY at (800)-5 Hungry
Organic Standards Alert
The USDA will be announcing proposed national standards
for organic labeling in the near future. The standards
will be much stronger than originally proposed in 1997.
They exclude the use of genetically modified
ingredients, antibiotics, irradiation, and the
application of sewage sludge. The USDA welcomes
comments; it received over 275,000 during the last
round.
National Hunger Clearinghouse Questionnaire
The USDA National Hunger Clearinghouse database survey
form has been re-authorized. If you would like to
update your form or know of other organizations that
would like to join, please give us a call. We are
soliciting as many names as possible and welcome
referrals to other organizations that are doing great
work like you. Thanks!
Federal Funding Action Alert: Act Immediately
Contact your representative immediately to ensure
appropriation for a new Anti-Hunger & Food Security
grants program. The Administration's budget includes a
request to appropriate $5.25 million in new funding to
fight hunger and promote local food self-sufficiency.
It will create a competitive grants program for
non-profit and faith-based organizations to assist
small and medium-sized producers to sell food directly
to local school districts and other large institutions;
support community gardens, community kitchens, and
micro-enterprises; and increase food recovery and
gleaning efforts, among other programs. Check the list
below to see if your representatives are on the
Agriculture Appropriations subcommittee. If they are,
please write or call them directly. If they are not,
call or write them and ask them to contact either a
member on the subcommittee from your state or if there
isn't one, the ranking Democrat or Republican member on
the House Agriculture Appropriations subcommittee.
Committee members: AR Jay Dickey (R), CA Sam Farr (D),
CT Rosa DeLauro (D), FL Allen Boyd (D), FL Bill Young
(R), GA Jack Kingston (R), IA Tom Latham (R), MO Jo Ann
Emerson (R), NM Joe Skeen (R), NY Jim Walsh (R), NY
Maurice Hinchey (D), OH Marcy Kaptur (D), TX Henry
Bonilla (R), WA George Nethercutt (R), WI David Obey
(D)
Call:U.S. Capitol
Switchboardat202-224-3121
Write:US House of Representatives: Washington, DC
20515
Feinstein Announces Million $$$ Challenge
For the third straight year, Alan Shawn Feinstein is
calling for an end to hunger in America and pledges to
match all donations over $25 - up to a total of $1 million
- made during the month of March 2000 to all non-profit
(grassroots) agencies fighting hunger. If the total
donations raised toward the challenge exceed challenge
funds, they will be divided proportionately among all
qualified respondents. Challenge money will be distributed
in May. To participate, groups should send a typed cover
letter bearing their full name and address, with the total
raised in March toward this challenge and the total number
of their donors, and a copy of their tax exemption or
proof of affiliation to a tax-exempt organization. Mail
it only on April 6, 2000 to PO Box 2065, Providence, RI
02905. Failure to follow these instructions exactly could
invalidate an entry.
World March of Women 2000
March 8, International Women’s Day, launches the
World March of Women 2000 Against Poverty and Violence.
The march is a coalition of women from 3,500 organizations
in 146 countries. Local issues are being raised in each
country to demand concrete changes in women’s lives
and those of their families. Anti-poverty and
anti-violence groups are encouraged to become co-sponsors.
The Women’s Federation of Quebec originated this
initiative. It is an eight-month campaign of popular
education to culminate in marches all over the world in
October. It includes a signature campaign on postcards,
which will be presented to the UN in a meeting with
Secretary General Kofi Annan on Oct 17, the International
Day for the Eradication of Poverty. On October 15, the US
national march will take place in Washington DC.
