Remember that call to action we sent out for the House to vote for the HEROES Act Bill last week? The House voted to support it on May 15. The next step is to get it through the Senate! It has CACFP specific text which you can find here.
You did it for the House of Representatives - now do it for the Senate.
Here's what to do:
1. Find the contact information for your Senator
2. Email or call your Senator, urging a yes vote on the HEROES Act. Here's some language that might be helpful - personalizing is encouraged!
Please vote yes on the HEROES Act to preserve the infrastructure and capacity of the Child and Adult Care Food Program, a community-based food assistance program. This emergency funding would support the financial viability of:
> Child care centers, family child care homes, community-based afterschool programming, adult care centers, and emergency shelters participating in CACFP.
> The network of community-based organizations that support good nutrition through administering CACFP to family child care homes and child care centers.
This emergency funding is desperately needed to ensure food resources are available to our nation's most vulnerable children and adults for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
Thank you for your support. 3. Don't forget to reach out to your Senator on social media.
Or you can use this easy two step process from The National CACFP Sponsors Association (NCA)! Enter your zip code, enter your information and a form letter from NCA will be submitted to your Senators on your behalf. Click here to tell your Senators you support the HEROES Act.
What's Already Happened? Timeline of Important Actions
March 6, 2020: Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act provided $8.3 billion in emergency funding for federal agencies to respond to the coronavirus outbreak (read more).
March 18, 2020: Families First Coronavirus Response Act gave USDA the authority to implement a series of flexibilities for CACFP in order to better address the nutritional needs of the nation (read more).
March 19-25, 2020: Roundtable held CACFP/COVID-19 Town Hall and submitted additional recommendations to USDA that would allow CACFP to operate at its fullest capacity during this public health crisis.
March 27, 2020: CARES Act sent money directly to Americans and expands unemployment coverage (read more).
March 31, 2020: Roundtable and National CACFP Forum submitted recommendations to Congress about how the federal government can best support the infrastructure of child care with targeted investments in CACFP.
May 12, 2020: House Democrats release HEROES Act, a $3 trillion coronavirus relief act, which includes Rep. David Trone's Food and Nutrition Provider Emergency Support Act of 2020 to give emergency funding to the CACFP.
May 15, 2020: House of Representatives passes the HEROES Act, a $3 trillion coronavirus relief act, which includes Rep. David Trone's Food and Nutrition Provider Emergency Support Act of 2020 to give emergency funding to the CACFP.
The Roundtable is working hard to make sure that decision-makers in Washington DC and at the state level know about your concerns and on-the-ground challenges, in addition to understanding the importance of CACFP and the solutions we all think will help.
Tell us how you are doing. The Roundtable is here for you and we want to make sure we know what's happening in the community. Share how the coronavirus has impacted you, your business, and food access. Take this survey. Or share your Impact Story.
Questions? elyse@ccfproundtable.org