Hunger Action Network of New York State

1. Thanksgiving Action Against Hunger on Monday, November 21 – Promoting Economic Justice Along with Charity

Our annual Thanksgiving Action Against Hunger will take place on Monday, November 21, 2005. We especially need people to organize local press conferences to highlight increased hunger needs and real solutions to ending hunger and poverty. To get involved, please call Hunger Action at 212-741-8192, ext. 3# or 518-434-7371, ext. 2#.

For more than a decade, Hunger Action Network has organized the Thanksgiving Action to remind people that hunger is a 365-day-a- year problem in our communities. We all work hard to make sure that everyone has a seat at the table on Thanksgiving, but much more work is needed to eliminate hunger in our state. The heartbreaking pictures of mostly poor black residents of New Orleans suffering from the devastation of the Katrina hurricane has reminded America that many of its members live in poverty. People have responded with an outpouring of donations of money and time to help their neighbors. But justice, not charity, is the real solution to hunger.

We need to break out of our collective complacency about the existence of hunger in our midst. It is a disgrace that in the Empire State more than 900,000 individuals visit food pantries and soup kitchens each week to find food to help feed their families. Hunger in our state and country is a political and economic problem, not a food supply problem. It is time to demand real solutions. This Thanksgiving, we are focusing on a state and national campaign to end hunger.

2. Call Legislators to Urge Support of Legislative Commission on Health Care Coverage

Assemblymember Gottfried wants to push the Commission if the Legislature returns for its normal end-of-year meeting to wrap up any loose ends in the state budget. We need to put pressure on the State Senate to agree to study how best to provide quality health care to all New Yorkers. We need to thank the Assembly for their support and urge them to make it a priority in their negotiations with the Senate.

Please call Senator Hannon (518 455-2800), Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno (518 455-3191) and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (518 455-3791), as well as your own state Legislators. Message: “Please create a Legislative Commission on Health Care Coverage to study how to make sure that all New Yorkers have access to affordable, quality health care.” (You can mention the bill A6575)

3. Tell Congress Not to Cut Services to Pay for Tax Cuts for the Rich

When Congress returns to Washington, many committees will take up legislation to cut spending, targeting at least Medicaid and Food Stamps, and quite possibly other vital forms of assistance like the Earned Income Tax Credit, TANF, or child welfare services. Not only that, but Congress is starting to talk about across-the-board cuts in most other programs. Some in Congress want to use the hurricane as an excuse to actually cut services for people in need and to pass even more tax cuts for the well-off! Congress needs to hear from more people that these are the wrong priorities. For background about the cuts Congressional leaders are considering: http://www.chn.org/pdf/congressprioritiesbackground.pdf

House leaders are delaying their budget reconciliation deadlines, but Senate committees are still expected to vote next week on proposals to produce almost $35 billion in spending cuts and other savings over five years. House GOP leaders decided to give their authorizing committees until Oct. 28 to meet a new target of at least $50 billion in savings from mandatory spending on programs ranging from Medicaid to farm subsidies. The House Budget Committee will assemble the revised recommendations into a single budget reconciliation bill the week of Oct. 31. The Senate remains on schedule for an Oct. 26 markup by the Budget Committee. Bowing to grumbling from conservatives, Senate GOP leaders have urged committees to come up with additional spending cuts beyond those required under the adopted congressional budget resolution. But they have set no specific target.

You can also send a letter to the editor. The organization RESULTS makes it easy to email a letter to your local newspaper: http://capwiz.com/results/issues/alert/?alertid=6905726&type=ME. Your letter should be brief, and should react to an article that has appeared in that paper. For instance, if there has been a recent article about Congress considering more budget cuts, or one about the current status of the recovery from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, say that federal cuts to health, nutrition, and other vital services make no sense - especially now when the hurricanes have left hundreds of thousands without jobs, homes, or health insurance. Call upon Congress to get its priorities straight by rejecting cuts in services that protect people and invest in communities, and tell it to abandon plans for still more tax cuts that only benefit the well-off few. When you write it, send a copy to your Senators and Representative.

4. Mark Your Calendars: People’s State of State, Tues. Jan. 3; Legislative Education and Action Day Feb. 28th

Each year, Hunger Action Network holds a rally the day before the Governor’s official State of the State address. This year our rally will be at 11:45 AM on Tuesday, Jan. 3rd, most likely at the Capitol. The Legislative Education and Action Day for Hunger Action Network and ES2 will be on Tues. Feb. 28th in Albany.

5. Holiday Hunger Appeal

Like many nonprofits, Hunger Action Network has found it more difficult to raise money from foundations in recent year. We are more dependent these days on donations from individuals to support our work to end hunger in New York. We hope you will consider adding Hunger Action to your holiday gift list this year. Donations can be sent to HANNYS, 260 W. 36th St., #504, NY NY 10018.

6. Donate Your Used Car for a Good Cause

Please consider donating your used car to Hunger Action to support our work. There’s not much work involved for you. Simply call our office, we’ll get the information from you, mail you the form, then someone from the Vehicle Donation Assistance Program will come pick up your car. Hunger Action will receive the donation for the amount the car is sold for and you will receive a tax deduction acknowledgement letter with the sale price. Call us at (212) 741-8192, ext 1# or 4# for more information or to start the process!

7. Food Justice: Change Your Diet, Change the World – Tues. Oct. 18 1-5:30pm

World Hunger Year’s annual anti-poverty forum will feature prominent journalists and exemplary grassroots organizations. The forum will be held Tuesday, October 18, 2005, 1-5:30 pm, at The New School's Theresa Lang Community and Student Center (55 West 13th Street) in New York City. The event is free and open to the public.

The day begins with a roundtable discussion focusing on the media's role in increasing public awareness of hunger, nutrition and poverty issues. The second panel discussion will explore current food system problems, including exploitation of farm workers, loss of family farms, the growing obesity epidemic, and the institutionalized emergency feeding system. The third panel discussion will examine the role of grassroots movements in challenging injustices through organizing and fighting for change. For more information, please contact WHY at (212) 629-8850 or christina@worldhungeryear.org or go to www.worldhungeryear.org

8. NYC Mayoral Candidates Community Forum – Wed., Oct. 19, 2005 7:30pm

You are invited to hear the candidates’ platforms, their ideas, & their plans. Be an informed voter! You can ask questions about issues that are important to you. The forum will take place Wednesday, October 19, 2005 from 7:30pm-9pm at Hudson Guild, Elliott Center, 441 West 26th Street (bet. 9th and 10th Avenues). All candidates have been invited. There will also be a workshop before the forum from 6:30pm-7:30pm by the League of Women Voters on voting education.

Location is wheelchair accessible. Spanish translation will be provided. Refreshments will be served. Sponsored by Hudson Guild’s Neighborhood Advisory Committee and the Senior Social Action Committee. For additional information, please call 212.760.9800.