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Citizens organized to combat hunger
Voices Against Hunger is a grassroots group of individuals organized by Hunger Task Force, committed to fighting hunger and acting for change. We believe that citizen engagement and action are the most effective tools for creating long-term solutions to hunger and malnutrition. Voices Against Hunger is a key part of Hunger Task Force’s efforts to address the societal and policy issues that create or exacerbate hunger.
What do Voices members do?
Voices Against Hunger members are organized citizen advocates, speaking out on behalf of the hungry and Hunger Task Force. Members ask public officials and legislators to enact public policy that eases or ends hunger. Individuals make phone calls, send emails, meet with public officials, write letters, and speak up publicly.
Voices members help us establish our advocacy priorities, strategies and tactics, as well as participate in outreach activity in schools, at the County Department of Health & Human Services and on peoples' doorsteps.
The range of opportunities is broad, but YOU determine how involved you would like to be! The only thing we ask Voices members to do is to make at least one contact per year with an elected official on an issue that Hunger Task Force is working on.
 What have Hunger Task Force and Voices Against Hunger accomplished?
- Met with Milwaukee County officials to monitor new administrative changes to food stamps and to report on other key issues facing recipients
- Assisted with implementation and evaluation of Wisconsin's ACCESS Web site
- Increased participation rates in the free summer meals program for children
- Kept the Milwaukee County House of Correction farm open as a source of fresh produce distributed free to area food pantries and soup kitchens
- Successfully lobbied Milwaukee Public Schools administrators and board members to implement a pilot roll-out of free universal school breakfast and lunch programs at six schools
- Successfully advocated with the federal government to allow Hunger Task Force to turn surplus government non-fat dry milk into Wisconsin-made cheese for distribution free-of-charge to hungry families for 15 months
- Traveled to Madison in the spring of 2005 to testify before the Joint Finance Committee on the issue of state supplemental funding for school breakfast
- Successfully lobbied the MPS School Board for a $1 million universal free breakfast initiative that expanded from a 6 school pilot program in 2005 to 61 schools in 2006
 What issues will Hunger Task Force and Voices members tackle in 2008?
- Include Wisconsin as a supper pilot site for the Child and Adult Care Food Program in the fiscal year 2009 appropriation bill.
- Maintain the Kohl breakfast grants for Wisconsin.
- Ensure federal funding for WIC (Women, Infants and Children) that does not create state waiting lists for services.
- At a minimum, maintain $1 million Milwaukee Public Schools appropriation for universal school breakfast programming.
- Coordinate the serving of 1 million summer meals in Milwaukee County.
- Push for inclusion of full 15-cent breakfast appropriation in 2009-11 Wisconsin state budget.
- Assist Milwaukee County with FoodShare customer service improvement at Coggs Center.
- Advocate for strongest possible federal legislation that reauthorizes child nutrition programs.
- Ensure that 211@Impact funding is maintained in Milwaukee County budget
How do I become a member?
Sign up on our Stay Connected page. For more information, contact Laura Richard, our staff Organizer, at (414) 278-6471 or email laura@hungertaskforce.org.
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9% |
Percentage of Wisconsin residents who lack sufficient food.
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(414) 777-0483