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Our Public Policy & Advocacy Director Recaps His Experience at the FRAC Anti-Hunger Policy Conference

May 7, 2026

Members of the Advocacy team at Hunger Task Force attended the Food Research Action Center (FRAC) National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference in Washington, D.C. This year’s conference was very timely since members of Congress have been discussing a second Budget Reconciliation Bill, the Appropriations process that authorizes funding for government programs annually including federal nutrition program and an updated Farm Bill. If the Farm Bill is done appropriately, it provides a safety net for farmers while promoting environmental conservation and ensuring many federal nutrition programs can meet the needs of those in our communities who are food insecure.

The weekend began with FRAC’s Leadership Institute. The day was dedicated to discussing federal and state policies that impact child nutrition programs including the School Breakfast Program, National School Lunch Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, Summer Food Service Program and Women, Infants and Children Program. Advocates from across the country learned about the current policy landscape of these vital programs and had opportunities to network while sharing best practices.

I spoke on a panel where I shared Hunger Task Force’s Milwaukee Model for the Summer Meals Program, which is a collaboration of Milwaukee County stakeholders that partner to ensure all children have access to three healthy meals during the summer months when childhood hunger is at its peak. I also discussed our organizing work in collaboration with No Kid Hungry to expand access to rural non-congregate summer meals, which are meal-to-go programs that help eliminate transportation barriers in rural and remote spaces across Wisconsin. I was also able to share Hunger Task Force’s outreach efforts to raise awareness of Summer EBT, which allots $120 per eligible child to help offset the cost of groceries during the summer.

The conference drew approximately 950 anti-hunger advocates from around the country and offered plenaries and workshops with expert panelists and speakers. Along with additional information about Child Nutrition Programs, speakers provided policy updates and best practices for such programs as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP or FoodShare in Wisconsin), The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP or Stockbox in Wisconsin).

During the conference I spoke with a national news reporter about the looming cuts to WIC in the amount of $200 million including a 10% cut to the fruit and vegetable vouchers which could affect about 75,000 vulnerable parents, guardians and children in Wisconsin.

On the final day of the conference, the Hunger Task Force team met with representatives from offices of several congressional legislators in D.C. and shared key priorities:

  • Increase mandatory funding for TEFAP to a minimum of $500 million annually for food commodities and a minimum of $100 million annually for administration including storage and distribution costs.
    • Reinstate the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) funds and continue Section 21 funding to support additional food purchases to meet the rising demand at local food pantries.
  • Fully fund the CSFP program.
    • Allocate at least $495 million annually to sustain a national caseload of 707,000 low-income seniors; Wisconsin has had a waitlist for qualifying seniors the past three years.
    • Based on information collected by the National CSFP Association, an additional 80,000 caseload slots – totaling $551 million – are needed to fully fund CSFP.
  • Restore and protect funding for SNAP-Ed, which provides nutrition education and helps low-income individuals and families make healthy food choices and increase their physical activity to improve long term health outcomes.
  • Enact a two-year delay in the administrative and program cost shift for all states to allow all states additional time to adjust systems and staffing without risking benefit delays for eligible households.
  • Sign on as a co-sponsor for H.R.4782, the Local Feeding Our Communities Act, and support an increase in funding to $400 million. This is a bipartisan bill that will support local Wisconsin farmers and producers as well as low-income individuals and families.

The conference was an extremely valuable opportunity to network with advocates across the country and better understand the current policy landscape pertaining to federal nutrition programs, share best practices and strategize to strengthen our collective efforts to end hunger across the nation.

Hunger Task Force is Milwaukee’s Free & Local food bank and Wisconsin’s anti-hunger leader. The organization’s core values are Dignity, Justice, Equity, Compassion and Stewardship. Hunger Task Force feeds people today by providing healthy and culturally appropriate food to hungry children, families and seniors in the community absolutely free of charge. Hunger Task Force also works to end future hunger by advocating for strong public policies and nutrition programs at the local, state and federal level.