Urge Your Elected Officials To Protect Kids' Access To Food

  • by: Care2.com
  • recipient: United States Congress
Today, 1 in 5 kids in America struggles with hunger.

It's more important than ever to protect federal nutrition programs that feed our nation's children, but right now the sequester - which automatically cuts funding for a large number of federally funded programs - includes devastating cuts to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), cutting 600,000 mothers and kids from the program altogether.

Sequestration also cuts billions from education funding, including Head Start programming that provides preschool aged kids with important health and nutrition services. More than 70,000 kids would lose access to Head Start under the plan.

Congress faces serious fiscal challenges, but cuts of this scale to WIC and early childhood education are short-sighted and will only lead to more children and families going hungry this year.

Take action today: Tell Congress not to balance the budget on the backs of children who need us.
Dear [Representative],

As a constituent and a supporter of Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry campaign to end childhood hunger in America, I urge you to find a solution to sequestration and the harmful impact it is having on children.

[Your comment will be added here]

As it is currently in place, the sequester includes damaging cuts to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), cutting 600,000 mothers and kids from the program altogether. Additionally, more than 1,600 WIC-related jobs in states across the country would be cut as a result of sequestration. WIC provides critical resources for mothers to purchase healthy, nutrient-rich foods for their kids and provides nutrition education programming for families. The program has proven positive results for young children as well - kids under age three who receive WIC are more likely to be in excellent or good health than eligible children who do not receive WIC.

Sequestration would also cut billions from education funding, including Head Start programming that provides preschool aged kids with important health and nutrition services. More than 70,000 kids would lose access to Head Start under the plan. Ensuring our kids have access to good nutrition in their youngest years puts them on a path forward to better education, better health, and a better contribution to our economy. Slashing funding for this program will hurt our economy in the long-run. We can't have a strong America with weak kids.

Today, 1 in 5 kids In America struggle with hunger. I recognize the fiscal challenges faced by Congress, but cuts of this scale to WIC and early childhood education are short-sighted and will only lead to more children and families going hungry this year.

Let's not balance the budget on the backs of children who need us.

sincerely,

[Your name]
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