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March 21, 2005
Tom Ferraro, the Executive Director of Foodlink, has contacted us with urgent concerns regarding the proposed Federal 2005 budget. He has asked that we inform you about these concerns and that we ask you to contact your legislators immediately. Tom is very concerned about proposed cuts in the Department of Agriculture's domestic food programs, which fund such programs as food stamps, school lunches, the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) supplemental food program and also food distribution programs such as serve Foodlink, which, ultimately affect the amount of food available to Food Cupboards and dinner programs such as ours. These cuts might even affect state funding for food programs. Because you meet hungry people all the time as a result of volunteering in the Food Cupboard or the Dining Room Ministry, we are sure that you know how important these programs are. Tom has requested that we ask you to contact our local legislators right away and ask them to oppose these cuts. In addition, Tom has asked us to support the re-introduction of the CARE Act, which would allow small farmers to claim tax deductions for donated food, in the same way as large corporations presently do. An effective, inexpensisve and quick way to contact our legislators is simply to phone their local office. Bread for the World experts and local lobbyists tell us that, after a hand-written letter, a direct phone call is the most effective form of advocacy. As few as three to ten phone calls or letters often may be enough to jump-start legislative research and action on an issue. (e-mails, incidentally, are the least effective approach, we are told). Click Here to find the phone numbers, addresses, a suggested script, and some further background information. Please take this opportunity, as soon as you read this message, to phone your legislators and speak out in support of poor people locally and in the country. If you can't phone during the day, drop them a postcard or note! We'd love to tell Tom how many contacts were made, so we'd appreciate it if you'd let one of us know, by phone or e-mail, that you legislators have heard from you! Remember that old quote? "The way evil triumphs is for good people to do nothing!" In His Service
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