Lobby Day 2015 (Part 2) Get Your Smart Phones Ready

Meeting with Sen. Heirnich's staff in 2013

As of Saturday morning, June 6, Lobby Day visits scheduled with more than 50 members of the U.S. Senate and almost 80 members of the U.S. House of Representatives. This list is likely to grow slightly between now and June 9, which is when Bread grassroots members, staff and Hunger Justice Leaders will be on Capitol Hill to meet with staff (and possibly the legislators themselves)

Studies have consistently revealed that constituents personally visiting their members of Congress is often the tipping point to get support for a bill, in this case to strengthen national children’s nutrition programs like school lunches and WIC.

Lobby Day will include a request to Congress to protect and expand child nutrition programs, which is the theme of Bread’s 2015 Offering of Letters.

Because of distance, schedules, etc..., most bread members from Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Cruces and other communities in New Mexico won't be traveling to Washington for Lobby Day. The next best option is to pick up your smart phone or your land phone and call Washington. 

Here's how you can participate from outside the beltway...
On Monday, June 8, or Tuesday, June 9, please take a couple of minutes to make a call to your own representative (Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Rep. Steve Pearce, Rep Ben Ray Lujan) and Sen. Tom Udall and Sen. Martin Heinrich. Identify yourself as a Bread for the World member

Ask  your representative and each senator to:

1) Support the summer meals act (House Bill 1728  Senate Bill 613)
This initiative  gives hungry children access to meals during the summer months, like the Summer Meals Act.  Read background

2) Co-sponsor the Global Food Security Act and make Feed the Future permanent
Just last week, the Senate introduced S. 1252, The Global Food Security Act. This legislation makes permanent the U.S.’s food security program, Feed the Future. It also calls for a first-ever comprehensive U.S. strategy to address hunger and malnutrition in developing countries.
Read more background

3) Protect child nutrition programs and prevent cuts in the budget and pass a budget deal that eliminates sequestration
This third ask is the one that deals most directly with our 2015 Offering of Letters. Bread sent an action alert on this earlier this week.  Here is some background (beyond what you already know from this year's Offering of Letters).

These are exactly the same requests that Bread for the World participants will make during their meetings with legislative aides on Tuesday.

Here are the phone numbers:

• Sen. Tom Udall (202) 224-6621
• Sen. Martin Heinrich, (202) 224-5521 
• Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham (202) 225-6316
• Rep. Steve Pearce (202) 225-2365
• Rep. Ben Ray Lujan,  (202) 225-6190

Thank you for joining me on Lobby Day!