Donate
Volunteer
Food Drive
Advocate


Advocacy is one of the key components in the Food Bank’s long-term approach to alleviating hunger. Our innovative Advocacy Team – which consists of Food Bank staff and a passionate corps
of volunteers – promotes change in legislative policy to benefit low-income residents. We provide a voice for hundreds of thousands of Alameda County residents who face food insecurity. That voice is heard in city halls, county government, Sacramento and in Washington, D.C.

Take Action

Happy New Year! Still pleased with 2011’s successes, we are gearing up for another great year fighting poverty and hunger in our community. 2012 will require the same diligence and commitment from advocates as we have experienced in years’ past. Among our priorities:

  • Monitoring implementation of changes to the CalFresh program brought on by new legislation;
  • Fighting for local, state and federal budgets that are not balanced on the backs of poor communities;
  • Protecting and growing the nutrition safety-net

We won’t be able to do it without you. Please sign up for our advocacy alerts so that you may receive the latest news on important anti-hunger issues, and take action when necessary. Here’s to a successful 2012!

Hunger Advocates Fight for CalWORKS

Food Bank volunteers joined hundreds of other advocates from throughout California to voice their opposition to Governor Brown’s proposed cuts to the CalWORKS program, a critical component of the safety net for many families who sometimes depend on the Food Bank. Braving rain and cold, advocates participated in a rally outside the Capital, featuring many CalWORKS recipients and Assemblywoman Holly Mitchell. Inside, we made visits to our legislators, and spoke at a budget hearing focused solely on CalWORKS, putting a face to these cuts. The result was the rejection of the Governor’s proposal by the committee members. One step towards victory!

California Budget Update

In his proposed 2012-13 budget, Gov. Jerry Brown included $2.5 billion in cuts to safety-net programs that serve low-income households. If enacted, this proposal would bring the total damage to health and human services since 2008 to $15 billion. The bottom line: longer lines at soup kitchens and food pantries already stretched to the limit.

Please help us call on our legislature to reject the Governor’s proposal and instead move forward with a plan that restores our safety net. Take action by joining our advocacy community online or in person.


For more information about any of the Food Bank’s anti-hunger work, email advocate[at]accfb.org
or call (510) 635-3663 ext. 307.

What else can you do to make your voice heard?

The Alameda County Community Food Bank works with statewide and national anti-hunger organizations to support legislation addressing widespread food insecurity. We serve as a voice for hundreds of thousands of people in Alameda County.

In the 2010, the Food Bank team organized 70 meetings with legislators, grassroots anti-hunger advocates and other advocacy partners. Volunteers are the heart of our advocacy efforts. There is strength in numbers ... together we can make a difference!