Don't let the House cut families' shoestrings!

September 29, 2010

Dear Feminist for Life:

Last week we came to you with grim news about poverty in America: the poverty rate for single mothers has risen to 38.5%, the highest since 1998. As members and supporters of Feminists for Life, you know as well as we do that women often feel forced to take desperate action when they lack the resources and support they need. This week, families that are struggling financially could face one of their hardest hits yet.

Currently, the federal government offers several major food assistance programs for families in need: WIC (Women, Infants and Children), SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly the Food Stamps program), the Child Care Food Program, and the School Meals Programs. WIC pays for nutritious foods such as milk, cereal, and juice for pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women. WIC also provides free formula, baby food, and food for children up to age five. SNAP typically provides debit cards for food to those who qualify, based on income, assets, and other factors.

In recent weeks, the U.S. Senate passed legislation that would make drastic cuts to SNAP, a program Feminists for Life highlighted in our recent "Raising Kids on a Shoestring" issue of The American Feminist.

The House is preparing to bring child nutrition legislation that funds both SNAP and WIC to the floor for a vote. Call your representatives today and urge them not to make any cuts to vital programs that support pregnant women, children, and struggling families. Use the House of Representatives' "Write Your Representative" form to find your Representative's phone number. Please call right away!

After you've made the call, consider making a more personal commitment to directly assist families in need. Right now, we have service providers, pregnancy care centers, and families eagerly waiting to receive our national guide to free and frugal resources, "Raising Kids on a Shoestring." We are extending the deadline we told you about last week in order to get even more copies of this resource guide out the door and into the hands of those we serve. Go to our website to:

• Sponsor a kit with 5 copies of "Raising Kids on a Shoestring" that FFL will send to a pregnancy resource center or deliver to campus advisors. Please let us choose who needs it most. Your $25 donation is tax-deductible. If you are able, consider sponsoring 4 kits for $100!
• Purchase copies of "Raising Kids on a Shoestring" to be sent to you and deliver them to a religious community center, social service agency, or pregnancy resource center in your neighborhood. Let us know which agency or resource center received them from you so that we don't duplicate efforts! (And keep your receipt of $25 per kit for your tax advisor!)
• Post a link to "Raising Kids on a Shoestring" on your blog, or e-mail a link to those you know in social services, pregnancy care centers, religious congregations, and student groups so that they can access the information most needed for their clients. The entire full-color issue is now available to them online! (Again, let us know you have taken action!)

Because women deserve better,
Serrin M. Foster
President