Thank you for your support of Harvest for Hope
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The 2016 state legislative session has wrapped up and unfortunately, we were not able to pass SB 474 Harvest for Hope.
Thanks to many of you, we had really good momentum but in the end, we just didn’t have enough time to get the bill scheduled for a full vote.
Sometimes, even the most common-sense policy solutions don't make it through the first time. The groundwork that we laid - and the feedback we received - ultimately strengthened the proposal, increasing bi-partisan support throughout the state. We are looking forward to working with partners on a similar proposal next session.
Moreover, we were able to start an important conversation at the state capitol about the importance of fighting hunger and increasing health outcomes through our state’s magnificent agriculture and food industries. This, to us was a win.
We wanted to take a moment to thank all of you for engaging your state legislators in support Harvest for Hope. Together, we generated hundreds of individual contacts, including letters, emails and phone calls.
Many of you took time out of your day to testify at the two agriculture committees hearings that were held. I'll never forget the bravery of one food pantry client who decided that telling her story and speaking up publicly in support of increasing the amount of fresh and healthy food in the emergency food system was important for her to do despite the possible stigma of being perceived as "one of those people" in her current job search.
People often say that families with low-incomes have no special interest lobbyists. That's not true. They have us and all of you.
Thank you for your advocacy.
You have inspired us.