Hunger Advocacy Works: Exciting News from AzFBN
Condensed from an article by Angie Rodgers, President & CEO of Arizona Food Bank Network.
2022 was quite a year! We faced a lot of ups and downs - successes like shortened SNAP applications for older adults, and challenges like unprecedented inflation which led to the highest numbers of Arizonans turning to food banks that we have ever seen.
But in the spirit of the holiday season, you and everyone else in this community were there for each other to provide #ALittleHelp wherever it was needed.
I feel enormous excitement about the news that we received two weeks ago - which feels like the perfect way to begin 2023.
In case you didn't hear, last month, Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman announced that the Arizona Department of Education will allocate $6.75 million in pandemic relief funds to waive fees for students who qualify for reduced-price school meals starting in January. This will make school meals free for thousands of Arizona students who do not already qualify for federally funded free meals.
This funding will last throughout the 2023-2024 school year, and we estimate it will pay for over 2.2 million meals!
I know that I will sleep a little easier knowing that thousands of kids won't have to worry about whether they will be able to eat lunch or breakfast at school. I hope that it brings you joy knowing that you played a role in making this happen too.
While this is a great victory for food insecure families, there are still so many families who aren't enrolled in this program or may make just $1 over the maximum income threshold.
These days, that one dollar doesn't go very far, which is why we need your support - to fight for advocacy victories like this and to strengthen our emergency food network.