[Community_garden] FW: ACT TODAY to SAVE Community Food Projects

[Betsy Johnson]

Community Food Projects could be Zeroed Out... Action Needed! 
Support Blumenauer Amendment for REAL Funding for CFP 


Begun in 1996, the Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program (CFP),
has been incredibly successful at empowering low-income communities to
identify  problems related to food security and take action to permanently
solve them with a small investment from the  federal government. The
administrators of the CFP program highlight it as one of USDA's most
effective local initiatives supporting farmers and consumers. 

Community Food Projects is ZEROED OUT! 
In the past, the program has received $5 million annually in mandatory or
REAL funding, that doesn't need to be fought for each year.   However, WE
NEED YOUR HELP, because the House Agriculture Committee has not included any
REAL money for CFP in the Farm Bill which will be voted on TOMORROW. While
the House Agriculture Committee increased funds for  CFP to $30 million, the
money is not mandatory, meaning that it's possible this vital program gets
nothing at all when it comes time to dole out the money each year. There is
no money in the appropriations bill for  FY '08, so if the Farm bill doesn't
include mandatory money, there could be no money for CFP in 2008.
 
 Please help us save this popular and vital program.
Call your Representative RIGHT NOW!

With the House of Representatives voting on the Farm Bill TOMORROW, it's
important that all Representatives recognize the imprtance of CFP and the
need to to fund it. Please call your Representative and ask his/her office
to support the Blumenauer amendment for MANDATORY funding for CFP. This
detail is important because this may be one of several amendments offered by
Blumenauer.  If you don't know  who your Representative is or need to find
their number, call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.
 
 These quick phone calls will take less than 10 minutes of your time, but
could make a huge impact on  whether this program continues.

Thank you for your support,
Thomas, Steph, and Aliza

--  
Community Food Security Coalition
110 Maryland Ave NE, Suite #307
Washington, DC 20002 
Phone: 202-543-8602
www.foodsecurity.org  <http://www.foodsecurity.org>
<http://www.foodsecurity.org> 

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