FORUM GOALS

CCFSC organized its policy forum with three articulated goals:

• All attendees will have better understanding of legislative process and advocacy
• All attendees will be equipped and empowered to influence a policy they learned about
• A group of attendees will form to work on a positive vision and longer term policy goals for Cumberland County’s food system

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PRIORITIES & ALIGNMENT

CCFSC introduced its mission and priorities and how these align with the forum agenda:
Policy

• Forum
• Policy committee

Child Nutrition

• Food Fuels Learning
• Food Fuels Learning Toolkit

Local Food Access

• Gleaning
• Gleanhole Suppah events
• Closing the Hunger Gap with Local Food

Racial/Economic Justice

• Racial Wealth Gap Learning Simulation
• Allyship with New Americans​

An overview of the legislative process was presented. 
Former Maine Senate President Justin Alfond presented. 

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BREAK OUT SESSIONS

Child Nutrition
Presented by Justin Alfond and Anna Korsen of Full Plates, Full Potential. 
​
*Tip* If presenting testimony, bring 20 copies of whatever you have written.

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• Child Nutrition slide deck 
• ​LD 359: An Act to End Student Hunger with Breakfast After the Bell 
  • ​In Maine, only 42% of eligible students are participating in breakfast. Leaving about $12 million of federal money on the table.
• LD 577: An Act to Increase Access to Nutritious Foods by Implementing an After-School Food Program for At-Risk Students
  • ​These after-school meals have the biggest reimbursement rate for schools.
• LD 701: An Act to End Student Hunger with a Statewide Online School Meals Application
  • ​ Students would still need to have a paper application, but this provides an additional way to sign up. It is simple, accessible, user-friendly interface available in multiple languages. Currently, this service is not provided by state of Maine. 
• LD 549: An Act to Promote Academic Achievement through Hunger Relief for Maine Children

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​Local Food Access 
Presented by Colleen Donlan of CCFSC, Clara McConnell of Good Shepherd Food Bank, and Abby Farnham of Maine Farmland Trust. 
​
Colleen Donlan: CCFSC

• Local Food Access slide deck
• LD 545: An Act To Encourage the Purchase of Local Produce for Public Schools

​Abby Farnham: Maine Farmland Trust 

• LD 920: An act to Establish the Fund to Support Local Fruit and Vegetable Purchasing
  • Funding for Maine Harvest Bucks and Farm Fresh rewards, which increase the purchasing power of SNAP
  • Public hearing was March 12, work session TBD.

​Clara McConnell: Good Shepherd Food Bank

• LD 786:  An Act to Reduce Hunger and Promote Maine Agriculture
  • Would support the funding for the Mainers Feeding Mainers Program
  • Public hearing - April 2nd, afternoon.  
• LD 795: An Act Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of Maine to Establish a Right to Food
  • Public hearing - April 2nd, afternoon  
• LD 1159: An Act to Resolve to End Hunger in Maine by 2030
  • Public hearing - April 2nd, afternoon
• ​LD 1167: An Act to Increase Consumption of Maine Foods in State Institutions
  • Public Hearing - March 26th, 1pm (Agriculture committee)

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Economic/Racial Justice 
Presented by Jim Hanna of CCFSC and Dawud Ummah of Ummah Gardens. 

• Economic/Racial Justice Slide Deck

• LR 2236: AN ACT TO ESTABLISH A MAINE AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE COMMISSION
• LD 768: Resolve, To Establish the Commission To Research the Economic Disparities of Racial and Ethnic Populations
• LD 777: An Act To Establish the Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial and Ethnic Populations​

ME Equal Justice Resources: 

• ​An Act to Reduce Child Poverty by Leveraging Investments so Families can Thrive (LIFT 3.0) ​
• Legislative Priorities for 2019
• Administrative Initiatives for 2019

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Additional Resources:

• "Advocacy and Lobbying Guide for Food Policy Councils"
• "Food Won't Solve Hunger. Income Will."

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