Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma Advocacy to Legislatures

July 2017 | Oklahoma Food Banks Click here to view this email in your browser.

Legislative Updates: As the U.S. House of Representatives continues its Budget negotiations, massive cuts to SNAP and other critical programs are making their way through the legislative process. Recently, 20 moderate Republicans sent a letter to Speaker Paul Ryan objecting to large cuts, but the House Budget Committee passed a bill with deep cutsa short time later. Anti-hunger advocates like you must continue pressuring House Members to ensure they do not pass a budget that cuts SNAP or other programs critical to the people we serve. Read our Action Alert calling on Oklahoma's Members of Congress to oppose cuts in key programs like SNAP. Watch and share this video about SNAP in Tulsa to learn more and spread awareness about this vital program. August recess is almost here! Every August, Members of Congress come back to their home states and typically spend the month traveling around their district, meeting with constituents, and hearing directly from the communities they represent about the issues they care about most. August is the best time of year to let your Member of Congress know what you care about. Some options for engagement with your Senator or Representative include: attending an event, calling their office, posting on social media, or sending a letter to your local newspaper. To find events near you, check your Member of Congress’ social media pages or website, or call their local office.   Take Action:  Tell Oklahoma’s Members of Congress to support programs that enable the Oklahoma Food Banks to provide food to communities across the state and help families make ends meet. Dial (888) 398-8702 and listen to the pre-recorded message. Choose to be connected to either your Senator or your House Member, then enter your zip code. Deliver this message: “Hi, I’m your constituent calling from [City, State] and I’m urging you to stand up for Oklahoma families in need by fighting against cuts or harmful changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). SNAP and The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) are critical in the fight against hunger and help ensure hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans don’t struggle to find enough to eat. Help make sure that none of your constituents have to question where their next meal will come from. Thank you.” Did You Know? Oklahoma ranks 51st in the nation for children receiving lunches during summer. (Source: Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation: Summer Nutrition Status Report, Food Research and Action Center, June 2017) Working together to end hunger in Oklahoma, Effie Craven, MPH, MPA State Advocacy and Public Policy Director Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma | Oklahoma City Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma | Tulsa 405-600-3129 | ecraven@regionalfoodbank.org Sign up for monthly advocacy news & action alerts.

Oklahoma DHS Budget Cuts Lead to Reduced Foster Payouts, Senior Meals What Do We Think Poverty Looks Like? The War on Poverty Has Become a War on the Poor Escaping Poverty Requires Almost 20 Years with Nearly Nothing Going Wrong

Advocacy in Action is your monthly briefing on Oklahoma food security-related news. Inclusion of a story does not necessarily mean endorsement by either the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma or the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma. Copyright © 2017 Oklahoma Food Banks, All rights reserved.

UN OKC Peace Walk- 9/9/ UNOKC Peace Day Observance 9/21

Peace Day 2017 Committee Planning

Meeting: July 17, 2017                     Present: Sarah, Bansari, Sinead, Michelle, Richard, Kadir, Priya, Alejandra  

Ideas

Peace walk

·      Identified speakers: Maureen- Myriad Foundation, Maurianna- CAOK, and Nyla Ali Khan.

Pinwheels

·      We will have a table set up from 2 -4 pm, at the Turkish festival, for people to decorate and prepare them for the Sept. 21^stplanting.

Peace Day Observance – Thursday September 21, 2017 (6-8 PM)

·      Set up: 2 tables, 4 chairs

·      Expect about 50 people there.

·      Speakers: Deborah Echo-Hawk, Sheri, Candace, and UN Speaker (Deborah’s guest) (3-5 Min. to speak)

·      Need to check the ground a couple of days before this event.

Roles & Deadlines [Agreed to have these details identified and confirmed by the next meeting]

Kadir- Will send us the Teacher email database.

Michelle- Will order 6 unites of pinwheels (200 individual). Need to find out if pinwheels are recyclable.  

Priya- Push out press releases, helping disseminate information to social justice organizations; Create summary information sheet; Ask Candace about performing poet reading at Peace Day observance event; will post events to Gazette, KOSU and KGOU calendars; outreach for speakers for capitol event (CAIR, ACLU, Sheri). Will need quote from speakers for September 9 event for press release.

Sarah- Will inquire CAOK about using the social justice contact database.

Richard- Will create two simple flyers, one for the Peace Walk and the other for the Peace Day Observance and will create the facebook event.

Alejandra- Will get sharpies and stickers to decorate the pinwheels.

Timeline-

·      Next meeting at 6:00pm at Raindrop Turkish House on August 21, 2017 (Monday)

·      August-First week of August create Facebook page for both events commemorating the International Day of Peace.  Send press release to news outlets

TTO DO LIST

The main things left to do are as follows:

Order pinwheels (Michelle)

Send Press Release the first week of August (Priya)

Create Facebook Events and Flyer for distribution (Richard)

Get list from Sarah to send outreach letter to organizations (Sarah)

Send outreach letter to organizations and art teachers (Priya)

Get quotes from Maureen, Maurianna, and Dr. Nyla Ali Khan for press release (Kadir could you please help me get a quote from Maureen, I will reach out to the other two). (Kadir and Priya)

Get stickers and sharpies to decorate pinwheels (Alejandra) 

If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know.

I look forward to seeing the progress we've made at our next meeting. I hope you can join us on August 21, 2017 at 6pm at the Raindrop Turkish House (thank you Kadir)!

Cheers, 

Priya

From Founder of Peace Day, Jeremy Gilley

FOREWORD FROM JEREMY GILLEY Today marks two months to Peace Day 2017! Well done to everyone for making this day such a success over the years. Peace Day 21 September is now becoming institutionalised worldwide; and that’s because so many people are embracing the day and taking action.    This year marks the fifteenth anniversary of the first celebration of Peace Day as a day of ceasefire and nonviolence with a fixed calendar date. We wanted to highlight a number of inspiring initiatives from previous campaigns, across different sectors, in the hope that it galvanises you to go as big as you can for Peace Day 21 September 2017 – the 15 year celebration.    Please tell us about your upcoming Peace Day activity, so we can inform as many people as possible. With just over 60 days to go until Peace Day, it’s time to get prepared for peace. Tell your friends and family, get your communities involved – together we can make a difference. Good luck with your plans. We look forward to hearing from you.   Thank you for your continued support.   In peace, Jeremy Gilley Founder, Peace One Day   Highlights - 15 Years of PEACE DAYS 21 September   PUMA & ADIDAS END FEUD In 2007, then PUMA CEO Jochen Zeitz launched the One Day One Goal initiative and the PUMA Peace One Day Football Collection. The partnership was unveiled at the African Cup of Nations, and instigated an historic hand handshake with rival brand Adidas.   TALIBAN OBSERVE CEASEFIRE  In 2008/9 the Afghan Government, ISAF and the Taliban halted offensive operations, allowing access to 14,000 health workers. WHO, UNICEF and others immunized millions of children against polio. Violent incidents fell by 70% on 21 September (source UNDSS).    POLMAN, MCKINSEY & BUFFETT In 2013 Unilever CEO Paul Polman spearheaded the POD Corporate Coalition. Unilever’s ‘Make Love, Not War’ campaign in support of POD opened the Super Bowl, whilst McKinsey & Company supported impact assessment & the Howard G. Buffett Foundation committed one of their single biggest grants to POD for the DRC.   SKYPE EMPOWER YOUNG PEOPLE In 2014 Skype and POD mobilised a generation of young peoplein support of Peace Day, including SkypeTalks with students taking place in over 50 countries such as Lesotho, Venezuela, China, Ukraine and many more.   RIVALS COLLABORATE FOR WFP In 2015, Burger King proposed a one-day collaboration with its biggest historical rivals to raise awareness for Peace Day. Burger King’s globally viral campaign catalyzed a first-of-its-kind multi-industry effort supporting the UN’s food assistance to refugees.     GOOGLE & FACEBOOK WEIGH IN In 2015/16 Facebook reached over a billionactive daily users with a special Peace Day promotion, and Google featured the day on their iconic homepage, informing millions more. For all the behind the scenes content from Jeremy Gilley and the Peace One Day journey follow @JeremyGilley on Twitter, or connect with us on Facebook or Instagram.

This message was sent to clayc@casady.org from info@peaceoneday.org

Jeremy Gilley
Peace One Day
St. George's House
London, SU TW9 2LE, United Kingdom

Unsubscribe

Why Summer Feeding Programs

	Dear Friend, This is how a young girl named Angelina describes being hungry: "It was hard, it was stressful and sad, but I tried not to show any emotion in front of my mom. I would act like I wasn't hungry, or I'd just wait until I would get to school because they would give me breakfast." During the summer, there's no school breakfast for kids like Angelina. There's no escape – just that gnawing, quiet hunger.   Urgent: Kids facing hunger need our help. Give to Feeding America today and your gift can triplein impact. We urgently need to change all that. Demand on the Feeding America network is high during the summer when kids don't have school. We need to raise $50,000 by July 31 – and for that, we need your help. Give now and your gift can go three times as far – thanks to a generous matching challenge from BoxLunch, your gift helping hungry children and families can TRIPLE in impact through the Feeding America network of food banks.  Angelina is just a kid. She shouldn't have to worry about protecting her mom or cobbling together her next meal. Kids like Angelina deserve a childhood innocent of grown-up worries. Being hungry deprives them of that chance. If you've ever seen a kid jump and play on a playground, building vast imaginary worlds and bursting with the joy of being outside, you know that a child's innocence – their belief in a life full of possibilities – is worth protecting. Even more, these little people have bodies and minds worth feeding – so they can grow up strong and healthy. Through the Feeding America network, we can help get kids the veggies, fruit, dairy, bread, and other essentials that they need during the summer. But the number of children who need food is staggering. You can make a huge impact right here, right now. Donate to Feeding America now and your gift can triple in impact.  Thank you for believing in the power of children, and working to make their days brighter. Sincerely, Elizabeth Nielsen Senior Vice President Feeding America
	© 2017 Feeding America 35 E. Wacker Drive, Suite 2000 Chicago, IL 60601 1-800-910-5524 Find Us On