rich 1.0 Action Network https://actionnetwork.org <link href='https://actionnetwork.org/css/style-embed-v3.css' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css' /><script src='https://actionnetwork.org/widgets/v6/letter/fight-against-childhood-food-insecurity-in-michigan?format=js&source=widget'></script><div id='can-letter-area-fight-against-childhood-food-insecurity-in-michigan' style='width: 100%'><!-- this div is the target for our HTML insertion --></div> Michigan Parent Alliance for Safe Schools https://actionnetwork.org/groups/mipass https://can2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/letters/photos/000/221/322/normal/Email_Header.png More than 300,000 Michigan children face hunger and food insecurity. Many of these children live in households affected by lack of wage growth, rising prices, and disruption caused by the COVID-19 virus. At the beginning of the pandemic, Congress gave the USDA flexibility in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act to issue a number of waivers so that schools and meal program operators could have the flexibility they need to continue to feed children throughout our country, including expanding access to meals. Congress has previously extended these flexibilities to address ongoing challenges by passing The Universal School Meals Program Act (USMP) of 2021. The act is set to expire in June and, without action from Congress, will leave Michigan children at risk again. To extend these flexibilities, U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow and Senator Lisa Murkowski (and others) [1] have introduced a bipartisan bill called the Kids Not Red Tape Act. This bill extends USDA school meal flexibilities from June 30, 2022 to September 30, 2023. Access to nutritious meals in school and childcare sites can improve children’s health and educational outcomes. Providing nutritious meals for all children, regardless of income, prepares children to learn and thrive erases barriers of both paperwork and stigma. Passing the Kids Not Red Tape Act will continue to give schools and families time to recover from the economic impacts of the pandemic while transitioning back to normal meal operations. MiPASS has put together a multi-step campaign asking our lawmakers to ensure no child goes hungry by continuing to allow flexibility and access to meals at school. Step One: (open to all, including Michigan residents) is to email your representatives and senators in Washington asking them to support the Kids Not Red Tape Act. You can do that here: Fight Against Childhood Food Insecurity- Michigan (actionnetwork.org) Step Two: If you are a Michigan resident, the next step is to email your representatives in Lansing urging them to pass a resolution calling on Congress to support the bipartisan Kids Not Red Tape Act. You can do that here: Fight Against Childhood Food Insecurity - Federal (actionnetwork.org) Step Three: Spread the word about these two actions. Go to our Facebook page, Twitter, and Instagram and share the campaign. Ask your school districts to pass resolutions supporting the act. Thank you for your support! The extension of the Universal School Meals Act (Kids Not Red Tape Act) helps everyone, especially low-income families near the cutoff for free school meals and for whom the steady income needed to pay school meal costs can be a barrier. With one in seven Michigan children at risk of going hungry because they will soon lose essential support to address food insecurity, we must ensure that our legislators know we support a decision to continue providing free breakfast and lunch for children for the 2022-2023 school year, including summer school and school-based camps. You can read more about Kids Not Red Tape Here: summary_of_support_kids_not_red_tape_act.pdf.pdf (senate.gov) [1] In addition to lead Senators Stabenow (D-MI), Murkowski (R-AK), Heinrich (D-NM), Collins (R-ME), and Manchin (D-WV), additional cosponsors include Sens. Gillibrand (D-NY), Casey (D-PA), Van Hollen (D-MD), Smith (D-MN), Brown (D-OH), Baldwin (D-WI), Booker (D-NJ), Lujan (D-NM), Klobuchar (D-MN), Durbin (D-IL), Warnock (D-GA), Markey (D-MA), Hirono (D-HI), Duckworth (D-IL), Sanders (I-VT), Reed (D-RI), Leahy (D-VT), Wyden (D-OR), Shaheen (D-NH), Hassan (D-NH), Bennet (D-CO), Merkley (D-OR), Warren (D-MA), Padilla (D-CA), Warner (D-VA), Murray (D-WA), Cardin (D-MD), Coons (D-DE), Cortez Masto (DNV), Carper (D-DE), Schatz (D-HI), Peters (D-MI), King (I-ME), Feinstein (D-CA), Rosen (DNV), Menendez (D-NJ), Kaine (D-VA), Blumenthal (D-CT), Murphy (D-CT), Hickenlooper (DCO), Whitehouse (D-RI), Kelly (D-AZ), Sinema (D-AZ), Ossoff (D-GA), Tester (D-MT), Schumer (D-NY), and Cantwell (D-WA) https://actionnetwork.org/letters/fight-against-childhood-food-insecurity-in-michigan