Following Poverty in America Awareness Month in January, I joined with hundreds of non-profit providers, residents, elected leaders, and community activists to "SNAP the Silence" about poverty and hunger by spending no more than $5 per day for our food budgets. This amount is comparable to the assistance eligible residents receive under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Check out the WUSA9 story and video about the effort.

 

Formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, SNAP supports those whose wages are too low to lift them out of poverty, helping them put food on the table.  In October 2012, approximately 65,200 County residents participated in the SNAP program.  While the challenge was in no way similar to the struggles encountered by low-income working families, it provided a new perspective and greater understanding for many who took the challenge. It also sparked a renewed interest in how to end poverty and hunger in our community.

 

I am humbled by the outpouring of support we received from the hundreds of residents who temporarily left their comfort zones to better understand the struggles that many of our neighbors face on a daily basis.  Above all, I am energized by the coalition we have formed-including elected officials, non-profit food providers, students, religious groups, and local organizers-that is committed to turning our momentum into action.

 

On the last night of the SNAP challenge this coalition gathered to discuss how we can work at the local level to impact social policy.  

 

Under my leadership, we lobbied to increase funding for universal breakfast programs at the state level; because of those efforts, next year 57,000 additional Maryland students will receive free breakfast each day at school.

 

I have also worked to expand participation and meals for our students through the Summer Food Program, where 9,000 students receive 320,000 meals at 100 locations throughout the county.  A dozen of these locations are walk-in sites where students do not have to be engaged in other programs to receive a meal. 

 

We plan to lobby our Federal officials to keep much needed SNAP benefits intact.  The efforts of some in Congress to alter the Farm Bill and impending cuts through sequestration seriously threaten the SNAP program. 

 

We are investing in community gardens and helping local farmers markets get registered to accept SNAP benefits.

 

Through my efforts, Montgomery County is also taking steps to create a county-wide Food Recovery Initiative, where we would create a network to collect surplus food that would otherwise be wasted and redistribute it to those in need.  This is the first and only known jurisdiction-wide food recovery initiative in the country.

 

Finally, we are advancing initiatives to fight other related elements of poverty, including affordable housing, accessibility to reliable transportation and transit, and increasing the minimum wage.

 

To stay involved follow Snap the Silence on Facebook and on Twitter with @ValerieErvin using #SNAPtheSilence. 

 

In 1966, Sargent Shriver, who was President Johnson's Director of the War on Poverty said, "Most wars are declared by old men, but fought by the young.  But our war on poverty asks everyone to get into the fight."

 

We are fighting our own war on poverty right here in Montgomery County.  Our challenge has only just begun. 

 

 

  

 

Since 2007, my legislative priorities have focused on food and nutrition.  Providing nutritious meals is one of the most immediate and cost-effective ways to improve a child's health and performance in the classroom.  In Montgomery County, more than one out of every seven children is at risk of hunger.  Over the last three academic years, the number of children qualifying for free or reduced-price meals in the county has increased more than 25 percent with more than 47,000 children now falling below 185 percent of the federal poverty level. 

 

In January, I joined with members of the Maryland General Assembly, the Maryland Partnership to End Childhood Hunger, Montgomery County Board of Education, and Share Our Strength's No Kind Hungry Campaign to advocate for expanded funding for the Maryland Meals for Achievement (MMFA) Program. I was ecstatic when Governor Martin O'Malley recommended budget contained an additional $1.8 million in the FY14 Maryland State Department of Education budget to fund universal breakfast, another example of how he continues to provide the building blocks necessary for the success of our children. This means an additional 56,896 children in Maryland could receive the benefit in schools across Maryland.   

Maryland Meals for Achievement is a national model for increasing access to the School Breakfast Program (SBP), with proven links to improved educational performance, health and behavior. It allows schools that have at least 40 percent of their student population eligible for free or reduced-price meals (FARMS) to provide universal, in-classroom breakfast.  In MMFA schools, the average participation in school breakfast is close to 70 percent, which is significantly higher than school breakfast participation in non-MMFA schools.

 

The groundswell of support from elected officials, including letters from the Montgomery and Prince George's County delegations, illustrates how much of an impact this program has on the lives of children.  I am thankful for the many partners we have at the federal and state levels to support summer food and universal breakfast in Montgomery County, and I am extremely hopeful that the General Assembly will fund the Governor's recommendation in the budget.

 

As a result of redistricting changes made last year, District 5 shares borders with Howard County, Prince George's County and the District of Columbia.  While the changes may be relatively new, I have long coordinated and worked collaboratively with my counterparts in neighboring jurisdictions on issues that impact residents who reside near these borders.

 

On January 14, D.C. Ward 4 Councilmember Muriel Bowser and I co-hosted a joint community meeting at Shepherd Elementary School in Northwest Washington.  The residents of Silver Spring and the District share many of the same issues, and this meeting was a great way to discuss constituent concerns and answer questions.

 

Together we explored common issues that impact our jurisdictions, including dog parks; green space; the 16th Street Traffic Circle; parking; development; and the Metropolitan Branch Trail.  This community meeting was a follow-up to a discussion we had recently when they were on a County Cable Montgomery (CCM) show called "No Boundaries."