A ROC Call to Action!

May 25, 2016 Michael R. Dimock

We need your voice today!

ROC has been working with many allies since February to win a $5 million budget request to support nutrition incentives that help low income families afford fresh produce at farmers markets, farm stands, locally owned retail and through a CSA subscription program. We’ve gotten the request approved by the California Legislature! Now it is up to Governor Brown, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon and Senate Pro Tem Kevin de León. They will decide whether or not the money remains in the 2016-17 budget. Last year it was lost at the 11^th hour, but not this year with your help.

We need you to write or call the Governor by June 3^rd! Hit this link to see the call script or to download and email a letter. Your 5 to 10 minutes of time will make a difference to thousands of CalFresh families and hundreds of small farms! $5 million from California will allow us to win another $5 from USDA’s FINI Match Program. Data from ROC’s Market Match pilot program (2009-13) shows that with $10 million we could spark up to $60 million in purchase of healthy food for CalFresh families. That is great for them and great for California’s small farmers!

California’s top chefs are joining us in this campaign along with the American Heart Association, California Food Policy Council, California Pan Ethnic Health Network, Ecology Center, Hunger Action Los Angeles, Latino Coalition for a Healthy California and Public Health Institute. Such broad-based unity is how we win good food and farm policy. Please go to this page to make change happen.

ROC to Launch Crowd Funding Campaign in June

We have been working hard to shape policy by introducing our own policies and supporting those of many allies in the food movement. We need to refill our campaign coffers in order to continue the work. We are assembling an amazing array of rewards at many levels for all of you willing to support our crowd funding campaign coming up next month.

We believe this campaign will show that the good food movement is a viable political force that can raise money from its members to drive policy work. Look for our emails, Facebook posts, and tweets. Please donate and please share the campaign with your friends and ask them to donate too. If you have items that would make good rewards to donors please email Tiffany Nurrenbern [email protected] who will manage the campaign!

Your money will help pay for

The annual report on CA Legislation Related to Food and Farming, which this year will reveal each member of the Legislature’s voting percentage in support of food movement policies.
Development of model policies that ROC and its allies use to inspire legislators to propose new law.
Advocacy campaign work in the Capitol and in communities.
The convening of the California Food Policy Council and its 29 member regions in Sacramento, which units 650 organizations committed to food system change.

If we can keep up the momentum, in a few years you will see that

Sweetened beverage health impact fees will fund improvements in school food for all of California’s children; hundreds of community food projects that will make food production ubiquitous in low income communities across the state, and hundreds of millions of dollars in nutrition incentives will be made available so that every CalFresh recipient in the state can afford healthy fresh produce. All these accomplishments will help to end the epidemic of diabetes and obesity.
Farmers and ranchers from San Diego to Del Norte counties will be paid to build soil, capture carbon, protect water and species diversity. Agriculture will be the solver of the biggest ecological challenges of this century.
Cities and counties will have economic development funds to support creation of food and farm companies that are dedicated to fair wages and safe conditions for their workers and health and resilience for all of our communities. We will reverse the wealth disparities and revitalize underserved communities.

Together we will transform California’s food system and inspire the nation and the world to do the same!