---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Frank Tamborello <[email protected]> Date: Thu, Dec 13, 2012 at 7:22 PM Subject: food justice news To: [email protected]
** ** *To All Those Interested in Food and Justice... * A (usually) weekly update on food issues, promoting access to sufficient, affordable, healthy food ---with a focus on campaigns you can become active in! **** *Follow us *on Twitter @HungerActionLA . Welcome to all the new people on the list: please respond to [email protected] if you wish to use a different e mail or be removed**** ** ** *December 14, 2012: * * * *A big thank you to all those doing this great work and who sent articles or ideas for the newsletter! This week especially Parke Troutman, John Farion, Joann Lo, and Alexa Delwiche* * * ***1. ****Hunger Action LA News: Save the Date Thurs Jan 10 for Budget Action* ***2. ****Proposed Book Addresses Big Business Interaction with Anti Hunger Programs* ***3. ****Weight of the Nation Community Screening, Saturday Dec 15 * ***4. ****Restaurant Opportunities Center: Rally at Capital Grille Monday Dec 17: Diners Guide Smartphone App* ***5. ****Food Stamps and The Politics of Exclusion* ***6. ****Stunning Report on Produce Wasted In The Fields* ***7. ****Whats The Outlook for Small Farmers?* ************************************** *1. HALA News:* * * *Next Hunger Action LA meeting is not until Friday Jan. 25, 2013. In the meantime:* * * *Save the Date January 10, 2012, Noon-1 pm:* Thats when California Partnership (which includes Hunger Action LA) will have an action to respond to the Governors proposed budget. **** ** ** Activity will take place at the State Building in Downtown LA, 300 S. Spring St. **** ** ** The Governors budget will be announced that day (sometimes theyre sneaky and do it sooner.) Its anticipated that with increased revenue, we wont have to be as much on the defensive as in the past about state programs that help the poor, seniors and disabled. **** ** ** This should be the year we ask for Reinvestment in California Families and restoration of some of the things lost over the years, including dental care for Medi-Cal recipients such as the 750,000 seniors and people with disabilities struggling on SSI in Southern California. **** ** ** More information: California Partnership 213 385 8010. **** ** ** ****************************************************************** * * *2. Proposed Book Addresses Big Business Interaction with Anti Hunger Programs* * * *(Editors note: This is a request for funds from my longtime colleague Andy Fisher. Although this book may even end up containing things I dont agree with (heaven forbid!), I wholeheartedly endorse his endeavor to write it as it will spark a much needed discussion in our community. I encourage you to support this effort. Hes also offering premiums for those who donate! So check it out---Frank T.)* * * Andy Fisher: Over the past two decades of food security activism, Ive seen how big business has profited from hunger. They take in tens of billions of dollars from federal food programs such as WIC, school lunch and SNAP (food stamps).**** ** ** They whitewash their reputation through partnerships with anti-hunger groups. They impede progress on ending hunger through shaping the way the public thinks about hunger and the issues on which food banks lobby.**** ** ** I am writing a book about this topic, and how we can bring to the forefront the social justice roots of the anti-hunger movement. Its called Hunger Incorporated, and will be published by MIT Press. My hopes-and plans- are that this book will ignite a dialogue within the hunger movement about its future direction.**** ** ** I need your financial support to make this book a reality. I just launched the Hunger Incorporated campaign on Indiegogos crowdfunding site to make it easy to chip in. **** http://www.indiegogo.com/hunger-incorporated **** ** ** Please consider contributing $5, $20, $100, $200. Even a modest contribution means a lot to me and will move forward this important work. Even if you cant contribute, or if you can, please forward this e-mail on to others who might be interested.I am trying to raise $10,000 to cover my expenses associated with writing this groundbreaking book. Any amount you can give is welcome!Find out more about my plans on my Indiegogo page. http://www.indiegogo.com/hunger-incorporated**** Happy Holidays, Andy Fisher [email protected] 310-487-0249**** ** ** **************************************************************************** *** * * *3. Weight of the Nation Community Screening, Saturday Dec 15 * * * Kaiser Permanente, Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust, Community Health Councils, Concerned Citizens Community Involvement, and AT&T: Screening of the HBO film The Weight of the Nation: Confronting Americas Obesity Epidemic. **** ** ** Location and time: Southside Church of Christ, 1655 W Manchester Blvd., LA CA 90047. Saturday December 15, 2012, 10 am to 1 pm.**** ** ** ** ** Three years in the making , this four part film spotlights the nations most urgent public health issue and what individuals and communities can do to combat it. **** ** ** The show is free (the Diabetes segment will be screened)followed by a panel discussion with Kaiser Permanente, Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust, and Community Health Councils. **** ** ** RSVP to [email protected] or 323 295 9372. **** ** ** ** ** ********************************************************** *4. Restaurant Opportunities Center: Rally at Capital Grille Monday Dec 17: (Also--Diners Guide Smartphone App Now Available)* * * >From Restaurant Opportunities Center:**** ** ** Please come support The Capital Grille restaurant workers! Restaurant Opportunities Center of Los Angeles and the Food Chain Workers Alliance will be delivering a Christmas Letter and festive holiday carols to demand better working conditions for The Capital Grille employees. Monday, December 17, 2012 from 12:00pm to 1:00pm**** Meeting at CVS 8500 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA**** ** ** We hope that The Capital Grille does the right thing and gives workers the gift of paying back stolen wages, providing paid sick days, livable wages, and promotions for workers of color**** ** ** RSVP to [email protected] if you are able to support The Capital Grille restaurant workers!**** ** ** About The Dignity at Darden Campaign: The Restaurant Opportunities Centers United has launched a campaign against The Capital Grille and its parent company, Darden Restaurants, after Capital Grille workers in DC, Chicago, New York City, Miami and Los Angeles came forward with claims against the company ranging from discrimination to wage theft. **** ** ** Please go to http://www.dignityatdarden.org/ for more information about the campaign.**** ** ** *Diners Guide Smartphone App* * * EXCITING NEWS! Our 2nd annual ROC National Diners Guide to Ethical Eating 2013: A Consumer Guide on the Working <http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=xXPqC06%2F8pjk3ZsTnytJJMqA77B9JX1B>Conditions of Americas Restaurants<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=0oO%2BfyIDTdesC2KAENeeW8qA77B9JX1B> IS OUT & entirely new, the ROC Diners' Guide smartphone app, created by Clay Ewing, Assistant Professor at the University of Miami, putting restaurant rankings at consumers' fingertips. The free app is available NOW for *iPhone<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=CaJdVmBOF%2B9mK3is%2FHj80sqA77B9JX1B> *and *Android*<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=9eJ9B5XwaKKeJAkCPoAUyMqA77B9JX1B> mobile devices. **** ** ** The Guide makes it easy for consumers and companies to evaluate more than 150 restaurants and national chains based on a number of key criteria:**** - Do they provide paid sick days to ensure that those who handle and serve food are not passing on illnesses?**** - Do they pay at least $9 per hour to non-tipped workers and at least $5 per hour to tipped workers? (The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour for non-tipped workers and just $2.13 for tipped workers.)**** - Do they provide opportunities for advancement, so that at least 50 percent of their employees were promoted to those positions from within?**** In the 2013 edition of the guide, *ROC has included 73 restaurants that are committed to taking a high road approach to workers and consumers, up from 35 restaurants in the 2012 edition.* Congrats to all the Gold and Silver star winners in the Guide (some of them might surprise you)!**** So check out the 2013 ROC Nat'l Diners' Guide and DOWNLOAD THE APP<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ww4DaylWSwdfPzp04QF4w8qA77B9JX1B>- find out if your favorite restaurants have been naughty or nice... **** Don't forget to leave a review if you like the app!**** *************************************************************** *5. Food Stamps and The Politics of Exclusion* For several years anti-hunger advocates in California have fought to lift Californias lifetime ban on CalFresh (food stamp/eBT) benefits by people who have had drug related felonies in the past (as long ago as 1996, will disqualify one from benefits.) **** Even the fact that CalFresh benefits stimulate the economy hasnt stopped our state legislative appropriations committees from somehow concluding , every time, that for California to reinstate this populations right to survival food will cost the state too much money.**** An article in San Diego's weekly newspaper (CityBeat) has a piece on the CalFresh drug felony ban suggesting that politics plays a greater role than economic considerations in this issue: http://www.sdcitybeat.com/sandiego/article-11280-food-stamps-and-the-politics-of-exclusion.html **** ** ** ****************************************************************** *6. Stunning Report on Produce Wasted In The Fields* * * >From Dana Gunders at the National Resources Defense Council:**** The National Resources Defense Council has released a report on fresh produce losses at the farm and packing level. **** ** ** The issue brief and report can be found here: http://www.nrdc.org/food/crop-shrink.asp . **** ** ** Key findings:**** ** ** - Up to 30% of fruit and vegetable fields are not harvested in some years; in other crops, up to 30% is removed because it does not meet cosmetic criteria.**** ** ** - If just 5% of broccoli fields arent harvested, thats equivalent to giving every child in the National School Lunch Program 11 4-ounce servings of broccoli.**** ** ** - Unnecessary use of water, energy, and other resources (estimates laid out in report)**** ** ** - If we picked our friends the way we selectively picked and culled our produce, we'd be very lonely. David Masumoto, California Farmer and Author**** ** ** ************************************************************************* * * * * *7. Whats The Outlook for Small Farmers?***** * * Monster.com has run a cheery article encouragingly titled Is Your Job About To Become Career Roadkill? Here is the short section on farmers:**** ** ** Between 2010 and 2020, some 96,100 farmers and ranchers will go out of business, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) says.**** ** ** As land, machinery, seed, and chemicals become more expensive, only well-capitalized farmers and corporations will be able to buy many of the farms that become available, the BLS predicts. **** ** ** These larger, more productive farms are better able to withstand the adverse effects of climate and price fluctuations on farm output and income.**** ** ** Farmers can either fight em by niche marketing (think organic produce grown for local restaurants) or join em by moving into farm management for an agribusiness corporation or, for those who like the business side of farming, agriculture consulting. If youre up for a completely new career, consider agricultural appraising, says Cheryl L. Cooley, communications manager for the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers.**** ** ** http://career-services.monster.com/yahooarticle/seven-disappearing-jobs#WT.mc_n=yta_fpt_article_seven_disappearing_jobs **** ** ** But is that true? USDA reported a 4% increase in small farms from 2002 to 2009, not exactly a boom but not a loss. Many of these farms do indeed fit in the category of organic produce, but its not just grown for local restaurants. This isnt including the boom in urban agriculture, happening not just in the United States but contributing to increased self sufficiency in several African countries. **** ** ** Here are some related articles:**** http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20090217/usda-census-part-i-small-farms-rise-america **** http://www.planning.org/newsreleases/2011/mar03.htm **** ** ** A long range examination of the decrease and growth of small farms from one bloggers personal perspective:**** http://islandbreath.blogspot.com/2012/09/small-farms-increasing.html **** ** ** ************************************************************** ** ** Frank Tamborello**** Hunger Action Los Angeles**** 961 S. Mariposa #205**** Los Angeles CA 90006**** 213-388-8228**** [email protected]**** [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:[email protected]?subject=laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! 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