Ultimately, we want to strengthen the purchasing power of struggling people so everyone can afford the nutrition they need to thrive without relying on charity food.
To that end we should:

  1. Raise minimum wage to a livable wage, enforce wage and hour laws, create parental leave policies and child care supports.
  2. Increase funding and strengthen federal, state and local nutrition programs.
  3. Make it easier for people to access SNAP and other federal nutrition programs and encourage enrollment.
    For example:  Eliminate barriers like work requirements and felony convictions. Work with states, localities and nonprofits to expand and streamline the process of enrollment for individuals.
  4. Improve government income-support programs.  Expand the earned income tax credit and protect and improve Social Security and pension programs.
  5. Create jobs and increase employment opportunity.
  6. Support community outreach programs that increase the numbers of kids getting free and healthy school and summer nutrition.  Eliminate red tape for schools and summer feeding centers so it’s easy for schools to enroll.
  7. Eliminate poverty stigma by making school breakfast and lunch universally free, with breakfast available to all “after the bell.”
  8. Improve the quality of publicly funded school and summer meals for children.  Adopt the Good Food Purchasing Program nationally.
  9. Address economic inequality by targeting programs to populations disproportionately impacted by hunger (including children, people with disabilities, immigrants, seniors, veterans,  formerly incarcerated people, Hispanic Americans, African Americans and rural Americans).
  10. Provide everyone convenient access to reasonably priced, healthy food.   Make sure there is a decent grocery store with healthy options nearby that takes SNAP and WIC.  Establish community gardens and farmer’s markets that take SNAP and WIC.