Congress’ long campaign to bury programs for poor people has hit a stumbling block-- we haven't lost yet! Although both Houses voted YES for this disastrous bill, their differences means that the final vote won’t be until late January.
Because of intensive lobbying to Vote No on the Budget Reconciliation (“Deficit Reduction Bill”) --with $40 billion of cuts in Medicaid, Medicare, student loans, child support, foster care and other programs-- the votes in both the House and the Senate were very close. This victory alone is very significant because stopping this legislation was a definite long-shot a few weeks ago.
By a vote of 212-206, on December 19, the House passed a 774-page bill which the members only had a few hours to look at. So, if a few Representatives can be convinced to change their votes, we could kill this bill once and for all. Nine Republicans voted NO with the Democrats.
The Senate vote was so close – 50-50-- that VP Cheney had to cut short a trip to the Middle East in order to break the tie! Five Republican Senators bucked their party and voted NO. However, Sens. Specter and Santorum were not among them. Although they both played big parts in protecting food stamps from the cuts, they both voted YES for the final bill.
We expect that with some time during the holidays to study the real implications of this bill, and more lobbying, we will move enough votes. We have not given up on Reps. Tim Murphy (R-South Hills), Melissa Hart (R-North Hills) and Phil English (R-Erie). And we want welfare (TANF) taken out of this bill completely.
We’re all growing tired of this budget battle but, as Berry Friesen, Executive Director of PA Hunger Action pointed out, it has forced an important public debate about the realities facing millions of people in America today.
Defeating this 5-year plan doesn’t mean the government can’t spend money. Appropriations (spending) bills continue to be passed and money spent. This bill, instead, sets unnecessary narrow parameters for spending over the next 5 years.
Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pgh) has taken leadership in opposing these cuts. John Murtha (D-Johnstown) also voted against them
As 2005 draws to a close and Just Harvest begins our 20th year of organizing, educating, and advocating for an end to hunger and poverty, our board and staff are working hard on ambitious and exciting plans for the year ahead. At its December meeting, our board approved a plan of action and a budget for 2006 that sets the stage for major impact on the public policy issues that will face our hungry neighbors. Here are some key parts of that plan:
Helping people in need use their benefits to get fresh food at local farmers’markets.
Just Harvest plans to EDUCATE:
- Developing new resources to help the public learn about hunger and poverty
- Enriching our website with the most up-to-date resources on economic justice issues
- Events and activities that show why charity is not enough -- solving hunger and poverty depend on just public policies
- Continuing regular publication of the Just Harvest News and the Welfare Agitator.
To accomplish this plan, the Board of Directors approved a 2006 budget totalling $322,900. We need to raise this budget from individual gifts, special events like our Harvest Celebration Dinner and the Empty Bowls Dinner, and grants from foundations, government, corporations, and religious organizations.
We can do it, but only with your help!
ACTION: Be a part of Just Harvest’s 20th year of progress in the fight against hunger and poverty. Volunteer. Join our legislative alert network. Invite a Just Harvest speaker to your group. Sponsor a fundraiser. Plan an event. Join a committee. We’re resolved to make a difference in 2006. Make it your New Year’s Resolution, too!
Sr. Barbara Finch is President of Just Harvest’s Board of Directors.
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When Congress passed the Defense Appropriations bill in late December, they stripped $2 billion out of the bill for Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). This will hurt many consumers during this cold winter.
Fortunately, PA approved some money for this program (see p. ) but it was to supplement the federal funds not to substitute for them.
Also the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill eliminated a small but critical program -- Community Food and Nutrition Program (CFNP), which has funded operations for most statewide anti-hunger groups for 30 years. Sen. Specter always played a major role in maintaining the CFNP, but this wasn't possible this year.
So the PA Hunger Action Center – our small but effective state-wide organization-- is $130,000 in the hole. As a member of their board, Joni Rabinowitz on our staff asks you to consider a contribution to PA Hunger Action Center, 208 2nd St., Harrisburg, PA 17101. Their work over the past 25 years has been fantastic!
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Join The Just Harvest Board
Elections will be in the spring at our Annual Meeting. If you're interested in running, call us at 412-431-8960.
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In 2004, charitable giving to organizations that directly benefit poor people accounted for less that 10 percent of the $248 billion that Americans donated to philanthropic ventures. That represented an all-time low in gifts to the groups most associated with the traditional definition of charity.
However, this is not entirely a recent phenomenon. Looking at the last 40 years (and accounting for inflation), contributions to educational institutions have quadrupled, and gifts to health organizations have increased nearly threefold, while those to human services groups have only increased 28 percent during the same period
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With the successful passage of the Willie Ann Glenn Act, the state of Florida plans to improve its children’s access to Summer Food Nutrition Program (SFNP) sites. This victory represented three years of hard work by Florida advocates.The act requires:
- that school boards provide at least one Summer Food site within 5 miles of at least one elementary school where 50% of the student body is eligible for free or low-cost meals, and
- additional sites within 10 miles of the remaining elementary schools where at least 50% of the student body is eligible for free or low-cost meals.
Florida currently ranks second to last of states using federal Summer Food dollars, so this act will make an important difference.
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The Western Wayne Middle and High Schools in Varden, PA now fingerprint students in order to keep track of their lunch accounts. District officials tout benefits to this method from maintaining the privacy of low-income students who receive reduced-cost lunches, to preventing the security issues that can arise from carrying cash or a swipe card, or using a PIN. No comments were made regarding privacy issues that could arise from fingerprinting.
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Pennsylvania plans to join other states this winter to raise the state minimum wage above the federal one. A statewide coalition to bring this issue to the floor achieved a partial success when the Senate announced they will have a vote--the first in 8 years -- in January. The amount of the increase, however, is still under debate.
A study by Keystone Research reports that about 860,000 in the state, including 89,000 from Allegheny County, would benefit from the Democratic bill which would increase the minimum wage from $7.15 per hour; the Republicans want a raise to only $5.70. The current $5.15 per hour has been in effect since 1989.
ACTION: Call your State House Member and Senator. Tell them to raise the minimum wage to $7.15 per hour. Workers deserve better!
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A bill which will restrict voting for some people to is kicking around the state legislature. HB 1318 would eliminate voting rights for some ex-felons and make unnecessary ID requirements for voters.
This is part of what seems to be a concerted campaign across the country to discourage poor and minority voters.
Civil rights, civil liberties, youth groups and other advocates (including Just Harvest) are organizing to defeat the bill.
ACTION: Call your PA House member and tell them to vote NO on HB 1318. Legislators should be removing barriers to voting, not erecting new ones.
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The new $52 municipal services tax is a burden for low-income workers who must pay it all at one time. Legislation to require municipalities to exempt low-income workers, and to require municipalities to collect the tax incrementally in each pay period, passed the House and then the Senate, but it now returns to the House for a vote on Senate amendments. So these provisions would not take effect until at least 2007. Pittsburgh is one of the municipalities which has opted to exempt workers who earn less than $12,000 from $42 of this $52 although the full amount is collected and getting a refund is burdensome.
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Thanks to consumers and community groups alerting legislators in Harrisburg, those decision-makers are implementing emergency measures to alleviate some of the effects of Act 201 (Chapter 14) that they passed in 2004.
Because of this senseless and cruel law, which diminishes the role of the PUC and allows utilities more latitude, thousands of people are experiencing unprecedented hardship this winter.
Gov. Rendell held several “Energy Summits” across the state in November where it became clear to public officials what consumers have known for a long time -- customer service personnel are poorly trained and give out wrong or partial information. Many of the utilities don’t even advertise about their assistance programs.
On December 21, following months of lobbying and legislative visits, and intense media attention, the General Assembly voted to put $20 million into an Emergency Energy Assistance Fund. Until now, Pennsylvania was only one of two cold weather states that did NOT supplement federal emergency assistance monies with state monies.
ACTION: Call your state representative and senator. Tell them to repeal Act 201. They passed this law and they must be made accountable. In the meanwhile they should get HB 1925 and 2062 and SB 885 and 904 out of committees and onto the floor for votes. Call the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) at 999-999-9999. Tell them to require utilities to automatically enroll low-income customers into their relevant programs.
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Talks are on-going with the Focus On Renewal (FOR), Just Harvest and the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) to get the McKees Rocks WIC office re-opened very soon.A contractor has started working and the renovations should be completed in January.
Father Regis Ryan, director of the FOR Center, plans to meet with an ACHD representative in the coming weeks to plan a move-in date. Just Harvest will attend the meeting and help notify the community once the office re-opens.
“We are really looking forward to the WIC office coming back to McKees Rocks. It is a tremendous asset to the community and it makes it easier for people to plug in to our services” says Father Ryan.
Thanks to the County Department of Economic Development for providing federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds for this project. Flooding from Hurricane Ivan in 2004 were responsible for making the WIC office location inoperable.
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The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) released its annual “School Breakfast Scorecard” in November. The findings show that Pennsylvania’s participation in the School Breakfast program has modestly risen over the past year. The report also says that despite this increase only 42 low-income children in Pennsylvania eat breakfast for every 100 who eat school lunch; this is less than the national average of 44 per 100. FRAC estimated that if Pennsylvania provided access to school breakfast at the level achieved by the top states (a ratio of 55 out of 100 low-income students), the program would serve an additional 97,495 children and bring a total of $19.7 million each year in additional federal funds to Pennsylvania schools.
Pennsylvania’s School Breakfast programs need more work to reach this level. According to FRAC President, Jim Weill "…. when kids eat school breakfast, they are better off, their families are better off, their teachers are better off, and their schools are better off. There’s less hunger and better student achievement and health."
Child Nutrition Programs such as the School Breakfast program can play an important part in obesity prevention according to the “Obesity, Food Insecurity and the Federal Child Nutrition Programs: Understanding the Linkages” report released by FRAC in October. This is because of the strict federal guidelines for fat content in the meals. Also, they provide children with one fourth of their Recommended Dietary Allowances.
With combined efforts among all concerned parties -- school districts, school administrators and parents-- the foods offered to children can be healthier. For instance, fresh fruits and vegetables will help children become healthier consumers.
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During the days following the Katrina disaster, Just Harvest joined with the County and other partners to produce a brochure for evacuees who came to Allegheny County. Entitled Disaster Relief: How to Access the Federal Food Programs in Allegheny County/Pittsburgh the brochures can be ordered from Shauna at 412-431-8960.
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Our office gets much busier this time of year as we welcome many new people to help with our Give Paychecks a Boost campaign.
This year’s tax preparers include Sara Bennett, Ashley Englisch, Donald Henry, Marrissa Johnson, Kellie Kasbee, Bob Kubit, Pat O’Malley, David Mooney, Mary Ponder, Chianti Powe and Kathleen Sheehan. Rich Surdyk is returning this year to review all tax returns for accuracy.
Two interns, Sara Bennett and A.j. Baughn, have also joined the Just Harvest team. Sara is an MSW student at Pitt and is working on the Summer Food campaign and the Legislative Network. A.j., an Information Technology student at Duquesne, is doing community outreach for the tax campaign.
Ivy Pack and Lisa Macklin, participants in Welfare’s Paid Work Experience program, have joined us to answer the phone and schedule tax appointments, as well as do other office tasks.
Volunteers John Fraser, Mary Bordt, Mary Beth Toomey, Bill Sayer, Hal Morris, Sami Bakdash, Tiffany Breinig, Larissa Kosarych, Michael Nagy, Kyle Sturm, Nikki Velisaris, Lauren Reighard and Brian Anderson are assisting with various tasks such as tax preparation, reviewing returns and greeting taxpayers.
We also recently said goodbye to Stephanie Buccholz, a dedicated volunteer last fall.
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Just Harvest is grateful for the strong community response at the year’s end to our annual fundraising campaign. By Dec. 28, more than $12,000 had been donated by 160+ individuals and organizations.
We are thankful for generous recent grants from The Birmingham Foundation, Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania, and MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger. Special thanks to the Living Learning Communities Program of Pitt’s College of Business Administration for their benefit concert.
And thank you to all our recent donors:
Anonymous; East Liberty Presbyterian Church Justice & Global Concerns Committee; Fitness Techniques; Highmark; National Association Of Social Workers; PR Newswire;
Riverview Presyterian Church Miriam Circle; Sisters Of St Joseph; Tri-Boro Federal Credit Union; United Jewish Federation Of Greater Pittsburgh; Workable Alternatives Foundation; Robert & Sharon Abraham; Madalon Amenta; Bruce Antonoff; Mary Arenth; Nancy & John Artz; Mary Ruth Aull; David Bajada; Cynthia & George Balchunas; Esther Barazzone; Barbara Barnes & Devon Deangelo; Marian Bass; Celeste Behrend; Judith Bellin; Thomas & Gladys Benedek; Carol & Daniel Berger; Carol Bernick; Nancy Bernstein & Rocky Schoen; Aya Betensky & Robert Kraut; Manfred Biondi; Mary Bittner; Morton & Susan Blinn; Michael Boninger & Judy Wertheimer; John & Mary Bradley; George Brownell; Mary Bukovak; David Caldwell; Janice Carlino & David Houston; Joan & Harold Chelemer; Kate Clancy; Pat & Jeannie Cleary-Burns; Rosemary Coffey & Zig Dermer; Allan Cohen; Stu & Jackie Cohen; Moe & Greta Coleman; Ray & Conaway; Elma Cravotta; Emily DeFerrari & Mel Packer; Mary Dennison; Mary Ann Dorsey; Sy & Ruth Drescher; David & Michelle Dunbar; Peggy Elkus; Laura Ellman; Robert & Nancy Evans; William Finch; Kathy & Michael Fine; Ed & Sally Fish; Abe Fleishman; Robert Foley; Joanna Foster & Daniel Watkins; Andrea Fox & Ken Thompson; Doreen & John Fraser; Glenn Freund; Sr. Kathleen Garde; Flo Gaskill; David & Joan Gauthier; Ben & Peggy Gessler; Joseph & Evelyn Geyer; Mary Gilligan; Donald Goughler; Ilene Greenstone; Alex Gruskos; Daniel Gup & Terri Klein; Betsy Hamel; Anne Handler; Jane Harter; Eva Havlicsek; Anne Hawkins; Phil Hayes & Louise Kaczmarek; Sr. Bonnie Heh; Dennis Hennessey; Sidney Hills; Lucy Hixon; Gene Ieni; Dennis Inserra; Bill & Marty Isler; Eileen Jardini; Cliff & Nora Johnson; Justin & Florence Johnson; Phil & Janice Joyce; Patrick & Kimberlee Kane; Ward Kelsey; Elizabeth Klimchock; Dan Kovalik & Christine Haas; Robert Kubiak; Ginny & Millard Landis; Rene Laventure; Lee Grossman Leibson; Sally Levin; Mary Litman; L.N. & Betsy Lodwick; Richard & Susan Loether; Clark & Brigid Lund; Louise & Michael Malakoff; Robert Marin; Joseph & Gaynell Markowski; Stephanie & Bruce McConachie;
Fred & Carol McCullough; Mary McDonald; Lisa McDonough & Clifford Caplan; Gale McGloin; Mary McLaughlin; Joel & Nancy Merenstein; Patricia Miller; John Mosley; Barbara Murock & Carl Fertman; Eunice Nelson; Nancy Niemczyk & Myron Arnowitt; Bob & Liane Norman; Helen Ortman; Frances Pacienza; Theodore & Shirley Pajak; James & Catherine Parker; Mary Pascarella; Elizabeth Perkins; Karen Peterson; Carla Pfahler; Rita & David Pollock; Phyllis & Marty Pomerantz; Marcus Rediker & Wendy Goldman; Eugene & Lynn Ricciardi; Francis & Rosemary Rifugiato; Bonnie Robinson; Ross Rosen; David & Lynette Rosser; Herman Rushofsky; Gloria Santin; Lorraine Sauchin; Thomas & Marilyn Schaub; Harold & Marla Scheinman; Ann Schiff; Valentine Sedlak; Barbara Shapira; Amanda & Josh Shapira; Steve & Dot Shreve; Leonard Shufler;
John & Anne Singleton; Gerald & Paula Sokolow; Judy & Jerry Starr; Dan & Roseanne Stead; David & Suanne Stewart; Eugene Strassburger; Sr. Betty Sundry; Edward & Sylvia Sussna; Lowell & Rachel Swarts; Sandra Swetland; Jean Szoch; Gloria Trotman; Shirley Tucker; Cynthia Vanda; Charles Vukotich; Margaret Ward; Jean Weaver; Bernice & George Weber; Virginia Wellman; May Whitcomb; Cynthia Williams; Phil Wilson; Gina Wilson; Jacqueline & John Wilson; Philip & Marianne Wion; Christine Wolfe & Howard Aikens; Elizabeth Wolfskill; and Mary Louise Wright.
(Gifts received after Dec. 27 will be acknowledged in our next issue.)
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Just Harvest enjoyed strong community support as over 350 people joined together for our 17th Annual Harvest Celebration Dinner in October.
Guest speaker Eric Alterman shared his insights about the mass media’s failure to challenge the truthfulness of political leaders, saying our democracy has suffered as a result. Earlier in the day, he had brought his eye-opening analysis of media bias to a forum for about 40 journalism students at Duquesne University.
The event raised $20,000 for Just Harvest’s work thanks to our many supporters, advertisers, silent auction donors, sponsors and volunteers. Nearly 90 items were auctioned for a record $4,300 in auction sales.
Sister Candace Introcaso, President of LaRoche College served as honorary chair, and the College, along with the Pittsburgh Courier were generous sponsors for the event. PR Newswire sponsored the student forum.
Event committee chair DeWitt Walton and MC Andrew Stockey from WTAE-TV welcomed the crowd.
We’re planning for our 2006 Dinner, so call us at 412-431-8960 to join our planning committee.
Special thanks to all the event volunteers: Sue Bailey, Spencer Buchholz, Stephanie Buchholz, Alex Carlisle, Kareem Cousar, Maureen Coyne, Jonathan Curry, Barb Finch, Sandy Floyd, John Fraser, Rachel Freund, Anne Hawkins, Rochelle Jackson, Kevin Jarbo, Mary Elizabeth McCarthy, Debbie Levy McKenney, Eunice Nelson, Sandy Orr, Karen Peterson, DeShauna Ponton, Robin Ponton, Joni Rabinowitz, Ken Regal, Brian Stagno, Mike Stout, David Tauberg, Mary Beth Toomey, Dawn Wallhausen, DeWitt Walton, John Washington, Raynard Washington, Kristie Weiland, Diane Wuycheck, and Tina Wyley.
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(caption.... phooto 4) Students from the Living Learning Communities program at Pitt’s College of Business Administration raised $345 for Just Harvest with their benefit concert in November. “Channel Four” (shown here) performed, along with vocalist Sarah Maurince, and the bands Aviator and Better Ending.
Check Out Project Vote Smart
Project Vote Smart (PVS) is a citizen’s organization with an exciting and easy-to-use electronic tool for taking political action. It has created abundant, accurate, unbiased and relevant information about candidates and elected officials in five basic categories: biographical information, issue positions, voting records, campaign finances and interest group ratings.
There is information about federal, state and local officials, about statewide ballot issues, voting procedures and the federal court system. PVS is currently collecting speeches from the entire Federal Executive Branch--President, Vice President, and all 15 Cabinet members.
There’s one page which just lists recent key votes. For instance, this page is linked to votes during the busy final weeks of the year, including the Defense Appropriations, the Removal of ANWR from the Defense bill, the Budget Reconciliation, the USA Patriot Act, Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations, and more. The page is easy to use and—if you can believe it – enjoyable!
This non-partisan website is a wealth of information. Their mission is to defend and assist in the practice of democracy, and to provide information about our political system. It tracks key pieces of federal legislation and ratings of legislators from 500 interest groups.
The people who do this work live and work in a unique research center high in the Montana Rockies where, similar to the Peace Corps, interns, volunteers and a small staff have committed themselves to an extraordinary effort to provide their fellow citizens with the tools for a re-emergence of political power not known for many years.
Check them out at www.vote-smart.org or call them at 1-888-VOTESMART or 1-888-868-3762.
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Free tax preparation begins at Just Harvest on January 23rd and the office is abuzz with preparations. Tax preparers are attending training, reminders went out to previous clients and tax appointments are being scheduled.
Our tax site continues to get bigger and better. This year we expect to serve an additional 300 taxpayers, for a total of 1300, by making more appointments available during the busiest first month and adding volunteer preparers and new computers.
This year 30 new staff and volunteers are joining us to make tax season a success. As the word spreads about Just Harvest’s quality tax service, more people want to get involved. Many volunteers have come to us through Duquesne University’s South Side Initiative, which connects Duquesne students to the South Pittsburgh community.
We’ll also be encouraging customers to get more involved in Just Harvest’s other on-going work by inviting them to participate in visits to legislators, spread the word about the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and share their stories with the media.
We continue to do outreach about the EITC and other tax benefits for low-income workers. Presentations are being made at organizations throughout the county, and we’re distributing tens of thousands of brochures and envelope stuffers through non-profits, unions, and employers to make sure everyone knows about these important tax benefits.
Thanks to our funders..........
ACTION: If you’d like to schedule a presentation about tax credits or receive brochures or envelope stuffers, contact Kristie at 412-431-8960.
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“Truth is a contested terrain. We have to fight for it”
-- Eric Alterman at the Just Harvest Annual Dinner
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Hear one of the nation’s leading progressive thinkers on faith and politics:
Rabbi Michael Lerner speaks on his new book,
The Left Hand of God: Taking Back our Country from the Religious Right
Mon. March 27, 2006 - 7:30 PM
At the Jewish Community Center
5738 Forbes Ave., Squirrel Hill
Co-sponsored by Just Harvest
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Empty Bowls is back!
Sunday, March 5, 2006
3 PM to 7 PM
Rodef Shalom Congregation
4905 Fifth Avenue (at Morewood Ave, in Oakland)
Choose from hundreds of handmade ceramic bowls
Modest meal of delicious soup and fresh bread
Music by the Hot Matzohs and by Brian Weakland
Celebrity Soup Servers
Fun for all ages!
Tickets: $18 in advance, $20 at the door
Order online at www.justharvest.org, send a check to Just Harvest, 16 Terminal Way, Pgh PA 15219, or order by phone 412-431-8960.
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Happy 19th Birthday to us. On December 29, 1986, we were granted our articles of incorporation by the state of PA. Let’s hope that by our 25th birthday we’ve been so successful in eliminating hunger and poverty that we close our doors.
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