FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

August 16, 2022

MEDIA CONTACT:

Kim Johnson, 407-234-8042-kjohnson@flimpact.org

Florida Impact to End Hunger Receives Critical Investment from National Anti-Hunger Organization

A new wave of investment from MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger will seed and support grassroots anti-hunger infrastructure in Florida

 

Tallahassee, FL — Today, Florida Impact is pleased to announce a new partnership with MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, a leading national anti-hunger organization, to further our efforts to curb hunger in our community. Florida Impact is one of 13 new partners in MAZON’s Emerging Advocacy Fund, a nationwide effort to support and expand grassroots anti-hunger work in the states most impacted by food insecurity. Over five years, the Emerging Advocacy Fund has invested in more than 50 other organizations in 19 states and Puerto Rico, and this latest allocation increases its total giving in the U.S. to more than $9.1 million. MAZON also invests in strategic partners in Israel and Indian Country.

“This grant from MAZON will allow us to have a seat at the table and continue the important work of our 42-year history of helping communities mobilize and maximize access to federal, state, and local food and nutrition programs with a focus on under resourced populations around our state,” said Kim Johnson, President/CEO of Florida Impact.

“With nearly four decades of experience fighting hunger in this country, we know that people in some states face greater barriers to food security, but no one deserves to be hungry — regardless of circumstance or zip code,” said Mia Hubbard, Vice President of Programs.

President of Programs at MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger. “We understand the value and vitality of building a strong, resilient anti-hunger advocacy infrastructure, and we are more committed than ever to listen to, learn from, and support communities facing high rates of food insecurity.”

In Florida, over 2 million people are experiencing hunger daily. That’s one out of nine people. Nationally, more than 10% of households — nearly 40 million people — struggle with food security, a rate that increases for families with children and in communities of color. MAZON’s new investments will build power among local advocates fighting for policy-based solutions designed to interrupt the vicious cycle of neglect and economic struggle, especially among our most vulnerable populations.

Other recipients of MAZON’s Emerging Advocacy Fund grants include:

● Alabama Arise (Montgomery, Ala.)

● Alabama Food Bank Association (Huntsville, Ala.)

● Alaska Federation of Natives (Anchorage, Alaska)

● Alaska Food Policy Council (Homer, Alaska)

● Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (Anchorage, Alaska)

● Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families (Little Rock, Ark.)

● Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance (Little Rock, Ark.)

● Center for Rural Affairs (Lyons, Neb.)

● Centro para la Nueva Economía (San Juan, PR)

● Children’s Action Alliance (Phoenix, Ariz.)

● Espacios Abiertos (San Juan, PR)

● Feeding Indiana’s Hungry (Indianapolis, Ind.)

● Feeding Kentucky (Frankfort, Ky.)

● Feeding Louisiana (Baton Rouge, La.)

● Feeding Northeast Florida (Jacksonville, Fla.)

● Florida Policy Institute (Orlando, Fla.)

● Food Justice Lab/ West Virginia University Research Corp. (Morgantown, W.Va.)

● Good Shepherd Food Bank (Auburn, Maine)

● Hawai’i Appleseed (Honolulu, Hawai’i)

● Hawai’i Children’s Action Network (Honolulu, Hawai’i)

● Hawai’i Foodbank Collaborative (Honolulu, Hawai’i)

● Hawai’i Public Health Institute (Honolulu, Hawai’i)

● Hunger-Free Oklahoma (Tulsa, Okla.)

● Indy Hunger Network (Indianapolis, Ind.)

● Instituto del Desarollo de la Juventud (San Juan, PR)

● Kansas Action for Children (Topeka, Kan.)

● Kansas Appleseed Center for Law and Justice (Lawrence, Kan.)

● Kentucky Center for Economic Policy / Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (Berea, Ky.)

● Kentucky Equal Justice Center (Lexington, Ky.)

● Latino Community Fund of Georgia (Atlanta, Ga.)

● Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands (Nashville, Tenn.)

● Louisiana Budget Project (Baton Rouge, La.)

● Mississippi Center for Justice (Jackson, Miss.)

● Missouri Budget Project (St. Louis, Mo.)

● MomsRising (Raleigh, N.C.)

● Nebraska Appleseed Center for Law & Public Interest (Lincoln, Neb.)

● North Carolina Alliance for Health (Raleigh, N.C.)

● North Carolina Justice Center (Raleigh, N.C.)

● Oklahoma Policy Institute (Tulsa, Okla.)

● Open Sky Policy Institute (Lincoln, Neb.)

● Operation Food Search (St. Louis, Mo.)

● Preble Street (Portland, Maine)

● Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi (Flowood, Miss.)

● Poverty Solutions Group (Florida)

● Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma (Oklahoma City, Okla.)

● Tennessee Justice Center (Nashville, Tenn.)

● Voices for Georgia’s Children (Atlanta, Ga.)

● West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy (Charleston, W.Va.)

● West Virginia Healthy Kids and Families Coalition (Charleston, W.Va.)

● William E. Morris Institute for Justice (Phoenix, Ariz.)

About Florida Impact

Florida Impact is a statewide anti-hunger organization dedicated to helping communities mobilize and maximize access to federal, state, and local food and nutrition programs with a focus on under resourced populations. For more information please visit floridaimpact.org.

About MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger:

Inspired by Jewish values and ideals, MAZON is a national advocacy organization working to end hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds in the United States and Israel. For more information on MAZON, please visit mazon.org.

Florida has not yet opted to participate in the Summer Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer program. Unless administration leadership  acts now, Florida is poised to leave $820 million in federal pandemic food assistance from Summer P-EBT for over 2 million hungry children on the table.

Summer P-EBT provides federal funding at no cost to states to deliver grocery benefits to children who missed out on free or reduced-price meals while their school or child care facilities were closed during the summer. Since summer feeding programs only reach 1 in 5 children who receive free or reduced-price meals at school, Summer P-EBT is a way to ensure that children in participating states do not go hungry while school is out.

Although schools have already started, it is not too late for Florida to elect to participate in Summer P-EBT, which can be provided retroactively. Many families carried much of the burden of meal costs for their children over the summer and are playing catch up from added food and other pandemic-related costs.

This $820 million in federal pandemic food assistance would come at no cost to states, has strong bipartisan support, and has already been implemented in most states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Texas. Our Governor must step up for Florida’s children and act quickly to implement this critical nutrition program.

Here is what we’ve done so far, and what you can do to help…

Florida Impact to End Hunger—along with Florida Policy Institute, No Kid Hungry, Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, and Feeding Tampa Bay—has created a press release and a sign-on letter urging Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Department of Children and Families to stand up for Floridians. We have until Friday, August 27th, 2021 to get as many organizations on this letter as we can. Please find more information about this effort and the sign-on form here ⮕ https://rebrand.ly/summerpebtadvocacy

On Thursday, August 26th, Florida Impact and Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services Commissioner Nikki Fried held a press conference calling on DeSantis to request the $820M in available federal food assistance for Florida children. You can find photos of the event below (click to enlarge) featuring our President/CEO Kim M. Johnson and Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried. You can watch the full press conference here.

Here is the media picking this up so far:

• MSNBC

• Tampa Bay Tribune

• Miami Herald

• Orlando Sentinel

• WMFE (Orlando NPR)

• WESH (NBC Orlando)

• WUSF (Tampa Bay NPR)

• Sun Sentinel

• New York Times

• Florida Politics

And here are additional letters to DeSantis:

• Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried

• U.S. Representative Al Lawson Jr.

Check back to this blog post for updates. Last updated: Thursday, April 26th — 4:45 PM.

Hello! My name is Camila Ludert and I am a VISTA Summer Associate for 2021.

I was born in Valencia, Venezuela, and moved to this country when I was ten years old. I currently live in the city of Weston, Florida.

I am a fourth-year student at Nova Southeastern University, majoring in Biology and Human Nutrition Science.

I have always loved helping others and giving back to the community, this experience is an opportunity that encompasses both of my passions. I am very excited to be working on this program.

I believe that it will be an unforgettable experience where I will give back to the community the many opportunities it has given me. Being a part of this program will allow me to get exposed to the various challenges and opportunities of growth present in our communities.

This internship program will prepare me to be a holistic, well rounded, and experienced candidate. It will strengthen me to thrive, not only as a health professional, but as a successful individual.

 

– Camila Ludert

Find some of Jenna and Camila’s work at www.floridaimpact.org/fit ✨

As we approach a year with this devastating pandemic, Florida Impact to End Hunger is reflecting on the impact that COVID-19 has made on our children and families across our state and country.

Food Insecurity is just one of many issues that has hurt families during this very challenging year. Food Insecurity is real and affects all of us. It has hit all of our communities. Either we have experienced it ourselves, or we know someone that has experienced it, or you know a family that is struggling with it today.

I’m two months into my new role, and I can’t help but think about where I was this time last year. I saw firsthand the important work that all of our School Food Service professionals have done this past year. I am so proud of all of you!

I want to take the time today to thank the countless School Food Service professionals that have been working non-stop to make sure that the children across our state and country did not go to sleep hungry at night. These amazing people have worked tirelessly in school kitchens, cafeterias, hallways, curbsides, drove food service vehicles, school buses and beyond.

They witnessed first-hand all of the worry and heartache that our children experienced this past year due to the loss of family members, homes, jobs, etc. The one thing that these School Food Service professionals knew that they could do to make things a little easier was to provide meals. Your perseverance, hard work, and dedication has been incredible!

I also cannot forget to say thank you to the many food banks, churches, other organizations, and community leaders that worked together to fill in the gaps and to make sure that our children and families have food access, among many other much needed resources. For you too had families, friends, and loved ones that have been impacted this year. For you too have been quarantined, sick, and experienced incredible loss.

But you all still made sure that our children were taken care of and, for that…

Florida Impact pays tribute to all of you today and forever.

Kim M. Johnson

President/CEO

Florida Impact to End Hunger