CAC Needs Your Help!
Nicole Craig
Hi community garden supporter,
Please see the message below for information about major budget threats that Community Action Coalition is facing. If you support our work, please take the time to contact your elected officials to share your thoughts about how CAC has impacted your community. Apologies for any cross postings.
Best,
Nicole
Nicole Craig
Food and Gardens Division
Community Action Coalition for South Central Wisconsin, Inc.
608-246-4730 ext. 208
nic...@cacscw.org
www.cacscw.org/gardens
Immediate Action Needed!
Community Action Coalition for South Central Wisconsin, Inc (CAC) and community action agencies around the country are facing two major budget hurdles that threaten the work we do in our communities.
- Last weekend, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on a continuing resolution to keep the federal government operating in 2011. In this resolution the House made historical budget cuts including cutting all Community Service Block Grant (CSBG) funding for the remainder of fiscal year 2011. CSBG is about 1/5 of CAC’s total budget but is the funding that enables our existence by paying for much of our administrative overhead and gives us a framework on which to pin our programming. The Senate will be taking up the continuing resolution later this week and a compromise must be reached by March 3 to keep the federal government operating. If you support our work in Dane, Jefferson, and Waukesha Counties please contact Senators Kohl and Johnson and ask them to restore CSBG funding in the 2011 continuing resolution. Time is short so please contact them via e-mail or phone.
- Earlier last week president Obama submitted his 2012 budget which includes changes in funding for CSBG which directly affects Community Action. His budget request reduces the Community Services Block Grant by 50% and allows the remaining funding to move to other communities or organizations. When the budget hearings start for the 2012 budget please contact Your U.S Senators and Representative to let them know how you feel about Community Action Agencies.
Some of the consequences of these budget actions would be as follows:
- 2,200 individuals in Dane County will lose their support of 53 community gardens and 24 food pantry gardening efforts. Community garden programs are increasing across the country. They are great ways to keep food local and affordable and encourage everyone, children and adults alike, to eat more vegetables, a critical piece of the national effort to curb obesity. Community gardens grow more than vegetables, however. They also grow communities. CAC invests $65,000 each year in this effort and, coupled with other funding, has increased garden sites from 22 in 2002 to 53 at the end of 2010. CAC freely shares the process of developing community gardens by making the information available on our website at www.cacscw.org. In 2010 Food Pantry Gardens donated over 127,000 pounds of produce to area agencies with the support of CAC.
- Food Security will be impacted. 105 food pantries, meal sites, and community agencies in Dane, Jefferson, and Waukesha Counties rely on food provided by CAC at no charge. CAC Gleaners, a food recovery program that diverts 1,000,000 pounds of food annually from restaurants and markets to feeding programs, relies on 60 volunteers. CAC distributes 3,000,000 pounds of food from food drives, TEFAP commodities, and donations from local growers and vendors because CSBG is supporting the organization. CAC also coordinates the Dane County Food Pantry Network and supplies technical support, resources, and education to community agencies involved in feeding those in need.
- Community Action Coalition for South Central WI, Inc., in partnership with over a dozen other agencies, faith groups and governmental agencies, works to prevent and end homelessness. CSBG provides critical staffing and matching funds ($170,000) for several projects – permanent housing, telephone assistance, financial literacy, and eviction prevention. 70% of those assisted maintain their housing and telephone service 6 months later, helping to stop the cycle of homelessness.
- 12,000 winter clothing items through Koats for Kids, and 15,000 bags of clothing are distributed to families struggling to stay afloat. CSBG supports this work with $63,000 every year. If CSBG goes away, Koats for Kids goes away, and the Clothing Center is at serious risk, with few communities resources available for these families.
- Nearly 20,000 hours were contributed to CAC by volunteers in 2009. CSBG supports the recruitment, screening, training and retention of these volunteers. Without CSBG, there will be no one to recruit, train and supervise volunteers, ironically at a time when we would need them the most.
- In 2010 CAC worked with 709 community partners (community agencies, churches, schools, businesses, government entities) to help support families experiencing poverty and the agencies who provide them services.
· Much has been said about duplication of services in government programs. CSBG has made it possible for Community Action Coalition for South Central WI, Inc., to serve as an administrative lead agency for several collaborative grants – Emergency Shelter Grants, Homeless Prevention Program, Rapid Rehousing, for example. This has saved duplication of administrative costs and services. In fact CAC takes the annual investment from CSBG – $835,008 – and leverages it to secure an additional $4,291,972 of funding. Every dollar helps people move toward self-sufficiency.
Thank you!
Chris Brockel
Food and Gardens Division Manager
Community Action Coalition for South Central WI, Inc.
Visit us on the web:
Food Security:
http://www.cacscw.org/food.php
Community Gardens:
http://www.cacscw.org/gardens.php