Tell the Senate to Support Food Aid that Helps, Not Hurts

We can do it with your help.

There are promising signs that this crucial legislation may pass the Senate, but we need your help to make it happen. Every call counts as the Farm Bill gets closer to a vote.

Call your Senators now and ask them to support food aid that works.

Ask them to support cash for local and regional purchases of food aid.

To get Senators’ contact information, call the Capitol Switchboard at 202.224.3121.

You can help turn the logic of food aid on its head today.

The way the system works now we should probably call food aid « agribusiness aid » or « Exxon aid. » Under the current law, the U.S. government purchases from large crop distributors and puts the grains on gas guzzling tankers to places like Darfur. Wouldn’t it make more sense to help local economies by buying the food close to where it’s most needed?

Our international development colleague, CARE, recently took a brave step. They turned down $45 million in U.S. government funding to stop a rotten food aid system. That’s not an easy decision to make and we applaud their efforts. Now there’s something YOU can do. Please see below to contact your Senator.

The U.S. Congress is considering a new direction in the U.S. food aid program. For years Grassroots has advocated a dramatic change in the U.S. food aid program to stop a system that hurts small farmers’ livelihoods, creates food dependency globally and largely benefits a handful of agricultural corporations.

Our voice is beginning to be heard in Washington. The Senate is drafting language in the 2007 Farm Bill for a pilot program to purchase food from local and regional farmers in times of food crisis.

Tell the Senate Agriculture Committee to support cash for local and regional purchases of food aid.

Grassroots has never accepted U.S. government funding. We decided to do this not only to maintain our independence, but also because we have seen that many foreign aid programs that purport to help our neighbors overseas are often thinly-veiled subsidy programs for powerful American interests.

Call now and tell the Senate you want U.S. food aid that helps those who need it most.

Support cash for local and regional purchases of food aid.

To get Senators’ contact information, call the Capitol Switchboard at 202.224.3121.

Make the Call Now!