2011 has been a great year for CFPA and our partner organizations! We were successful in introducing new initiatives, campaigns, and legislation, as well as continuing to tackle a number of longstanding challenges facing low-income Californians. Combined, our efforts in 2011 will ensure a healthier California!

We especially appreciate all of the ongoing, as well as new partnerships we’ve developed in 2011. Without our fellow advocates, local and statewide allies, and administrative partners, none of the work we do would be possible. We look forward to continuing to develop these relationships as we enter the New Year.

We are very thankful for our successes and the partnerships that made them possible, but know that our work is not done! We are sure that 2012 will bring more opportunities to improve the health and well-being of low-income Californians by increasing their access to nutritious, affordable food.

For a sneak peak of what CFPA will be working on in 2012, take a look at our 2012 Legislative Agenda.

We’ve also taken a moment to reflect on some of our most significant milestones in 2011 and would like to share these with you. Take a look below.

On behalf of all the CFPA staff,
Happy New Year and Best of Luck in 2012

CFPA's Offices will be closed
Friday, December 23 to Monday, January  2, 2012.

AB 6 (Fuentes) The CalFresh Act of 2011

On October 6^th, 2011 Governor Brown signed AB 6, The CalFresh Act of 2011. AB 6 eliminates the fingerprint image requirement for all CalFresh households, moves both CalFresh and CalWORKs to a semi-annual reporting system and implements a “Heat and Eat” program. Beginning in January of 2012, AB 6 will make monumental changes to CalFresh and presents a great opportunity to make real improvements to client access and increase CalFresh participation. We send many thanks to Assembly Member Fuentes and his staff for their hard work and dedication to this critical piece of legislation.

For more information contact Alexis Fernandez at 510.433.1122 x111

AB 69 (Beall) CalFresh Senior Nutrition Benefits

Governor Brown also signed AB 69 CalFresh Senior Nutrition Benefits. AB 69 will reduce senior food insecurity by developing and testing a streamlined approach to enrolling eligible California seniors in CalFresh. This enrollment method will increase awareness about senior eligibility for CalFresh, as well as save time and reduce paperwork for both seniors and administrative staff. A great thanks goes out to Assembly Member Beall and his staff for their ongoing commitment to improving CalFresh access and participation.

For more information contact Kerry Birnbach at 510.433.1122 x110

BreakfastFirst Campaign

2011 was a busy year for the BreakfastFirst Campaign. CFPA hosted several webinars, both across the state and with our national partners, to promote and encourage innovative breakfast service models. We have seen innovative models launched across the state, including Compton Unified School District, which launched a district wide Classroom Breakfast program in all of their elementary schools, with the support of CFPA. The BreakfastFirst Campaign is looking forward to strengthening and supporting school breakfast in 2012. Visit the BreakfastFirst website for more details. link

 For more information contact Tia Shimada at 510.433.1122 x109

Closing the Child & Adult Food Care Program
Access Gap in Los Angeles

In 2011 CFPA published A Growing Gap: The Status of the Child & Adult Care Food Program in Los Angeles, which formally identified for the first time that there was a CACFP access gap for family day care home providers in Los Angeles County, preventing over 56,000 children from receiving USDA-funded meals and snacks in child care. During 2011, CFPA partnered with the Child Care Food Program Roundtable and the California Department of Education, Nutrition Services Division to close this pernicious gap by engaging child care partners on-the-ground to start serving low-income areas of Los Angeles County.  Several agencies are in the process of opening up CACFP sponsorship for children in underserved areas of Los Angeles. We expect more progress in 2012.

For more information contact Elyse Homel-Vitale at 619.501.8258 

ENACT Nutrition & Activity Day

Presented by the Strategic Alliance, of which CFPA is a steering committee member, ENACT Nutrition and Activity Day brought together advocates from across the state in an effort to educate policy makers about opportunities to improve California’s nutrition and physical activity environments. With a robust legislative agenda, more than 200 Californians in attendance and countless legislative visits, the event was a great success! 

For more information contact Kerry Birnbach at 510.433.1122 x110

Hunger Action Day

On May 17^th the California Hunger Action Coalition (CHAC), of which CFPA is a steering committee member, hosted an extremely successful Hunger Action Day. With more than 300 advocates from across the state in attendance the event garnered great enthusiasm, from participants, legislators and legislative staff around the capitol.

For more information contact Alexis Fernandez at 510.433.122 x111

School Meal Innovations in Los Angeles

Through Project RENEW’s efforts, CFPA, UEPI-Healthy School Food Coalition and LA Department of Public Health helped set the stage for early implementation of USDA’s proposed changes to school meal nutrition standards. Some of the major accomplishments include the revamping of LAUSD’s menu to meet the new school meal standards, elimination of junk food like items at LAUSD and ABC Unified School District, addition of new vegetable items in Long Beach Unified School District and efforts to improve student’s access to vegetables via side salad bars in each cafeteria at El Monte Union High School District.

For more information contact Ariana Oliva at 213.482.8200

No Kid Hungry LA Campaign & BreakfastFirst Campaign

Through Share Our Strength’s national No Kid Hungry Campaign, CFPA’s Los Angeles office took several steps to close the school breakfast gap in Los Angeles.  CFPA assisted several school districts with implementing breakfast in their classrooms, ensuring more students benefit from this valuable nutrition program.  Another important step was taken in partnership with the California Department of Education, Nutrition Services Division: CFPA hosted two trainings in Los Angeles and Riverside that equipped over 100 school and school district leaders with the skills to implement Provision 2. This provision allows schools to provide meals to all students at no cost, eliminating some of the stigma associated with accepting a free or reduced-price meal and ensuring that all low-income students have access to healthy meals. These leaders also learned how to implement innovative models to improve breakfast participation.

For more information contact Nicola Edwards at 213.482.8200

Healthy Beverages in Schools & Child Care

CFPA launched www.waterinschools.org in 2011 to help schools and other stakeholders implement SB 1413, the 2010 law that assures the availability of fresh, free drinking water in food service areas in schools. AB 2084, signed by the Governor in late 2010, requires that only nutritious beverages be served in licensed childcare facilities in California, including the availability of drinking water all day long.  AB 2084 goes into effect on January 1, 2012; also in January, CFPA will launch www.healthybeveragesinchildcare.org, a new site full of resources to assist child care providers understand and implement AB 2084.

For more information contact Ellen Braff-Guajardo at 510.301.0824

Working to Make a REAL Difference in School Food!

During 2011, CFPA convened food services directors and partners in meetings and calls to explore the barriers and opportunities related to “Scratch Cooking” (i.e., preparing school food with fresh, less processed ingredients.)  In 2012, The REAL School Food Initiative (“Real Eats for Academics and Life”) will pursue implementation strategies and policy opportunities that support fresh school food that not only appeals to students, but also meets the new enhanced meal standards.

For more information contact Markell Lewis at 510.433.1122 x107