On July 29, 2011, 12 excited Hazon representatives and 160 other Jewish participants gathered in Washington D.C. as part of the Jewish Social Justice Roundtable (JSJRT), a collection of 21 nonprofits supporting social justice as an essential component of Jewish life. The two-day affair began on Thursday, July 28th with congressional meetings and culminated the following day with the White House Community Leaders Briefing Series, a unique summer-long opportunity for grassroots leaders to engage White House officials and voice issues close to our hearts.

Jon Carson, deputy assistant to the President and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, succinctly articulated the purpose of the series: “I’m not here to talk,” he said. “I’m here to listen about what you’re seeing across the country.” For many in Hazon’s cohort and millions of American Jews, this issue is food justice. Read “Hazon Goes to the White House” on The Jew and the Carrot.

Hazon and several other Jewish Social Justice organizations highlighted several specific issues and questions about domestic aspects of the Farm Bill. This is a part of a conversation that will continue as the next Farm Bill is developed, and we hope that this serves as an opportunity to increase your awareness and help Hazon expand ours:

SNAP and improving access to nutrition and healthy eating:  The 2012 Farm Bill reauthorization provides an important opportunity to strengthen SNAP’s reach. Eliminating barriers to participation, increasing the minimum benefit provided, funding SNAP outreach activities and innovative access and enrollment efforts by nonprofit organizations are just a few ways this essential program can work better to serve the needy. We are starting to see signs of success with healthy eating programs such as one currently being tested inDetroit,MI, which not only allows SNAP recipients to multiply their benefits by purchasing fruits and vegetables, but also stimulates local economies.

• How will the Administration provide leadership in working with Congress to ensure strong support for the Nutrition Title of the Farm Bill that funds SNAP and other critical programs?  What commitments will the Administration make to protect funding of these programs and prevent attempts to restructure SNAP? What is the Administration’s position on piloting programs such Detroit’s on a larger scale? How can the Administration work with Congress to improve access to SNAP and finance food in low income areas? What are some SNAP incentives to encourage purchase of fruits and vegetables?

Economic development: Knowing that there will be serious cuts to the Farm Bill, we need practical ideas for success. A key way to do this is to focus on how to stimulate the economy, grow in the long-term, and increase cost-effectiveness. One method is through supporting CSAs and bringing money into local communities, which then multiplies over time.

• How are you supporting such initiatives and what are your recommendations for bolstering our efforts in the Jewish community to do so?
• Small Farmers and Sustainability: How do you support food hubs that allow small scale farmers to connect to local schools, hospitals, etc?
• Food Infrastructure: How can we increase regional food infrastructure such as the development of food hubs and systems for direct procurement, like farm to school, university, or hospital?

White House Rural Council: We are interested in hearing more about this new initiative.

• What are the positive ways we can link rural and urban America? How can we unify our messaging to promote policy innovation and not re-create the “urban/rural” divide?