“Has everyone been fed?” is the question posed on the communion table at Black Mountain Presbyterian Church in North Carolina. As Amy Miracle told us in her sermon earlier this month, the folks at Black Mountain are feeding thousands of people who have been devasted by Hurricane Helene. If you’ve volunteered in the Broad Street Food Pantry, you have helped feed hundreds of people every day you are there.

But not everyone can go to Black Mountain or volunteer in the Food Pantry. What can you do make sure that everyone is fed? Some can donate. But almost everyone can vote. Every vote counts in shaping policies that can address hunger and poverty.

Investments in nutrition programs―from free school meals for kids to SNAP and WIC for low-income communities to Meals on Wheels for older adults―are a critical resource for millions of people and families. Federal programs like The Emergency Food Assistance Program and the Local Food Purchase Assistance program and state programs like the Ohio Food Program and the Ohio Agricultural Clearance Program all provide food to pantries to distribute to those in need.

Support for hardworking families comes from programs like the Child Care Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit. Together those two programs lifted 6.4 million Americans out of poverty in 2023. Social Security and economic stimulus programs also lift thousands of Franklin County residents out of poverty every year. These programs empower more people to feed themselves. Ohio’s minimum wage is $10.45 per hour – a minimum wage worker takes home just $1430 each month. A thriving wage goes beyond a living wage and far beyond minimum wage, enabling workers to do more than just cover their basic needs, instead allowing them to prosper with self-determination for their future.

This election, make your vote count so that everyone will be fed. Vote for:

  • leaders who will protect and expand programs that keep America fed, healthy and thriving.
  • candidates who will build an economy that promotes fairness and equal opportunity for all.

One Comment

  1. Lynn Coons October 23, 2024 at 10:30 pm - Reply

    Thank you, Kathy! An excellent reminder of our responsibilities this November 5th (or before)!!! May everyone be fed!!!

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