Here’s the latest on our work to fight hunger in Kansas:
Happy Women’s History Month!
March 31st, 2022 was Transgender Day of Visibility, and we wanted to take this opportunity to talk about the intersections between gender and food equity.
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated food insecurity in minority groups, especially adults who are Transgender. The Williams Institute at UCLA found that food insufficiency was much more common among some groups than others. Nearly six times as many transgender people of color as cisgender White people experienced food insufficiency at some point during the summer or early fall of 2021 (35.8% vs 6.0%). The Williams Institute also reports that about 30 percent of trans people live in poverty. Hunger is a trans issue.
Anti-trans discrimination is the direct cause of higher rates of hunger and poverty among trans Americans.
Why this should this matter to anti-hunger champions in Kansas:
A number of bills that would directly harm and isolate trans kids have been making their way through the Kansas Statehouse, including SB 484 and SB 160. While on the surface these bills may not be seen as hunger-related, they are examples of systematic discrimination that will have long-term impacts on trans kids’ ability to thrive as they grow older.
Kansas Appleseed has no tolerance for laws and policies that harm and perpetuate violent stereotypes against our Trans community and will do everything in our power to support transgender Kansans.
Governor Laura Kelly and Hunger Action Team Exclusive Meeting
March 23rd, our Hunger Action Team had the opportunity to meet with Governor Laura Kelly to discuss the Kansas food sales tax bill. As you all know, Kansas has the second-highest food sales tax in the country.
Thank you to the 70 HAT members who attended! During our meeting, we recapped the food sales tax and differentiated between the bills that have been introduced, and discussed the harmful and costly Senate Sub 2448. We appreciate the members who took the time to send letters to their senators and representatives during our call to action.
HAT members were able to ask pressing questions to the Governor and advocate for their community! We love to see advocates from across the state centering their community and advocating for impacted individuals and families. We plan to host more exclusive meetings with elected officials and guest speakers across the state. So keep your eyes posted for the next event.
Kansas Legislative Highlights and Updates:
The legislative session in Topeka is almost over! From January to April, the Thriving Team has been working nonstop to dismantle harmful Kansas policies that keep our families and friends from thriving and advocate for our impacted community members.
Below are brief summaries of our current legislative work. For more detailed information, sign up for our weekly legislative updates here: https://www.kansasappleseed.org/get-involved.html
Axe the State Food Sales Tax
Help us eliminate the food sales tax: http://bit.ly/AxetheTaxAction
Senate Sub for HB 2448 (formerly SB 501)
Senate Sub for HB 2448 passed both the KS House and Senate, and will now move to Governor Laury Kelly’s desk for the chance to veto. As a reminder, 2448 specifically targets able-bodied adults without dependents, tacking on more work requirements for Kansans who may just need a month or two to get back on their feet.
The Thriving Team is not done fighting this bill yet and will be updating everyone with the next steps to urge Governor Kelly to veto Senate Sub. for HB 2448.
Regional Hunger Action Team Highlights!
March was filled with powerful conversations and exciting events for our Regional Hunger Action Teams! Here are the highlights and recaps for each region!
Southeast Kansas — Theme: Starting with “hello!”
- Southeast Kansans really broke down the barriers facing their community and found a common thread: SEK needs to invest in mutual aid.
- The ultimate goal is to start having more community conversations, starting with simply talking to our neighbors — bringing food over to their houses to start uplifting those around us.
Southwest Kansas — Theme: Coalition Updates
- Finney County: Alliance for Healthy Kansas presented ways that our grassroots advocacy can impact policy in Topeka — can be as simple as having conversations about hunger/healthcare with your immediate family
- Liberal: The Liberal Area Coalition for Families graciously offered Kansas Appleseed an opportunity to present and share our work
- They have received multiple grants to boost SNAP/EBT at their farmer’s market and increase the amount of food at their local pantries so that families can access them without limits
- Hugoton: Project Hope Food Pantry has seen an increase in access to their resources, but is still struggling with consistent food and supply deliveries to support the increased need
Northwest Kansas — Theme: Coalition Update
Western Prairie Coalition: This group has created a survey to better assess food access in their area. If you live in Northwest Kansas please fill out this survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3M8FMSL
Northeast Kansas — Theme: Food as a Public Work
- NEK HAT had the huge honor of sharing the space with Pantaleon from Maseualkualli Farms
- He gave an amazing presentation on People’s Century Farms and the need to expand this program across the state to uplift our Black, Indigenous, and Latino/Latina/Latinx communities in Kansas
- NEK HAT collaborated to come up with some actionable next steps to help support Pantaleon’s work
Central Kansas — Theme: Uplifting and Connecting with Community of farmers
- The Central HAT talked about the upcoming farmers’ market season and ways that we can include our local farmers in combating food insecurity
- The team also discussed looping high school-aged youth into the food access conversation, giving them the opportunity to use their own voices
Statewide resources for Regional Hunger Action Teams
Throughout our statewide conversation, we have received food-related resources and information for organizations and advocates. Here is our growing comprehensive list:
NEKS HAT had the opportunity to hear from Pantaleon Florez III and his work with Maseualkualli Farms located in Lawrence! Maseualkualli Farms is a no-till, no-fossil fuel farm utilizing organic practices to produce seasonal fruits and veggies in Northeast Kansas. Pantaleon is a farmer, chef, and the sole operator of Maseualkualli Farms. He grows seasonal produce for restaurants and farmers’ markets and hopes to do so soon for culturally specific grocery stores. Specialty crops include traditional Mexican ingredients such as papalotl, pipiche, Mexican tarragon, nopales, jicama, and a strain of maize from his great-grandfathers’ ancestral homelands in Guanajuato, Mexico.
Senate Education Committee 03/07/2022
Kansas Appleseed SEKS Thriving Advocate, Paige, testified to the Senate Education Committee opposing SB 484, which seeks to ban transgender girls and gender non‑conforming children from participating in school sports. Her testimony begins at 28:15.
‘Knocked down over and over again’: How a Kansas bill loosening SNAP restrictions failed
Andrew Hubbard spoke with the Wichita Beacon about his experience getting his life on track and navigating the criminal justice system in Kansas. He testified supporting HB 2215, a bill that would repeal a ban on people with felony drug convictions from receiving food assistance benefits. Despite having bipartisan support, the bill died in the house committee. We thank Andrew and impacted anti-hunger champions for sharing their stories and harsh truths. We will continue to fight together to expand benefits and ensure that ALL Kansans have the opportunity to thrive!
What does it take to erase food inequality in Wichita? Tajahnaé Stocker is working on it.
In a conversation with the Wichita Beacon, Tajahnaé Stocker discusses fighting food insecurity through policy and legislation with Kansas Appleseed and providing immediate direct service through mutual aid solutions.
