Policy work isn’t as glamorous as the West Wing, but....

Posted by Alice Pennington on Friday, August 27, 2010

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CAFPA During the recent trip my colleague Katherine and I took to Southern California, I had the privilege of meeting the staff of California Food Policy Advocates’ Los Angeles office. CFPA is a statewide public policy and advocacy organization dedicated to improving the health of low-income Californians by increasing their access to nutritious, affordable food. Share Our Strength has been proud to fund and support their work on hunger in California for roughly a decade.

The four staff members I met with – including longtime friend and partner, Matt Sharp – immediately impressed me with their obvious expertise on the issues of hunger and nutrition in Los Angeles County and across the state of California.

I was lucky enough to visit on a day when CFPA had been asked to give testimony at a meeting of the Jobs and Business Development Committee at City Hall, chaired by Councilman Richard Alarcón. At first glance, the meeting was just what you would picture – official-looking councilmen were sitting at long, dark wood desks in front, a Los Angeles city seal was prominently pinned to the center of the front wall, and a security guard sat watchfully in the corner. Then, I started trying to follow what was happening around me and soon felt like a fish out of water. It was clear there was a set of rules and expectations everyone else in the room understood – except for me, of course – and I quickly came to appreciate the patience and dedication this type of policy and advocacy work demands.

Matt Sharp’s update on the work CFPA has been part of to improve food stamp utilization in the county seemed well-received and prompted a few questions from the attending councilmen. All in all it was a successful meeting, and I felt encouraged to see LA city leaders taking seriously the issue of hunger in a public forum.

Policy work may not be as glamorous or dramatic as it’s portrayed in shows like the West Wing, and it might not produce the same adorable photos of sweet, smiling kids that direct service does – but it is the backbone of the movement to end hunger in America once and for all. It is the work that drives lasting change. And it is advocates like Matt and his team that push us not to accept our flawed federal food programs as they are, but to instead fight to improve and shape them to meet the needs of the families who desperately rely on them to feed their kids.

Here are the staff at CFPA to tell you more about their work: