On Thursday, August 17, Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove participated in three nutritional assistance events at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, WIC, and the Central Avenue Food Bank, highlighting these programs and the support that they provide for women and families.
“In California, one in five people are food insecure, and deep disparities exist for Black (28.9%) and Latinx people (27.5%) who experience food insecurity at double the rate of White individuals (14.3%). House Republicans have made it clear that they do not support vital agricultural programs that bolster food assistance and keep food on the table for families,” a Kamlager-Dove representative said.
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“While House Republicans continue to show their opposition, Kamlager-Dove remains a strong advocate for these programs to reduce hunger, and food desserts in these communities.”
The Congresswoman first visited the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank where she toured the center and discussed the agency’s work to combat hunger amidst the Republican House’s tentative cuts to SNAP. The L.A. Food Bank remains a crucial program supporting California’s 37th district, serving over 800,000 people monthly.
Kamlager-Dove then made it WIC, a special supplemental nutrition assistance program for women, infants, and children. She received briefings from WIC staff and listened to a mother who related the support that WIC provided her post-partum.
Recalling her journey while breastfeeding and how without WIC, she would have suffered serious medical consequences, the mother said, “When I first had my baby, I was producing too much milk, which caused me to feel physically sick, tired, and I wanted to give up and just do formula.
“But my doctor recommended me to WIC and I had tools to breastfeed in a new way. This is the first time I’ve come here, but it is nice to know I am not alone, there are moms who have it worse, and it helps me have peace of mind.”
Through WIC’s access to WIC-authorized supplemental food, nutrition counseling, breastfeeding education and support, and referrals to community resources, mothers receive the knowledge and resources to be successful in breastfeeding.
On Kamlager-Dove’s last stop, she visited SEE-LA’s Famer’s Market on Central Avenue where she talked with consumers as well as the market’s vendors about the benefits of SNAP and WIC’s market match program. The House Democrats’ American Rescue Plan made it possible for families to increase their benefits and participate in more programs.
Markets that offer the market match program provide an additional $30 match for fruits and vegetables for WIC participants. With SNAP on the line for potential cancellation, the SEE-LA’s Farmer’s Market is another resource that is in jeopardy, reducing accessibility for nutritional foods for families. SEE-LA also has farmer’s market locations at Atwater Village, Baldwin Hills, Central Avenue, Echo Park, Hollywood, and Watts Willowbrook at the MLK Campus.
Without these three programs, nutritional access would not be possible, and Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove strongly encourages the House to continue supporting these resources to combat the decline in health of Los Angeles’ 37th District.
To stay up to date on Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove’s initiatives on nutrition assistance, WIC, SNAP, LA Regional Food Bank, SEE-LA’s programs, visit these sites for resources: https://kamlager-dove.house.gov/, https://myfamily.wic.ca.gov/, https://www.cdss.ca.gov/calfresh, https://www.lafoodbank.org/, https://seela.org/.
