As they were rushing to board their flights home for the weekend, Senators and members of Congress pushed through a bill in April to allow the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to reshuffle funding in order to avoid the flight delays caused by FAA furloughs due to the sequester. Unfortunately for millions of Americans who cannot afford to get on a plane, Congress has yet to repeal the disastrous and devastating cuts to important programs for the poor, mothers, children, and many others.

Every day, people in communities across America are now seeing that sequestration is real—and the stakes are especially high for struggling families. The stories of real people being severely impacted due to the sequester have been coming in for months. In central Illinois, parents and others are taking action to prevent 2,200 kids from being kicked out of Head Start. Over 61,000 Georgians will soon receive notices that their extended unemployment insurance benefits will be cut. And, outside Austin, Texas, up to 7,700 meals for seniors are likely to be cut. These are just a small sample of the $85 billion in cuts that have or are going to take place just this year.

Take action, share your story, end the sequester. Our vulnerable children, families, and seniors are every bit as important as passengers waiting for their flights. If Congress can act this quickly for air travelers, it can—and should—do the same for struggling families. It’s time for Congress to replace the sequester with responsible deficit-reduction solutions. The piecemeal approach does not help our struggling families, it does not help those still looking for jobs, and it does not help our economy. This toolkit provides several resources to help you take action with the media, other advocates, and your elected officials. It includes:

• Sample press release
• Sample letter to the editor
• Ways to take action online by joining the #TalkPoverty digital movement
• Important state-by-state and national data about the cuts
• Ways to tell your story through our story bank and get your voice in the media
• Other resources to help you organize and take action

It doesn't have to be this way. Help us end sequestration's impact on our nation's most vulnerable:

• Issue a press release
• Write a letter to the editor
• Organize an awareness event or state day of action and generate media attention
• Meet with the editorial board for your local newspapers
• Deliver a petition to your Senators’ and Representatives’ local office
• Organize a #TalkPoverty social media campaign in your state
• Tell your story through our story bank

Download the Toolkit Now

Take action, share your story, and get your elected officials to listen. These reckless across-the-board cuts are just beginning to hit and will continue to impact communities everywhere. This toolkit provides several resources to help you take action with the media, other advocates, and your elected officials—let’s make sure these devastating cuts don’t become a permanent reality in our communities. It includes: - Sample press release - Sample letter to the editor - Ways to take action online by joining the #TalkPoverty digital movement - Important state-by-state and national data about the cuts - Ways to tell your story through our story bank and get your voice in the media - Other resources to help your organize and take action

It doesn’t have to be this way. Help us end sequestration’s impact on our nation’s most vulnerable: - Issue a press release - Write a letter to the editor - Organize an awareness event or state day of action and generate media attention - Meet with the editorial board for your local newspapers - Deliver a petition to your Senators’ and Representatives’ local office - Organize a #TalkPoverty social media campaign in your state - Tell your story through our story bank

To help equip advocates with the resources they need to take action, Half in Ten has partnered with the Coalition on Human Needs to facilitate several state-specific calls with advocates and organizations. These calls will bring together national and state-based policy experts to discuss federal and state initiatives. We will also be providing special state-specific data, social media, and press resources with opportunities to take action together at the local and national level. Click on the links below to register for the calls:

• Ohio: November 29 at 3:00 p.m. EST, Register here
• Iowa: November 30 at 2:00 p.m. CST, Register here
• Colorado: December 5 at 4:00 p.m. MT, Register here
• Virginia: December 6 at 3:00 p.m. EST, Register here

Or, download state-specific toolkits for: Colorado Florida Iowa Ohio and Virginia.

There’s a lot at stake in the coming weeks for America’s struggling families. Tax credits that support working low-income families are set to expire at the end of the year. These tax credits helped lift 8.7 million people out of poverty in 2011. If Congress doesn’t act 13 million working families will be adversely impacted during tax season in 2013. And nationally, three million jobless workers could lose unemployment insurance if Congress doesn’t renew benefits at the end of the year.

Help Congress make the right choices for America’s families by the end of the year.

This new toolkit provides several resources to help you take action including:

• Ideas about ways to take action locally and online
• Sample press releases and letters to the editor
• A new press release from Half in Ten about its 2012 annual report on reducing poverty
• Ways to take action online by joining the #TalkPoverty digital movement
• State-by-state infographics on income inequality
• State-by-state data on the potential impact of sequestration on federal programs

Download the National Toolkit Here

Or, download state-specific toolkits for: Colorado Florida Iowa Ohio and Virginia.

On October 2, 9to5 Colorado and the Colorado Center on Law and Policy held a screening of the documentary, “The Line,” which documents people who live at or below the poverty line. We showed the film to urge people to join the #TalkPoverty twitter campaign asking presidential candidates to discuss poverty in America during the debates this month.

9to5 also urged organizations in Colorado to sign the "Save for All" letter that urges congressional leaders to support funding programs that benefit low and middle-income families. They also plan to schedule an in-district meeting with Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) to discuss why funding programs such as supplemental nutrition assistance and child care assistance are key to helping many families in our state get out of poverty.

The first presidential debate will happen in Denver on October 3, and Half in Ten supporters are using the #TalkPoverty campaign to urge the candidates to talk about poverty. Coalition supporters are mobilizing individuals and organizations throughout Colorado to participate in the campaign. To continue the momentum after the debates, the coalition will also be participating in the Colorado 2019 poverty summit being convened by the Colorado General Assembly in Glendale on October 19, where they’ll be distributing Half in Ten fact sheets and other materials for the summit's 200-plus participants.

New Census Bureau data show that poverty in the Denver metro area increased 3 percent in 2011, and 25 percent of the area's children now live in poverty. Our Colorado coalition will be hitting the pavement using these new data to educate elected officials and candidates about the face of poverty and urge them to discuss their plans for eliminating poverty in the state. Several candidate forums are planned for October (dates TBA) to ask candidates how they will do just that.

To see the 2011 poverty data broken down by congressional district, click here.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, “American FactFinder,” 2011 American Community Survey (accessed September 2012). Data came from the following detailed tables:

• Women and statewide poverty numbers, B17001
• Statewide poverty percentages, GCT1701
• African-Americans, C17001B
• American Indians, C17001C
• Asian-Americans, C17001D
• Latinos, C17001I
• Children under 18, B17006

Social Justice Universities are currently scheduled to take place with students at Virginia Commonwealth University and Quakers in a Richmond suburb, as well as diverse gatherings in Virginia Beach, Richmond City, Arlington, and Blacksburg. At the end of each program, constituents and staff work together to schedule meetings with local delegates and senators to discuss Virginia Interfaith Center priorities in preparation for the 2013 General Assembly.

Early this summer the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy and the Shenandoah Presbytery hosted a screening of “Blank Street” in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Sponsored by the Virginia Interfaith Center and Half in Ten, the documentary follows two Virginia Commonwealth University film students as they travel around the state hearing firsthand about the economic hardships many families are experiencing. The screening was followed by a short discussion about policies affecting poverty and hunger in the Shenandoah region with Marco Grimaldo, CEO of the Virginia Interfaith Center, and Max Finberg, currently a senior policy advisor at the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.


Hunger Action Month for the National Food Bank Network is right around the corner in September. Since new poverty numbers are also due to be released, this will be a busy fall for the Center as it plans a number of efforts to educate our members and the broader public on issues of hunger and poverty. To that end the Center will be inviting elected officials, partner organizations, members, and congregations to partake in the Poverty Diet. We will also be asking our members to take action with their legislators and educating members, legislators, and the community about trends in poverty with the release of new data.

All four of the Center’s regional chapters will also be hosting a variety of events about pressing policy debates in the Commonwealth. These will range from community conversations on Affordable Care Act implementation to advocacy trainings to film screenings. For example, the Northern Virginia Chapter of the Center will also host a screening of “Blank Street” in conjunction with the Jewish Community Relations Council. It will be followed by a short discussion by local service providers about the community needs they experience in the heart of one of the wealthiest counties in the country.

Finally, to raise more awareness about the Half in Ten campaign, the Center brought together grasstops leaders in Charlottesville where it hosted a Half in Ten reception at a supporter's law office. Marco Grimaldo presented on the Half in Ten campaign and how the Center is engaging people of faith in Virginia on issues related to poverty and hunger alleviation.