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The Lynchburg Warehouse’s 40th Anniversary Open House (originally scheduled for Wednesday, March 26) has been postponed. Keep an eye on our events page for updates. We look forward to celebrating this important milestone at a later date!
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Save School Meals

March 5, 2025

Our elected officials need to hear from their constituents, the people they serve, on important issues that affect us.

The House Budget Committee Chairman has proposed cutting $12 billion from school breakfast and lunch programs by raising the eligibility threshold for the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) from 25% to 60% Identified Student Percentage (ISP). If implemented, 24,000+ schools serving more than 12 million children would lose CEP eligibility; this could impact more than 451,000 children in Virginia.

The proposal requires families qualifying for free and reduced-price meals at non-CEP schools to show proof of household income when applying. This additional step could complicate the process for families and schools, potentially leading to some eligible children missing meals.

Contact your Congress members to protect school meals and oppose funding cuts that limit access to these vital programs. See information below.

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Call Your Legislators Submit a letter
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Here’s how you can help.

  1. Dial 202-224-3121.
  2. If you do not know the name of your Congress Member, say, “I’m not sure.”
  3. Say, “Representative.”
  4. Say your zip code.
  5. Confirm the Representative.
  6. When connected with the office, you can leave a message with the staffer who answers or ask to be connected to the staffer who works on Agriculture or the School Lunch Program.
  7. Sample script: Hi, this is [Your Name] and I’m a constituent. I’m calling to urge [Representative/Senator’s Name] to oppose the $12 billion cuts to school meal programs in the House Budget Committee Chairman’s proposals. These cuts would limit access to free meals, increase hunger in classrooms, worsen meal debt, and create stigma for students in households with low incomes. These cuts could impact more than 451,000 children in Virginia. Ensuring children are well-fed is vital for their health and learning. Please oppose efforts to weaken school meal programs. Thank you.

You can also submit a letter through your legislator’s contact page

Send a letter to your congressman

Visit this page to see other ways that you can support farmers, food banks, and people who are food insecure. Farm Bill Action: Advocacy Resources for Food Bank Partners – The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank