Advocacy 101

What is Advocacy?

Advocacy involves communicating with your elected officials and participating in the legislative process by telling your story of how anti-hunger policies would positively affect you, your neighbors, and your community. Advocacy also centers and amplifies the voices of neighbors in need by giving them the tools and resources needed to share their stories directly with their elected officials as well. Together, we can shape policies and decisions that pave the way for lasting change. 

How do I Advocate?

Advocacy can take a multitude of different routes—but the first key to advocacy is to be informed. Educating yourself and learning about the policies that affect hunger is a key component of being an effective advocate. Equipped with that knowledge, you can call or email your lawmakers, sign or circulate petitions, submit letters to the editor of your local paper, or take other actions to advocate for hunger relief policies in our communities that would make a real difference in our fight against hunger. Second Harvest Heartland has plenty of opportunities to advocate--from email templates supporting hunger-fighting laws, to the annual Hunger Day on The Hill event where advocates join together to talk to their legislators directly. Talking to your friends and family about hunger is a form of advocacy as well! 

What Should I Advocate For?

As part of our Make Hunger History initiative, we have set a goal to cut hunger in half for all Minnesotans by 2030. We do this by advocating for policies that will reduce hunger: e.g. securing more funding for food banks and food shelves, and expanding SNAP benefits for recipients and making it easier for our neighbors to enroll. We also do this by advocating for policies that will prevent hunger: tackling the root causes of hunger, and ensuring that more Minnesotans are able to afford basic needs, which in turn will help to alleviate the unsustainable demand on the emergency food network.  

Does Advocacy Work?

Yes! Advocacy has the power to drive systemic change. Second Harvest Heartland was proud to support recent efforts to pass universal school meals and create a state-funded Child Tax Credit, two policies that will help to reduce the experience of poverty and food insecurity. More recently, our team helped secure critical state funding for food banks, food shelves, and Tribal food sovereignty programs. By raising your voice and standing up for policies like these that will help fight hunger today and prevent it tomorrow, you can directly influence policymakers at the local, state, and federal levels. These policymakers have the power to make decisions that will uplift individuals and families throughout our state and help ensure no one goes to bed hungry.

Investment in advocacy is an investment in ending hunger together. It's about ensuring that everyone has access to nutritious food and a chance at a brighter future. Join us! 

Ready to Add your Voice? Take Action Today