What is Advocacy
September 23, 2024
Over the past year, the National CACFP Sponsors Association (NCA) has built a community of almost 10,000 advocates, and you might be one of them! When people think about advocacy, the first image that comes to mind might be of someone talking to their elected official or speaking in front of crowds. Some of their first thoughts might be: “Advocacy is hard, there’s no way I could do that?” or “I don’t have time for advocacy.” or even “Advocacy is scary.” Which are all very understandable things to think (we all have).
But, we’re here to debunk those myths. Advocacy might seem scary, some of our most active advocates admit to being intimidated by advocacy before they got started, but it can be simple. Advocacy can be as simple as telling your friend about your job or posting a picture of the meals you make on social media (really!). The only criteria you need to be considered as an advocate is to support or recommend a cause, and in our case it’s the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).
There are so many different ways to advocate and we are highlighting a few of the ways you can become a CACFP advocate. Start small and as you become more comfortable in your advocacy, you can expand your efforts and take on bigger challenges.
Sharing Your Story
Sharing your story is exactly as it sounds, telling other people about yourself and/or the work that you do. As mentioned, this can be as simple as talking to a friend, neighbor, colleague, or family member about your job, whether it’s serving meals through the CACFP or working at a sponsoring organization and helping to administer the program. If you want to go one step further, you could share your story in writing, so that more people can read about your work, like our members at Spring Branch ISD or the Philadelphia Office of Homeless Services. Another way you could potentially speak up is by responding to surveys and sharing your experiences. Answering survey can help others understand how a community is faring, for example in NCA’s State of the Child and Adult Care Food Program report.
Educating Others on CACFP
The CACFP is a complicated, but important program. While most people might hear “school lunch” and immediately understand what’s being talked about, hearing “CACFP” or the “food program” is not as instantly recognizable. If people don’t understand the CACFP, they are less likely to participate in or support the program. You can bring more awareness to the CACFP, by making people curious about the program. A great way to spark interest is by posting on social media. You can also send them our CACFP Fact Sheet or a flyer on how the CACFP is a win children, families, and providers. If you know of providers in your area not participating in the CACFP, you can also encourage them to join the food program and share the benefits of CACFP.
Asking Your Officials for Support
Your officials have the power to make the changes you want to see. However, just because they have power doesn’t mean you should be nervous to ask for their help. Their job as an official is to support the needs of their community and represent you. These officials could be your mayor, governor, and congressional representatives/senators. A great first step to asking your official for support is by sending them a written message. NCA’s action center makes it super easy for you to send a personalized message on important CACFP legislation to your congressional officials with just a couple clicks of a button. While written messages can go a long way, having a verbal conversation can have a more lasting impact on your officials. Whether you talk to them over the phone or schedule and in-person meeting with them, we have templates to help you along the way.
Showcasing the CACFP
Showcasing your program is one of the most impactful ways to advocate for the CACFP. Most elected officials have never heard of the CACFP before, and therefore don’t support bills or initiatives that would improve the CACFP. Giving your elected official the opportunity to experience the CACFP firsthand will not only make them familiar with the program, but also allow them to interact with those who benefit the most from the CACFP – the children and adult receiving nutritious meals. NCA has developed an entire suite of resources to help you step up to this important policy challenges.
Ready to Advocate?
Are you ready to step into advocacy? Make a pledge to be a CACFP advocate below!
Need more support? Check out NCA’s Advocacy Resources webpage and watch on-demand policy and advocacy webinars in our learning center under Specialty 7.