Every child needs access to good nutrition in order to learn, grow and thrive. But the number of hungry Washington households has nearly doubled since 2007. State Food Assistance ensures equal treatment of our state's hungry;eliminating SFA would further disrupt the lives of thousands of children – disproportionately children of color – all across the state.

Learn more about State Food Assistance.

On Dec. 2, 2011, Children's Alliance gathered hundreds across the state on Capitol steps to issue a statement to lawmakers signed by Washington's kids.

Read our Proclamation by the Children of Washington State: For Us, By Us, For Our Future.  

The State of Washington’s Children 2012 is a broad review of how Washington’s 1.5 million kids are faring in tough times. The report is issued by KIDS COUNT in Washington, a new partnership between Children’s Alliance and the Washington State Budget & Policy Center.

Read the report.

The state legislature reduced funding for State Food Assistance (SFA) by half for the current biennium. A court order is in place prohibiting the benefit reduction, however, pending the outcome of an equal protection and due process lawsuit on behalf of SFA recipients. Gov. Christine Gregoire has again proposed to eliminate the program.

Download The Facts about State Food Assistance to learn more.

Since the beginning of the recession, the number of Washington state families struggling with hunger has almost doubled, bucking the national downward trend and demonstrating the persistence of the economic downturn. Read our new report.

The 2011 legislative session had far-reaching consequences for the public systems and services we all rely on. Lawmakers made decisions that dimmed the prospect of a brighter future for our children. Yet thanks to smart and persistent advocacy by the Children’s Alliance and our partners, some vital services for kids were protected.

Together with families and allies across the state, we preserved health care, child care and anti-hunger programs that continue to make a difference in the well being of Washington’s children.

To learn more about our work this session, watch this short slideshow on what we accomplished:

Mantengamonos fuertes para los niños! Nuestra agenda legislativa de 2011 describe las prioridades legislativas de la Alianze para los Ninos en la sesion legislative de 2011. Incluya protegiendo programas que apoyan todas las families, y especialmente las familias inmigrantes.

Lee la agenda legislativa

Vea este documento en Ingles

The State Food Assistance (SFA) program helps put food on the table for nearly 15,000 Washington kids.  

SFA mirrors the rules and benefits of the federal food stamp program (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP); with the exception that SFA covers documented immigrants who are barred from the federal program. State Food Assistance Benefits average about $114 per month.

More than 367,000 households in Washington struggled to put food on the
table in 2009, according to the most recent report on food security in America. According to the report, released November 15, 2010 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service, food insecurity is on the rise in Washington state. 

Learn more about the report in the Children's Alliance analysis, Hungry in Washington 2010.

Las elecciones están ya ante nosotros y éstas pueden ser algo bueno en medio de estos tiempos difíciles económicos, pero también podrían empeorar las cosas.  El Children’s Alliance ha tomado una postura sobre seis de las medidas en las papeletas que tienen la posibilidad de beneficiar o de dañar a los niños.

Lee un folleto sobre las iniciativas en la papeleta.