Utahns Against Hunger

Advocacy is nothing more than speaking up about issues you care about to people who have the power to make decisions. It can mean asking for special help for your own child by speaking to a teacher or principal. It can mean asking to speak to a manager when the customer service person won’t give you a refund. It could also mean testifying at a city council meeting or even meeting with your Congressional representative about an upcoming vote. The only requirements are that you learn a little about a problem that you care about.

Please contact us if you would like to have a legislative advocacy training done in your community.

Advocacy

• Utah State Legislature website. Utah’s legislature has an award-winning website that allows you to view and track bills, contact legislators, and even live stream hearings and debates.
• Speak with your legislator. Legislators rely on their constituents to voice their concerns on the bills and budget issues before them during the legislative session as well as the interim months. If there are issues you are concerned about send your legislator an email or letter, or just pick up the phone and call. Legislators often cite constituent concerns when they take a position on legislative issues. Remember, they are paid with your taxes to represent you.
• Advocacy 101 (PDF). These are the slides we use for training citizen activists like you.
• Writing an opinion piece or a letter to the editor. Although writing a successful op-ed is a project, there’s no better way to get your thoughts out in front of thousands of people.
  • How to submit an opinion piece to the Salt Lake Tribune
  • Contact the Deseret News directly for information about their opinion piece guidelines.
  • For other newspapers, get in touch with the Editorial Page editor for more information.
• Provide testimony at a public hearing. Public hearings are held in a variety of situations, such as city council meetings, legislative committee meetings, and at school board meetings. Yes, you have to attend meetings! Even State agencies hold public hearings whenever they change their rules. Providing public testimony either in person or in writing gives you an opportunity to weigh in on the issues that are important to you.
• Watch the UAH website. Utahns Against Hunger works on policy and budget issues both on the state and federal level. We will post action items and information about the issues we are working on, you can use our web-site to stay updated on the issues that are important to us.

Top Five Anti-Hunger Opportunities in Utah

1. Help someone you know get food stamps. Why? Anyone who meets the financial requirements for the program is definitely in need of assistance. Helping them get food stamps will give them a stable source of nutritional assistance, ease the strain on charities, and even help stimulate the economy. Use our Food Stamp Calculator to find out if someone you know might qualify.
2. If your child’s school doesn’t offer it, work to get a School Breakfast program started.
3. Talk to your child’s principal about the Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Program.
4. Start a community garden in your neighborhood. This can be anything from sharing your backyard to a more formal and organized effort. Be sure to connect with Wasatch Community Gardens if you happen to live near Salt Lake City.
5. Watch the UAH website for current issues and advocacy opportunities.