2:00pm ET / 11:00am PT

All You Can Eat: Developments in Immigrant Access to Food Programs

Join the Protecting Immigrant Families Coalition (PIF) and partners Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), Feeding America, and No Kid Hungry for an overview and update on the latest developments in immigrant families’ access to food and nutrition programs. Learn about recent successes in ensuring funding for WIC, the upcoming battles over SNAP funding, and the exciting expansion of Summer EBT food access. PIF and partners will also share strategies and new materials to support your outreach efforts to immigrant families and to help them access food programs without fear.

Speakers

Salaam Bhatti, SNAP Director, Food Research and Action Center

Salaam has worked in social justice, public benefits, and human rights for more than 11 years. At the Food Research and Action Center, Salaam leads the SNAP team to end poverty-related hunger by protecting and strengthening SNAP.

Before joining FRAC, he was the public benefits attorney and deputy director of the Virginia Poverty Law Center (VPLC), where he specialized in public benefits law. During his term, he directed the development of a SNAP eligibility calculator to make food assistance more accessible to households with low incomes, successfully lobbied the state assembly to effectively champion bipartisan efforts to extend SNAP eligibility to over 25,000 households, expanded access to Child Nutrition Programs, and repealed laws that denied SNAP and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, known as TANF, to those with drug felonies.

Chloe Eberhardt, Senior Program Manager, Share Our Strength Center for Best Practices

Chloe is responsible for supporting a growing body of work on SNAP, Summer EBT, and benefits integration. She identifies and shares best practices in expanding access to SNAP and Summer EBT, develops tools and resources that facilitate program improvement and access, and fosters systems change efforts and cross-state learning. Prior to joining Share Our Strength, Chloe worked as a Policy Advocate with Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon ensuring SNAP access and leading policy and legislative initiatives addressing the root causes of hunger. Before her time with Hunger-Free Oregon, she was a community organizer in rural Oregon focused on local food systems efforts.

Chioma Hauenstein, Manager, Underfunded Communities, Share Our Strength – No Kid Hungry

Chioma Hauenstein, a former educator and Assistant Principal in the New York City Department of Education, brings her over a decade long experience into her current role at Share Our Strength- No Kid Hungry. As the first American-born in her family, she offers a unique perspective to her work to advocate for the health and wellbeing of immigrant families and other disinvested communities. Her journey from teacher to educational leader has imbued her with a deep understanding of the nuanced challenges faced by students and families. With her lived experience and professional expertise in mind and heart, Chioma passionately engages with organizations to champion equity, access, and support for diverse populations in schools and beyond.

Julia Lemp, Manager, Policy, Feeding America

Julia serves as a Policy Manager on the Feeding America Government Relations Team, working to end hunger through federal public policy change. Prior to joining Feeding America, Julia served as the inaugural Policy Specialist at the Capital Area Food Bank in Washington DC and as lead of the Advocacy Team in her role as a Marketing Communications Specialist at Northern Illinois Food Bank. Julia’s previous work experience has been focused on government relations and communications in both the nonprofit and public sectors. Julia received her B.A. in Political Communication from The George Washington University, and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Public Affairs from Indiana University. Julia resides in DC with her partner, Jason, and their newly adopted dog, Bagel.

Alicia Wilson, Community Education and State Policy, Protecting Immigrant Families Coalition

Alicia Wilson facilitates the Protecting Immigrant Families Coalition’s work with state advocates to advance immigrant access to public benefits at the state and local level, as well as community education efforts to effectively spread the word to immigrant families about public charge and benefits access.

Alicia leads efforts to bring knowledge and best practices from the field into the national campaign and to convene advocates from across sectors and across the country to share information and learn from each other. The PIF Coalition has created dozens of educational materials for advocates, service providers, and immigrant families: from fact sheets to videos, and from Train-the-Trainer curricula to webinar templates, routinely translating materials into 9 languages for greater access.

Alicia served as the Executive Director of a Latino-serving Federally Qualified Health Center for 10 years and began her career by supporting immigrant families who were navigating welfare reform’s exclusions from public benefits programs. She brings a special focus on racial equity and coalition building to her work with PIF.