Posted on August 8, 2024
Donations spotlight: Help Health Care Voices make U.S. health care work better for all
Note from the CREDO Mobile team: This August, Health Care Voices is among three amazing groups that will receive a share of our monthly grant. Funding from the CREDO community will support Health Care Voices to advocate for affordable comprehensive health care and make our health care system work better for all Americans.
Read this important blog post about Health Care Voices’ critical work, then visit CREDODonations.com and cast your vote to help send funding to the group to assist its efforts—and the efforts of our other outstanding August grantees.
In 2017, Laura Packard, a stage 4 cancer patient, stood up at a town hall held by Dean Heller, Nevada’s conservative U.S. senator, and challenged him on his support for repeal of the Affordable Care Act. “Why do you not care about the lives of thousands of Nevadans and millions of Americans?” she asked. “Why are you voting for me to lose my health coverage? Without it, I will die.”
Packard was kicked out of the event after asking the question but she went on to form Health Care Voices to help other health care activists and people living with serious medical conditions make their voices heard in health policy debates. This is a huge population:
- One in four adults in the U.S. has some type of disability and more than 135 million Americans have preexisting conditions.
- In 2022, 26 million Americans were uninsured. That’s 7.9% of the population. Many struggle with disabilities and serious medical conditions.
- More than 40 million Americans are underinsured and their high out-of-pocket costs mean they can’t afford the health care they may need.
The tens of millions of us with disabilities and preexisting conditions should have a voice in health care policy debates. But you know what always happens. Industry groups with huge lobbying budgets prevail and ordinary people have to struggle to be heard. Many disease-specific and condition-specific advocacy groups are funded by Big Pharma, which restrains their advocacy on affordable drugs, or by Big Insurance, which restrains their advocacy on insurance reform.
Health Care Voices gives patients and activists a voice in health care reform. We train and lift up grassroots advocates to get maximum impact with their own health care stories, becoming trusted media sources, reaching people in their own communities and influencing policymakers. Too often, decisions are made on our care without involving people who will be directly affected. Our free media trainings help diversify that public debate.
Our large-scale online media trainings are available for anyone to watch, an evergreen resource for people across the progressive movement. The resources we offer for free would cost tens of thousands of dollars as a paid media training and that’s out of reach for most small nonprofits or individuals. See our past public media trainings, including topics like how to write a letter to the editor, testify to your legislature and talk to a reporter, here.
Health Care Voices has also organized around state-level and federal-level bills, urging lawmakers to make new laws that strengthen patient rights and the health care system.
This year, our successes include working with the Protect Our Care Illinois coalition to rein in insurance companies by passing the Healthcare Protection Act. The Healthcare Protection Act puts Illinois patients first by ending junk insurance, banning step therapy—a process by insurers override your doctor’s choice of medications and force you to try other medications first—banning prior authorization for crisis mental health care—so you can get help right away, rather than fight with your insurance company first—improving network adequacy—no more provider lists of doctors who don’t take your insurance or don’t even exist—and ending unchecked rate increases for large group insurance companies.
We’re currently working with Pennsylvania Health Access Network on two bills to stop large hospital systems in Pennsylvania from driving up health care costs. HB 2344 will create a process for monitoring hospital acquisitions and closures that takes community members’ voices into account and protects local communities’ access to care. HB 2339 will give Pennsylvanians more information when they seek medical care by requiring hospitals to publish their prices and notify patients in advance of facility fees.
That’s not all we do. Care Talk, our call-in streaming show and podcast, offers expert advice to educate viewers on how to personally navigate the U.S. health care and health insurance system and deepen their understanding of the structural forces at work that keep Americans from getting care. We plan to relaunch Care Talk this fall to keep our audience up to date on threats to health care access and opportunities to improve it.
By training and informing people who are already navigating the U.S. health care system through serious medical conditions, we help build a movement of grassroots advocates ready to respond to threats to existing health care protections and to lobby for improvements to the system.
Together we’re making health care more affordable and more accessible to Americans than ever before and working toward health care for all.
This month, you can vote to help CREDO Mobile distribute a portion of its monthly grant to Health Care Voices and help our work with health care activists around the country.
Learn more about the vital work of HCV at HealthCareVoices.org.
Posted on August 1, 2024
Donations spotlight: Support VoteRiders in its work to ensure that all citizens can exercise their right to vote
Note from the CREDO Mobile team: This August, VoteRiders is among three amazing groups that will receive a share of our monthly grant. Funding from the CREDO community will support VoteRiders in its work to help citizens secure their voter ID and ensure that no eligible voter is prevented from casting a ballot due to voter ID laws.
Read this important blog post about VoteRiders’ critical work, then visit CREDODonations.com and cast your vote to help send funding to the group to assist its efforts—and the efforts of our other outstanding August grantees.
As Americans prepare to head to the polls this November, they’ll face new and stricter voting laws that have been ushered in by an unprecedented wave of legislation since the last presidential election. Voter ID laws have been front and center in this wave, making it harder, more confusing and more costly for people to cast a ballot. 38 states have voter ID laws in place for the 2024 election—more than ever before—and a whopping 18 states have passed new or stricter ID laws since 2020.
VoteRiders is the country’s leading organization focused exclusively on helping citizens overcome the confusing, time-consuming and expensive barriers created by voter ID laws. Since 2012, we’ve helped millions of voters cast a ballot that counts.
We know firsthand the impact that these laws can have—and who they most harm. Voter ID laws particularly impact young voters, communities of color, people with disabilities and low-income individuals. Women who change their name upon marriage or divorce, as well as transgender and nonbinary voters, also face powerful challenges related to voter ID laws. These communities are disproportionately represented among the estimated 34.5 million Americans who don’t have an ID or don’t have one that reflects their current name, address or gender.
Voter confusion around ID laws is also at an all-time high. Our recent research found that over half of voters residing in states with strict photo ID laws aren’t sure what they need to bring to the polls. We also know that confused voters, who are unsure about ID requirements in their state, may stay home even though they have what they need to cast a ballot.
As litigation efforts play out in court and advocacy efforts continue over time, VoteRiders and our allies are in a race against time. Our staff, which consists of more than 1,600 historical partner organizations and over 10,000 volunteers, is working across the country and around the clock to ensure that the millions of voters who don’t have the ID information or documents they need to cast a ballot get everything they need in time for upcoming elections.
Our goals this election cycle are ambitious. We’re committed to a bigger-than-ever outreach campaign that will directly reach at least 10 million voters with ID information and free help before Election Day.
Our voter ID assistance programs provide free help to eligible voters to obtain state-issued IDs and any necessary underlying documents like a birth certificate. We cover all costs along the way and offer free transportation to and from ID-issuing offices. Our staff organizes Voter ID clinics at places like shelters, food banks and community resource fairs, meeting voters where they are. We operate a year-round Voter ID helpline and chatbot and recently established a network of Voter ID assistance hubs, which support local partner organizations to independently offer ID help to the communities they serve.
When we help people secure an ID, we support them to unlock not just their freedom to vote but also to live and thrive. An ID is often the key to employment, housing, healthcare and more.
In parallel, our voter ID education programs help voters understand ID requirements and empower them to cast a ballot with confidence. We distribute millions of state-specific Voter ID information cards and maintain a comprehensive website offering up-to-date voter ID information and tailored guidance. Our staff leads webinars and presentations on voter ID laws, we engage in community outreach and tabling, and we mobilize volunteers year-round to text and write letters to millions of at-risk voters.
With the stakes for this coming election at an all-time high, it’s more urgent than ever that all of us step up now and do all we can. VoteRiders is ready to scale our work even further but we can’t do it without you. As a nimble and highly effective nonprofit organization, we rely on our supporters to help us expand our reach. VoteRiders has gained recognition for its impact and professionalism, achieving the support of major institutions and receiving perfect marks from the nonprofit rating groups: Charity Navigator, Candid (formerly GuideStar) and the Better Business Bureau.
This August, you can vote to tell CREDO Mobile to distribute a portion of its monthly grant to VoteRiders. Together, we can make a difference and ensure that no eligible voter is left behind.
Learn more about VoteRiders at VoteRiders.org or via social media. Follow us @VoteRiders on all platforms.
Posted on July 31, 2024
Vote for Earth Guardians, Health Care Voices and VoteRiders in August
Every vote makes a difference. This month CREDO Mobile is supporting 3 amazing progressive nonprofits. How the donation is allocated is up to you and your vote.
Earth Guardians
Earth Guardians is an international trailblazer in youth development for climate justice solutions, especially among marginalized groups and those most affected. We utilize education, training, community building, and direct action – shifting power into the hands of the next generation. Your vote will help us train diverse youth to be influential leaders at the forefront of the global climate movement, using art-vism, civic engagement, non-violent direct action, and community-led regenerative solutions. Support grassroots climate justice solutions today!
Health Care Voices
We’re a grassroots group of health care advocates for affordable comprehensive health care, fighting the high cost of care in America, and making our health care system work better for all. We stay independent by never taking money from Big Pharma. Funding from CREDO will help bring back our weekly streaming show, CareTalk, answering your questions about navigating the U.S. health care system, and help us offer more free online media trainings for activists like you to make your voices heard.
VoteRiders
VoteRiders seeks to ensure that no eligible voter is prevented from casting a ballot that counts due to voter ID laws, either directly from lack of acceptable ID or indirectly because of voter confusion. Funding from CREDO members will help ensure that millions of voters in the 38 states with voter ID laws have what it takes to cast a ballot. Your support will also help these individuals use their new IDs to gain access to employment, housing & more!
Voting is quick, easy and free. Be sure to vote by the end of the month.
CREDO Mobile customers who use our service everyday are the reason we are able to make these donations each month. Learn more about CREDO Mobile and help make progressive change every time you use your phone.
Posted on July 31, 2024
July’s Grantees thank you for your support
In July, CREDO members voted to distribute our monthly donation among Planet Reimagined, Slow Food USA and Supermajority. Three great nonprofits all working for a better world. We are proud to partner with them. We are so thankful for our CREDO Mobile customers. When our customers use their CREDO Mobile service, they generate funds for our donations program.
Planet Reimagined
Thank you for joining the climate justice movement! Donations from CREDO members reinforce the much-needed resources to unite and mobilize climate experts, policymakers, businesses, young climate leaders, and broad audiences for measurable impact. – Adam Met, PhD; Planet Reimagined Founder & Executive Director; 8X Platinum Artist as the A in AJR
Learn more about Planet Reimagined and their mission to fight the climate crisis and deliver fair solutions for people and the planet here: https://www.planetreimagined.com/
Slow Food USA
Thank you to the CREDO community for supporting our work to make food more local, sustainable, worker-centered and delicious. Your advocacy for Slow Food USA empowers our network of fierce volunteer leaders and talented food producers! – Bilal Sarwari, Interim Executive Director
Learn more about Slow Food USA and their work to create a food system that prioritizes the preservation and promotion of good, clean, and fair food here: https://slowfoodusa.org/
Supermajority
Thank you for voting for Supermajority! CREDO members are helping us reach and inspire young women to get civically engaged. Building our collective power would not be possible without the support of partners like CREDO’s donation program! – Taylor Salditch, Executive Director
You can learn more about Supermajority and their work to mobilize young women here: https://supermajority.com/
Now check out the three groups we are funding in August, and cast your vote to help distribute our donations.
CREDO Mobile customers who use our products are the reason why we are able to make these donations each month. Learn more about CREDO Mobile, the phone company that is better for all people and the planet. If you are not a customer, please consider switching your service to CREDO Mobile. If you are already a customer, thank you and do tell your friends. No other company has a community centered donations program like this.
Posted on July 29, 2024
Solve this puzzle and change the world
Here’s a puzzle: What phone company is best for you?
The answer is easy: CREDO Mobile.
We’re the only phone company that has donated over $95 million to the progressive causes you care about, like women’s rights, climate action, LGBTQ+ equality and many more.
Like the sound of that? Talk to us at 1-866-996-4341.
Join CREDO today and you can get a $100 prepaid card, when you bring your phone to CREDO Mobile. It is as easy to switch as when your first Wordle guess is 4 greens.
You’ll also get a great rate on the plan you want, the nation’s most reliable network and fast, friendly customer service.
CREDO Mobile. Not a puzzle. A solution.
Posted on July 23, 2024
Switch today, change tomorrow: Join CREDO Mobile
What do you see here?
We see the future. We see 18 diverse, dynamic nonprofit groups working to make our world what it should be: more free, more fair, more sustainable.
That’s why we funded them. In the first half of the year, we donated to these 18 non-profits. And we’ll donate to 18 more non-profits working for a better world in the second half of the year.
This is what we do: give millions in funding to progressive nonprofits fighting to make our world a better place.
Some of them are old, some new. Some big, some small. They’re fearless, like Advocates for Trans Equality. They’re timely, like Reproductive Freedom for All. They’re urgent, like Black Voters Matter.
They all deserve support, so we give it. Because we’re not only a best-in-class mobile service. We don’t just offer a variety of affordable plans, deals on new devices, and the nation’s top-rated network.
We’re more than that, much more. We’re a community of people who care deeply about our future and are dedicated to making it better.
Join us. Be part of our movement.
Posted on July 23, 2024
Tuna surprise: Eating canned fish is one of the best ways you can fight climate change
If you’re of a certain age, you might remember the days when canned tuna was a regular purchase at the grocery store—and made regular appearances on the dinner table, in dishes like tuna casserole, tuna salad and tuna-stuffed tomatoes.
Those days are gone. Consumption of canned tuna has dropped by almost half over the past three decades.
There are various explanations for the decline. The tuna industry blames millennials. “A lot of millennials don’t even own can openers,” Andy Mecs, VP of marketing and innovation for StarKist, told the Wall Street Journal, adding canned tuna to the long list of foods millennials have killed, from raisins to mayonnaise to American cheese.
A climate ripe for canned fish
Now, though, canned tuna is rising again, along with other canned fish, like anchovies and sardines. The reason is climate change. Canned fish is the lowest-carbon animal protein there is. It doesn’t need energy for refrigeration, doesn’t go bad and is very sustainable compared to other sources of animal protein.
The food we produce and the way we do it is a major contributor to climate warming. It must be grown, processed and shipped to market, and all of these put carbon into the atmosphere. Around one-third of the greenhouse gases that humans emit are connected to our food and the biggest contributor of carbon emissions is meat production.
If you’re concerned about climate change and want to modify your eating habits to help the climate, there are various steps you can take. You can go vegetarian or vegan. If you want to keep eating meat—or a reasonable facsimile—you can buy plant-based “meat.”
Or you can push your cart over to the canned foods aisle and toss in some tinned fish. Wild fish provides you the most protein with the least carbon emissions. And when it’s canned, it’s even better, because it needs no refrigeration and never ends up as food waste because it never spoils.
Wild fish don’t need feed, which is a large source of emissions in the livestock industry. Fish also don’t need any of the energy inputs that cows, pigs and chickens do. Further, fish don’t belch methane. In total, the catching of wild fish produces only 4% of emissions from global food production and the catching of those fish that go into cans produces a scant 2%.
The sustainability question
Of course, if we’re going to rely on fish as a way to address climate change, we must ensure that wild fish populations are not exhausted by overfishing. Currently, just 16% of wild fisheries are certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council.
And then there’s the fact that wild fish are very sensitive to climate change and warming oceans. Which means that, if we want to enjoy wild fish in the future—canned or fresh—we need to take climate action whenever and wherever we can.
The phone company that fights for our climate
To save our climate, we must change. Not only how we eat but how we shop, how we get around, how we live our lives. Always, we must make choices that work for our planet, not against it.
Here’s a choice you can make now: CREDO Mobile. Join us and, just by using your phone, you’ll generate vital support for nonprofit groups fighting for climate action. Groups like 350.org, Earthjustice and the Center for Biological Diversity. To date, we’ve given over $20 million to these climate warriors and many others.
Our donations are automatic—and they cost you nothing extra. But they mean everything the groups that rely on us.
Ready to switch? Ready to take the urgent action our climate needs? It’s easy to do.
Join CREDO Mobile and you’ll get all you want from a phone company: competitive rates, great deals on new devices and nationwide coverage on the top-rated, most reliable network. You’ll also get the good feeling that comes with taking climate action—just by using your phone.
Posted on July 16, 2024
How to limit your data use and save money on your phone bill
A lot of people these days are looking to cut back on their spending. If you’re doing the same, one place you might look is your mobile plan. If you’re not a heavy data user, you could save by choosing a metered rather than unlimited data plan. Over the course of a year, you could cut your bill by hundreds of dollars.
What’s a metered data plan? It’s a plan that gives you a set amount of data per month. Here at CREDO, we have metered plans from 1GB per month to 15GB per month. Choosing one of these could save you money. That’s why we offer them—and why many other carriers don’t. Because they’d rather have you on an unlimited-data plan.
Which is fine, if you use a lot of data. Then an unlimited plan is a good choice. That’s why we have a high-value unlimited-data plan ourselves. But if you don’t use a lot of data each month, you might be better off with a metered plan.
The first step in deciding is to learn how much data you use. Many people meet their needs with just 3GB or 5GB a month. To see how much you use, check your bill. If you can’t find your data usage there (some carriers go out of their way to hide it) you can check your phone.
On an Android, open Settings, tap Network & internet > Data usage. On an iPhone, go to Settings, then tap Cellular or Mobile data. Scroll down to Current period.
So it’s decided: a metered plan might be good for you. But it won’t be good if you exceed the cap on your plan and you get charged overage fees. To avoid this, you can limit your data usage. Here’s how to do it.
Use WiFi when you can
Some of your favorite phone activities can burn a lot of data. Like to watch videos? Streaming standard-definition video uses up to 1 GB an hour, high-definition uses up to 2.5 GB an hour and ultra-high-definition up to 10 GB an hour.
If you’re on a metered data plan, you’ll quickly exceed your limit. So connect to WiFi whenever you can, whether you’re at home or away, at a friend’s house or the cafe. You’ll save a lot of cellular data this way.
Update and download only when you’re on WiFi
When your phone asks you to update or download using cellular data, say no. Wait till you’re connected to WiFi. Ignore those prompts to update to a new OS or new version of an app.
Turn off Smart Network Switch or WiFi Assist
Android and Apple devices will automatically use data to improve your WiFi connection. On an Android, this function is called Smart Network Switch, on an iPhone it’s called WiFi Assist. If your WiFi signal is weak, these functions will boost it by using cellular data.
To save data, turn them off. On your Android, go to Settings > Connections > WiFi. Tap the three dots, then tap Advanced. You’ll see a slider for Switch to mobile data. Slide it off. On your iPhone, go to Settings > Cellular. Scroll down and you’ll see a slider for WiFi Assist. Slide it off.
Turn off autoplay
Video apps like YouTube will automatically play the next video—and use data to do it—unless you turn off the autoplay option. At YouTube, this is under Settings. Navigate there and slide off Autoplay next video. Now your phone won’t continuously play videos while it’s in your pocket.
Limit background data use
Apps constantly update and refresh themselves even when they’re not running on your screen, using your data to update your social media feed, sync your emails and more.
You can disable background data usage by apps individually. Or you can do it more easily with Data Saver Mode (Android) or Low Data Mode (iPhone and iPad, iOS 13 and later). When turned on, these modes will ensure that apps and services running in the background can only use WiFi data, while currently active apps and services can use mobile data.
On your Android, open Settings. Tap Network & internet > Data Saver. Slide it off. The process for enabling Low Data Mode on your iPhone depends on the type of network you’re connected to. If you’re on LTE/4G, go to Settings, tap Cellular, tap Cellular data options, then slide on Low Data Mode. If you’re on 5G, go to Settings, tap Cellular, tap Cellular data options, select Data mode, then slide on Low Data Mode.
Set warnings and limits
You can set your phone to warn you when you’re approaching your monthly allotment of data. You can also set your phone to limit your data use and stay below your allotment.
On your Android, open Settings, then tap Network & internet > Internet. Tap Settings next to your provider’s name, then tap Data warning & limit. To set a warning, turn on Set data warning, then tap Data warning and enter a number. You’ll get a notification when you reach that number. To set a limit, turn on Set data limit. When you get an onscreen message, tap OK. Tap Data limit, enter a number, then tap Set.
Apple devices don’t offer these options but they may be available via your carrier.
Switch to CREDO Mobile
We have a variety of plans to suit you, from 1GB per month up to unlimited data, with rates that meet your needs. The average CREDO Mobile customer uses less than 5GB per month. Many people can save hundreds of dollars per year, switching to a metered plan with CREDO Mobile.
Switch today and you’ll get all you want in a mobile service: the nation’s top-rated network, competitive plans, great deals on new phones and friendly, responsive customer service.
You’ll also get an easy, effective way to support positive change, just by using your phone. Because whenever you do, you’ll raise vital donations for nonprofit groups like Friends of the Earth, Social Security Works and Reproductive Freedom for All.
To date, we’ve given over $95 million to these and many other nonprofits dedicated to making our world a better place. These donations cost our customers nothing extra. But they mean everything to the groups that rely on us.
Ready to switch? Join CREDO Mobile today.
Posted on July 15, 2024
CREDO funding supports the National Network to End Domestic Violence in its effort to create a world where domestic violence no longer exists
Domestic violence is a quiet crisis. Though it seldom receives coverage, it is shockingly common.
Almost 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the U.S. 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have suffered physical violence by an intimate partner. For 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men, that violence was extreme—beating, strangling, burning. It goes on. And on.
But the National Network to End Domestic Violence is taking action to stop it. That’s why CREDO supports NNEDV and why we recently gave a significant grant to the group.
A wide range of programs to support victims
NNEDV is a social change organization. It knows that, working together across different sectors and from all different angles, we can create a society where domestic violence no longer exists. But NNEDV doesn’t only address the causes of domestic violence, it operates a range of programs to ease the consequences.
NNEDV’s efforts are multifaceted and far-reaching. They include:
- Advocating for policies that meet the ongoing and emerging needs of domestic violence victims, including advocacy on Capitol Hill and in the White House.
- Responding to technology abuse, supporting survivors in their use of tech and harnessing tech to improve services provided to victims.
- Supporting transitional housing programs across the country and advocating for improved housing-related policies.
- Addressing the intersection of domestic violence and HIV/AIDS.
- Maintaining an Economic Justice program that focuses on financial abuse (99% of domestic violence victims also suffer financial abuse) so that survivors can move from short-term safety to long-term security.
- Providing credit-building microloans to survivors of financial abuse through NNEDV’s one-of-a-kind Independence Project.
- Publishing the annual Domestic Violence Counts Report, which informs local and national policy decisions by providing a snapshot of the services people received, requested and were turned away from because programs lacked resources.
- Operating the WomensLaw Email Hotline and WomensLaw.org, which provide free, plain-language legal information and support in both English and Spanish for survivors, their advocates and loved ones.
Expanded efforts, powered by CREDO funding
Our recent grant to NNEDV has strengthened its many programs, including technology safety, coalition capacity-building, housing, HIV/AIDS, the WomensLaw Email Hotline, the Independence Project and advocacy to meet the ongoing and emerging needs of domestic violence victims.
Our funding aided NNEDV’s success in leveraging the power of its member coalitions and the local programs they represent. It bolstered NNEDV’s leadership of efforts to influence Congress, and provide tools and information to help coordinate the domestic violence field. And it boosted NNEDV’s vital Economic Justice program by funding advocate training and education, as well as NNEDV’s microloan program.
Our grant supported the launch, on March 20 at a bipartisan Congressional briefing on Capitol Hill, of the 18th Annual Domestic Violence Counts Report. It helped NNEDV host its 7th Annual Economic Justice Summit, March 5-7, in Kansas City, Missouri. And it assisted NNEDV’s work with the Oregon coalition and other domestic violence, sexual violence and homelessness organizations to organize the Grants Pass v. Johnson amicus brief led by the National Housing Law Project. NNEDV collected signatures on the domestic violence and sexual assault-focused brief and worked with other organizations to devise an amicus strategy.
NNEDV and CREDO: making a difference together
For too long, victims of domestic violence suffered in silence. Now, thanks to the work of organizations like NNEDV, survivors know they can leave abusive relationships and rebuild their lives. And we all know that, together, we can create a social, political and economic environment in which domestic violence no longer exists.
If you’re a CREDO customer, thank you for supporting NNEDV. If you’re not a customer, please consider joining now. You’ll get all you want from a phone company: the nation’s top-rated network, competitive plans and great deals on new devices.
And you’ll get much more. You’ll get an easy, effective way to make a difference in the world by generating much-needed donations for progressive nonprofits dedicated to the causes you believe in, like the environment, human rights and economic equality.
To learn more about the critical work NNEDV does, go to NNEDV.org.
Posted on July 15, 2024
Donations spotlight: Support Slow Food USA as it works to fix our out-of-control food system
Note from the CREDO Mobile team: This July, Slow Food USA is among three amazing groups that will receive a share of our monthly grant. Funding from the CREDO Mobile community will support Slow Food USA in its work to fix our out-of-control food system.
Read this important blog post about Slow Food USA’s critical work, then visit CREDODonations.com and cast your vote to help send funding to the group to assist its efforts — and the efforts of our other outstanding July grantees.
Madre Salone Del Gusto food summit in September 2022.
Our food system is in crisis. Gigantic food corporations now dominate where, once, small-scale farms served their communities. Instead of building relationships around food, we make transactions. Instead of making food choices based on flavor and origin, we prioritize convenience. Instead of treating the Earth like the source of all life, we pillage resources from our planet. Our food story in the U.S. is rooted in oppression, colonialism, racism and greed.
Given the enormous complexity of global food systems and the generations of targeted oppression they’re built on, there is no single solution to this crisis. But change can happen if we cultivate trusting relationships, align around shared values and work together for collective liberation.
This is the work of Slow Food: to achieve good, clean and fair food for all through coming together and mapping out a better food future. Throughout the world, Slow Food movements are responding to the unique challenges, traditions and opportunities in their regions and defining what it would take to achieve good, clean and fair food for all.
Slow Food is where anyone who eats can find belonging. Since its beginnings, Slow Food has grown into a global movement involving 1 million people in over 160 countries. Through our food choices and by taking direct action to shape our food future, we can collectively influence the way food is cultivated, produced and distributed, and make meaningful change as a result.
Help Slow Food grow
The Credo Mobile community can activate this new way of being by voting for Slow Food USA, the national association of 500,000 activists working tirelessly to effect change in foodways across the nation.
Slow Food USA strives to create a world where all people can eat food that is good for them, good for the people who grow it and good for the planet. Our vibrant network of 3,000 chefs, farmers, ranchers, fish harvesters, educators, eaters, activists, organizers and entrepreneurs are mobilized via 80 member-led chapters across the country. Chapters take the three pillars of Slow Food—biodiversity, education and advocacy—and bring them to life in ways that are relevant to their cities and regions.
Slow Food chapters uplift sustainable food producers and work to end hunger. Some chapters emphasize education and school garden programs while others focus on partnerships with community groups. For instance, at Slow Food Atlanta local volunteers have built lasting connections in the metro area through the Snail of Approval program, which recognizes food and beverage businesses that are pursuing and practicing Slow Food values. This is more than about making good food—it’s about making commitments to the environment, local communities, employees and purveyors, and our core values of anti-racism and anti-oppression.
Food insecurity is not only a regional issue but a national one. According to the USDA, more than 34 million people in the U.S. are food insecure. There are people in every state who struggle to afford food and continuously lack access to healthy options. One Slow Food USA chapter in Jackson, Wyoming, Slow Food in the Tetons, takes on food insecurity by lowering the barrier to farm-fresh food. This chapter created the Local Food Discount Program, which helps people in the community purchase farm and ranch food at affordable prices. Slow Food in the Tetons finds it encouraging to know that it has a connection with other Slow Food communities around the world who are working toward similar goals.
Support Plant a Seed
Our team at the national office works around the year to provide rich programming for our volunteer network. One example is the Plant a Seed program, which celebrates biodiversity on farms, gardens and schools. Through Plant a Seed, Slow Food USA invites growers to engage with food in our gardens and on our plates.
Every year, Plant a Seed puts together a cast of endangered and biodiverse seeds that tell a story and offers them in a kit. The varieties in each kit come from a unique grower and landscape, and tell a story of plants and people. The Plant a Seed campaign opens a door to understanding the importance of biodiversity and issues of food sovereignty through the cultivation and journey of seeds.
The 2024 kit features grains and roots. It invites supporters to ground themselves and connect the dots among soil health, human health and planetary health by exploring roots and grains. This year, 700 Plant a Seed kits arrived at school, community and home gardens to flourish.
Ultimately, we aim to bring awareness of the way that simple acts of growing culturally significant crops in our gardens can impact our climate and nutrition while we learn from the communities who are stewarding them.
To learn more about what we do and ways you can help, go to SlowFoodUSA.org.
