A recently released report reveals that a new kind of health care provider, like the one proposed in the state Legislature last session, can effectively serve children and families who have a hard time getting affordable dental care.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the nation’s number-one defense against hunger. And it’s shaped by the Farm Bill, a piece of legislation renewed every five years by Congress, and up for consideration in the Senate Agriculture Committee on Wednesday.

Much of the Farm Bill debate centers on farm subsidies. Wealthy, vested interests are sure to weigh in. But with more than 1 million Washingtonians participating in Basic Food (our name for the program here in Washington), we need to make sure the voices of hungry families are heard.

At the Children’s Alliance we strive to protect children from the lethal effects of racism and inequality through advocacy: by working to change laws and policies so they create a better environment for all children.

As the close of the legislative session made clear, advocacy can work wonders. Yet it can’t intervene in a potentially fatal interaction between two individuals. When one of those interactions comes to pass, as it did for 17-year-old Trayvon Martin Feb. 26 in Sanford, Fla., there is good reason for outrage.

And, amid our outrage, there are reasons to act.