With your help, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm to School grant program could soon see its funding double.

The Senate and House of Representatives are both reviewing versions of a bill to reauthorize and amend the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. Fortunately, both versions would increase funding for Farm to School grants from the current $5 million to $10 million annually. Unfortunately, the fate of these bills is not assured. If Congress does not act by January, funding will remain unchanged.

Allowing Farm to School funding to remain stagnant would be a disservice to communities around the nation. Farm to school provides schoolchildren with more locally grown, fresh produce in their cafeterias, benefitting students, schools, farmers, and the community. Fruit and vegetable consumption among students increased up to 1.3 servings per day when farm to school was implemented. Moreover, for every $1 spent on farm to school, $2.16 is generated in local economic activity, because local farmers are more likely to spend the money they receive locally.

Demand for Farm to School grants is already more than five times higher than available funding, so the increase in funding is desperately needed. Along with the funding increase, both versions of the bill also propose other improvements to Farm to School. These include increasing tribal schools’ access to culturally appropriate food grown locally by tribal producers and expanding the definition of those eligible for grants to include summer, preschool, and afterschool programs.

Although the changes proposed for the Farm to School program are similar, the bills currently proposed by Congress contain some important differences. The House version of the bill seeks to weaken many of the beneficial changes made by the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act. If you want to ensure that all of America’s children grow up healthy, show your support for the Senate version of the bill. Here’s a quick breakdown of the two bills:

Both bills propose changes to the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program. The Senate version creates a hardship exemption, allowing schools that are unable to acquire or store fresh fruit and vegetables to use canned, dried, and frozen alternatives temporarily. These alternatives will gradually be phased out over the course of 4 years, at which point all of the produce provided through the program will be fresh.

The House version, on the other hand, would make highly contested change to the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program. It proposes striking the word “Fresh” from the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable program, allowing schools to use all forms of fruits and vegetables, including canned, frozen, and dried. These changes would be permanent, unlike the temporary exemptions granted by the Senate version.

Another significant drawback of the House version of the bill is that it would drastically reduce the number of schools that are able to provide free meals to all their students. The Community Eligibility Provision, which was created under the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, allows schools in areas where more than 40% of students qualify for federally reimbursable meals to serve meals free for all students. The House bill proposes to raise this to 60%. The Senate version does not propose any changes to this provision, which has been considered successful in reducing hunger, paperwork, and stigma.

Both bills are already more than a year behind schedule. Congress is supposed to create a Child Nutrition Act Reauthorization (CNR) every five years and the last one, the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010, expired on September 30, 2015.

If Congress cannot agree on one version of the bill, farm to school funding will remain stagnant. Debbie Stabenow, a Democrat from Michigan and ranking member of the Senate Agricultural Committee, warns that, “If folks do try to go backwards, there just won’t be a bill, I can assure you.”

What can you do to ensure that the bill is passed?

Email or call your Senators or Representative to let them know you support the Senate version of the bill, the Improving Child Nutrition Integrity and Access Act of 2016 (S.3136). Find contact information for your Senators here and for your Representative here.

Make your voice heard and support increased funding for farm to school today!