The Weekly Food Research and Action Center News Digest highlights what's new on hunger, nutrition and poverty issues at FRAC, at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, around the network of national, state and local anti-poverty and anti-hunger organizations, and in the media. The Digest will alert you to trends, reports, news items and resources and, when available, link you directly to them.

1. Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC) Letter to Congress on Economic Recovery Includes Nutrition Programs
(Global News Service of the Jewish People, January 27, 2009)

A letter to Congress from RAC, on behalf of the Union for Reform Judaism (membership in U.S. of 1.5 million) and the Central Conference of American Rabbis (representing more than 1,800 rabbis), supports the current economic recovery bill, particularly its “strong emphasis on investing in our most vulnerable communities.” Helping people in need is “not an act of charity” but a matter of fundamental principle in the teachings of Judaism, which also teaches that human dignity is destroyed by poverty. “By the time of the Talmud, 2,000 years ago, it was clear that the public sector must play a central role…in securing the well being both of the poor and the broader society,” states the letter. Specific portions of the bill cited include:

Nutrition programs – “Feeding the hungry has been, and remains, a priority for religious communities across the nation.” The letter cites Mark Zandi’s (of Moody’s Economy.com) estimate of $1.73 returned to the economy for every $1 in SNAP/Food Stamp benefits provided to the needy. It also cites analysis by the Economic Policy Institute showing that 185,000 jobs would be saved or created through a 20 percent SNAP/Food Stamp boost. The bill’s $150 million increase for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), as well as expansion of the Afterschool Supper Program, also are noted as key to helping low-income Americans through the economic crisis.

Child Tax Credit – Expanded eligibility for the Child Tax Credit and an increase in the credit amount are cited in the letter for their ability to place much-needed funds in the hands of people who will spend them immediately. “If the threshold were set at the first dollar of earnings, increased income would be provided to 13.3 million more children than under the current $8,500 minimum,” states the letter.

2. While SNAP/Food Stamp Boost Should be Top Priority in Economic Stimulus, Infrastructure Funds Should be Monitored
(Detroit Free Press, January 27, 2009)

Boosting SNAP/Food Stamp benefits “should be at the top of Washington’s stimulus priorities” notes this editorial. The editorial also includes extension of unemployment benefits and increased Medicaid funding as high priorities – another 45,000 people are expected to be laid off from jobs, and 20 million Americans are in danger of losing their health insurance. President Obama and Democrats on the Hill also have proposed “tens of billions” for infrastructure improvements that “they say would make good sense in any economy.” Common sense reveals that these funds would create jobs and “long-term dividends” and provide “a more concentrated economic jolt,” while tax cuts usually go into savings. The authors note that a critical part of infrastructure funding will be the transparency in contracting and monitoring that the President promised.

3. Child Tax Credit, SNAP/Food Stamp Boost in Economic Recovery Package Would Help Middle-Income Families
(The Morning Journal, January 25, 2009)

This editorial notes that Ohio’s December 2008 unemployment rate climbed to 7.3 percent as middle-income workers lost their jobs, homes and health care, and fell into poverty “at an alarming rate.” A report by top Obama administration economic advisors found that spending to help vulnerable Americans would account for 83 percent of new jobs in 2009, while 41 percent of jobs generated by infrastructure spending would not come on line until 2010 or 2011. In addition, a SNAP/Food Stamp increase will place money in the hands of the most needy who will immediately spend it, putting $1.73 into the economy for every $1 in SNAP benefits received. Extending unemployment benefits also provides money to those ready to spend it. Also, tax cuts for families have a “far greater economic pay-off than decreased corporate or capital gain taxes,” because low-income families will spend the money they receive almost immediately. The House proposal to decrease the amount of earnings that qualify a family to receive the Child Tax Credit would return approximately $1.22 to the economy. The recovery plan must also include funding for state budgets, which are running deficits expected to reach $350 billion in the next two-and-a-half years. These deficits are already causing job losses and service cuts in every state.

4. Vilsack Starts Work as New Agriculture Secretary
(Des Moines Register, January 22, 2009)

Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack started work on Wednesday, January 21 as the new Secretary of Agriculture. After taking the oath of office, he participated in a White House Cabinet meeting and installed John Norris as his chief of staff (Norris was also chief of staff for Vilsack’s first two years as governor). Vilsack became the Agriculture Secretary when the Senate confirmed his nomination on Tuesday (Inauguration Day for the President and Vice-President). Meeting late Wednesday with reporters, he said he would put a hold on all regulations USDA issued in the final days of the Bush administration, and promised to “conduct a thorough review” of those regulations. He also said one of his top priorities was civil rights; USDA has a long-running dispute over handling of complaints by black farmers. He deflected questions on policy and appointments, saying, “I’m still trying to figure out how to locate the rooms in this massive building.” David Lazarus began to serve on Wednesday in the key role of special assistant at USDA; Lazarus is a former advisor to Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill. He led an outreach effort to farmers during the presidential campaign.

5. Study Shows SNAP/Food Stamp Purchasing Power Much Lower Now than in 2003
(Economic Research Service, December 2008)

The USDA report titled "Rising Food Prices Take a Bite Out of Food Stamp Benefits" found that the "average monthly loss of food purchasing power for households receiving the maximum benefit" was $22 in FY 2008, significantly steeper than in recent years. Maximum SNAP/Food Stamp benefits are tied to the cost of a diet specified in USDA's Thrifty Food Plan, the government's lowest cost meal plan. The current method of adjusting for changes in food prices, however, results in a shortfall in the amount needed to purchase even the Thrifty Food Plan. According to the report, "In October, the maximum benefit is set equal to the cost of the Thrifty Food Plan in the previous June. So, by October, when the new benefits schedule takes effect, the food stamp benefit adjustment fails to correct for nearly 4 months of price changes...since the adjustment is made only once a year, nearly 16 months will pass before benefits are adjusted again." The study analyzed food prices from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index, information on the cost of the Thrifty Food Plan from USDA's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, and federal regulations governing the adjustment of the Food Stamp Program maximum benefit amount.

6. California SNAP/Food Stamp Workers Laid Off
(NBC Los Angeles, January 5, 2009)

More than 200 employees of the Orange County Social Services Agency were laid off at the beginning of 2009, part of $30 million in cuts to the county budget. SNAP/Food Stamp processors, social workers and Medi-Cal specialists lost their jobs in the downsizing, which may lengthen response times for residents in need of services. Former Orange County Supervisor Bill Steiner, who oversees many of the affected programs, said, “I think there will be a backlash.”

7. SNAP/Food Stamp Applications Overwhelm Caseworkers in Oregon
(Statesman Journal, January 23, 2009)

Oregon state officials are calling the situation “an emergency” as people flood state offices seeking SNAP/Food Stamps and cash assistance. Paula Ancona, an intake worker at the North Salem Children and Families Division office, noted, “Sometimes it’s just chaotic. You can’t even catch your breath.” Workers deal with lines stretching out the door and around the block, the result of Oregon’s rising unemployment rate. To deal with the skyrocketing demand, the Department of Human Services is moving staff to overwhelmed offices and hiring 60 additional workers with funds provided by USDA as a bonus for good SNAP/Food Stamp program administration, although hiring that many employees could take a few months. In addition, the Children and Families Division offices are hoping that providing same-day interviews for benefits will cut down on wait times of a week or more and speed up application processing.

8. California Policy Summit Calls for SNAP/Food Stamp Improvements
(Sacramento Bee, January 14, 2009)

A recent policy summit, timed to take place at the opening of the state’s legislative session and hosted by the California Center for Research on Women and Families, called for the SNAP/Food Stamp program to streamline its application and eligibility process. The SNAP/Food Stamp program has been experiencing increased demand. The summit also asked the legislature to block Governor Schwarzenegger’s proposal to decrease Medi-Cal eligibility. On the same day, nearly 800 advocates for working families gathered in Sacramento to protest deep cuts to food and other aid programs. Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, in budget negotiations at the Capitol, took time out to address the crowd. “The real answer,” he stated, “is to create an economic and job base that guarantees decent wages and benefits.”

9. Each SNAP/Food Stamp Dollar Returns $1.73 in Economic Stimulus
(Philadelphia Inquirer, January 13, 2009)

In this letter to the editor, Sydelle Zove of the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger notes Moody’s Economy.com chief economist Mark Zandi’s testimony to Congress showing $1.73 rise in the GDP for every $1 in SNAP/Food Stamp money spent. This is especially important since out-of-work families and seniors are having trouble putting food on the table. While food donations help in the short term, a temporary increase in food stamp benefits in the economic stimulus package will match conservatives’ need for public stimulus funds to “leverage a significant return” on investment.

10. Staffing Cuts Increase SNAP/Food Stamp Wait Time
(Lower Hudson Valley Journal, January 18, 2009)

Rockland County, New York’s Department of Social Services (DSS) is down 84 positions, through job elimination, positions unfilled due to budget cuts, and an employee buyout package. At the same time, demand for SNAP/Food Stamps and other forms of assistance have increased because of the recession. Consequently, it now takes eight to 12 weeks for a SNAP/Food Stamp or other aid applicant to progress through initial application to final approval. One in three SNAP/Food Stamp applicants, and nearly half of Medicaid applicants, now wait longer than the government-mandated 30 days to receive their benefits. One single mother, who lost her job in December and applied for SNAP/Food Stamps and housing assistance, was told by the social services department that “they’re so far behind” it could be longer than a few weeks until her interview. Rockland DSS deputy commissioner Elizabeth Munro noted “It’s discouraging for [DSS employees] to see so many people in need and not be able to help them in a timely way.”

11. Public Commitment Would End Need for Soup Kitchens
(St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 15, 2009)

While the government has spent nearly $8 trillion in bailout funds, the hungry across the country have gone “virtually unnoticed” writes Sally Katzif, president of the National Council of Jewish Women, St. Louis Section, in this editorial. In 2007, 13 million households (36.2 million people), experienced hunger, while 4.7 million of those households experienced severe food insecurity, with those households skipping meals or lowering the amount of food they consumed. Additional USDA figures show that, for the past three years, one in nine Americans experienced food insecurity. Missouri’s food insecurity rate – nearly 13 percent of households between 2005 and 2007, with 5 percent experiencing “very low food insecurity” -- ranked the state 10th in the nation for food insecurity. Food insecurity in the state increased 27 percent from one in 10 households lacking food in a regular basis in 1996-1998. These figures are expected to rise across the country due to the economy and rising unemployment. Although emergency food providers gain public attention and are “heroic” especially during the winter months, America’s hungry and malnourished need more than “seasonable charitable contributions.” Only through “powerful and immediate strategies to create jobs, save homes, reduce energy costs and manage risk in the economy in a way that does not put everyone’s future in jeopardy when a few choose to gamble,” will the need for soup kitchens be eradicated.

12. North Carolina County SNAP/Food Stamp Numbers Soar, Mirroring State Numbers
(News-Record, January 15, 2009)

Twice as many Guilford County residents applied for SNAP/Food Stamps in December 2008 as in the previous December. Participation has gone from 1,922 to 2,800, as “the economy is crushing everyday people.” Demand increased “sharply” across the state, with 18,000 more people applying for food assistance in September 2008 than in September 2007. “In 22 years in this business, I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Sherry Bradsher, director of the state’s Department of Health and Human Services, of the “startling figure.” Guilford County caseworkers are working overtime and weekends to handle the increased requests, and more people are expected to apply in January 2009. Many are applying for the first time. One recent week saw 125 applicants in Guilford County, half of whom also qualified for emergency food assistance, which provides help within a week.

13. Washington State’s SNAP/Food Stamp Applications Skyrocket
(The Olympian, January 19, 2009)

The number of people applying for SNAP/Food Stamps in Washington rose from 32,000 in November 2007 to 42,000 in November 2008. However, a $5.7 billion budget shortfall is requiring the state to cut 216 full-time Basic Food (the name of SNAP/Food Stamps in the state) positions. The problem is not the money that goes to recipients– up to $463 a month for a family of three – because the federal government provides the benefit in full. Benefit payments do not affect the state budget. The state, though, pays for half of the administrative cost for the program. With the reduced workforce, the processing time for Basic Food applications has increased from eight days to 14. Other nutrition and welfare aid programs are experiencing increased demand, too. Said Choice Regional Health Network executive director Kristen West, “It’s sort of like people’s life circumstances are getting so desperate, they’re needing to access all of these services.” Households on Basic Food find the benefit frees up grocery money to pay for other bills. “That’s what’s happening with working families,” said Thurston County Food Bank director Robert Coit, who is seeing more working families in need. “They’re not coming here because they’re hungry. They are coming here because they don’t have enough money to pay for ‘X’.”

14. Alaska’s Lower Yukon Residents Need Food, Heat
(Bristol Bay Time, January 21, 2009)

Hit by the double whammy of exorbitant fuel prices and the crashed king salmon fishery industry, residents of Emmonak and other villages along the Lower Yukon River are asking the state governor to declare the region a disaster area. Officials met with residents of Emmonak and provided information on aid programs and job training, and cautioned that declaration of a disaster area could take more than a year. Ninety percent of the 800 Emmonak residents applied for SNAP/Food Stamps in January; heating fuel skyrocketed recently to $8.71 a gallon, and until a cold snap broke and the river ice allowed travel for fuel barges, some residents were spending hundreds of dollars to heat their homes every two weeks. Aid isn’t coming quickly enough, according to resident Nicholas Tucker. “People can’t wait right now,” he said. “As we talk, people are without food and heat.”

15. West Virginia County Could See Over Half its Students Receiving Subsidized Meals
(Charleston Daily Mail, January 22, 2009)

By spring 2009, free and reduced-price school meals could go to 55 percent of Kanawha County students according to officials, who say the number reflects “tough economic circumstances.” This translates to more than 1,000 additional children receiving subsidized meals by the end of the school year, noted Gary Hendricks, director of child nutrition in the county. In 1996, he said, free and reduced-price meals went to 39 percent of students. Now, 14,000 students receive the meals, and child nutrition workers are encouraging participation. According to FRAC’s Crystal FitzSimons, families are stretching their food budgets by enrolling their children in the breakfast and lunch programs. “One of the easiest things families can look to for support is the school nutrition program,” she said. In West Virginia, children in families already on a government assistance program are automatically signed up for free and reduced-price meals, and bills are sent to parents so that children aren’t stigmatized through the cafeteria payment process. Direct enrollment is done in the summer, but with the current tough economic times, the state could make a mid-year correction and add children from families experiencing layoffs or reduced work hours and just starting to receive government assistance.

16. Schools Rewarded for Following Project Bread’s Better Breakfast Initiative
(The Daily Item, January 21, 2009)

Nine schools in the Revere, Mass. school system were rewarded with $12,000 in school breakfast funding by Project Bread, the largest anti-hunger organization in the state, for committing to the organization’s Better Breakfast Initiative. The elementary and middle schools now provide morning meals including “whole wheat bagels, low-sugar cereal, low-fat milk, yogurt and fresh fruit…eggs and whole wheat French toast sticks.” In developing the initiative, Project Bread worked with researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, who found that breakfast improves a child’s health, behavior, and ability to learn while reducing absenteeism and tardiness. Additional partners in the initiative are the Harvard School of Public Health and Chartwells School Dining Service. Project Bread’s executive director Ellen Parker presented the $12,000 check to school superintendent Paul Dakin and Mayor Thomas G. Ambrosino, in a short ceremony at the Beaumont School.

17. USDA Honors Tennessee School’s Breakfast Program
(Cleveland Daily Banner, January 18, 2009)

USDA recognized Mayfield Elementary School breakfast program with the Best Practice Award, in honor of the cafeteria manager’s initiative to increase breakfast participation. Manager Donna Eversole created two breakfast options – “Hot Hits the Spot” and “Cold to Go” – placing the cold items in kid-friendly bags, which increased enrollment 65 percent; in numbers, 200 students eat breakfast daily, up from 50 to 60 each day. The USDA award also recognizes the program for its “little financial impact on the school but a big impact on student participation,” according to Cleveland City Schools Child Nutrition Supervisor Shelly Copeland.

18. Montana School District Struggles to Maintain Lunch Enrollment
(Big Fork Eagle, January 22, 2009)

In spite of the recession, free and reduced-price lunch program enrollment has not increased in Montana’s Big Fork School District. “We’re starting to run a deficit for the…program,” said superintendent Russ Kinzer. “Our food costs have increased and there’s been a usage decline because of enrollment.” The district has used flyers and other information to let parents know about the program and the fact that they can sign children up for it at any time. According to FRAC’s recently-released School Breakfast Scorecard, only 42.9 percent of Montana’s low-income students receive free and reduced-price lunch, “below the national average” and needing improvement, said FRAC president Jim Weill. “At a time when more families are struggling and their hardships are increasing, it is imperative to expand the reach of the School Breakfast Program,” he added.

19. Legal Aid Suffers from Interest Rate Drop
(The New York Times, January 19, 2009)

Although requests for help have increased by 30 percent or more, many legal aid offices are being forced to cut staff and services. Legal aid groups help poor people with noncriminal cases, including foreclosure disputes, evictions, and unemployment benefit eligibility. But the Federal Reserve’s recent “steep reduction in its benchmark interest rate” to near zero has proved to be a disaster for legal aid societies, which receive most of their funding from revenues tied to the federal interest rate. Little-known programs “draw interest earned from short-term deposits that lawyers hold in trust for clients during…real estate transactions [or] personal injury payouts,” among others. Legal aid for the poor is the main benefactor of this interest. Now, with real estate transactions declining along with the interest rate, legal aid societies are floundering. In 2007, with the rate at 5 percent, these organizations brought in more than $200 million. “We are watching the interest rates with a sense of horror,” said Steven Eppler-Epstein, director of Connecticut Legal Services, who forecasts that 50 to 150 legal positions could be lost across the state. Agencies that once turned half their clients away are now facing even bigger cuts. “Legal aid can represent only one of every seven people seeking help in the city,” said Steven Banks, chief attorney for New York City’s Legal Aid Society. Victims of Hurricane Ike in Texas, some of whom are living in tents, are overwhelming Lone Star Legal Aid as they attempt to contest federal denials of aid. Lone Star’s $16 million budget is expected to drop to $4 million.

20. Record Numbers of Unemployment Claims Overwhelm States
(USA Today, January 11, 2009)

As the jobless rate climbed from 6.8 percent in November to 7.2 percent in December, and with 11 million unemployed according to the Labor Department, states are overwhelmed with unemployment applications, causing computers to crash and call centers to struggle with the increased call loads.

Ohio’s Web site crashed recently and the state’s unemployment agency handled 10 times the normal phone call volume; calls have gone from 7,500 a day to 80,000; Kentucky doubled its computer capacity and added 100 phone lines, and can now serve at least 3,200 people at once; Michigan will add 90 temporary workers in February on top of 50 already hired to handle 10,000 to 11,000 calls a day; North Carolina paid a record 106,575 claims as its Web site “slowed to a crawl,” and the state is adding 200 temporary workers.

“Many states do not have the infrastructure in place to respond better to the crisis,” said Richard Hobbie, executive director of the National Association of State Workforce Agencies. Other states struggling with the load of unemployment calls and site visits are California, New York, Missouri, and Colorado.

21. Calls to Suicide Hotlines Surge During Recession
(USA Today, January 11, 2009)

Rising unemployment and financial losses are sending more people to mental health crisis and suicide hotlines; areas reporting caller increases after the economy started tanking include Dallas, Pittsburgh, suburban San Francisco, Hyattsville, Md., Georgia, Delaware and Detroit. Callers in Kalamazoo, Mich. with bipolar disorder report that loss of insurance and public health program cutbacks are keeping them from their medications. Lanny Berman, executive director of the American Association of Suicidology (AAS) noted it’s uncertain whether the recession will lead to a greater number of suicides. “Maybe the fact that so many are calling is a positive sign. They’re seeking help,” he said. Suicides did not occur more frequently during recessions since the Great Depression (which did see a spike in suicides), and those recessions lasted 10 months, according to the AAS Web site. This recession has lasted for 13 months. The unemployed, according to Berman, have two to four times the suicide rate of employed adults. And there is a strong link between humiliating losses – “losing your job, losing your home” – and suicide, Berman said.

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