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. FRAC Provides Analysis of Nutrition Programs in President’s Budget
(FRAC, February 1, 2010)

President Obama’s recently-released FY 2011 budget proposal makes important new investments in federal programs that support food security and income security. In light of the ongoing recession and the growing need for nutrition program supports, it anticipates substantial continued caseload growth for SNAP/Food Stamps, school meals, and the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program, but it also boosts program participation and benefits, in targeted ways, above those driven by the economy alone. Most notably, the budget also provides $10 billion over the next ten years for Child Nutrition Reauthorization and acknowledges that reauthorization will play an important role in meeting the President’s goal of ending childhood hunger by 2015. Nutrition program details in the budget include:

$10 billion over the next ten years for Child Nutrition Reauthorization; acknowledges that reauthorization will play an important role in meeting the President’s goal of ending childhood hunger by 2015;
$57.2 billion for SNAP/Food Stamps, an increase of nearly $7.6 billion over FY 2010;
$397 million for the Summer Food Service Program, an increase of $10 million;
$87.8 million increase for CACFP, bringing the projected total FY 2011 CACFP expenditures to $2.7 billion;
$7.6 billion in new budget authority for the WIC program -- an increase of approximately $350 million above the 2010 level (excluding the added funding in the economic recovery act, or ARRA).

2. Anti-Hunger Letter to Congress Asks for $1 Billion/Year for Child Nutrition Programs
(KGMI, January 23, 2010)

A letter from an anti-hunger coalition to congressional leaders called for at least $1 billion a year in new child nutrition program funding, which would be a step toward meeting the goal of eliminating childhood hunger by 2015. President Obama pledged to end child hunger by 2015, noted the letter, and stated that the President also proposed a $1 billion increase for child nutrition a year ago. “Given the recent (Agriculture Department) report showing that one in every four children live in households struggling against hunger,” wrote the coalition, “the child nutrition programs will need at least that amount of funding, if not a significantly higher investment, to respond to the current crisis.”

3. SNAP/Food Stamp Backlog Cleared in Wisconsin
(Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, January 29, 2010)

Wisconsin has cleared last year’s backlog of thousands of SNAP/Food Stamp applications, and preliminary figures for the last four months show the state met or exceeded the 30-day processing deadline for 93 percent of applicants. In mid-2009, the state processed only 82 percent of applications in 30 days, as the expanded BadgerCare program flooded the system with new applications. The state improved the number to 87 percent by September. Federal officials warned the state could do better – according to federal guidelines, states should be processing 95 percent of applications within the 30-day deadline. A December 29 USDA letter to the state’s Health Services Secretary Karen Timberlake noted that Wisconsin has lagged in issuing SNAP/Food Stamps since late 2007, and calls for the state to make a greater effort in the FoodShare program (the state’s name for SNAP/Food Stamps), “to ensure that the state operates at a level that inspires confidence by customer and taxpayer alike.” The program is critical, noted USDA/FNS spokesman Alan Shannon, “especially right now in the recession, we’ve got people coming into the program for the first time.” The USDA letter to Wisconsin also said that client interviews in the Madison Enrollment Services Center weren’t thorough enough, and should be done by trained state employees, according to federal law. Wisconsin had contracted benefit certification out to a private firm running the centralized employment center in Madison. Timberlake’s office said that the state met the 7-day turnaround time for issuing SNAP/Food Stamps to the lowest-income households applying – those earning less than $150 a month. Wisconsin saw a 40 percent increase in SNAP/Food Stamp participation between 2008 and the end of 2009; the program now helps nearly 700,000 families.

4. New Jersey County Sees Increased SNAP/Food Stamp Participation
(NJ.com, January 31, 2010)

SNAP/Food Stamp participation in Essex County, New Jersey, increased by 50 percent in the last two years, said Bruce Nigro, the county’s director of welfare. Two years ago in Montclair, 925 people applied for the program. The number jumped to 1,256. In West Orange, the number climbed from 750 to 1,371; Maplewood’s participation grew from 347 to 637, and Livingston’s increased from 85 to 161. Social services workers, representing 50 agencies, converged recently on the Essex County Skating Rink to count the homeless and connect them to services; the effort extends to other counties in the state as well. Three hours before the rink’s doors opened at 10 a.m. a line had formed. One out of five residents is currently on some kind of assistance, said the county’s executive Joseph DiVincenzo, who noted that the homeless population is getting younger. “More and more of these kids need jobs,” he said. “They want to work. They want to help. That could be anyone of our kids. That could happen to anybody.”

5. Unemployed Wait in Long Lines to Apply for SNAP/Food Stamps in Texas
(Houston Chronicle, January 11, 2010)

In January, former accounting clerk Lori Downs joined others seeking assistance in a long line at the Texas Department of Health in Fuqua. Downs was waiting to apply for SNAP/Food Stamps. She had applied for the benefit, as well as TANF and Medicaid in August, but heard nothing for months after meeting with her caseworker. Plus, she waited in a long line the previous day for six hours but had to leave with her children because the line moved so slowly. The Houston Chronicle inquired about her case, and she received $900 in SNAP/Food Stamp benefits, retroactive to August, immediately. Texas is only processing 60 percent of SNAP/Food Stamp applications within the federally-mandated 30-day deadline. Harris County [which includes Houston] has seen a 40 percent increase in SNAP/Food Stamp participation since 2005. Currently 470,360 county residents receive the benefit.

6. Recession Sees Increase in Federal Assistance Requests in Maryland County
(Maryland Gazette, January 27, 2010)

SNAP/Food Stamp participation is up in Maryland’s Anne Arundel County: also rising is the number of county children receiving free or reduced-price school meals, and more people applying for heating assistance. In addition, more county residents are homeless. In FY 2010, an average of 11,492 households a month received SNAP/Food Stamps; this is nearly double the average of 6,300 households a month in FY 2006 and 2007. Last year, 22.7 of children were eligible for free and reduced-price school meals. This year, there are 25.9 percent eligible. “We’re trying to help people just to survive,” said Alice Murray, retired director of the county’s maternal and child health services and a south county nonprofit volunteer. She spoke at a brown-bag meeting in Annapolis recently, and was joined by the Rev. Sheryl Menendez who runs Light of the World Family Ministries. Menendez said that children who don’t get enough to eat exhibit behavioral problems and/or find it hard to learn. The answer is “not about working, it’s about working and making an income that moves you out (of poverty), said Yevola Peters, special assistant for minority affairs and human relations in the office of County Executive John R. Leopold. “(We have) to deal with livable wages…with all the other things like housing. Education is the key.” The discussion on poverty-related issues, held on the third Tuesday of each month, is organized by the Community Action Agency; more information is available via phone: (410) 626-1900.

7. Michigan School District Launches Universal Breakfast
(Newschannel 3, January 25, 2010)

Kelloggsville Public Schools in Grand Rapids, Michigan started offering universal breakfast in January of this year. Students are able to get free food, milk and juice through the program. Signed on to help promote the program: students at Grand Valley State University, who dressed as superheroes, sat down with middle school students to eat, and helped educate them about the importance of breakfast.

8. Schools Switch Lunch and Recess, Find Kids Eat More Fruits and Vegetables
(The New York Times, January 25, 2010)

Some schools have rescheduled recess, serving lunch after students have gone out to play, and have seen increased consumption of fruits and vegetables. Schools making the switch have also found that kids present fewer behavior problems, waste less food, and consume more milk. Students “feel like they have more time to eat and they don’t have to rush,” said Janet Sinkewicz, principal of Sharon Elementary School in Robbinsville, NJ. Nine years ago, North Ranch Elementary in Scottsdale, Ariz., flipped recess and lunch and tracked the results. They found that nurse visits dropped 40 percent by the end of the year, food waste declined, and fewer children became hungry or sick in the afternoon. The change also added 15 minutes of classroom instruction time. One-third of Montana schools have adopted “recess before lunch,” and added hand sanitizers in the lunchroom, since students were coming in to eat immediately from outside. Child health experts warn that the schedule change might not work for low-income students in urban school districts, without offering breakfast in the morning. “It’s a great idea, but first we’ve got to give them a decent breakfast,” said Dr. David Ludwig, obesity program director at Children’s Hospital in Boston. “A lot of kids skip breakfast and arrive at lunch ravenous.” Logistical problems are a factor, some school districts note, which keeps them from making the change. Fewer than 5 percent of the nation’s elementary schools schedule recess before lunch, according to a 2006 study in The Journal of Childhood Nutrition & Management.

9. Recession Tougher on Blue-Collar Workers
(Boston Globe, January 19, 2010)

Unemployed blue-collar workers are having a tougher time than workers in other industries, since the nation’s blue-collar industries have cut one out of six jobs since 2007. They’re finding jobs hard to come by in construction and manufacturing – and may not be able to re-enter that workforce, notes a new report by Northeastern University’s Center for Labor Market Studies. One in 20 jobs have been cut in other industries. The blue-collar job loss rate matches that of overall employment during the great depression. “These guys used to be the backbone of our working middle class,” said Andrew Sum, the center’s director and author of the report. “The really scary thing is they have no jobs to come back to.” Nearly 70 percent of unemployed blue-collar workers won’t have their old jobs when the economy recovers. Hundreds of unemployed have stopped looking and dropped out of the labor force. Massachusetts has some of the most grim statistics, as reported in the study. The state has 65 unemployed construction and 24 unemployed manufacturing workers for each position available. In the “professional” work force, there are two unemployed for each available position.

10. Study Reveals Scope of Evictions in Wisconsin
(Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, January 1, 2010)

In Milwaukee, Wisc., one-renter occupied household in 20 is evicted each year, according to a study, considered the first of its kind, by Matt Desmond, a doctoral student in sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. For black households, the number increases to one in 10. Women are hit particularly hard, comprising nearly 60 percent of the 50,538 renters evicted in Milwaukee County between 2003 and 2007. Because so many poor black men have criminal records and/or are jobless, excluding them from being lease-holders, more women are represented on leases. Desmond analyzed court records and did one year of field work to produce the report. “This is a unique study because there’s a lot of information about foreclosures, but not much on evictions,” said Timothy Smeeding, director of the Institute for Research on Poverty and a professor in UW-Madison’s La Follette School of Public Affairs. “Because most poor people rent, there’s a big effect on poverty,” he added. “[T]he housing crisis has to do with evictions, which causes instability in the lives of children, doubling up with relatives, and homelessness.” Evicted renters carry a stigma, noted Desmond. “Most landlords won’t take you, so you end up with really unscrupulous landlords.” More properties are now concentrated into fewer hands because of the housing crisis, meaning the rental market will tighten, landlords will charge higher rents, and there will be higher penalties for those with a history of eviction, said Desmond.

11. New Jersey Kids Count Data Shows Signs of Improvement for Newark’s Children
(Newark Star-Ledger, January 25, 2010)

While the Association for Children of New Jersey’s recently-released annual Newark Kids Count found a 3 percent increase in child poverty from 2004, the median income for families increased 31 percent between 2004 and 2008, and infant mortality decreased 37 percent from 2002 to 2006. “This is a good day for our city,” said Mayor Cory Booker, and added “We see clearly the work we need to do.” Currently, 35 percent of the city’s 71,000 live in poverty. City leaders noted that more people are accessing government support programs such as SNAP/Food Stamps and free and reduced-price school meals. “One of the biggest difficulties is letting residents know the resources that are out there,” said Booker. He noted that Newark Now has a guide that lists all the resources available to needy Newark residents.