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. Time for Congress to Focus on Child Nutrition
(OregonLive.com, March 28, 2010)

President Obama promised to end childhood hunger by 2015 when he was a candidate for the office. David Sarasohn, a columnist with the Oregonian, writes that it’s time for Congress to focus on Child Nutrition Reauthorization, part of the 2015 plan. Oregonians have stepped up to advocate for improvements in the bill, which covers WIC, school lunch and breakfast programs, summer meal programs, and more. A postcard campaign, led by the Oregon Food Bank, delivered postcards to members of Congress in support of the improvements. In Oregon, more than 1,800 residents sent postcards – more than 12,000 postcards were collected in the five Western states. The administration proposed a $10 billion increase over ten years, but the recent Senate Agriculture Committee bill included a $4.5 billion increase. “We have an opportunity to do something here. I also know the speaker is going to be deeply interested in this,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-CT, and chair of the House Agriculture Appropriations subcommittee. Getting to the 2015 goal is even harder now, said DeLauro, since “[t]he recession has unbelievably compounded this effort.” Jim Weill, president of the Food Research and Action Center notes out that the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee could add more money to the bill. “[I]f ending child hunger by 2015 is the goal, this legislation is the moment,” writes Sarasohn.

2. New Mexico Raises Income Cap, Removes Asset Test for SNAP/Food Stamps
(New Mexico Independent, April 1, 2010)

New Mexico raised its cap on income for SNAP/Food Stamp eligibility to 165 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, meaning a family of four earning $3,000 a month can qualify for the program. The state also eliminated the asset test for SNAP/Food Stamps, which kept families with more than $2,000 to $3,000 in resources from accessing the program. The changes will make 4,000 additional households eligible for the benefit, according to the New Mexico Human Services Department. SNAP/Food Stamps will not only allow more households “to purchase nutritious food for their families,” the program will “benefit their local economies through the federally-funded program,” said Katie Falls, Human Services Department Secretary. New Mexico joins other states that have made similar changes, noted Falls.

3. State Report Criticizes Texas SNAP/Food Stamp System, Calls for Changes
(Houston Chronicle, March 30, 2010; Fort Worth Star-Telegram, March 31, 2010)

“To improve the timeliness and accuracy of (food stamp) eligibility determinations, the commission must modernize its eligibility determination processes and continue to improve its management,” a Texas state auditor’s report announced at the end of March. The report covered “the antiquated, inadequate efforts to administer the food stamp program, which has been noted for its massive backlogs and poor service,” noted an editorial in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “The long waits, incompetent handling of applications and insufficient, as well as some incompetent, staffing have caused frustration and disappointment for those needing help feeding their hungry families.” The federal government had warned the Texas Health and Human Services Commission that the state’s management of the SNAP/Food Stamp Program needed to change. A combination of outdated processes (the state still keeps 80 percent of applications on paper) and inexperienced staff handling the backlogs led to the current problems with determining eligibility, the report found. People trying to get basic questions answered have been forced to wait in long lines or spend time waiting on the phone. The auditor recommended that the commission should immediately create electronic files by purchasing inexpensive scanning equipment. In addition, the commission should train clerical staff to answer basic questions, should post eligibility information, and make sure that it has enough experienced SNAP/Food Stamp staff. “Some of our state officials have been acting tough by bad-mouthing Washington,” stated the Star-Telegram, “resisting federal aid in some areas and preparing lawsuits to fight recently enacted legislation. If only they could devote that much attention and energy to fixing a broken system right here at home… Texas should be able to give them the help they need to have food on the table without unnecessary roadblocks caused by a food stamp system that badly needs an overhaul.”

4. State Web Site Promotes SNAP/Food Stamps, Other Assistance to Thousands of New Yorkers Reaching End of Unemployment Benefits
(NY State Department of Labor, March 31, 2010)

At the end of March, more than 46,000 New Yorkers came to the end of their 99 weeks of unemployment benefits, but still have not found jobs. Other benefits, such as COBRA healthcare, Federal Extended Benefits, and the $25 weekly benefit increase expired in early April. In early April, another 11,700 residents in the state reached the end of their benefits. “Without new federal legislation,” notes the Department of Labor, “they will not be able to move into additional extended benefit programs. Of these, 7,300 are people that would have only collected 26 weeks of regular, state-funded benefits.” The state’s www.mybenefits.ny.gov site provides information on other federal and state programs available to those struggling with unemployment; the site can help users determine their eligibility for SNAP/Food Stamps and two additional nutrition assistance programs, five health insurance programs, home energy assistance, public assistance, and five tax credits. Residents in more than 24 counties can submit a SNAP/Food Stamp application (with assistance from a designated community organization) through the site, and in nearly 20 counties residents can directly apply for the benefit. State employees at One-Stop Centers across the state can also help job seekers navigate the site. The Governor’s Web site - www.ny.gov/governor - also has a link to “Resources for Working Families” which contains safety net program information. “These programs are in place to help people left with nowhere else to turn, a situation we know so many struggling New Yorkers are now facing due to the prolonged recession,” said Kristin Proud, Deputy Secretary for Human Services, Technology and Operations. “We are doing what we can to make it as easy as possible for those eligible to access the State’s safety net of programs and services, and the myBenefits website is a key part of those efforts.”

5. Maryland’s SNAP/Food Stamp Application Backlog Worsens
(Baltimore Sun, March 15, 2010)

Maryland continues to struggle with processing SNAP/Food Stamp and medical benefits applications, and the backlog has worsened in spite of a court order to speed up the process three months ago. Papers filed in Baltimore Circuit Court show that the state operated at an 81 percent compliance rate with processing requests in January. The number was down 2.5 percent from December’s rate. “We’re still seeing people with clear, long delays in their application come into our office,” said Carolyn Johnson, lawyer for the plaintiffs – two Baltimore County residents and three advocacy organizations. Human Resources (DHR) Secretary Brenda Donald recently stated that Maryland has hired dozens of clerical workers and paid overtime to full-time staff to tackle the applications, and she hopes to have an upgraded computer system in place by 2011, which should speed up the process. DHR officials say they’ve streamlined the application process, begun telephone interviews for benefits, and have trained employees faster. Advocates say DHR was unequipped to handle the flood of applications as the economy worsened. The December ruling that mandated DHR improve application timeliness also ordered Maryland to submit a corrective action plan. The plan, however, was rejected in a written response by the plaintiffs, stating “no evidence of the proposed [corrective action plan] constitutes a comprehensive and verifiable plan that will ensure defendant achieves full compliance.” They note that some of the fixes – like the Web-based application system – won’t be ready until after the court-appointed deadline, and that other fixes lack deadlines for results.

6. FRAC Study Finds One Quarter in Memphis, Tenn. Hungry
(WMCTV, March 29, 2010)

According to a recent study by the Food Research and Action Center, 26 percent of people in the greater Memphis area said they were unable to buy food for their families at some point in the past year, giving Memphis the distinction of being “the Hunger Capital of the United States.” Obesity is also high in the region, according to experts, as families are forced to eat cheaper by purchasing less nutritious food.

7. Kids Count Finds Major Percentage of Maine Children Receive Nutrition Assistance
(Portland Press Herald, March 30, 2010)

In December 2009, one-quarter of Maine children were on SNAP/Food Stamps, and nearly half of the state’s school children received free or reduced-price lunch, according to the latest Maine KIDS Count report. These numbers could be higher in next year’s report, reflecting the deepening recession, noted Dean Crocker, president of Maine Children’s Alliance, which issues the report. There were fewer overweight children in the state, according to the report. In 2007, 15.3 percent of Maine children were overweight, equaling the national average and down from 17.3 percent in 2003. However, the state’s child obesity rate increased from 12.7 percent in 2003 to 12.9 percent in 2007. The overall numbers call for lobbying the federal government for more safety net programs that will help the state’s poorest citizens, said Crocker.

8. Recess Before Lunch Has Nutritional Benefits
(Delaware Online, April 2, 2010)

Research is leading many schools to flip the traditional lunch-then-recess schedule, and teachers and principals are seeing the nutritional and behavioral benefits of the change. A 2004 study published in the Journal of Child Nutrition and Management found that students who ate lunch after recess wasted significantly less food. Children in the study also drank more milk and ate more nutritious foods. Students hurrying to recess after lunch may rush to get outside sooner and eat less so they would not have to play on a full stomach. A 2009 study of 11,000 third graders, published in the journal Pediatrics, showed that 15 minutes of recess time improved student academic scores. Recess before lunch is “not a new idea,” said Charles Sheppard, principal of Townsend Elementary School in Delaware’s Appoquinimink School District. “It’s just an idea that’s gaining steam because of the research.”

9. More Physicians Engaged in Fighting Hunger
(OregonLive.com, March 30, 2010)

“[I]t’s encouraging that so many physicians are engaged in the fight against hunger,” writes Bruce Goldberg, director of the Oregon Department of Human Services, and Dana Hargunan, pediatrician at Oregon Health & Sciences University, in this op-ed. “Many have joined in the efforts of the Childhood Hunger Coalition, a network of health care professionals, anti-hunger advocates, educators and other Oregonians working to inform the medical community about the health, developmental and psycho-social impacts of childhood hunger.” Although the current economic situation has been covered in the news, many physicians still are unaware of the patients in their care who are struggling with hunger, an issue that is more than a social concern, as it impacts learning, job performance, and health care outcomes and costs. These concerns are especially pronounced in hungry children, who suffer from behavioral problems, cognitive development issues, and social development setbacks, and are frequently ill, depressed or anxious. To help physicians understand the outcomes of hunger and give them the tools to battle the condition in their patients, the Coalition created an online continuing education course on childhood food insecurity which 600 physicians have registered for in just over a year. More than half of those physicians said they would include assessment of hunger risk and share food assistance information because of the course. Two needs assessments completed by the Coalition showed that doctors in Oregon are interested in helping children at risk for hunger in the clinical setting. From these assessments, the Coalition created an outreach toolkit containing information on health consequences of childhood food insecurity, and ways health providers can address child hunger. Information on nutrition assistance programs such as SNAP/Food Stamps and WIC are included in the toolkit.