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. USDA Secretary and Editorials Call for Increased Child Nutrition Programs Funding
(The Raw Story, May 24, 2010; News-Review, May 23, 2010; News-Review, May 21, 2010)

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack called for Congress to “appropriate one billion dollars a year more” for federal child nutrition programs in the upcoming Child Nutrition Reauthorization. Vilsack made the remarks at the launch of a report on child hunger at the Center for American Progress. About 17 million children currently live in households without enough to eat, and a third of U.S. children are at risk of obesity or are obese, said Vilsack. “Research shows that youngsters who are either obese or who are hungry simply do not learn as well as they ought to,” he said. “Youngsters who are obese take chronic disease into adulthood which substantially reduces their productivity as individuals and causes our health care costs to escalate.” According to the report, child hunger costs the U.S. $28 billion a year.

“We urge Oregon’s congressional delegation to reauthorize these important child nutrition programs with a higher level of funding than in the past,” states an editorial in Oregon’s News-Review. Federal child nutrition programs “are the key to making sure more children are receiving nutritious meals.” Advocates are seeking an increase of $1 billion a year over the next 10 years. Free or reduced-price school breakfast and lunch goes to 50 percent of Douglas County’s 15,000 students. Each summer in Douglas County, the Summer Food Service Program provides meals for 1,200 students. Nearly 2,500 families – 54 percent of the county’s pregnant women and 4,126 children under five - receive WIC support. Additional funding would increase meal reimbursements and cover higher costs of producing and transporting meals, particularly in rural areas, and let schools increase the number of students served by afterschool and summer meal programs – 200 more schools and neighborhoods in Douglas County would be able to offer meals and snacks when schools let out. Federal nutrition programs not only help feed children and families, they also help fund the community. WIC provided $2.27 million in sales to local grocers and $13,000 to local farmers, while the school meal programs provide jobs. “Most important, these programs enrich the lives of children while they are learning and growing.” Although the current economy makes seeking additional funding difficult, a comment made by Oregon Food Bank’s public policy advocate Jeff Kleen summed up the need: “We believe our country funds its priorities. If we don’t fund food for children, what do we fund?” Jon Stubenvoll, advocacy director for the Oregon Food Bank, is hopeful that Congress will increase child nutrition funding. “We think we have a shot,” he said.

2. SNAP/Food Stamp Use “Stratospheric” in Illinois
(The New York Times, May 20, 2010)

So many Illinois residents now receive SNAP/Food Stamps that the state Department of Human Services has had to stagger the monthly benefits allocation to ease the inventory burden on grocery stores. Driven to seek assistance because of the recession, more than 1.6 million people (712,000 families) have signed up for SNAP/Food Stamps in the state, which can bring $257 a month to a single mother with two children. With unemployment up, the state’s Blue Island office, which serves a suburban area, has had lines begin to form at sunrise. On a recent Tuesday, characterized by caseworkers as “slow,” the football field-sized parking lot was jammed and by 10 a.m. about 150 people were applying for SNAP/Food Stamps and other assistance. “I’m way behind on my bills,” said 55-year-old Michael Clark, who had a heart attack, lost his trucking job and had his unemployment compensation run out. “I tell people not to be ashamed,” said caseworker Danny Smith. Although the assistance caseload is up by 30,000 over the past few years, the Blue Island office staff number 123, down from 230. Some workers manage between 1,500 and 2,000 cases each; some show up before the doors open at 8:30 a.m. and stay past 8 p.m. Since much of the office isn’t computerized, applications fill countless cardboard boxes. And the phone system routinely breaks down at peak periods, like the first of the month.

3. More Will Be Eligible for SNAP/Food Stamps in North Carolina
(Star News Online, May 24, 2010)

Beginning in July, North Carolina will begin approving SNAP/Food Stamps for applicants with gross incomes less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level – a raise in the income limit from the current 130 percent of the federal poverty level. Currently, individuals with monthly incomes over $1,127, and families of four with incomes over $2,297, are ineligible for the benefit. The change raises the income ceiling to $1,805 for individuals and $3,676 for a family of four. Also starting in July, an applicant’s financial assets will not be considered when determining SNAP/Food Stamp eligibility. “Households were having to exhaust all of their resources and use all of their unemployment” in order to qualify, said Dean Simpson, the state’s chief of Economic and Nutrition Services. “People were being laid off. People were really struggling.” Currently, 32 states are using these federal options, which have been available since 1990, to qualify more people for the benefit, said Jean Daniel of USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service. “There still are very stringent requirements, but it does open up the program potentially to people who are in need, who are in the margins – people who have lost their jobs, who are struggling to make ends meet.” North Carolina’s counties are bracing for an overwhelming number of applications. Pender County’s social service staff is already working overtime to meet the need, said social services director Reta Shiver. “The lines are going to wrap around the building, and people should come,” she said. “If they’re eligible, they should come.” New Hanover County social services director LeVaughn Nesmith expects applications to increase 10 to 25 percent in number. “The people who are coming for our service will be waiting and waiting to be processed,” he said. However, Simpson said that the application process should be streamlined as these new regulations remove asset processing time.

4. SNAP/Food Stamp Use Increases in Virginia
(Martinsville Bulletin, May 25, 2010)

Henry-Martinsville Social Services in Virginia reports that SNAP/Food Stamp use increased again in April, with the number of households receiving the benefit rising by 48 to 7,328 and the number of individuals increasing by 88 to 15,127. These latest numbers mean that 24 percent of households and 21 percent of residents are on SNAP/Food Stamps, record numbers for the area. The economy is the main reason for the increase, officials say, as residents lose their jobs. However, some workers who have found employment are earning less in their new jobs than in their old ones, and are still qualifying for SNAP/Food Stamps and other aid.

5. Food Assistance Program in Michigan Helps Needy Access SNAP/Food Stamps
(AnnArbor.com, May 24, 2010)

In Michigan, the Washtenaw County-based food rescue and distribution nonprofit, Food Gatherers, is training volunteers to help food pantry clients apply for the Food Assistance Program (the state’s name for SNAP/Food Stamps). The outreach help is funded through the federal stimulus package, through a grant from the Food Bank Council of Michigan. According to USDA, every $5 in SNAP/Food Stamp assistance generates nearly twice that amount in economic growth. Since 2006, the number of Washtenaw County residents seeking help from the food pantry rose 138 percent. “We’re overwhelmed,” said Food Gatherers executive director Eileen Spring. A report by a partner of the organization found that only 47 percent of households using emergency food providers were signed up for SNAP/Food Stamps. In a poll, 40 percent of respondents said they thought they were ineligible, and 24 percent said they’d been denied the benefit. “Our goal as the food bank program, what is supposed to be the last line of assistance in helping keep Michigan residents from going hungry, is to help them access the first line of assistance,” said Justin Fast, Food Assistance outreach manager for the Food Bank Council of Michigan. Michigan residents can visit www.mfia.state.mi.us/mars to find out if they’re eligible for SNAP/Food Stamps; they also can call the Center for Civil Justice Food and Nutrition Helpline (1-800-481-4989) for assistance in determining qualification. One-on-one help from a volunteer is available by calling Food Gatherers at (734) 761-2796. An online SNAP/Food Stamp application is available at www.michigan.gov/mibridges.

6. Mississippi Counties Start Disaster SNAP/Food Stamp Program
(Starkville Daily News, May 11, 2010)

Three counties affected by storms at the end of April began offering residents nutrition assistance through the Disaster SNAP/Food Stamp Program in early May. Individuals not normally eligible for SNAP/Food Stamps, but residing in Oktibbeha, Monroe and Union counties and impacted by recent storms, can receive the benefit. USDA approved the program through the Mississippi Department of Human Services.

7. Lack of Healthy Food Options Means Overweight and Obesity for Many of California’s Poor
(Fresno Bee, May 23, 2010)

In California, 13 percent of adults are poor and 23 percent are obese; in central San Joaquin Valley, 20 percent of adults live in poverty, and 30 percent are obese. Lower-income people are more likely to be overweight because they live in neighborhoods with plenty of fast food options but few supermarkets. Furthermore, fresh foods – e.g., fruits, vegetables and meats – carried in these few supermarkets and in convenience stores are more expensive than fast food. Low-income people “are buying what’s available to them and affordable to them,” said Genoveva Islas-Hooker, regional program coordinator for the Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Program. Eating patterns start in childhood, she noted. “You grow up in a household where there is limited economic means and your caregiver is purchasing food on what they can afford…[y]ou become ingrained in that type of diet and that type of pattern.” Making healthy food choices “is just not the highest priority in life” when you’re economically unstable said Paul Leigh, an expert on health and labor economics at the Center for Healthcare Policy and Research at the University of California at Davis. Part-time food-service assistant Carmen Solovano exemplifies all these factors. The 30-year-old Davis is 100 pounds overweight, and her doctor has warned her of the health consequences. “I’m used to cooking and eating the way I was raised, when I was small,” said Davis, who grew up eating a diet heavy in starches. Her husband works part-time, and the family receives SNAP/Food Stamps. Davis is studying at Fresno City College to become an assistant Head Start teacher, and there’s little time left in her day, meaning meals for her family must be quick and cheap. “Obesity is an expression of limited resources,” said Dr. Adam Drewnowski, director of the Center for Public Health Nutrition at the University of Washington. “Solutions really lie in education, instruction, access to healthy foods and being able to afford healthy foods.”

8. Advocates, School and Government Officials Work to Maintain Philadelphia’s Universal Feeding Program
(Philly.com, May 23, 2010)

Congress aims to make it easier for children to receive free or reduced-price school meals through direct certification, removing application forms and signing up those children from families already on SNAP/Food Stamps or receiving other forms of federal assistance. However, Philadelphia’s Universal Feeding Program, which uses a survey instead of application forms and delivers free meals to 110,000 students, could be on the chopping block if direct certification goes national. According to Michael Masch, chief business officer for Philadelphia’s school district, some students currently receiving free meals could lose access. “We want to see our congressional delegation convince colleagues to allow Philadelphia’s model to continue,” said Masch. Congressional sources say direct certification is a better model to use, as Philadelphia’s survey system is too expensive and complex. However, advocates point out that many families eligible for SNAP/Food Stamps and other assistance don’t apply for them. “This has become a very grave question for children,” said Senator Bob Casey (D-PA). Learning suffers because poor students who don’t get enough to eat suffer from health and developmental problems. “And it later affects our health costs, as well as what ultimately happens to our workforce.” Masch hopes that Congress will allow the city to keep its program of 20 years. Spector agrees, and said he may ask Congress to grandfather the Universal Feeding Program. “Or I’m prepared to offer an amendment about it on the floor,” he said. “We will push for all options.”

9. School Districts Across the Country Plan Summer Nutrition 2010

Arizona
Summer food service program offered
(WMICentral.com, May 21, 2010)
"Show Low Unified School District 10 announces sponsorship of the Summer Food Service Program for children ages 1-18. There are no papers to fill out, because Show Low School District has more than 50 percent students qualified to receive free and reduced meals for the National School Lunch Program. All children in the community qualify to receive free meals in the program, even if they do not receive free or reduced meals during the school year."

Florida
Summer Food Service Program is giving free, healthy meals to Orange County Public Schools
(WDBO, May 21, 2010)
“In the months of June, July, and August of 2010 Orange County Public Schools will be participating in the Summer Food Service Program which allows children who attend one of the open sites to recieve a free meal. The program will include nutrionally-balanced meals for children of all races, color, sex, disability, or national origin.”

Kansas
Wichita Public Schools Offer Free Summer Food Program
(KAKE, May 21, 2010)
"Free breakfasts and lunches will be offered to children 18 years old and younger at 40 locations in Wichita during the summer as part of the Summer Food Service program. The Kansas State Department of Education and the United States Department of Agriculture sponsor the Summer Food Service Program, which has been administered by the Wichita Public Schools since 1982. Participants can go to the location service breakfast, lunch or both and they will be accommodated."

Missouri
Summer Program Offers Free Activities and Meals for Children
(Fox4kc.com, May 20, 2010)
“From June 1 to August 20, [Emmanuel's Community Center in Kansas City, Mo.] will provide children with free summer activities and two free meals. Eligible disabled adults over 18 may qualify for the program, and transportation is available for anyone enrolled. Registration is required.”

Washington
School district to offer two summer food programs
(Bellevue Reporter, May 21, 2010)
“The Bellevue School District will offer two summer food programs for children ages 2 to 18. The free programs will provide breakfast and lunch at two sites: Sherwood Forest Elementary School and Lake Hills Elementary School.”

Wisconsin
Free healthy meals return this summer for Menasha students
(Appleton Post Crescent, May 22, 2010)
"For the second summer, the Menasha Joint School District has received grants to offer a free summer food service program at Menasha High School. The district will offer breakfast from 7:15 to 8:15 a.m. and lunch from 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday from June 14 through July 15."

10. Alabama County Changes Menu for Children with Outstanding School Lunch Balances
(NBC 13, May 17, 2010)

Blount County in Alabama received criticism recently for a lunch consisting of crackers, cheese, juice and milk that was served to Hayden Middle School students who had unpaid cafeteria balances. The criticism prompted the school to change the menu, and the administrative process, for children without lunch money. School officials now know well before lunch if a child doesn’t have money in his or her account, and the meal now consists of a sandwich, fruit and milk. Negative balances at the end of the year will be covered by the school district’s general fund money.