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. SNAP/Food Stamps Serve a Record 33.8 Million People While Many Children Miss Out on Meals This Summer
(Reuters, July 8, 2009)

A record 33.8 million people – one out of nine Americans - received SNAP/Food Stamps in April, an increase of 1.2 million in two months, according to figures released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The average benefit, up $40 due to the short-term economic stimulus increase, was $133.28 per person; April was the fifth month of consecutive growth in participation. This summer, though, low-income families are burdened with having to provide extra meals as their children will not receive the free and reduced-price school meals they count on during the school year. “For every six low-income kids, only one gets a meal during the summer,” said Jim Weill of the Food Research and Action Center. “It can be, even in good economic times, hugely difficult to maintain a decent diet for their kids.” Summer programs that feed children while school is out could increase their participation if the government increased reimbursement rates, assisted with transportation, and gave startup and expansion grants, according to FRAC, which noted that, in 2008, Summer Nutrition Programs only reached 17 percent of low-income children served by free school meals.

2. Summer Meals Not Reaching All Low-Income Children in Many States

Idaho
(The Olympian, July 10, 2009)
A quarter of the children in Idaho receiving free and reduced-price lunch also received summer food in 2008, according to FRAC’s recently-released report on Summer Nutrition Programs. A total of 82,300 children in the state received free or reduced-price lunch, but only 20,874 received summer meals.
FRAC Report

Illinois
(WBEZ, July 7, 2009)
For every 100 Illinois children receiving free or reduced-price lunch during the school year, only 16 received free summer meals, notes the FRAC report. If the state increased participation to 40 percent, it would receive $10 million [in meal reimbursements].

Maine
(Kennebec Journal, July 12, 2009)
Of the 50,500 Maine children receiving free and reduced-price lunch during the school year, only 7,800 took part in Summer Nutrition Programs in the state – 15.5 percent of eligible children. The state ranks 26th in summer meal participation. DC ranks first, with 89 percent participation, and Mississippi last, with 4.4 percent. In 1996, notes this op-ed, the federal government stopped providing summer program startup and expansion money to schools, camps and other organizations, and reimbursements for meals was cut. And 72 percent of program sponsors, according to a recent federal study, expected their costs not to be covered by federal reimbursements. Program standards were tightened also, restricting the number of sites serving meals. “What that all means is hungry children.” It’s bad that there are hungry children, and “it’s doubly bad that they could be fed – if only the programs existed to get them the food they need.” The editorial concludes by noting “Only the feds can shake loose the funds to start new summer food programs, expand existing ones, reimburse programs more generously and even provide transportation for children who can’t get to the places where food is being served.”

Michigan
(Monroe on a Budget blog, July 8, 2009)
In 2008, only nine low-income Michigan children received free summer meals for every 100 that received free and reduced-price lunch, according to FRAC’s report. In order to help get the word out, this article includes a link showing sites in Michigan that serve free meals to children over the summer.
Link to sites.

Missouri
(Fox4kc.com, July 9, 2009; Columbia Tribune, July 12, 2009)
While more than 51,000 Missouri children received free summer meals in July 2008 – 5 percent more than the previous year – the meals still only reached one out of six low-income children, notes the Missouri Association for Social Welfare. Summer food programs help families struggling with the recession, said Christine Woody, coordinator of the Hunger Task Force, which is calling on the state and Congress to spend more on these and other child nutrition programs. “The most pressing need…is money for outreach programs,” said Bob Quinn, executive director of the social welfare association. “Eligible participants just aren’t aware of the summer program.” Summer meals have “become a fixture over time,” notes Mary Martin, a public health manager involved with the program. “I remember the first few years watching older kids circling the park trying to decide if it would be cool to come in. Now they do. There are hungry people out there.” State Rep. Cynthia Davis became the target of national media when she questioned the need for Summer Nutrition Programs, writing in her newsletter that taxpayers shouldn’t shoulder the responsibility and claiming that “People who are struggling with lack of food usually do not have an obesity problem,” and that “hunger can be a positive motivator.” According to Quinn, “an awful lot of families don’t have the resources” to put three meals on the table every day. “The question becomes: What responsibility do we have as a society when parents aren’t doing that? One option would be to let the kids starve. Is that the kind of society we want to live in?” Davis said churches and charities should do the job – and Quinn said they’re “doing the best job they can. But they can’t touch the problem,” which is “so big” that only the government can address it.

North Carolina
(News & Observer, July 7, 2009)
More than 49,000 Wake County North Carolina children are receiving free summer meals this year. Under the guidance of the Child Nutrition Department of the county’s public school system, meals are available at parks, schools, camps, and churches. The Summer Food Service Program has been going on for 40 years, but still doesn’t reach every needy child. “Access is an issue, especially in rural areas,” said Cynthia Ervin, Summer Food Service Program coordinator in the state’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Over the past five years, the Wake County program has increased participation 200 percent; the school system was recognized recently for its outreach efforts in a ceremony attended by state DHHS Secretary Lanier M. Cansler and Dr. Janey Thornton, deputy under-secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services at USDA.

Texas
(Center for Public Policy Priorities, July 9, 2009)
Compared to the number of Texas children receiving free and reduced-price lunch during the school year, less than one-tenth received summer meals in July 2008, as noted in the FRAC report. An additional 630,303 children would be fed if the state raised participation to 40 percent – also resulting in an additional $41,426,683 in federal funds coming to the state. “Clearly, these data show that Texas needs to recruit more sponsors and keep these programs open all summer,” said Celia Hagert, senior policy analyst at the Center for Public Policy Priorities.

Vermont
(Burlington Free Press, July 8, 2009)
Only 4,684 of the 29,000 children receiving free and reduced-price lunch in Vermont also participate in the Summer Nutrition Programs, according to FRAC’s report. Increasing access to these programs is a goal of the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger, which is working with communities throughout the state to improve participation.

3. USDA Under Secretary Appointee Concannon has Extensive Safety Net Experience
(Bangor Daily News, July 8, 2009)

The Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee had few questions at the confirmation hearing for Kevin Concannon, who was selected by USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack for the Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services post. Concannon, in addition to increasing outreach and eligibility for SNAP/Food Stamps and WIC in Maine, also served as:

• Director of four health and human services agencies in Iowa, Maine and Oregon, where he led state efforts to make SNAP/Food Stamps and other nutrition programs more accessible;
• Commissioner of Maine’s Human Services Department (1995-2003) and Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation (1980-1987); Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) praised his work in these agencies;
• President, American Public Welfare Association, and National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors.

4. Dr. Rajen Anand Named Head of USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion
(USDA, July 8, 2009)

Dr. Rajen Anand has been named the Executive Director of USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. His background includes department chair at California State University, Long Beach, as well as previously serving as deputy director of the Center in 1995 and executive director in 1997. As head of the Center, Dr. Anand will oversee its mission of improving the nutritional status of all Americans by linking research to the dietary needs of the consumer. The Center is best known for developing the MyPyramid food guidance system and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The Center’s staff includes nutritionists, economists, mathematicians, and food and social scientists. The new Evidence Analysis Library will also be under Dr. Anand; the library evaluates and ranks the latest nutrition science, which is used by the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. The Committee is currently charged with reviewing and revising the Dietary Guidelines, for publication in 2010.

5. Rhode Island SNAP/Food Stamp Participation Up Nearly 20 Percent, Massachusetts Even Higher
(Providence Business News, July 8, 2009)

More than 100,000 Rhode Island residents received SNAP/Food Stamps in April 2009, an increase of 19.3 percent over April 2008’s figures. The exact number of participants – 102,305 – is a record for the state. The rise is partly due to the state’s Food Stamp Outreach Project; since 2006, participation has risen more than 40 percent, according to the Feinstein Center for a Hunger Free America at the University of Rhode Island, which manages the project. Next door in Massachusetts, SNAP/Food Stamp participation rose 25.3 percent between April 2008 and April 2009. More than 629,000 residents in Massachusetts received SNAP/Food Stamps in April.

6. Three Georgia Farmers’ Markets Receive Grant to Double SNAP/Food Stamp Purchasing Value
(Atlanta Journal-Constitution, July 2, 2009)

Three farmers’ markets in Georgia are sharing a $10,000 grant that enables them to double the value of SNAP/Food Stamps, enabling low-income shoppers using the benefit to buy more fresh fruits and vegetables. Kate Barney, manager of the East Atlanta Village Farmers Market, one of the grantees, has seen $300 in SNAP/Food Stamps spent at the market in the few weeks it’s been open. “Last season, all season, they only had $111,” she said. Michel Nischan, president of Wholesome Wave, hopes the program will encourage poor people to buy healthier food. Georgia’s SNAP/Food Stamp participation have grown along with the country’s, according to FRAC. In March 2009, participation increased 26.2 percent over March 2008.

7. New Farmers’ Market Gives New Jersey’s Poor Access to Fresh Produce and Nutrition Information
(NJ.com, July 9, 2009)

In addition to fresh produce, a new farmers’ market in New Brunswick, New Jersey will offer nutrition counseling, food budgeting information and cooking classes, in both Spanish and English. The market, operated by Rutgers University’s School of Environmental Sciences through a grant from Johnson & Johnson, is designed to help inner-city poor access fresh food and nutrition information, and is an outgrowth of the Rutgers Against Hunger initiative, which addresses food scarcity issues in the area and across the state. The market “will be a family-friendly gathering place for the community, where local farmers, artisans and craftspeople can sell their goods, and a place where people can taste new foods, learn new recipes and buy the ingredients to make them at home,” said William Hallman, director of the Food Policy Institute which was instrumental in creating the market. Shoppers will be able to purchase food grown by the newly-established New Brunswick 4-H Club as well as food produced by local farmers.

8. Ohio Cuts State Budget as More Need Services
(Cincinnati Enquirer, July 6, 2009; Local 112, July 7, 2009)

Ohio’s state budget cuts “come at a time when the economy is sending record numbers through our doors – a third (of whom) we have never seen before,” said Moira Weir, director of Hamilton County Job & Family Services (JFS). Weir joined fellow directors in Clermont and Butler counties in warning that the $1 billion in cuts to safety net programs being considered by lawmakers will be disastrous for needy residents. The rise in number of residents receiving SNAP/Food Stamps in Clermont County is indicative of the need, as the number of people receiving the benefit went from 12,870 a year ago to 16,875. Budget cuts already eliminated 350 workers in Hamilton County since the recession began in December 2007, as $30 million in operating expenses was cut from JFS; Weir warned that another $30 million in cuts could come in the next year. In Butler County, staff cuts in child protective services could endanger children, noted JFS director Bruce Jewett. Clermont JFS Director Tim McCartney, “anticipating varying levels of bad” budget cuts, told lawmakers “Food, shelter – basic needs – these should be government’s priorities at a time like this.” One-third of residents seeking help in Clermont County are doing so for either for the first time, or the first time in years.

9. Lawsuit Claims Rhode Island Missing 30-Day SNAP/Food Stamp Application Deadline
(Forbes, July 6, 2009)

The Rhode Island affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a federal lawsuit claiming that the state is missing the 30-day SNAP/Food Stamp application processing deadline, keeping the benefit from hungry residents. Through the lawsuit, the state’s Department of Human Services, which administers SNAP/Food Stamps, would be compelled to meet the federal deadline for applications. In addition, the ACLU says the state is missing the 7-day deadline in getting SNAP/Food Stamps to eligible households. “We’re talking about a basic necessity of life,” said Steven Brown, executive director of the Rhode Island ACLU. “There are people who are at a certain income level who need the benefit that food stamps provide in order to put food on the table. It’s not something that can just be ignored or put at the bottom of the pile.”

10. Florida County’s Hotline Links Needy to SNAP/Food Stamps
(Gainesville Sun, July 4, 2009)

A phone hotline (352-955-5388) in Alachua County, Fla. helps needy residents access SNAP/Food Stamps. The hotline, created six months ago by the state’s Department of Children and Families (DCF), was instituted after the state’s three call centers – in place to modernize the application process - were rapidly overwhelmed. The original three call centers could handle up to 300,000 calls a month, but they were receiving 1.5 to 2 million calls a month, only a quarter of which made it through to an agent. “We try to provide closure on every call, whether it be by mailing them a paper application or directing their call to the appropriate department,” said Amy Butler, operations manager for the county’s DCF. “People have deeply appreciated the opportunity to speak to a person and actually have someone help them.” Since the hotline began in December, 2,000 additional residents have received SNAP/Food Stamps. Still, only 32 percent of eligible county residents receive the benefit; some rural Florida counties have 80 to 90 percent participation rates, and the national average is 58 percent. While effective, the hotline is not the optimal solution. “It boils down to the state of Florida not providing adequate funding for DCF to administer the programs that help people get benefits,” said John Skelly, director of the Poverty Reduction Advisory Board. It’s “a state and federal responsibility – not a county responsibility – to feed the hungry.” The group has a Hunger Abatement Plan that aims to raise the local participation rate to 75 percent, which means $8 to $12 million in food purchases in the county. The hotline, funded by $14,973 in county funds, is slated to operate until the second week in August when the funding runs out; there are plans to keep the hotline running after that date.

11. Missouri Fails to Pass SNAP/Food Stamp Boost for Elderly
(News-Leader, July 12, 2009)

Missouri residents 65 years and older would have had their minimum SNAP/Food Stamp monthly allotment boosted from $16 to $30 if a bill introduced by state Rep. Bob Nance (R-Excelsior Springs) had passed. Individuals with monthly net incomes that hit the maximum of $867 receive a minimum benefit of $16 in SNAP/Food Stamps. Nance (and others before him) have worked to get the state to contribute an extra $14 to this minimum. “It still isn’t a lot, but it’s better than the $16 (per month),” said Bob Quinn, executive director of the Missouri Association for Social Welfare. It’s been estimated that the boost would cost the state $2.8 million in the first year, but would also entice more seniors to apply for the program. According to Rep. Nance, many seniors meet the income requirement for SNAP/Food Stamps, especially those on Social Security and fixed incomes, but don’t bother applying for the benefit.

12. NYC Organizations Get Grants to Help Seniors Access SNAP/Food Stamps
(Medical News Today, July 7, 2009)

A $1 million grant from the Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation will help the Medicare Rights Center and Food Bank for New York City, through hotlines and field sites, enroll more seniors in SNAP/Food Stamps over the next two years. “New York City seniors are one of our most vulnerable populations, representing one in six New Yorkers who rely on food assistance organizations,” said Dr. Lucy Cabrera, President and CEO of the Food Bank. “However, the elderly continue to have the lowest participation rate in the Food Stamp Program.” According to a 2005 Food Bank report, only 17 percent of eligible seniors receive SNAP/Food Stamps. The grant will also help seniors enroll in other under-utilized programs: Medicare Savings programs, the Extra Help Program under the Medicare drug benefit, and the Elderly Pharmaceutical insurance Coverage Program.

13. Senate Working to Have All School Foods Meet Nutrition Guidelines
(Reuters, July 7, 2009)

All food sold in schools – including through vending machines – could be regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture through the upcoming Child Nutrition Reauthorization, according to Senator Tom Harkin, Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee. Harkin, in the confirmation hearing for Kevin Concannon as head of USDA’s food and nutrition programs, said that a draft of the Child Nutrition Reauthorization would give USDA authority to oversee all food in schools, so that junk food in vending machines would not “undermine” food served through the current school nutrition programs. He also said the committee will begin work on the legislation in October or November. Harkin is currently working on health care reform and the annual spending bills, and in an effort to curb childhood obesity, co-sponsored a bill earlier this year setting nutrition standards for food in school vending machines and stores. Concannon told Harkin he wants to address health issues caused by poor nutrition through work with other federal and state agencies.

14. Kentucky Recognized for Healthy School Lunches
(Lexington Herald-Leader, July 11, 2009)

More than 20 percent of Kentucky schools make up those recognized through USDA’s HealthierUS Schools Challenge, and The Washington Post cited the state’s school lunch program as one of the healthiest in the nation. “It really speaks highly of Kentucky and what we’re doing in our districts,” said Michelle Coker, food service director for Fayette County Schools. Strict regulations on what schools can and cannot serve were passed by the Kentucky legislature in 2005; the state encourages schools to serve whole grains, fruits and vegetables, 100 percent juice and one percent and fat-free milk. Vending machines offer only healthy snacks, diet sodas, juice and water. Deep fryers are phased out of older Fayette County schools, and not placed in new ones. Even child care programs are focusing on healthy eating – YMCA summer camp banned soft drinks and unhealthy snacks in lunches brought by children and counselors. Kentucky usually scores poorly on healthy eating lists, notes Julia Bauscher, nutrition chairwoman for the National School Nutrition Association.

15. Disproportionate Number of U.S. Hispanics Suffer From Hunger
(Ponte Al Dia/Latin News and Opinion, July 10, 2009)

According to a recent USDA report on food insecurity, 19.5 percent of Hispanic households report suffering from hunger (food insecurity), a disproportionate number when compared to the national average of 10.9 percent, and the non-Hispanic white average of 7.8 percent. The percentage means that nearly one in five Hispanic households, in one of the richest countries in the world, suffers from hunger. Only half of eligible Hispanic residents (51 percent) receive SNAP/Food Stamps, according to a National Council of La Raza (NCLR) report from December 2006 titled Sin Provecho: Latinos and Food Insecurity. The report also found that there are 38 percent fewer fresh fruit and vegetable retailers in Hispanic communities than there are in communities with smaller Hispanic populations. The NCLR report indicated that people who participate in food assistance programs have greater nutritional intake, save money on medical bills, are healthier, and have a lower rate of obesity.

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