1.  More Than 35.5 Million Americans Lived in Food Insecure Households in 2006
(Associated Press, November 14, 2007)

More than 35.5 million people in this country went hungry in 2006, according to the latest food insecurity numbers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. According to the report, single mothers and their children were among the most likely to be food insecure. The 35.5 million numbers includes 12.6 million children. The number of people living in households considered to have "very low food security" grew to 11.1 million. Jim Weill, president of the Food Research and Action Center, says that figures for 2007 could prove to be worse, given rising food prices. "We need to do more to make sure that households have access to healthy food by improving and expanding proven programs that help," says Weill.

Read more: Household Food Security in the United States, 2006
FRAC’s Analysis                       

2. Op-Ed: Senate Can Strengthen Nutrition Programs
(Kennebec Journal, November 4, 2007)

As it takes up the Farm Bill, the Senate has the chance to make a real difference at kitchen tables across the nation, writes Jim Weill, FRAC president, in this op-ed. “A good 2007 Farm Bill substantially bolsters the Food Stamp Program to renew the nation’s effort to end hunger and improve the nutrition, health and learning of all our people, and especially working families with children and the elderly,” he concludes.

3. Indiana Rolls Out Automated Welfare System
(Associated Press, October 29, 2007)

Twelve counties in North Central Indiana – roughly 10 percent of the state’s total caseload – were the first get access to the Indiana Family and Social Service Administration’s new automated programs. While face-to-face meetings are still available, they are not required as welfare clients can now call an 800-number or use the interactive Web site. Advocates are concerned that elderly and disabled clients might run into problems using the Web site to apply for benefits or grow frustrated if telephone hold times run long. USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service has watched the transition closely and ordered changes in August to ensure FSSA workers had the final word on approving benefits. Tentative plans call for the new services to reach the entire state by June 2008.

4. Op-Ed: Hard-to-Read Forms Challenge Families Applying for Programs
(Baltimore Sun , October 23, 2007)

Medical writer Marie McCarren did a readability review of the school meals application and FAQ sheet for her local school district, and found that they written at a tenth grade reading level. Some sections scored at a twelfth grade reading level. According to McCarren, many free breakfast and lunch applications in schools are written in difficult language and this may be the reason why many parents don’t apply for the school breakfast and lunch programs. Most parents fill out the applications at home, without help, and simply find it too difficult to understand. The National Institutes of Health's Plain Language Coordinating Committee recommends a reading level of fourth to eighth grade.

5. Students Can Help Community Apply for Food Stamps
(New Mexico Daily Lobo, October 25, 2007)

After a recent campus event, students at the University of New Mexico are seeking ways to be more involved in fighting hunger. One way for students to be more involved, points out student Havah S. Johnson, is to volunteer with Hunger and Homelessness, an on-campus group. The group meets every Tuesday and Thursday to help other students and community members fill out food stamp applications.

6. Mentors Eat Breakfast with Elementary Students
(The Huntsville Times, October 29, 2007)

Students in the Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Alabama Breakfast Buddies Program meet for thirty minutes each week, and the older students are seeing how much of an impact they can have. Students from Sparkman High come to Madison Cross Roads Elementary to play games, help with homework, or just talk. "I have been real pleased with [the program]," said Beverly Young, the counselor at Madison Cross Roads, "and the kids couldn't wait to be in it."

7. Grab ‘n Go Breakfast Available to Middle School
(WFMZ-TV, October 30, 2007)

Indian Crest Middle School, in Eastern Pennsylvania, launched its pilot Grab ’n Go breakfast program. While breakfast was available in the cafeteria before school started, many students missed out on breakfast because they arrived to school too late. This left them little time to eat and get to class before the bell rang. Now, students can grab one of seven choices and bring it to their homeroom.

8. Researchers Find Classroom Breakfast Helps Students
(Hattiesburg American, October 24, 2007)

In-classroom breakfast can help improve grades, reduce tardiness, and lower discipline problems, according to research conducted by National Food Service Management Institute's Applied Research Division at the University of Southern Mississippi. The researchers visited four school districts in Mississippi, Oregon, Wisconsin and Maryland to evaluate the practices, menus, labor costs, benefits, and opinions regarding their school breakfast programs. Serving breakfast in classrooms creates "a sense of community," says Alice Rainville of Eastern Michigan University, who helped conduct the study. "We went through state agencies looking for exemplary programs," says Deborah Carr, director of the NFSMI Applied Research Division at Southern Miss. "It is a wonderful and creative way to meet the nutritional needs of children."

9. Pilot Program in Scotland Tests Benefits of Universal Free Lunch
(The Herald, October 23, 2007)

St. Michael’s Primary School in Scotland is testing the benefits of universal free lunch. Gordon Matheson, the executive member for education in Glasgow, says that he hoped the program will lead to an increase in students eating school meals. The current level is 65 percent, but Matheson hopes to see it increase to 85 percent. Parent "I think it is an excellent idea… If they have an early start, they are more likely to make good healthy choices as they grow up,” says parent Claire Strain. This effort is the latest in the Scottish Government's Hungry for Success program, a program launched in 2002 to improve school meals.

10. North Carolina Struggles to Improve Child Health
(Citizen-Times, October 15, 2007)

North Carolina continues to rate low in the areas of children’s dental health, children who are overweight, alcohol, tobacco and substance abuse among teenagers, and the number of low-birth-weight infants, according to the 2007 N.C. Child Health Report Card. According to Tom Vitaglione, a senior fellow of health and safety at Action for Children, two of the most telling indicators in the report may be the number of children with health insurance and the number living in poverty. In 2006, one in five children in North Carolina lived in poverty. The number of children without health insurance rose to 13 percent, an increase of 20 percent increase over the past five years.

11. Northern Arapaho Tribe Receives Grant to Support WIC Program
(Billings Gazette, October 25, 2007)

The Northern Arapaho Tribe will receive a $2 million grant to combat the high infant mortality rate on the Wind River Indian Reservation. "This grant will assist us to expand the programs and resources that are available to assist pregnant women and their infants, and will support development of new culturally appropriate strategies for outreach and education," says Cindy Washakie, Arapaho WIC director said. The funds will be used to assist and educate women throughout their pregnancies; provide support for traditional healers and elders to hold "talking circles" for pregnant women and new mothers; and provide education on pregnancy and motherhood to teenage girls at reservation high schools.