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. New Figures from USDA Show One in Six Americans Struggling Against Hunger in 2008
(Reuters, November 16, 2009; FRAC, November 16, 2009)

More than 49.1 million Americans lived in households struggling against hunger in 2008, according to new data released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). "The numbers are even worse than people otherwise believed," said Jim Weill of the Food Research and Action Center. "We all know we have the worst downturn since the Depression." Previously, in 2007, 36.2 million Americans were in food insecure households. The 2008 number is the highest since USDA first started the survey in 1995. The number of people in the worst-off category (living in "very low food secure" households) - the hungriest Americans - experienced the fastest pace of growth, rising from 11.9 million to 17.3 million. In fact, in many categories, the numbers are double what they were in 2000. "Particularly troubling is the increase among children. According to the report, one in four children lived in households struggling with hunger. President Obama has made it a goal to end childhood hunger by 2015, and these numbers highlight the urgency of dramatic action to achieve this goal," said Weill. "A strong economy, better wages, better income supports, and stronger SNAP/Food Stamp and child nutrition programs are the key steps."

2. Record Months of High SNAP/Food Stamp Participation Spurs More Retailers to Accept the Benefit, Boosts Donations
(Reuters, November 3, 2009)

Click here for FRAC’s latest SNAP/Food Stamp participation data.
In July, SNAP/Food Stamp numbers climbed to 35.85 million recipients, marking the seventh consecutive month of record-setting participation, according to the federal government. Food retailers are responding by accepting the benefit at more locations and upping their food donations to communities, with Wal-Mart raising its overall holiday donations by 28 percent. And 700,000 more seniors now face hunger, according to a Meals on Wheels study. “We’re the largest grocer in the country, so I think we feel a real responsibility to respond to hunger,” said Walmart Foundation president Margaret McKenna. “There’s been over a 100 percent increase in the number of people going to a food bank for the first time in their life,” she said. Wal-Mart, BJ’s Wholesale Club, and [soon] Costco accept SNAP/Food Stamps.

3. USDA Direct Certification Report Now Online
(FRAC, November 2009)

On October 30, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) delivered to Congress its second annual report Direct Certification in the National School Lunch Program: State Implementation Progress (pdf). All local education agencies (LEAs) are required to directly certify children who participate in the food stamp/Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as eligible for free school meals, and they have the option of also directly certifying children who participate in TANF and the Food Distribution Program for Indian Reservations. The new report examines data from the 2008-2009 school-year, which was the first year that all LEAs were required to directly certify students for SNAP. Key findings include:
* Seventy-eight percent of LEAs conducted direct certification in the 2008-2009 school year, up from 67 percent in the 2007-2008 school year.
* Twenty-two percent of all LEAs failed to conduct direct certification, despite the federal requirement to do so. These LEAs tend to be small ones, however, comprising four percent of students enrolled in schools that participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP).

4. Government Fights Rising Unemployment by Extending Jobless Benefits
(Los Angeles Times, November 6, 2009)

Unemployment has been rising steadily over the past few months, but in October, the rate spiked to 10.2 percent (up from 9.8 percent in September) as another 190,000 workers lost their jobs. Forecasters had said the jobless rate would only rise to 9.9 percent in October. Unemployment rates have not gone into double digits in 26 years, and may have a “major psychological effect as well as potentially significant consequences in Washington.” President Obama recently signed into effect another extension of unemployment benefits, at the same time he approved extending a home buyer tax credit to help grow the economy. “History tells us that job growth always lags behind economic growth,” Obama said. “I can promise you I won’t let up until the Americans who want to find work can find work.” The unemployment rate does not count the 808,000 “discouraged” workers – up from 484,000 a year ago - who have given up the job search, or the 9.3 million people forced to work part time because of job cuts or lack of full-time jobs. Adding these and other “fringe” labor market factors creates an October 2009 underemployment and unemployment rate of 17.5 percent.

5. SNAP/Food Stamp Participation High in Arizona and Delaware
(Myfoxphoenix.com, November 4, 2009; DelawareOnline.com, November 2, 2009)

Nearly 1 million Arizona residents – 941,000 – receive SNAP/Food Stamps, with 519,837 of them children. In Maricopa County, the 144,000 families on SNAP/Food Stamps in September 2008 rose to 214,000 families in September 2009. State offices are feeling the stress from budget cuts in serving the rising numbers. “Because we have had such a decrease in staff, we have had to find other individuals who don’t work in an office, go work in an office. It is that busy,” said Veronica Bossack of the Department of Economic Security. Still, many who are eligible are still not receiving the benefit. Residents can fill out an application online at www.healthearizona.org.

In Delaware, SNAP/Food Stamp participation increased 27.5 percent over the past year, with 1 in 9 (98,346) Delawareans and receiving the benefit in July. Officials say that number will increase 40 percent over the next year, as laid-off workers see their severance packages expire. ShopRite stores have noticed a spike in customers on the day their EBT cards are recharged. “We anticipate the higher volume and order accordingly and staff accordingly,” said Chris Kenny, ShopRite’s chief financial officer. The stigma associated with SNAP/Food Stamps is waning, mainly because of the EBT cards, which are mostly indistinguishable from a debit card. But while more and more middle class people are receiving the benefit, others struggle. “The hardest thing we’re experiencing is people who had significant income and that income dramatically decreased, but they still have an income too high to qualify. That’s hard for people to accept when we turn them away,” said Elaine Archangelo, director of the Division of Social Services.

6. Ohio County Posts Significant Drop in SNAP/Food Stamp Error Rate
(Akron Beacon Journal, November 1, 2009)

The error rate for SNAP/Food Stamp processing in Ohio’s Summit County fell from 13.89 percent to 3.38 percent during FY 2008; the county Job and Family Services office was awarded $288,000 in extra state money this year. Among big communities in the Food and Nutrition Service’s Midwest Region (encompassing six Great Lakes states), this decrease in error rate was the largest. The county created a performance review team to improve caseworker training and analyze cases to catch errors, which are caused by changing guidelines, worker mistakes, or changes in information from recipients. The county will use the incentive money to purchase dual computer monitors, desk stands and graphic cards, which will help workers process cases. “Given that staffing levels at many counties have been lowered or remained static at a time of unprecedented caseload growth, [the error rate decrease] is quite an accomplishment,” said Alan Shannon of FNS. Ohio received $5.1 million from the federal government; it had the best accuracy rate of six regional states in FY 2008, and also was the most improved state in 2008.

7. Indiana SNAP/Food Stamp Processing Must Speed Up, Judge Says
(Northwest Indiana Times, October 27, 2009)

South Bend federal Chief Judge Robert L. Miller has ordered Indiana to hit 80 percent compliance with federal laws mandating the 30 day SNAP/Food Stamp application processing time period, and must do so in one year. SNAP/Food Stamp applications for particularly needy households must comply with the one week time frame. Between April 2007 and September 2008, only 62 percent of emergency applications were processed on time according to USDA. In addition, Indiana has 18 months to get compliance up to 90 percent. The judge signed a preliminary injunction in a class action lawsuit brought against the state on behalf of SNAP/Food Stamp applicants. “The injunction benefits the thousands of Indiana families and individuals who are hungry and need food stamps in order to get by,” said Tedde Tasheff of the National Center for Law and Economic Justice. In a letter asking Judge Miller to boost compliance, Deputy Attorney General Michael Carter wrote “It provides the agency with sufficient time and realistic benchmarks to make significant improvements in compliance that will benefit members of the class.”

8. Some Texas SNAP/Food Stamp Applicants Wait Up To Six Months for Benefits
(San Antonio Express-News, November 5, 2009; Austin American-Statesman, November 5, 2009)

Damian Perez, a San Antonio resident, thought he did “everything right” when he and his girlfriend applied for SNAP/Food Stamps. They brought all the documentation needed to apply but were told to come back on Monday, when they were asked to supply more documentation. Still, their application was delayed a number of times, and it wasn’t until six months later that they started receiving benefits. “All I want is for somebody to be accountable,” said Perez, who wanted to hear someone say “I messed up.” In Bexar County, 210,000 people received $26 million in SNAP/Food Stamps in October; in 82 percent of the households receiving the benefit, at least one person is employed. The county processed 22,463 more applications from March to September this year than it did during 2008, and many of these applicants waited up to half a year for a Lone Star Card. SNAP/Food Stamp workers “are exhausted and working extended hours,” said Stephanie Goodman of the state Health and Human Services Commission. “We need to give them a break, but there are still people lined up waiting for services.” The state spent $2 million in overtime for eligibility workers in September. The workers put in an extra 227,000 hours that month, many working 13 hours overtime each week; their average salary is $30,321. One worker told the Commission in a recent hearing that she cries on the way to work, because she knows she won’t see her daughter until after she’s gone to bed that night. Other employees spoke about a ban on taking vacation in November and December, although the Commission has said there is no ban. According to Renee Trevino, an attorney with Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid, which helps people experiencing application problems, “We’ve had clients who have just given up because it takes months and months for them to even get an interview.” Complaints about SNAP/Food Stamps, which has been in trouble for years, now make up the bulk of calls to Houston’s state Rep. and chair of the House Democratic Caucus Jessica Farrar. “This is symptomatic not just of the food stamp program but mental health, children’s health insurance, welfare. In Texas, we consistently turn away money that then goes to other states,” she said. “That needs to change. We need to take care of Texans in need.” SNAP/Food Stamp supervisor Linda Perez wrote “I have been with the agency 21 years and I have never seen it this bad. We can’t work like this anymore. Morale is low but we come to work every day with the hope that things will get better.”

9. Costco Plans to Have All 407 Locations Accepting SNAP/Food Stamps by End of 2009
(Fast Food Maven, October 29, 2009)

Costco will need to get regulatory approval to accept SNAP/Food Stamps in all of its 407 locations across the country, and expects to have all warehouses accepting the benefit by year’s end. Richard Galanti, Costco’s CFO, recently addressed concerns some consumers had regarding the store’s SNAP/Food Stamp acceptance. Since the benefit is distributed through a government EBT card, customers using SNAP/Food Stamps to pay for groceries won’t slow checkout lines. “Cash registers deduct the value of the card from the total, and then the customer pays the difference,” said Galanti. “We don’t see it as a slowdown,” he said, and noted that test stores found it to be “a smooth process.” SNAP/Food Stamp recipients can pay for about half of the 4,000 items sold in Costco stores – “most every food item” is eligible, said Galanti. There are about 25 million Costco members in the U.S., although Galanti does not know how many of them are SNAP/Food Stamp recipients.

10. Assistance Recipients Played Major Role in Indiana’s Decision to Cancel SNAP/Food Stamp and Health Care Privatization
(Indianapolis Star, November 2, 2009)

A meeting in Muncie, Ind., in which 500 SNAP/Food Stamp and health care recipients told a state agency representative of their problems with the state’s welfare privatization program was “a game-changer,” said health-care activist and lobbyist John Cardwell. “After that, I had legislators coming up to me and saying ‘This is the real thing, isn’t it?’” A similar meeting in Anderson, expected to draw just a handful, instead saw 200 citizens attend. It’s not always that way: “Usually, our powers-that-be are transfixed by property taxes, corporate concerns and electoral power struggles, where well-connected folks with a few dollars in their pockets can make their voices heard,” writes poverty attorney Fran Quigley in this op-ed. But by spring 2008, the Governor’s $1.34 billion IBM contract to privatize SNAP/Food Stamps and healthcare assistance had hurt too many Hoosiers, and emergency food providers as well as nonprofits were struggling to provide services [that were incorrectly denied by the state]. Governor Daniels “and [Social Services Administration secretary Mitch] Roob’s successor, Anne Murphy, deserve “credit for making what the governor called ‘a major mid-course correction’” and cancelling the IBM contract. Cardwell also credits the Associated Press and Indiana’s print media for the cancellation. He gives special praise to the welfare system’s clients, “who responded to being denied much-needed medicine for their spouses and food for their children not with self-pity but by raising their voices and sharing their stores with legislators, the media and the governor himself.”

11. SNAP/Food Stamp Workers Among 170 to Lose Jobs in Denver
(CBS4 Denver, November 1, 2009)

Denver, Colorado is being forced to lay off 170 employees this month due to declining sales tax receipts and a $160 million budget shortfall. The employees include more than 80 SNAP/Food Stamp and other workers in the Department of Human Services. Remaining city workers face five furlough days in the coming year, and while the city is holding open 600 jobs, they don’t have the money to fill them.

12. New York Governor’s Report Shows Impact of ARRA Funds
(Village Voice blog, November 2, 2009)

According to a report from Governor Paterson, the counties making up New York City received $8.16 billion of the $18 billion the state received in economic recovery act funds. The blog notes that “it’s amazing that New York City actually gets more ‘agriculture’ spending money than Niagara [County] - $850 million versus $12 million - until you realize almost all of that is for the Supplemental Assistance Nutrition Program, aka food stamps.”

13. California County to Hire More Assistance Workers
(PublicCEO.com, November 5, 2009)

Orange County, Ca., will be able fill 99 vacant assistance program positions with $9 million in additional state and federal funding. “The continuing economic downturn has resulted in more people applying for the CalWORKS, Medi-Cal and Food Stamp programs,” said Social Services Agency director, Ingrid Harita. In the last year, the county signed up 39,000 more SNAP/Food Stamp recipients. Former employees laid off earlier this year will be rehired, in addition to employees let go during their probationary period, to “meet the increase in demand for services,” said Harita.

14. Approaching Tropical Storm Spurs Florida Provides SNAP/Food Stamps Early to Recipients
(WJHG, November 9, 2009)

In advance of Tropical Storm Ida, Florida’s Department of Children and Families provided 30,000 SNAP/Food Stamp recipients with their November benefits earlier than usual, so that they could have sufficient food for the post-storm period. Normally, benefits are provided on a staggered basis the first through the 15th of each month. Participants in the following counties received their benefits early: Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Walton, Holmes, Jackson, Washington, Calhoun, Bay, Gulf, Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon, Wakulla, Liberty, and Franklin.

15. Nutrition Assistance Programs Necessary for Oregon’s Children
(Public News Service, November 3, 2009; OPB News, November 3, 2009)

More than 60 percent of Oregon’s public school students receive free and reduced-price meals, and half of the state’s SNAP/Food Stamp beneficiaries are children. The programs are vitally important, notes Dr. Dana Hargunani, assistant professor of pediatrics at Oregon Health Sciences University. “The data has spoken for itself that WIC and other food stamp programs have really been able to improve outcomes for children,” said Dr. Hargunani. “I think it just allows families to have enough extra support to be able to get by, compared to those families who would have no support and are therefore facing hunger in the home.” Dr. Hargunani believes hunger should be viewed as a public health problem, not a social issue, since hungry children “tend to get sicker more often; we know it has detrimental effects on mental health. Kids are more likely to have behavioral problems, aggression, anxiety or, in teenagers more likely to be depressed. And we certainly know it has effects in school, and their ability to learn.” Dr. Hargunani recently joined Governor Ted Kulongoski and USDA Undersecretary Kevin Concannon at a roundtable discussion in Portland, where she aired these views. “Never in our lifetimes have there been as many needs as there are right now in terms of these feeding and nutrition programs,” said Concannon. At the roundtable, officials outlined improvements they would like to make, including making more children eligible for afterschool and summer nutrition programs, reducing paperwork for schools and families, and increasing reimbursement rates. USDA recognized the state’s outstanding SNAP/Food Stamp administration in the past three years, and rewarded Oregon with bonus funds which the state used to make more improvements to the program.

16. Universal Breakfast Helps More Students in Michigan’s Orchard View School District
(Mlive.com, November 5, 2009)

Missouri’s Orchard View School District experienced success last April when it piloted universal in-classroom breakfast at Cardinal Elementary School, raising the meal’s participation numbers from 100 to 200 to more than 700. The program expanded to the district’s early elementary and middle schools in the fall, and now provides breakfast for an average of 2,000 students in their classrooms every morning. Holton School District feeds about 800 students each morning, and has offered universal breakfast for three years. These districts have a high number of families eligible for free and reduced-price lunch (Orchard View – 65 percent, Holton – 70 percent). Patty Wall, food services director for both districts, pushed to implement universal breakfast in the classroom after attending training on breakfast outreach. Higher participation numbers bring the districts additional revenue. Before offering the in-classroom meal, many students opted to play before school, or arrived too late for breakfast in the cafeteria. “Many families are living on a tight budget and cannot afford to provide good breakfast every morning,” said Wall. “Also, even our households that do not receive free/reduced meals are comprised of two working parents or single working parents. Often, there is not time in the morning to ensure that their son/daughter eats a good breakfast.” Teachers report fewer late students, fewer students complaining about stomach pain and hunger, and have noticed students concentrate better in class since instituting universal breakfast. Another benefit, noticed by longtime district teacher Cheryl Lake, is that children are learning to clean up after themselves and are helping keep their classrooms clean.

17. Massachusetts Hospitals Urged to Help End Hunger
(Worcester Telegram & Gazette, November 10, 2009; Project Bread, November 10, 2009; USDA, November 9, 2009)

Hospitals in Massachusetts are being urged to help end hunger through a statewide initiative titled “Hunger in the Community: Ways Hospitals Can Help.” USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack recently joined Rep. James P. McGovern, Governor Deval L. Patrick and Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray for a kickoff event at UMass Memorial Medical Center – University Campus. A handbook (developed by UMass and Project Bread) was introduced which encourages hospitals to help patients apply for SNAP/Food Stamps, refer them to school and summer meal programs, help elderly patients access senior meal programs, screen pediatric and senior patients in clinical settings for hunger, and provide information on best practices. The initiative was developed with the understanding that hospitals are not only for helping sick people get healthy, but are also charged with helping people stay healthy. “I believe hunger is essentially a political condition,” and it will take political will to solve the problem, said Rep. McGovern, who noted that more than half a million in the state don’t know where their next meal is coming from. Nearly two-thirds of the state’s children receive free or reduced-price school meals. “If good food is the first medicine we must take the steps necessary to see that all patients and their families receive adequate nutrition,” said Rep. McGovern. “It’s a cost effective investment in their medical care…and the right thing to do.” There was also a focus on the upcoming child nutrition legislation. “President Obama and I are committed to improving the nutrition and health of all Americans, which is why we look forward to working with Congress to improve the health and nutrition of America’s families through the Child Nutrition Reauthorization,” said Secretary Vilsack. “The Reauthorization presents a significant opportunity to improve the quality of school meals served to more than 31 million children in more than 100,000 schools across the country and to reduce barriers to participation. The collaborative effort we are celebrating at today’s event, and others like it, will play a key role in eliminating the barriers that keep families from participating in nutrition programs and reduce food insecurity in our communities.”
Hospital Handbook - http://www.projectbread.org/site/PageServer?pagename=hospital_handbook

18. WIC Clients Fear Stigma Attached to Need
(9news.com, November 9, 2009)

Some WIC recipients in Colorado have gone on record stating they use their benefits in certain stores, picking the locations based on whether or not they will run into people they know. “I have some clients that will not shop in a Douglas County store because they don’t want to be recognized using a WIC check,” said program dietician Alice Kremer. More and more people are turning to WIC as they struggle through job loss. Douglas County WIC participation increased 12 percent in the past year.

19. Salvation Army Starts Holiday Kettle Campaign Early in Massachusetts
(Boston Herald, November 7, 2009)

“In my 40 years as a Salvation Army officer, this is the earliest I have ever known Salvation Army kettles being out on the streets,” said Major William Bode, state commander for Massachusetts. “We have not seen a need this great.” The Salvation Army has seen a 27 percent increase in requests for food, clothing, and rent and heat assistance, due to the recession and the highest unemployment rate since 1976, prompting the earliest-on-record start of the charity’s holiday fundraising. The charity pays $8 an hour to “stand the kettles,” and screened 42 Boston residents for the job. “One of the gentlemen has 20 years in the Coast Guard and can’t find work,” said community relations director Tom Langdon.

20. America Needs More Direct Job Creation Programs
(The New York Times blog, November 6, 2009)

In this commentary, Paul Krugman answers the question he’s often asked: “Why aren’t we creating jobs with a WPA-type program?” Current tax cuts and transfers, and aid to state governments to avoid layoffs are indirect job creation efforts. It would be, he notes, more cost-effective to employ people directly, through WPA and CCC-like programs, which “cost surprisingly little given the number of people put to work.” Getting the middleman out of the picture to create jobs is like “the stimulus equivalent of getting the middlemen out of the student loan program.”

21. Low-Income Tax Filers in Arkansas Spend too Much to Get Refunds
(Arkansas News, November 3, 2009)

A recent report by Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families found that Arkansans spend $100 million each year in getting loans against their anticipated tax refunds, and lose out on $110 million a year by not claiming federal earned income tax credit. In 2006, according to the report, low-income residents paid $78 million in tax preparation fees and $21.6 million in fees for anticipated refund loans. These tax preparation fees are “in many cases exorbitant,” said Rich Huddleston, executive director of Arkansas Advocates. Most low-income families can get tax help through a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site. The report also found that the counties with large percentages of low-income residents had the highest use of refund anticipation loans.

22. Cell Phone Company Helps Needy Access Cell Phone Service
(Baltimore Sun, November 5, 2009)

TracFone Wireless Inc. has 10 million customers nationwide, and is offering free phones and 64 minutes of monthly calling time to nearly 400,000 low-income Maryland residents. A year-old federal program which provides a $10-per-customer subsidy and has as its goal improving land-line and wireless phone access makes the free phones and minutes possible. In addition to Maryland, 18 states and Washington participate in the program. Low-income residents prove their eligibility by showing they participate in the SNAP/Food Stamp program, or receive energy or healthcare assistance. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) provides the subsidy through its Universal Service Fund. TracFone is the first wireless carrier to offer free phones and minutes to customers. Other companies may offer a discount – through the FCC’s Lifeline program – although the customers must first have a cell phone service contract.