The weekly Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) 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.
Issue 18, May 8, 2007
FRAC News Digest
- FRAC Statement on Feeding America's Families Act
- An Interview with Bill Whitaker of United Vision for Idaho
- California: 10th Annual Hunger Action Day Raises Awareness of Hunger Issues
- Louisiana: State Food Stamp Administrator Adren O. Wilson is Keynote Speaker at Youth Conference
- Michigan: Officials Press for Maintenance of Food Stamp Program in 2007 Farm Bill
- Oregon: Governor's Food Stamp Challenge Raises Awareness
- Texas: Majority of El Paso County Students Rely on Free and Reduced-Price School Meals
- New York Governor Introduces Legislation Promoting Nutrition and Exercise in Schools
- Ohio: Gov. Strickland and Ralph Gildehaus, of the Ohio Food Bank, Promote Benefit Bank
1. FRAC Statement on Feeding America's Families Act
(frac.org, May 3, 2007)
FRAC applauds Representatives Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) and Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.) for launching a real effort to ending hunger in America by making sound investments in the Food Stamp Program. The Feeding America's Families Act (H.R 2129) makes long overdue --and desperately needed-- changes in the Food Stamp Program by improving benefit levels, expanding eligibility, and improving access. It addresses outdated resource tests that count modest savings against a person's eligibility. It also provides families with greater access to an adequate diet by raising the food stamp benefit levels, which currently average a meager $1 per person per meal and only $10 a month for those at the minimum benefit level.
2. An Interview with Bill Whitaker of United Vision for Idaho
("Bill Whitaker," boiseweekly.com, May 2, 2007)
This article features an interview with Bill Whitaker of Boise State University. Whitaker, coordinator of the masters of social work program at Boise State University, served as president of United Vision for Idaho, a statewide group coordinating services for those in need. He was recently named Idaho's Social Worker of the Year by the Idaho chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. According to Whitaker, "social workers really need to walk on two feet. So you have one foot of direct service and engagement with people and responding to the needs that they have, and the second foot is really that of social justice, or advocacy."
3. California: 10th Annual Hunger Action Day Raises Awareness of Hunger Issues
("Hunger-Relief Groups Open Lobbying Drive," signonsandiego.com, May 7, 2007)
May 8, 2007 is the 10th annual Hunger Action Day when organizations throughout California will meet in Sacramento to raise awareness of hunger, increase participation in the Food Stamp Program, and make healthier food available. Approximately four million Californians go hungry at some point each year, according to the California Hunger Action Coalition, which organized the event. "We're really trying to build up our community-wide advocacy and get more people engaged at all levels," said Tia Anzellotti, executive director of the San Diego Hunger Coalition. Anzellotti is working with county and state officials to reduce the red tape in receiving food stamps. At barely 25 percent, San Diego County is among the lowest-participating counties in the nation.
4. Louisiana: State Food Stamp Administrator Adren O. Wilson is Keynote Speaker at Youth Conference
("Youth Conference Focuses on Careers," 2theadvocate.com, May 5, 2007)
At the Expanding the Visions Youth Conference keynote speaker Adren O. Wilson, assistant secretary of the Louisiana Department of Social Services, talked about his humble beginnings. Wilson challenged the young people to dare to dream, pointing out that he went from being on food stamps to running the food stamp department. Wilson provides leadership for the Office of Family Support and is executive director of the Children's Cabinet. Wilson, 35, was among a variety of professionals taking part in the conference, a collaborative effort of the Baton Rouge Chapter of the Links Inc. and the Southern University System Center for Cultural Heritage and International Programs. The conference was geared primarily toward addressing issues African-American students in grades seven through 12 often face.
5. Michigan: Officials Press for Maintenance of Food Stamp Program in 2007 Farm Bill
("Food Stamp Threat Worries Michigan Officials," mlive.com, May 5, 2007)
Michigan officials are worried about President Bush's proposed cuts in nutrition assistance programs. The Administration's proposed 2008 federal budget and the 2007 farm bill both include cuts to the Food Stamp Program. Food stamps have become a staple for Michigan's poor and working-class families. In 2000 an average of 602,000 Michigan residents received food stamps every month; by last year it had grown to 1.1 million. According to Marianne Udow, director of the Michigan Department of Human Services, "ten percent of Michigan families receive some food assistance. We have more Michigan citizens receiving food stamps than ever before." Specifically, state officials are concerned about cuts to Michigan's waiver to cover single adults and elimination of a program that automatically qualifies some families for food stamps when they receive welfare, child care or transportation assistance, which would affect almost 110,000 Michigan food stamp beneficiaries.
6. Oregon: Governor's Food Stamp Challenge Raises Awareness
("A Governor Truly Tightens His Belt," nytimes.com, May 1, 2007)
Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski's week of living on an average food stamp allotment of $21/week as part of the Oregon "food stamp challenge," raised attention to the plight of the working poor. Hundreds of people sent e-mail messages to the main sponsor of the challenge, the Oregon Food Bank, saying they too had been inspired to give it a try. When Gov. Kulongoski first entered office in 2002, he was surprised to learn that Oregon ranked high on the list of what the Department of Agriculture used to call hunger and now calls "food insecurity." Since then, the state has fallen lower on the list, thanks to an improving economy and federal policies that allow it to expand eligibility for food stamps. Under the Farm Bill now before Congress, advocates for the hungry say, the rules that allow expanded eligibility for food stamps could be restricted, potentially disqualifying about 50,000 of the 434,000 Oregonians who use them. Gov. Kulongoski sent a letter to President Bush asking him to preserve the current food stamp benefits.
7. Texas: Majority of El Paso County Students Rely on Free and Reduced-Price School Meals
("Lack of Education Holds the City Back, For Some, Schools Provide Day's Only Meal," elpasotimes.com, April 29, 2007)
In El Paso County, more than 100,000 students qualify for free or reduced-price breakfasts and lunches. According to Adel Balesh, the director of nutrition services for the Canutillo Independent School District. "...the vast majority of our students are of low-income families, and the meals we provide do mean a lot to them." Seventy-three percent of the students in El Paso County public schools are considered economically disadvantaged by the state. That figure jumps to 99.8 percent in school districts such as Anthony, or 97 percent in San Elizario and Tornillo. Ysleta-area parent Lori Gonzalez said "During the summer, my kids eat all meals at home, and the food doesn't last as long as when they're in school," she said. "The cafeteria really does make a difference. I am grateful for it." In addition, most area school districts provide free breakfasts and lunches for students during the summer.
8. New York Governor Introduces Legislation Promoting Nutrition and Exercise in Schools
("Spitzer Targets Obesity in Kids," newsday.com, April 29, 2007)
New York Governor Eliot Spitzer introduced legislation to promote nutritious food and exercise into public schools. The bill, which is similar to a separate bill sponsored by state Sen. Kenneth LaValle (R-Port Jefferson) and Assemb. Sandra Galef (D-Ossining), would prohibit sales of soda, candy and other snack items and include recess requirements. "Childhood obesity has reached crisis levels," said Gov. Spitzer. Specifically, the bill would require that school meals paid for by the U.S. government are free of trans-fats and low in salt and cholesterol. Snacks would be limited to fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat or nonfat dairy products. The bill mandates at least 20 minutes for breakfast and 30 for lunch. It also stipulates a recess period of up to 30 minutes involving physical activity for kindergartners through eighth-graders on days when there is no gym class. Recess could no longer be taken away as a punishment. In addition, the bill would expand the school breakfast program to middle and high schools in districts that participate in the federal School Lunch Program.
9. Ohio: Gov. Strickland and Ralph Gildehaus, of the Ohio Food Bank, Promote Benefit Bank
("Ohioans Don't Seek Help They're Due," cleveland.com, April 28, 2007)
State officials say that about $1.5 billion in public benefits, from tax credits to food stamps, goes unclaimed by eligible Ohioans every year. Ralph Gildehaus, director of the Ohio Benefit Bank, said many people aren't aware they qualify for help; others are turned off by exhaustive paperwork, confusing terminology, long lines at public agencies or the prospect of visiting multiple offices to assemble needed benefits. Gov. Ted Strickland and Gildehaus recently visited the Cleveland Foodbank for the local launch of the Benefit Bank, a free, web-based program to help people apply for an array of assistance, file tax returns and even register to vote. In the eight states, plus the District of Columbia, where the Benefit Bank now operates, counselors identified an average $6,450 more in annual benefits for each client. The association of 12 food banks, including those in Northeast Ohio, is helping to implement the Benefit Bank statewide. Begun in Ohio last fall as a pilot program, it already has linked people to more than $4.5 million in assistance, Gildehaus said.
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