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.

1. National Hunger Awareness Day, June 3
2. Priority Deadline For Great American Bake Sale Grants, May 31
3. Minnesota: USDA Rejects Request To Control Food Stamp Purchases
4. Connecticut: Bill Passes For Recess, Lunch Breaks, And Healthier Food In School
5. Washington: Changes Ease Access To Food Stamps
6. Wisconsin: "KidsFirst" Initiative Unveiled By Governor
7. North Carolina: Poor Families Caught In Cycle Of Poverty
8. Indiana: Food Stamp Use Up 54 Percent
9. Kansas: Bill Passed Banning Outsourcing Of Food Stamp Call Centers
10. Pennsylvania: $100 Million Proposal For Supermarkets In Underserved Areas
11. Kansas: Kansas City Residents Lack Access To Supermarkets
12. Arkansas: State Panel Limits Junk Food In Schools
13. California: Positive Steps Towards Healthier Foods In School
14. Pennsylvania: Group Promotes Healthy Food, Exercise In Schools

1. National Hunger Awareness Day, June 3

(America's Second Harvest, May 2004)

For the third year in a row communities nationwide will recognize National Hunger Awareness Day. On June 3, food banks, anti-hunger groups, food-rescue organizations, soup kitchens, food pantries, individuals, faith-based organizations and businesses will focus attention on domestic hunger by donating time, raising funds, and giving food. For more ideas on what you can do on June 3rd and further information about National Hunger Awareness Day, please visit the link below.

http://www.hungerday.org

2. Priority Deadline For Great American Bake Sale Grants, May 31

(Share Our Strength, May 2004)

Share Our Strength will be accepting grant applications for this year's Great American Bake Sale grant making campaign beginning April 4th and going through July 25th. The priority deadline to submit an online application is May 31st, so time is running out for priority applications. Applicants must either be current sponsors of the USDA's summer feeding or afterschool meal service programs for children, or advocacy organizations that provide technical assistance to these programs. Applications will be accepted from registered nonprofits and schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The final deadline is July 25th. To apply, please visit the Great American Bake Sale at the link below:


http://www.greatamericanbakesale.org/site/PageServer?pagename=learn_application

3. Minnesota: USDA Rejects Request To Control Food Stamp Purchases

("Feds Refuse Pawlenty's Call For Junk Food Ban," KSTP, May 7, 2004)

Minnesota cannot change its rules to prevent food stamp participants from buying certain foods with their benefits, ruled the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Governor Tim Pawlenty made the request to the USDA, which issued a strongly worded response. The letter said the proposal to ban some "junk food" was based on "questionable merits," would create "confusion and embarrassment" at food store check-out, and that "implementation of this waiver would perpetuate the myth that (program) participants do not make wise food purchasing decisions." In reality, participants make similar purchases as higher-income shoppers. The letter also noted inconsistencies. For example, Hershey bars would be excluded, but Kit-Kat bars included.

http://www.kstp.com/article/view/142586/

4. Connecticut: Bill Passes For Recess, Lunch Breaks, And Healthier Food In School

(End Hunger Connecticut!, May 5, 2004)

A bill designed to foster healthy eating and exercise habits in schoolchildren was recently passed by the Connecticut State Legislature. The bill requires schools to offer dairy products, low-fat dairy products, natural juice, water, and fruit when selling other foods on campus. The bill also mandates that students in grades K-5 have at least 20 minutes each of recess per day and that all students have at least 20 minutes for lunch. The legislative action is a victory for state anti-hunger group End Hunger Connecticut! and is part of a national trend to combat childhood obesity by focusing on junk food in school, exercise, and nutrition education.

http://www.endhungerct.org/page3.html

5. Washington: Changes Ease Access To Food Stamps

("Access to food benefits gets less cumbersome," Longview Daily News, May 4, 2004)

Changes that relax eligibility guidelines will make receiving food stamp benefits easier for Washington residents. As of May 1, retirement accounts and cars with a value of $4,000 or more will no longer be counted as income when a person applies for food stamps. The change will allow more poor families to qualify for the program. Also, persons convicted of drug felonies will be eligible to receive benefits beginning July 1, as Washington joins the list of states choosing the option to alter the lifetime exclusion in federal law.

http://www.tdn.com/articles/2004/05/04/area_news/news04.txt

6. Wisconsin: "KidsFirst" Initiative Unveiled By Governor

("WISCONSIN: Governor's priority is state's youngest citizens," TwinCities.com, May 9, 2004)

This editorial reports that Wisconsin Governor Doyle announced his "KidsFirst" plan, "an ambitious barrage" of "far-sighted" new programs focused on children. The initiatives would spend millions for children, including a grant program to encourage school districts to offer 4-year-old kindergarten, establishing a rating system for licensed childcare centers, increasing the number of children who receive immunizations, and requiring all public schools to offer a school breakfast program. The governor's proposal sets aside $500,000 in grants to help schools without breakfast programs to start them. Wisconsin currently ranks dead last in school breakfast participation.

http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/editorial/8615960.htm?1c

7. North Carolina: Poor Families Caught In Cycle Of Poverty

("Cycle of poverty ensnares many despite DSS, welfare reform," StarNewsOnline.com, May 2, 2004)

Welfare reform in North Carolina has pushed families into the work force, but not out of poverty. The average salary of participants in Work First, North Carolina's welfare program, is $6.77 an hour, and more than half work part-time. However, a family of four needs $9.15 an hour from a full-time job to live at the federal poverty line. Furthermore, 87 percent of Work First participants have no health insurance. Because of poverty among working families, food stamp use grew from 4,997 in January 1999 to 7,298 in January 2003. North Carolina's eligibility rules for food stamps changed recently so that a car is no longer considered a family resource, making it easier for a parent to own a car and qualify for food stamps.

http://www.wilmingtonstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040502/COLUMNIST02/405020329/1002/BUSINESS

8. Indiana: Food Stamp Use Up 54 Percent

("State Food Stamp Use Rises 54 Percent," Indianapolis Star, May 10, 2004)

Food stamp participation has grown 54 percent over the last four years. According to statistics from the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), participation recently has increased 14 percent to 226,071 households. The jump is the third largest in the nation, after Arizona and Nevada. Lisa Chaplin, a supervisor with the Monroe County Division of Family and Children, points out that Indiana has lost more manufacturing jobs than most states. Randy Rosso, senior policy analyst at FRAC, also credits outreach for the increase, noting that Indiana does a better job than most states in this area. However, Chaplin says, "There are still lots of people who are eligible for assistance and who could truly use it that we haven't reached."

http://www.indystar.com/articles/3/145175-5623-102.html

9. Kansas: Bill Passed Banning Outsourcing Of Food Stamp Call Centers

("Bill Contains Provision Attacking Outsourcing Of SRS Work," Kansas City Star, May 9, 2004)

In a bill passed by the Kansas state legislature, call centers that handle questions about food stamps may no longer be outsourced. Furthermore, the bill requires the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services to make it possible for food stamp participants in Kansas or other states to staff the centers. If the governor signs the bill into law, the changes will take effect January 1, 2005.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/8629853.htm?1c

10. Pennsylvania: $100 Million Proposal For Supermarkets In Underserved Areas

("Plan would add supermarkets in city," Philadelphia Inquirer, May 5, 2004)

Legislators, supermarket developers, and state and city officials announced a $100 million proposal to add supermarkets in underserved rural and urban areas throughout Pennsylvania over the next 5 years. Currently, the lack of supermarkets in some communities, said State Rep. Dwight Evans (D., Phila.), is contributing to health problems such as obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Hanna Burton, program coordinator for the Food Trust, states that supermarkets are a key to a community's health, noting that North Philadelphia has particular need. Dwight hopes the legislative proposal, if passed, will also provide new jobs.

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/pennsylvania/8589922.htm

11. Kansas: Kansas City Residents Lack Access To Supermarkets

("Urban Core Hungry For Groceries," Kansas City Star, May 11, 2004)

Kansas City has a paucity of supermarkets for residents of its urban core, according to a commission investigating seniors' access to grocery stores. The Aging Committee of the Local Investment Committee found some zip codes without any grocery store, including an area with the city's greatest number of people living below the poverty line and the greatest number receiving public assistance. For seniors without transportation, the problem means they are not "able to get groceries. They have to eat from service stations," said Ethel Smith, a member of the committee.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/8635634.htm?1c

12. Arkansas: State Panel Limits Junk Food In Schools

("State panel agrees to nutritional requirements for students," Arkansas News Bureau, May 10, 2004)

The state of Alabama's Child Health Advisory Committee approved recommendations limiting students' access to junk food and requiring more physical activity in schools. Among the new rules would be: setting size limits on foods sold in school that compete with food served at breakfast and lunch; requiring 50 percent of beverages sold in vending machines or school stores to be 100 percent fruit juice, low-fat or fat-free milk, and water; and requiring elementary schools to provide 150 minutes of exercise each week by the 2010-2011 school year. The recommendations now await approval by the state Board of Education.

http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2004/05/07/News/199068.html

13. California: Positive Steps Towards Healthier Foods In School

("California's School Vending Machines 'A Mess,' But Enlightened School Leaders Leading Way To Healthier Choices," The Beverage Network, May 11, 2004)

A recent study by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) found that three out of four items in school vending machines are unhealthy. Some California schools have taken steps against the trend by banning junk food or soda. Nutrition standards passed by state lawmakers are also aimed at improving students' health. Groups such as California's Strategic Alliance for Healthy Food and Activity Environments stress that these changes can be made while protecting schools' bottom lines.

http://www.bevnet.com/news/2004/05-11-2004-cavending.asp

14. Pennsylvania: Group Promotes Healthy Food, Exercise In Schools

("Healthy Habits," The Patriot-News, May 3, 2004)

Only 5 percent of Pennsylvania high schools offer daily exercise, as recommended by national guidelines, but ninety-eight percent sell sodas or snacks on campus. The statistics, combined with rising childhood obesity rates, have launched a statewide coalition, the Pennsylvania Advocates for Nutrition and Activity (PANA). PANA is addressing the problem through a study on Pennsylvania schoolchildren's health, promoting exercise, and awarding grants to schools to improve children's health.

http://pennlive.com/news/patriotnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1083578410231201.xml

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Helen Yuen
Food Research and Action Center
1875 Connecticut Avenue, NW Suite 540
Washington, DC 20009
(202) 986-2200 x3019 phone
(202) 986-2525 fax
Email: hyuen@frac.org