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. Financial gap is everyone’s problem
(American Public Media Marketplace, June 25, 2007)
John Authers, an investment editor at The Financial Times, commented on America's problem with income inequality in a recent interview. Authers said that UBS, Switzerland's largest bank, found that "low-income Americans have been in a recession all this century." Authers said this makes the overall economy difficult to analyze when there is a prevalent rich economy and a poor economy in crisis. UBS said that this inequality is growing and affects everyone across all economic levels. Wall Street banks have warned their clients about the increasing economic inequality, said Marketplace host Kai Ryssdal.
2. Op-ed says addressing hunger should be top priority
(Detroit Free Press, June 28, 2007)
In this op-ed, Jane Marshall, executive director of the Food Bank Council of Michigan, said that addressing hunger needs to be the first priority in improving the quality of life of in the United States. She points out that many programs exist to help the hungry, but often go untapped or fail to reach those in need. "The fastest, most direct way to reduce hunger in Michigan is to optimize, improve and expand national programs," she writes. Marshall believes that everyone can play a role in advocating for hunger by holding elected officials accountable, engaging schools and local organizations and supporting nonprofit groups that help the hungry.
3. Missouri: Purchasing power of food stamps decreasing, poverty rising
(The Marshall Democrat-News, June 25, 2007)
About 274,000 households in Missouri do not have access to adequate food, according to the Missouri Association for Social Welfare. "The Food Stamp Program is one of the most vital anti-hunger programs in the nation...but since 1996 the value of families' food stamps has continually decreased," said Christine Woody, hunger task force coordinator at MASW. Cheryl Zimny, community development coordinator at Missouri Valley Community Action Agency, said the increasing cost of living causes further crisis to the working poor. Zimny and Woody strongly encourage Congress to increase funding to the Food Stamp Program.
4. Improperly frozen accounts plague New York residents
(The Buffalo News, June 25, 2007)
A bill that would provide more protection to New York residents against creditors passed through the state's Assembly and is pending in the New York Senate. Under current state law, creditors cannot seize government payments, including Social Security or workers' compensation, but collection agencies can tie up the money when they freeze bank accounts. Nick Nicoloff, a former construction superintendent who was permanently disabled in a work-related accident, had his bank accounts frozen by debt collectors, even though his accounts contained fixed-income government payments that were exempt from seizure. This has caused numerous problems for Nicoloff and others who face similar circumstances. "The people have no access to their money," said Nicole R. Blackwell, staff paralegal at Legal Services for the Elderly, Disabled or Disadvantaged of Western New York. "They’re not able to buy groceries."
5. California bill could provide better access to food
(Los Angeles Daily News, June 24, 2007)
Many low-income residents in South Los Angeles struggle to get fresh produce and meat because full-service supermarkets have closed or left the area, according to Mary Lee, a community development expert for a California public policy advocacy group. Lee believes this could change with a bill being considered in the state that would create the Healthy Food Retail Innovation Fund. This fund would give incentive for grocery chains, corner-stores and farmers’ markets to provide more fresh food in areas currently underserved. Under the bill, grocery stores would be eligible for low-interest loans or grants to help with initial financing and corner-stores would receive financial support to purchase needed refrigeration units that would hold fresh food.
6. Maryland seniors eligible for farmers' markets checks
(Owings Mills Times, June 21, 2007 — link not available)
Maryland residents ages 60 and over, who meet income-eligibility requirements, can receive $15 checks to be used throughout the state's authorized farmers’ markets. Residents must show proof of age and be involved in the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary Program, Special Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary Program, Primary Adult Day Care Program, Supplemental Security Income, Extra Help with Medicare Prescription Drug Program, Food Stamp Program, Medicaid Assistance, Senior Employment Program, or Foster Grandparents Program.
7. Chicago farmers' market accepts food stamp card
(Chicago Tribune, June 25, 2007)
A Chicago farmers' market started accepting Electronic Benefits Transfer recently and is the first farmers' market in Illinois to implement the system. "When the food stamps were converted from paper to plastic, one of the unanticipated consequences of that was that it shut the users out of the farmers' market," said Paul Levin, executive director of the Logan Square Chamber of Commerce. Chicago officials plan to use this as a model for other farmers' markets in the city.
Read more:
Some Colorado farmers' markets accepting food stamps
8. Kentucky school district provides free summer lunches to children
(The State Journal, June 25, 2007)
Franklin County School District in Kentucky is offering free summer lunches to area children through end of July. Geraldine Jette, the district’s food service director, said that lunches are free to all children ages up to age 18 and are not limited to students in Franklin County Schools. Adults with disabilities may also receive free meals, she said. Donna Miller, program coordinator for the district, said that 300 lunches are being prepared each weekday. Jette hopes to establish more sites by the end of summer.
9. Oregon schools provide free summer meals
(The Hillsboro Argus, June 26, 2007)
Participation in free summer meals programs averaged more than 21,000 each day last year in Oregon, and school officials look for that number to grow this year. Sunny Ross, program specialist for Washington County's food program, said that last year the county served 120,000 meals, yet they only reached a small fraction of the number of eligible children. Ross wants to see more participation in the program, especially since 12 percent of Oregon residents are food insecure and 4 percent have very low food security, according to USDA. The state’s summer meals program will go through August 10.
10. Arkansas and West Virginia decrease food tax
(The Register-Herald, June 25, 2007 and The Baxter Bulletin, June 20, 2007)
The sales tax on groceries decreased in two states on July 1. The food tax in Arkansas fell from 6 percent to 3 percent and West Virginia’s grocery tax changed from 6 percent to 4 percent. West Virginia’s food tax will decrease again in 2008 to 3 percent. Prepared food will continue to be taxed at the regular rate in each state.
11. WIC increases income limit in Wyoming
(Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, June 27, 2007)
The Women, Infants and Children program (WIC) in Wyoming recently increased its income limit for participants by about 3 percent. This means that a family of four may earn up to $38,203 and remain eligible for the program. About 12,000 women and children utilize WIC each month in Wyoming.
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