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. Majority of Children Who Need Summer Meals Do Not Get Them Because of Red Tape, FRAC Report Says
2. Expansion of Simplified Summer Food Program Means More Food for Hungry Children
3. Column: “For the Sake of the Children, Let’s Take Advantage” of Summer Meal Programs
4. Maryland, Hawaii and District of Columbia at Top of List of Most Improved States in Feeding More Children in Summer
5. USDA Makes Annual Adjustments in Reimbursements to Child and Adult Care Food Providers, and National School Lunch, Special Milk and School Breakfast Programs
6. Almost Every Demographic and Economic Group Showed Higher Food Stamp Participation in 2004
7. Schools Vary Widely in Approaches to Wellness Policies
8. Get Involved With 2006 Covering Kids & Families Back-to-School Campaign
9. California Governor Will Speak About Childhood Obesity at National Nutrition Conference
10. Department of Treasury Own Analysis Shows Tax Cuts Do Not Raise Revenues
11. Editorial: Worsening Gap Between Rich and Poor Is “Tragic”
12. Racial Income Gaps Growing Wider
13. Scotland, United Kingdom: Weightlifting Classes and Calming Breakfast Rein in Troublemaking Students
14. Washington, D.C., Low-Income Neighborhoods Lack Grocery Stores, Reducing Residents’ Access to Healthy Food
15. Op-Ed: Hunger Is Preventable in Southern California and Beyond
16. Rhode Island: Advocates Protest Demeaning Recertification Process That Discourages Food Stamp Participation
17. Sixty Texas Lawmakers Ask State to Cancel Human Services Contract for Food Stamps and Other Programs
18. Post-Katrina New Orleans Is Dangerous, Oppressive Place for Working Poor, Report Says
19. Michigan: Kalamazoo Elementary Sets Example for Wellness Policies, Positive Change
20. Iowa School District Is Embracing Better Food Service Practices
21. Pennsylvania: WIC Program Gets Funding Restored for Farmers’ Markets
22. Letters to the Editor – Maryland: Summer Meal Programs Feed Children Who Otherwise Go Without Food
23. Food Bank in Georgia Has “Heartbreaking” Shortage of Food
24. Utah State University Offers Lessons on Healthy Nutrition and Low-Cost Cuisine
25. Wisconsin Lawmakers Propose to Allow Welfare Recipients to Keep More Child Support
26. Michigan Children Will Suffer From Federal Child Support System Cuts

1. Majority of Children Who Need Summer Meals Do Not Get Them Because of Red Tape, FRAC Report Says

(“Fewer Kids Getting Federal Summer Meals,” washingtonpost.com, July 13, 2006)

Participation in summer meal programs has dropped for seven years straight, and the large majority of low-income, eligible children are not getting free meals and snacks from summer programs, according to a new report by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC). In 2005, 2.8 million children received free summer lunches. That is only 18 for every 100 children who get regular school meal lunches. Complicated accounting rules have forced some sponsors out of the program and scared others away, but participation is rising in states taking part in a pilot program that reduces paperwork and pays more overhead costs. The 13 original states in this pilot are Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming. “Less red tape means more children are fed,” said FRAC president Jim Weill. FRAC cites other reasons for underparticipation: federal cuts in summer food reimbursement rates 10 years ago, and state budget problems which have led to cuts in summer school and local recreation programs.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/13/AR2006071300128.html

Also see http://www.frac.org/pdf/summerfood06.pdf (FRAC report, “Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation”)

2. Expansion of Simplified Summer Food Program Means More Food for Hungry Children

(“A Better Summer Meals Program,” marketplace.publicradio.org, July 13, 2006)

This Marketplace radio report on the FRAC summer food report points out that children who rely on free and reduced-price meals at schools often do not have access to healthy food when school is closed for the summer. Red tape keeps many sponsors and sites from providing summer lunches, according to Crystal Fitzsimons of the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC). Yet, the simplified pilot program initiated by Congress is promising. Fitzsimons said 13 participating states significantly cut the paperwork, and over the last 5 summers since the inception of the program, “participation has actually grown by 41.3% compared to an 11.9% drop across the country.”

http://marketplace.publicradio.org/shows/2006/07/13/AM200607139.html

3. Column: “For the Sake of the Children, Let’s Take Advantage” of Summer Meal Programs

(“Where Kids Can Eat Free in Summer,” nydailynews.com, June 25, 2006)

The Department of Agriculture’s Summer Food Service Program is the answer to the question who will feed hungry New York City children left without regular, subsidized school meals in the summer, writes columnist Albor Ruiz in the New YorkDaily News. “For the sake of the children, let’s take advantage of it,” urges Ruiz. “It is an open program; all kids have access to it,” said Verónica Olazábal, director of Policy and Research at the Food Bank for New York City. It provides healthy, balanced meals, and helps fight childhood obesity. But “only about one-third of the kids that could take advantage of this program actually do,” she pointed out. The main reason is the lack of information, and the Food Bank is trying to change that. “We are … distributing in every one of the 1,100 soup kitchens and food pantries lists of the 400 public schools where kids’ summer meals are available,” Olazábal said.

http://www.nydailynews.com/boroughs/story/429656p-362262c.html

4. Maryland, Hawaii and District of Columbia at Top of List of Most Improved States in Feeding More Children in Summer

(“U.S. State Changes in Summer Food Programs for Children,” news.aol.com, July 13, 2006)

Based on data from the Food Research and Action Center and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the top 10 states that increased the number of children participating in summer food programs from July 2004 to July 2005 were: Maryland (+22.9 percent), Hawaii (+20.6 percent), District of Columbia (+17.6 percent), Nevada (+16.7 percent), Iowa (+12.9 percent), Oklahoma (+12.2 percent), Minnesota (+12 percent), Idaho (+10.8 percent), North Carolina (+10.2 percent), Wyoming (+10.1 percent) and Indiana (+10.1 percent). The bottom 10 states that decreased summer meal participation over the same period were: Michigan (-10.1 percent), Mississippi (-13.9 percent), Florida (-14.7 percent), Connecticut (-16.9 percent), New Hampshire (-17.5 percent), Louisiana (-19 percent), Utah (-19.6 percent), Alabama (-19.7 percent), North Dakota (-20.3 percent) and Arizona (-25.9 percent).

http://news.aol.com/topnews/articles/_a/us-state-changes-in-summer-food-programs/n20060713043909990009

5. USDA Makes Annual Adjustments in Reimbursements to Child and Adult Care Food Providers, and National School Lunch, Special Milk and School Breakfast Programs

(USDA Federal Register notices about changes in program payment and reimbursement rates, akamaitech.net, July 2006)

The Food and Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture published the new national average payment and maximum reimbursement rates for the Child and Adult Care Food Program and the National School Lunch, Special Milk and School Breakfast programs in the Federal Register. These rates determine the amount of reimbursement that local programs receive for subsidized meals, milk and snack, and are adjusted annually based on the Consumer Price Index. The new rates, which went into effect on July 1, 2006, provide a 3.6 percent increase in reimbursements.  

http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2006/pdf/06-6130.pdf (“Child and Adult Care Food Program: National Average Payment Rates, Day Care Home Food Service Payment Rates, and Administrative Reimbursement Rates for Sponsoring Organizations of Day Care Homes for the Period July 1, 2006–June 30, 2007”)

http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2006/pdf/06-6131.pdf (“National School Lunch, Special Milk, and School Breakfast Programs, National Average Payments/Maximum Reimbursement Rates”)

6. Almost Every Demographic and Economic Group Showed Higher Food Stamp Participation in 2004

(“Food Stamp Participation Rates: 2004,” fns.usda.gov, June 2006)

In 2004, of the 38 million people eligible for food stamps in an average month, 23 million (60.5 percent) participated, according to new data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The national participation rate increased by just under 5 percentage points between 2003 and 2004, the third annual increase after declining for 7 years, the agency reports. “Almost every demographic and economic subgroup experienced a rise in participation rates, with particularly large increases in the participation rate of children, of individuals in households with very low income, and of individuals receiving the maximum benefit.” Participation by eligible children and individuals in households living below the poverty line, as well as by TANF and SSI recipients, continues to follow historical patterns, with at least 75 percent of all eligible persons in each group receiving food stamps. Participation among eligible individuals in households with earnings and among citizen children living with noncitizens was lower than average, slightly over 50 percent. “Although the FSP served more than 60 percent of all eligible individuals, it provided over two-thirds (70.6 percent) of the benefits that all eligible individuals could receive. This is because the neediest individuals, who are eligible for higher benefits, participated at higher rates than other eligible individuals.”

http://www.fns.usda.gov/oane/MENU/Published/FSP/FILES/Participation/FSPPart2004.pdf

7. Schools Vary Widely in Approaches to Wellness Policies

(“Schools Get Healthy as Law Takes Hold,” chron.com, July 13, 2006)

A federal law that requires schools to develop wellness policies by the beginning of the next school year in order to fight childhood obesity gives school boards substantial flexibility, producing noticeable differences in their approaches. In Tennessee’s Williamson County, the entire policy is expressed in 23 lines, while in Hampton, N.H., the five-page plan details such nuances as a recommendation for elementary students to have “at least two colors other than white and brown as part of their lunch meal.” Many wellness committees are trying ways of promoting healthy nutrition and physical activity beyond the cafeteria. For example, candy and soda are losing favor during classroom celebrations. Recess is being re-evaluated as a valuable exercise time that should not be withheld as punishment. A geography teacher from the Perham Dent district, Minn., is incorporating more movement in her students’ lives by installing walking stations in her classroom. Although the provision requires districts to measure progress, it does not include consequences for noncompliance. “I don’t think the federal government put enough teeth into this,” said Rhonda Dunham, a principal at an elementary school in the Cape Girardeau district, Mo. “We are accountable basically only to ourselves. In some school districts, I could see this going by the wayside.”

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/health/4045880.html

8. Get Involved With 2006 Covering Kids & Families Back-to-School Campaign

(2006 Covering Kids & Families Back-to-School Campaign, coveringkidsandfamilies.org, July 2006)

Covering Kids & Families, the nation’s largest initiative to reduce the number of eligible, but uninsured children and adults through enrollment in Medicaid or the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, is preparing to launch its 7 th annual Back-to-School Campaign. The campaign will take place in August and September to raise awareness among parents about low-cost or free health care coverage that may be available for their uninsured children. The campaign has developed simple steps to get involved in its activities and encourages everyone to participate. More information and resources are available online.

http://coveringkidsandfamilies.org/about/bts/ (about the campaign)

http://coveringkidsandfamilies.org/supporters/ (how to get involved)

9. California Governor Will Speak About Childhood Obesity at National Nutrition Conference

(“Schwarzenegger to Address School Nutrition Experts,” foodnavigator-usa.com, July 10, 2006)

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will address the annual national conference of the School Nutrition Association in Los Angeles. The governor is expected to speak about the nation’s growing childhood obesity epidemic. Last year, he supported legislation that would extend the ban on soft drinks in California schools. More recently, he opposed the proposed National Uniformity for Food Act, as it threatens stringent rules that ensure the safety of the state’s food supply.

http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/news/ng.asp?n=69017-school-nutrition-associat-school-lunch-program-school-wellness-policies

10. Department of Treasury Own Analysis Shows Tax Cuts Do Not Raise Revenues

(“A Smoking Gun: President’s Claim That Tax Cuts Pay for Themselves Refuted By Administration’s Own Analysis,” cbpp.org, July 11, 2006)

The Bush Administration claims that cutting taxes means cutting the deficit, that economic growth fueled by tax cuts increases tax revenues. A Department of Treasury analysis, part of the Mid-Session Review of the Budget, however, shows “what outside experts have consistently said — tax cuts do not come remotely close to paying for themselves,” writes James Horney of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP). The Treasury analysis concludes that making the President’s tax cuts permanent may increase the level of economic output (national income) over 20 years by as much as 0.7 percent, an increase of about 4/100ths of one percentage point in the annual growth rate of the economy. Even if the 0.7 percent growth were in fact to result from making the tax cuts permanent, it would “offset only a tiny fraction of the cost of the President’s tax cuts.” For example, in 2016 there might be $146 billion in added economic output, with perhaps $29 billion of that going to taxes. But the tax cuts to produce that mean forgoing $314 billion in federal revenues.

http://www.cbpp.org/7-11-06bud.htm

11. Editorial: Worsening Gap Between Rich and Poor Is “Tragic”

(“Unfair,” wvgazette.com, July 6, 2006)

“It’s tragic that America is polarizing into the privileged and the rest. With the economy relentlessly shifting to favor the elite, government should strive to restore some balance, instead of adding to the unfairness,” writes this editorial in The Charleston Gazette, W.Va. The progress made after World War II, when the GI Bill of Rights and other opportunities enabled millions of Americans to share the American Dream, was continued through the 1970s, when income of all economic groups rose equally. “But in the past quarter-century, a sad U.S. reversal has occurred. Lower income groups are slipping backward, while the elite reap astonishing bonanzas.” Since 1979, the top 5 percent of Americans have increased their annual income by 75 percent, while the bottom 20 percent have suffered a 2 percent loss, shows Census Bureau data. Average corporate executives in America are compensated 400 times more than the average worker, a “condition unknown in the rest of the industrialized world.” A recent Brookings Institution study found that middle-income neighborhoods in America’s 100 largest metropolitan areas have shrunk from 58 percent in 1970 to 41 percent today.

http://www.wvgazette.com/section/Editorials/200607055

12. Racial Income Gaps Growing Wider

(“Weaker Job Market Re-opens Racial Income Gap,” epinet.org, July 5, 2006)

The comparison of the full-employment job market of the latter 1990s with the weaker post-2000 labor market reveals a significant growth in racial income gaps and a potential for further growth. In 1995, the median income of African-American families was 60.9% of that of white families. By 2000, when the unemployment rate fell to 4.0%, the ratio was 63.5 percent, still a very large income gap; but the highest level on record, going back to 1947, reports Jared Bernstein of the Economic Policy Institute in this economic snapshot. The racial gap widened again by 2004 as a result of the recession and the jobless economic recovery, with the African-American’white income ratio falling to 62 percent. Moreover, unless the labor marker returns to the very favorable conditions of the latter 1990s, racial income gaps are likely to widen further.

http://www.epinet.org/content.cfm/webfeatures_snapshots_20060705

13. Scotland, United Kingdom: Weightlifting Classes and Calming Breakfast Rein in Troublemaking Students

(“Weightlifting Classes Help Pupils Stay in Line,” news.scotsman.com, July 8, 2006)

A group of troublemaking pupils at Bathgate Academy in Scotland was put on a special timetable of lessons accompanied by fitness and weight lifting sessions. The boys, who had been excluded for taking drugs, drinking and attacking teachers and students, were also given a balanced morning meal and encouraged to drink plenty of water. These efforts led to a drastic drop in the number of exclusions, from 57 to one. The boys have become less aggressive and are no longer being supervised by social workers and police.

http://news.scotsman.com/education.cfm?id=998622006

14. Washington, D.C., Low-Income Neighborhoods Lack Grocery Stores, Reducing Residents’ Access to Healthy Food

(“Healthful Foods Not an Option for Many,” washingtonpost.com, July 13, 2006)

Many D.C. residents from low-income neighborhoods lack easy access to healthy food and go to corner stores and fast-food spots to stanch hunger, says a report by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC). In contrast to grocery stores, those places often do not sell products necessary for a balanced diet, explained Kimberly Perry, director of D.C. Hunger Solutions, a project of the Food Research and Action Center, and the study’s coordinator. In predominantly white and more affluent areas, the district’s Wards 2 and 3, there is one grocery store for every 12,000 people. In lower-income, mostly black, Wards 7 and 8, there is one grocery store for every 70,000 people, creating “community food insecurity.” Although more research is needed, Perry said, pointing to limited participation in the study, Nazneen Ahmad of the district’s health department agreed that the findings reflect the picture in many small stores. Small store owners complain about the high costs of selling and storing nutritious foods. Building a coalition of store owners who buy fresh produce could help reduce the costs, Perry contends. Pennsylvania’s Food Trust program, started in 2004, provides a positive example. Eleven store owners in Philadelphia are in line to receive loans for more refrigerators to store fresher food, said program spokesman David Adler.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/12/AR2006071200799.html?nav=rss_business/localbusiness

Also see http://www.dchunger.org/pdf/healthfoodcomm.pdf (FRAC/D.C. Hunger Solutions report, “Healthy Food, Healthy Communities: Assessment and Scorecard of Community Food Security in the District of Columbia for the Mayor’s Commission on Food and Nutrition”)

15. Op-Ed: Hunger Is Preventable in Southern California and Beyond

(“Unnecessary Hunger in Southern California,” jewishjournal.com, July 7, 2006)

The appalling statistics is that nearly 1 million people in Los Angeles County live under threat of hunger – one-third of California’s entire food-insecure population. But “hunger in Southern California and beyond is fully preventable,” write Rabbi Arnold Rachlis, the rabbi at University Synagogue in Irvine, Calif., and Dr. H. Eric Schockman, president of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, in The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles. “We have long known this to be the case.” The findings of a new report by the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank demonstrate that “while hunger and food insecurity are on the rise, so is our ability to deal with the problem. Through a combination of emergency feeding agencies (like the Foodbank) and impactful government programs (like food stamps and reduced-price school breakfasts), we have the capacity to end hunger for good.” The percentage of food bank client households using food stamps increased from 15 percent to 25 percent from 2001 to 2005, but “why are 75 percent of eligible low-income households not accessing federal benefits available to them?” While there are no easy answers, “what is increasingly clear across the Southland is the Jewish community’s resolve to find a solution. Whether through MAZON, their synagogues, their youth groups or other charitable endeavors, Southern California’s Jews are recognizing the role they play in spreading social justice throughout the region,” write Rachlis and Schockman. They urge support for local feeding programs, including support from businesses, and more government involvement in reducing hunger.

http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/preview.php?id=16092

16. Rhode Island: Advocates Protest Demeaning Recertification Process That Discourages Food Stamp Participation

(“Advocates Stomp for Stamps,” zwire.com, July 12, 2006)

A group led by the George Wiley Center and the Campaign to Eliminate Childhood Poverty gathered at the Providence, R.I., food stamp office to protest “group recertification” – a recertification process which includes interviews with recipients en masse. Interviews for recertification usually are conducted behind closed doors to preserve clients’ privacy, but the Rhode Island Department of Human Services (DHS) has been practicing what George Wiley Center Director Henry Shelton calls a “cattle call,” when DHS workers “out” recipients in front of each other. “Group re-certification is abusive -- a breach of confidentiality. People are afraid to participate,” said Shelton. Rhode Island has been struggling to increase its food stamp program participation, and making the recertification process even more difficult and unpleasant only worsens this trend. Ellen Vollinger of the Food Research and Action Center said just over 1/2 of Rhode Island households eligible for food stamps are receiving them. “ Rhode Island can do a lot better,” said Vollinger. According to Shelton, a shortage of DHS workers has limited the agency’s ability to grow the program and provide attentive service to existing clients. “They are understaffed and overworked,” said Dennis Grilli of Rhode Island Council # 4 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. The food stamp office is “herding people in there like sheep. People are giving up their privacy rights to do this,” Grilli observed. The assistant to the DHS Director, Gary Alexander, emphasized the pragmatic appeal of group recertification and calling out recipients’ names in the waiting area, when asked whether the practices violate clients’ right to privacy.

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16910476&BRD=1713&PAG=461&dept_id=24491&rfi=6

17. Sixty Texas Lawmakers Ask State to Cancel Human Services Contract for Food Stamps and Other Programs

(“Bipartisan Group of 60 State Representatives Calls on State to Fire Texas Access Alliance,” statesman.com, July 13, 2006)

A letter sent last week from 48 state Democratic and 12 Republican legislators asked Texas officials to cancel a controversial five-year contract with a private contractor, Accenture, to enroll Texans in food stamp, Medicaid and other programs. “It is unclear what work, if any, is being done by Accenture, or what, if any ‘deliverables’ have been delivered as promised,” the 60 legislators wrote. A pilot phase of the new benefit system, expected to produce millions in savings, started in January in two counties. Since then, many applicants have encountered long hold times or improperly trained representatives. The 60 legislators also said they were alarmed that an error in the system led to dozens of applications with sensitive personal information being faxed to a warehouse in Seattle. The agency contended that the applications were sent to Seattle because of random misdials by applicants. “With the State of Texas having the highest uninsured rate in the nation, it is a travesty that those who are eligible for such vital services are not receiving them due to nonperformance of a private contractor,” Rep. Dawnna Dukes said. A group of 30 other Republican legislators, however, sent their own letter to state officials expressing support for the system. Texas Health and Human Services Commission spokeswoman Stephanie Goodman said “the notion that (the Texas Access Alliance) isn’t currently doing any work is wrong.”

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/07/13accenture.html

18. Post-Katrina New Orleans Is Dangerous, Oppressive Place for Working Poor, Report Says

(“Report: Workers in N.O. Endure Abuse,” nola.com, July 7, 2006)

“The treatment of workers in New Orleans constitutes a national crisis of civil and human rights,” states a report by the Advancement Project and the National Immigration Law Center. The report describes the experiences of African-Americans born and raised in New Orleans and also migrant workers, many of whom are Hispanic and Asian, involved in the construction and service industries. Its findings, based on interviews of more than 700 workers, reveal unfair labor practices, racism, homelessness, and harassment by the police and contractors. “ New Orleans is being rebuilt on the backs of underpaid and unpaid workers perpetuating cycles of poverty that existed pre-Katrina,” the report reads. Many construction workers risk their health in possibly toxic conditions and are being denied overtime and often even the base pay they were promised. Hundreds of families are living on meager wages, sleeping in cars or trashy buildings and going without reliable transportation and child care.

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-6/1152254680191230.xml&coll=1

Also see http://www.advancementproject.org/publications.html (report, “And Injustice for All: Workers’ Lives in the Reconstruction of New Orleans”)

19. Michigan: Kalamazoo Elementary Sets Example for Wellness Policies, Positive Change

(“KPS’ Woodward Gets Jump on Healthy Food,” mlive.com, July 9, 2006)

Focusing on students’ wellness has become part of the culture at the Woodward School for Technology and Research in Kalamazoo, Mich., well before the provision of the 2004 child nutrition law that requires the nation’s schools to develop wellness policies by the beginning of 2006-07 school year. This elementary school has a nutrition committee and health and wellness guidelines concerning beverages, snacks and commercial advertising used on the school’s premises, establishing a model for the rest of Kalamazoo’s schools. A few years ago, “we got rid of the chocolate milk and sugary cereals and Pop-tarts. Everyone said we were crazy to do that,” said school’s principal Beth Yankee about school breakfasts. “We did see a dramatic change in our morning behavior,” she explained. Students do not sell junk food at school fundraisers; snacks like pretzels, trail mix or fruit are favored at class events. Next year, Yankee said, teachers “will be doing recess with the children and that is a very new and different thing,” providing an opportunity to be a role model.

http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/news-18/1152440630302250.xml&coll=7

20. Iowa School District Is Embracing Better Food Service Practices

(“School Board Looks at Meal Programs,” zwire.com, July 3, 2006)

West Liberty Middle School Board, Iowa, is recognizing that past school nutrition practices may not be enough today. The board learned the findings of a state management evaluation of the district’s lunch and breakfast programs. Superintendent Becky Rodocker said they may have to hire an expert in nutrition and diet. The board also decided to continue offering the school breakfast program because of its obvious benefits. As the evaluation showed, the West Liberty school district is doing a good job of working with low-income families by collecting applications for free and reduced-price meals in an accurate and consistent manner and providing meal to students, who appear to be “polite and pleasant” in an environment of mutual respect between children and adults. The district will complete its wellness policy development by the beginning of the next school year as required.

http://tinyurl.com/n7otz

21. Pennsylvania: WIC Program Gets Funding Restored for Farmers’ Markets

(“Budget Beefs up Program for Low-Income Families,” pennlive.com, July 5, 2006)

Thanks to $3 million in state funds and $300,000 in federal funds recently allocated to the Pennsylvania Agriculture Department, all 3-year-old children in the Pennsylvania WIC program will once again be able to participate in a WIC farmers’ market summer fruit and vegetable program. In addition to healthy food and nutrition counseling provided by WIC, low-income Pennsylvania mothers with children ages 3 through 5 receive four $5 checks to use between June and November to buy Pennsylvania-grown fruit and vegetables at participating farmers’ markets. Cheryl Cook, the state deputy agriculture secretary, said 3-year-olds had been cut from the program as part of a USDA spending reduction. According to Beth Daughenbaugh, the WIC director at Hamilton Health Services, children aged 3 and 4 need to eat a variety of food because the eating habits they develop at this age affect their eating behavior as adults. Berry Friesen of the Pennsylvania Hunger Action Center said schools are rewriting nutrition policies and seeking ways to provide fruits and vegetables as snacks to school children. “We all need fresh produce. If we don’t make it available in low-income communities, we put those people at high risk for obesity and chronic disease.”

http://www.pennlive.com/news/patriotnews/index.ssf?/base/news/115206272078010.xml&coll=1

22. Letters to the Editor – Maryland: Summer Meal Programs Feed Children Who Otherwise Go Without Food

(“Summer Breakfast Program Not ‘Useless Perks’ for Students,” gazette.net, July 12, 2006)

Maryland Community Newspapers Online published two responses to a letter to the editor by Constance VanHoek that questioned the importance of summer breakfast programs. Amy G. Gabala of the Manna Food Center in Rockville writes that “the families of 25 percent of students probably do not have sufficient income to buy breakfast .… School breakfast and lunches and summer feeding programs are often the only healthy meals some children receive.” Even help from charities and food stamps is often not enough to put regular, nutritious meals on the table. “I am going to make the assumption that Ms. VanHoek does not have any school-age children nor does she work outside the home. If she did, she might understand what a great benefit these programs provide,” writes Alison Petersen of Silver Spring, describing her typical day to show why family breakfast is not feasible in her family. “My husband leaves for work in Northern Virginia at 6 a.m. My daughter gets up at 6:45 and we leave the house at 7:25. I’m happy if she eats half a banana and a glass of milk that early …. Once she’s at school with her classmates she is much more likely to eat something. My daughter has been at daycare since she was 11 weeks old and is used to having a hot breakfast and lunch with her peers.”

http://www.gazette.net/stories/071206/montope170442_31939.shtml

23. Food Bank in Georgia Has “Heartbreaking” Shortage of Food

(“Food Bank Struggling to Stock Shelves,” news-daily.com, July 9, 2006)

Most of the shelves at the food bank of the Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS) in Clayton County, Ga., are empty, and the food bank, intended to help individuals waiting for their food stamp applications, can do little to help them to stave off hunger. The processing takes from seven to ten days, and many people do not apply for food stamps until they have no food in their kitchens, said Carl Gaffney of DFCS. There are 27 other food banks in Clayton County, but most work limited hours and require appointments, in contrast to the DFCS food bank that is open five days a week at convenient evening hours. In an average month, DFCS distributes 2,100 to 2,500 pounds of food to 255 to 260 people on an emergency basis, but it does not cover an increasing need. “It’s heartbreaking,” said Eileen Misek of DFCS, “It’s getting worse.” According to Misek, the Atlanta area attracts a lot of people seeking a better opportunity, but “what they don’t realize is that the metro-Atlanta area’s transportation system may not meet their needs, and the expense of owning a car and keeping it running can be prohibitive for low income families.”

http://www.news-daily.com/homepage/local_story_190215404.html?keyword=leadpicturestory

24. Utah State University Offers Lessons on Healthy Nutrition and Low-Cost Cuisine

(“Nutrition Program Sizzling,” deseretnews.com, July 8, 2006)

Utah State University Extension offers in-home instruction to low-income families on planning and preparing healthy meals through the Food Sense Nutrition Program. Megan Abbott, concerned about providing a healthy diet to her three young children, is now meeting with a program nutritionist at Abbott’s home and learning how to make healthy, low-cost meals and snacks from food that she has in her kitchen. The program resurfaced in April and now is found in all of the state’s 29 counties. New enrollees choose from a list of 17 lessons on topics such as eating for good health, planning quick meals and understanding food labels. Most participants receive food stamps or take part in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program, and the recipes are geared towards products they already have. Healthy eating is only part of the program’s benefit, said Kim Stookey, a nutrition assistant in Tooele County. Clients also save money using their low-cost cooking skills.

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,640193157,00.html

25. Wisconsin Lawmakers Propose to Allow Welfare Recipients to Keep More Child Support

(“Lawmakers Want W-2 Recipients to Keep Full Child Support Checks,” cbs2chicago.com, July 11, 2006)

U.S. Reps. Gwen Moore and Paul Ryan from Wisconsin introduced a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would let welfare clients in all states keep up to $200 of their child support payments, starting October 2008. The bill is intended to help the transition to self-efficiency. Moore and Ryan, joined by Wisconsin Senator Herb Kohl at a press conference in Milwaukee, said that the measure makes sense, based on experience with a Wisconsin experiment launched nearly nine years ago that let clients keep up to $673 per month in child support on top of welfare payments. With the exception of Wisconsin, government and state aid programs take nearly all child support payments from welfare recipients. Wisconsin stopped being the exception late last year as the experiment phased out. While the loss of most child support (e.g., $174 from a family receiving $300) may seem relatively small to middle class families, the difference can be devastating to poor families, said John Hayes, child support enforcement director for Milwaukee County. Some clients won’t be able to pay their rent, he noticed. Even if the new bill is not passed, changes approved by Congress in last year’s budget bill call for some relief to poor families in two years, allowing recipients to keep up to $200 in support payments a month, starting in October 2008.

http://cbs2chicago.com/wisconsinwire/WI--W-2-ChildSupport_k_n_0wi--/resources_news_html

26. Michigan Children Will Suffer From Federal Child Support System Cuts

(“Families May Wait Longer for Child Support,” freep.com, July 7, 2006)

Michigan’s already overburdened child support system is facing budget cuts, scheduled to begin in the fall of 2007 and projected at $58 million from a system budget of $252 million. The system touches one in seven Michigan families, including 584,000 children. Fewer funds could mean fewer workers to track down deadbeat parents and delays in processing child support payments and dispute resolution. A recent report by the Child Support Leadership Council calls the impending cuts “devastating” and warns that “child support programs are about to be placed on life support.” The Deficit Reduction Act, passed by Congress on Feb. 1 with the support of all of Michigan’s Republicans, triggered the cuts. “I don’t care what party you’re from, what could be more important than giving money to children?” said Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, a Republican advocating child support collection. Cox thinks that Congress made a mistake. “Unfortunately, most of these kids and their custodial parents are sort of clinically on the margins. They’re not economically influential and by that I mean politically influential.”

http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006607070402