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. Food Stamp Participation in July 2005 Nearly 1.2 Million Above July 2004 Level
2. All Real Income Gains in 2003 Went to Top 1 Percent; Other 99 Percent Lag Inflation
3. Op-Ed: Congressional Cuts in Medicaid and Food Stamps Would Deepen Poverty
4. Letter to Congress: Human Needs Advocates in Ohio Urge Lawmakers to Reject Social Program and Tax Cut Reconciliation Bills
5. Florida Op-Ed: Anti-Hunger Advocate Opposes Cuts, Points to Food Stamp Strengths
6. Poverty Growing And Is Undercounted As Well
7. Op-Ed: Marian Wright Edelman Demands Action on Child Poverty
8. Rep. John A. Boehner Commends National School Lunch Program
9. Healthy Foods Are Beyond Ability of Poor People to Afford
10. Governor Schwarzenegger Signs Bill That Would Boost Enrollment in Free School Meal Programs
11. Washington, DC Schools Initiate Free Breakfast For All Students
12. California: Fingerprinting Contributes to Low Food Stamp Participation
13. Arizona: One Half Million in State Eligible For But Do Not Receive Food Stamps
14. Arizona: Electronic Benefit Cards Fight Food Stamp Stigma
15. Ohio: State Representative Proposes Large Increase in Help to Needy Families
16. Oregon: Food Boxes From Government Help Seniors to Stretch Budgets Further
17. Massachusetts: Bill to Ban Junk Food in Schools Faces Resistance
18. Washington: Snohomish County Re-Launches WIC Program
19. New York: Anti-Hunger Group Introduces New Online Interactive Maps of 1,000 Food Agencies in NYC
20. New Jersey: Program Seeks Greater Calcium Intake Among Low-Income Consumers

1. Food Stamp Participation in July 2005 Nearly 1.2 Million Above July 2004 Level

(“Food Stamp Participation in July 2005 Grew to 25,564,100 people – Nearly 1.2 Million Above July 2004 Level,” frac.org, October 7, 2005)

Food stamp participation rose by 56,531 people in July 2005 to 25,564,100, for an over- the-year increase of nearly 1.16 million people. This marked the fourth monthly caseload increase in the first seven months of 2005. Food Stamp Program growth has been reflecting continuing wage stagnation, state and local action to improve program access, and the effects of the implementation of the 2002 food stamp reauthorization. Participation has risen in 48 of the last 55 months. Compared to a year earlier, participation in July 2005 rose in all but five states. Participation in July 2005 was 8.69 million more persons than in July, 2000.

http://www.frac.org/html/news/fsp/05.07_FSP.html

2. All Real Income Gains in 2003 Went to Top 1 Percent; Other 99 Percent Lag Inflation

(“At the Very Top, a Surge in Income in '03,” nytimes.com, October 5, 2005)

The share of income going to the richest Americans – the top tenth of 1 percent – grew significantly in 2003 while the share going to 99 percent of Americans fell, recent tax data showed. The effective income tax rates paid by the top tenth of 1 percent fell sharply, declining at more than 10 times the rate reduction for middle-class taxpayers, according to a new IRS report. One quarter of the 2003 income gains went to the top tenth of 1 percent – the 129,000 taxpayers with incomes of $1.3 million or more, an analysis of the IRS data showed. For Americans only in the top 1 percent (the nearly 1.3 million taxpayers who made at least $327,000) incomes increased significantly more in 2003 than the rate of inflation. For the remaining 99 percent of Americans, income grew less than 2 percent, which was below the inflation rate of 2.3 percent. Collectively, the top tenth of 1 percent had more income in 2003 than the poorest third of taxpayers, a group with 330 times the number of people. In 1979 the total income of the poorest third of Americans exceeded total earnings by the top tenth of 1 percent by 2.5 to 1. The IRS data actually tend to understate incomes for those at the very top. Among major world economies, the United States in recent years has had the third-greatest disparity in incomes between the very top and the rest of the population. Only Mexico and Russia have greater income disparities.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/05/business/05tax.html

3. Op-Ed: Congressional Cuts in Medicaid and Food Stamps Would Deepen Poverty

(“Congress Widens Gap Between Rich, Poor,” journalstar.com, September 30, 2005)

The helping hand philosophy that Americans have dramatically displayed by opening their hearts and checkbooks to Hurricane Katrina’s youngest victims is in conflict with proposals from many America’s leaders, argues Kathy Bigsby Moore, executive director of Voices for Children in Nebraska: “In the richest nation in the world, where children are our poorest citizens, many of the proposals being discussed could actually plunge poor families further into poverty by cutting programs proven to alleviate poverty, while simultaneously rewarding tax cuts to those with incomes of more than $1 million a year.” It is ironic to propose a deficit-reduction package that relies on cutting programs for the poor in Katrina’s aftermath and in the face of a sobering truth that everyday life for too many children and families is a “slow-motion disaster.” When the well-being of families affected by the hurricane hangs in the balance, “we need our lawmakers to support proven programs such as Medicaid and Food Stamps.”

http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2005/09/30/letters/doc433c78281407b468149046.txt

4. Letter to Congress: Human Needs Advocates in Ohio Urge Lawmakers to Reject Social Program and Tax Cut Reconciliation Bills

(“Over 100 Ohio Groups Call on Congress to Cancel Planned Spending Cuts and Tax Cuts,” biz.yahoo.com, September 30, 2005)

Have A Heart Ohio and more than 100 Ohio organizations that advocate to meet basic human needs urged Congress to reject budget reconciliation bills that would cut programs like Medicaid and food stamps and provide a new round of tax breaks to the wealthy. Because the tax cuts are larger than the spending cuts, passing reconciliation bills would increase the deficit, already expected to reach approximately $400 billion next year. "Right now, Medicaid and food stamps are serving as the 'first responders' to aid Katrina victims, and with the latest government statistics showing poverty continuing to rise, these programs are increasingly important to the country as a whole. To cut these programs at a time of rising need would be irresponsible," commented John Corlett, chair of Have A Heart Ohio, on the group letter to the Ohio congressional delegation.

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050930/clf013.html?.v=19&printer=1 (press release and letter to Congress)

5. Florida Op-Ed: Anti-Hunger Advocate Opposes Cuts, Points to Food Stamp Strengths

(“Food Stamp Program Shouldn't Be Cut Back,” tallahassee.com, October 5, 2005)

“Hurricane Katrina has taught us two things,” writes Debra Susie, executive director of Florida Impact, the anti-hunger organization. “First, a great number of people in this county have few if any resources, and they are concentrated primarily in cities. This is a reality far too familiar to those of us working in low-income neighborhoods. Second, in sharp contrast to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Disaster Food Stamp Program by the U.S. Department of Agriculture works.” After Katrina USDA quickly implemented emergency post-disaster strategies “that provided food stamp eligibility for all of these families” affected by Katrina. Yet, Congress is still considering cuts in this effective program. In Florida, only 54 percent of eligible persons received food stamps in FY 2003-2004. “That, along with our extended weather forecast of hurricanes to come, should be enough to preclude any thoughts of cutting such a needed program,” argues Susie. Ellen Vollinger of the Food Research and Action Center points out that "under-participation in the Food Stamp Program adversely affects not only low-income people who are missing out on benefits, but also local communities. Each dollar in federal benefits generates nearly twice that in economic activity." Florida’s members of Congress, “who know a hurricane when they see one,” should remember the importance of the Food Stamp Program.

http://tinyurl.com/7fqs2

6. Poverty Growing And Is Undercounted As Well

(“US Poverty: Chronic Ill, Little Hope For Cure,” boston.com, October 5, 2005)

Since 2000, the number of poor people in the U.S. has grown every year, and by almost 5.5 million in total. The shocking New Orleans pictures of poor black people begging for help prompted comparisons with conditions in developing countries from Somalia and Angola to Bangladesh. The percentage of African-Americans living in poverty is 24.7 percent, a percentage almost twice as high as the overall rate for all races (12.7 percent). But in America, there are also three times as many poor whites as blacks, and the poverty rate for whites has risen faster than that for blacks and Hispanics. "Every August, we Americans tell ourselves a lie," says David Brady, a Duke University professor, referring to the time when the U.S. Census Bureau releases annual poverty figures. "Taking everything into account, the real [poverty] rate is around 18 percent, or 48 million people. Poverty in the United States is more widespread, by far, than in any other industrialized country." Many of the American poor are “working poor” whose wages are not enough to keep them above the poverty line and tens of thousands of whom are forced to sleep in cars, trailers, long-term motels and shelters. However, minimum wage jobs, without health insurance and other benefits, are the only jobs available to millions of Americans with basic education.

http://tinyurl.com/dypxn

7. Op-Ed: Marian Wright Edelman Demands Action on Child Poverty

(“A Conversation on Poverty,” louisianaweekly.com, October 3, 2005)

“Katrina ripped the blinders of denial off on the chronic quiet invisible tsunami of poverty that afflicts 37 million Americans, including 13 million children,” writes Marian Wright Edelman, CEO and Founder of the Children's Defense Fund. Hard to ignore pictures of the hurricane’s victims “put a vivid and desperate face on what is really a constant, daily crisis for millions of people in our rich nation.” The number of American children living in poverty has grown 12.8 percent to 13 million over the last four years. There were 1.5 million more poor children in 2004 than in 2000. However, as these numbers became public, the government did not announce a federal emergency plan to deal with child poverty. “Just the opposite: The Bush administration and Congress were proposing additional tax cuts for the wealthiest and budget cuts in programs that serve low-income children and families. The persistent and growing high level of child poverty reflects conscious misguided and unjust choices.” “We must demand that our leaders do better,” argues Edelman. Now, when President Bush has acknowledged poverty in our country, this is “his opportunity to translate that assertion into action.”

http://www.louisianaweekly.com/weekly/news/articlegate.pl?20051003z

8. Rep. John A. Boehner Commends National School Lunch Program

(Extension of Remarks by Hon. John A. Boehner Honoring National School Lunch in the House of Representatives on October 6, 2005, frac.org, October 7, 2005)

In honor of National School Lunch Week (October 10-14) Rep. John A. Boehner, Chair of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce commended the nation’s dedicated educators, food service professionals, and parents who make the National School Lunch Program a success. This program provides access to nutritious and balanced meals to more than 28 million students each day in 99,538 public and non-profit private schools. Over half of the students who participate in the program receive free or reduced-price lunches. Over 92 percent of all American school children have access to school lunches and about 58 percent of those students participate on any given day. In FY 2005 approximately $6.8 billion was spent for the program. “For some children, a school lunch is the only healthy meal they eat all day. School lunches can contribute positively to children’s health, and can improve academic performance by increasing children’s learning capacity and lengthening their attention spans,” said Rep. Boehner.

http://www.frac.org/pdf/boehner_lunch.pdf

9. Healthy Foods Are Beyond Ability of Poor People to Afford

(“Poor Have Difficulty Eating Healthy Foods,” newsday.com, September 27, 2005)

The higher cost of healthy food, the lack of time to cook, and working a second job to supplement meager incomes are among the barriers to healthy eating and lifestyle among the poor. In addition, fast food outlets are more common in poor neighborhoods than are farmers markets. "Energy-dense foods rich in starch, sugar, or fat are the cheapest option for the consumer," said Adam Drewnowski, director of the Center for Public Health Nutrition at the University of Washington. "As long as the healthier lean meats, fish and fresh produce are more expensive, obesity will continue to be a problem for the working poor." Dr. David L. Katz of Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center favors the idea of taxing junk food and using the tax money to lower the price of vegetables and pay for anti-obesity programs.

http://tinyurl.com/7g2mv

10. Governor Schwarzenegger Signs Bill That Would Boost Enrollment in Free School Meal Programs

(“Governor Signs Laird Bill To Enroll More Than 50,000 Children In School Meal Programs,” democrats.assembly.ca.gov, September 29, 2005)

Governor Schwarzenegger signed The Food for Schoolchildren Act, which requires the state Department of Education to create a computerized data matching system that will automatically enroll into free school meal programs, without an additional application, an estimated 53,000 eligible children who receive food stamp assistance. Similar systems have been developed in other states and have resulted in increased school meal programs participation. This bill, sponsored by the California Food Policy Advocates, will help the state meet new federal requirements regarding program applications and also make it easier to verify family income so students remain enrolled in free school meals without any additional paper work.

http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a27/press/a272005025.htm

11. Washington, DC Schools Initiate Free Breakfast For All Students

(“Breakfast at School,” thecommondenominator.com, October 3, 2005)

Beginning October 3, all students enrolled in Washington, DC public schools can get a free school breakfast. In secondary schools, meals will be prepared on site, while elementary school breakfasts will be provided by a contractor. Officials expect that, by adopting this universal breakfast model, they will eradicate the students’ perception that “only poor kids eat breakfast” at school and increase school breakfast consumption. As a local investigation into low breakfast participation showed, this perception was a powerful barrier to participation among Washington, DC students. The school system estimates that just in the short term participation may increase by as much as 25 percent.

http://www.thecommondenominator.com/100305_news1.html

12. California: Fingerprinting Contributes to Low Food Stamp Participation

(“Food Stamps Scarce in County,” insidebayarea.com, September 29, 2005)

Only 23 percent of people eligible for food stamps in Alameda County receive this benefit, reports the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC). San Diego County with 26 percent participation ranked just above Alameda County in FRAC’s report on food stamp participation in urban areas, and Los Angeles County ranked seventh from the bottom at 52 percent. Some people do not apply for food stamps because they believe “myths” about the program. For example, they think they will need to pay the benefits back, or that they cannot qualify if they have a job. Fingerprinting as an eligibility requirement in California is another reason that may drive eligible people away. People do not want to be subject to such intrusive procedures, particularly if they are eligible for only a modest amount of food stamps. If Congress proceeds with a plan to cut food stamps, California applicants will be facing even smaller benefit amounts. "It would undermine the benefits or cut people off the program," said Ellen Vollinger of FRAC. "People are only getting a dollar a meal as it is." Low participation could be improved by eliminating fingerprinting, increasing county staff to process applications, and further educating the public about the program.

http://www.insidebayarea.com/search/ci_3071367

http://www.frac.org/pdf/cities2005.pdf (FRAC report, “Food Stamp Access in Urban America: A City-byCity Snapshot")

http://www.frac.org/Press_Release/09.27.05add.html (see other news stories that cite the above FRAC report)

13. Arizona: One Half Million in State Eligible For But Do Not Receive Food Stamps

(“Food Stamps Go Uncollected,” kpho.com, September 30, 2005)

More than half a million Arizona residents are eligible for food stamps, but do not receive them. At the same time, food stamp program participation in the state has increased. Six years ago, there were only 256,000 participants. Now there are 575,000. Outreach workers say that still more needs to be done. People do not apply for food stamps, because they do not know about the program, or because they feel ashamed to use help they consider a handout.

http://www.kpho.com/Global/story.asp?S=3920549&nav=23Ku

14. Arizona: Electronic Benefit Cards Fight Food Stamp Stigma

(“Shopping With Food Stamps,” kold.com, September 30, 2005)

Catherine Rains of Pima County says her family with three growing boys would not survive without food stamps. She also discovered that getting into the program was not as hard as some people think. "It's just a simple application and then following through with your application, giving everything they need." There are 87,300 persons, or 10 percent of the 878,000 residents of Pima County, who use food stamps. But Joy Tucker at the Community Food Bank projects that fifty or sixty thousand people in the county, where 132,500 people live in poverty, do not take advantage of the benefits to which they are entitled. Some complain about tedious applications, while others feel embarrassed to shop with food stamps. Rains says the “embarrassing” part of participating in the program has been reduced to being “in and out, just like everybody else.” Since the old-fashioned food stamp coupons have been replaced with a debit-like card, other shoppers have no idea that someone is using food stamps.

http://www.kold.com/Global/story.asp?s=3922738

15. Ohio: State Representative Proposes Large Increase in Help to Needy Families

(“Lawmaker Seeks $200 Million For Ohio's Low-Income Families,” cleveland.com, September 30, 2005)

Republican state representative Jimmy Stewart of Athens, whose district includes three impoverished Appalachian counties, introduced two bills to spend $200 million of the state’s welfare surplus. The fist proposes to use $100 million in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families money to help poor families with winter heating costs. The second would use another $100 million of Ohio's $1.1 billion TANF surplus to give the 83,406 families that are receiving cash assistance an extra $100 a month. While House GOP leaders supported the first bill, the second bill surprised them. This would be on top of a 10 percent increase already in the budget. But even with that boost, TANF grants ($410 /month for a family of three) plus food stamps leave the family more than $500/month below the poverty level. Stewart said, "These dollars were originally appropriated by a Republican Congress and a Republican president, and I think . . . we should take a look at getting them to where they should go.”

http://tinyurl.com/azuum

16. Oregon: Food Boxes From Government Help Seniors to Stretch Budgets Further

(“Food Boxes For Seniors Help Out,” mailtribune.com, September 29, 2005)

"When you’ve got only your little Social Security, this really helps out," explains Marge Medeiros, a White City retiree on a fixed income, while waiting in line for her 40-pound box of free food. The box contains juice, cheese, canned vegetables and other foods and is distributed through the federal Commodity Supplemental Food Program. The program aims to improve the diets of low-income elderly people and emphasizes nutrients typically absent in clients’ diets: protein, fruits, and vegetables. "We are seeing more and more seniors in need coming to our emergency food pantries," says Philip Yates, nutrition programs manager with ACCESS Inc. of Medford, a food bank that administers the program.

http://www.mailtribune.com/archive/2005/0929/local/stories/10local.htm

17. Massachusetts: Bill to Ban Junk Food in Schools Faces Resistance

(“Battle Over Junk Food Ban Heats Up,” boston.com, October 6, 2005)

The grocery industry expressed its opposition to legislation that would prohibit schools in Massachusetts from selling fatty and sugar-filled food and drinks. Rep. Peter J. Koutoujian, Democrat of Newton, sponsor of the bill, said that students should not be given the option in school to eat junk food, because they “do not have the ability to understand what is being marketed to them.” The bill intends to fight child obesity by requiring the Department of Education to establish nutritional standards in public elementary, middle, and high schools. Those standards would allow only water, milk and certain fruit juices as drinks, and ban food with more than 30 percent of its calories coming from fat and with 35 percent or more of its weight coming from sugar. The manager of state affairs for the Grocery Manufacturers Association argued that restrictions will not work and state’s school districts should retain the freedom to decide what to sell.

http://tinyurl.com/bkqcp

18. Washington: Snohomish County Re-Launches WIC Program

(“Mom-Child Aid Program Finds Home in County,” seattletimes.nwsource.com, October 5, 2005)

In February 2004, the Snohomish Health District, at the request of the state Department of Health, agreed to take over the WIC program from a previous program provider. Now district officials are learning what it takes to run the program, which provides food, nutrition counseling, and links to immunization, and health and social service referrals to low-income pregnant women and mothers with young children. Staff speak Spanish, Russian, French and Ukrainian, and can contact interpreters if other language needs arise. They say women view WIC as an accessible, non-threatening program, which allows health professionals to talk to them about a range of issues. The program serves 9,100 women and children in the county, but state officials believe that 4,000 more clients qualify for WIC benefits. The state Department of Health is planning to increase WIC participation in Snohomish County by about 50 percent.

http://tinyurl.com/cmeqk

19. New York: Anti-Hunger Group Introduces New Online Interactive Maps of 1,000 Food Agencies in NYC

(The New York City Coalition Against Hunger news, nyccah.org, October 5, 2005)

The New York City Coalition Against Hunger introduced online interactive maps of food pantries and soup kitchens in New York City and neighborhoods - the clearest visual representation of how pervasive hunger and food insecurity are in the city. The new tool is available on the front page of the organization’s website. It includes 1,000 agencies, a map of agencies in any zip code area in the city and the name, address, and hours of operation for each agency.

http://www.nyccah.org

20. New Jersey: Program Seeks Greater Calcium Intake Among Low-Income Consumers

(“Pilot Program Aims to Raise Calcium Intake,” bergen.com, October 5, 2005)

The campaign, "Calcium Select to Protect," a joint project of ShopRite, the American Dairy Association and Dairy Council, and the Rutgers Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program, has started at a ShopRite in Passaic and will target stores with a large percentage of food stamp customers to help them identify foods rich in calcium. A calcium-deficient diet has the potential to create health problems later in life. Because most bone mass is built during teenage years, children especially should get enough calcium to prevent osteoporosis in older age. According to recent studies, calcium also protects against lead poisoning, a concern for urban children who live in old buildings, and helps with lower blood pressure and weight loss. The new campaign will distribute literature in both English and Spanish about calcium-rich foods and dishes at stations in supermarkets. Two more pilot programs are scheduled in stores in Passaic and East Orange.

http://tinyurl.com/aq7le

For news tips, suggestions, comments, contact Olga Doty at odoty@frac.org

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