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. Comments Are Due on USDA’s Proposed Healthy WIC Food Packages
2. State School Wellness Policies Progress With Unequal Success
3. School Salad Bar Use Soars When Schools Provide Lessons in Nutrition
4. Low-Interest Car Loans for Poor Families Result in Higher Salaries, Better Child Care and Improved Credit Scores
5. Editorial – Alabama: “Hunger in America Should Not Exist”
6. Editorial – Iowa: State Should Be Praised for Efforts to Boost Food Stamp Participation
7. Maine Food Stamp Use Up Sharply, Study Finds
8. California: New Public Benefit Eligibility System in Alameda County Wrongly Cuts People Off Assistance
9. Texas: Long Waits for Food Stamps Leave Many People Hungry
10. Virginia: Verona Food Bank Fights Hunger and Food Insecurity Hidden in Mainstream Society
11. Ohio: Cincinnati Reports Progress in Serving More Free Summer Meals to Needy Children, Free Breakfast to All Elementary Students
12. Virginia: Students Who Get Lunch at Breakfast Time Complain About Hunger in the Afternoon
13. Illinois Bans Junk Food in Elementary and Middle Schools Throughout School Day
14. Florida: Healthy School Program at Three Pilot Schools Brings Better Nutrition and Fitness to Students
15. Massachusetts Students Slow to Buy In on Healthy Food Choices
16. Oregon: “Greening” School Lunch Rewarding to Young Portland’s Chef
17. North Carolina Nutrition Experts Explain Importance of Eating Breakfast
18. Indiana Invests in Child Care to Help Working Poor Stay Off Welfare
19. Colorado: Low-Income Families Will Face Another Crisis Paying Heating Bills This Winter
20. Editorial – Michigan: Parental Income Determines Teenagers’ Success in College
21. Florida Consumer Advocates Seek Easier Phone Access for Senior and Low-Income Residents

1. Comments Are Due on USDA’s Proposed Healthy WIC Food Packages

(FRAC model comment letter on proposed WIC food package, action.frac.org, October 17, 2006)

The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) has prepared a model comment letter for proposed WIC food package regulations. The letter is intended to help many individuals and organizations showing their support and sharing their recommendations for the proposed new WIC food packages by sending in their comment letters to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The WIC food packages have been updated to reflect Dietary Guidelines and current nutritional science by adding fruits and vegetables, whole grain bread, corn tortillas, whole grains, the option of soymilk and tofu and moving to only low-fat milk, and whole grain cereals. The deadline for comments is November 6, 2006. To quickly and easily send a letter to USDA, go to

http://action.frac.org

Also see http://www.frac.org/html/federal_food_programs/programs/wic.html (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC): What's New)

2. State School Wellness Policies Progress With Unequal Success

(“No More Mystery Meat,” nytimes.com, October 7, 2006)

In response to the federal mandate to develop school wellness policies outlining nutrition and physical fitness, Connecticut has taken stringent steps by banning sugary drinks from cafeterias and vending machines in kindergarten to grade-12 school buildings. New Jersey is planning to adopt similar policies by next fall, in addition to banning sales of any product that lists sugar as its main ingredient. New York has been slower to adopt similar rules, although some school districts, pressed by parents to revamp their menus, are already ahead of state regulations. For example, John Jay and other schools in the Katonah-Lewisboro district replaced hamburgers and french fries with vegetable frittatas and whole wheat vegetable lasagna. John Jay also eliminated processed foods, trans fats and high-fructose corn syrup and offers a salad bar stocked with beans, nuts and low-fat dressings. “Some school districts have taken this to heart and made some significant changes, and other school districts have done nothing but a little window dressing,” said Dr. Susan Rubin of the Westchester Coalition for Better School Food. However, the availability of fast food beyond school walls undermines schools’ efforts. On Long Island, Great Neck South High School banned deliveries of takeout food. In Irvington, calls for fast-food deliveries to the high school are being curtailed to two days a week, said Superintendent Kathleen Matusiak. Students “were lining up at the sidewalk for things like pizza,” said Matusiak. “It was in conflict with all the good work that the cafeteria was trying to do.”

http://tinyurl.com/y5pyq6

3. School Salad Bar Use Soars When Schools Provide Lessons in Nutrition

(“School Salad Bar Success Tied to Nutrition Education in the Classroom,” biz.yahoo.com, October 10, 2006)

Researchers at Loyola University and the University of Illinois found a link between salad bar use and classroom nutrition education in their evaluation of a salad bar project at two Chicago Public Schools, Namaste Charter School and Oscar de Priest Elementary. After three months of having the salad bar and educational lessons at Namaste Charter School, the number of students selecting salad bar items quadrupled. Almost one third of students opted for vegetables compared to less than five percent of those at the comparison school not receiving nutrition education. “Simply adding a salad bar in an elementary school does not equal program success,” explained Joanne Kouba of Loyola University. “While the salad bar makes fruits and vegetable more available for the students, our study suggests that an educational component is critical for influencing student behaviors and eating habits. An elementary student may not try a new food on his own, but exposure plus education can affect real change.”

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/061010/cgtu027.html?.v=63

Also see http://www.namasteshares.org/ (the curriculum and classroom materials, along with links to the resources used by Namaste Charter School)

4. Low-Interest Car Loans for Poor Families Result in Higher Salaries, Better Child Care and Improved Credit Scores

(“Car Loans Help the Poor Get to Work,” seattlepi.nwsource.com, October 12, 2006)

Ways to Work is part of a new model for social service programs, which delivers human services aimed at economic self-sufficiency. Ways to Work, which started in Minnesota in 1984, underwrites low-interest car loans to low-income families with poor credit or no credit at all. The program is run in about 50 human services organizations in 25 states. The loans’ interest rates are capped at 8 percent. Without these loans, the program’s clients could pay 24 to 28 percent interest elsewhere, said Jeff Faulkner, president of Ways to Work. Clients reported pay increases averaging 41 percent, with their average annual income growing to $15,312 from $11,904, according to a study commissioned by Ways to Work. More than half the borrowers said they were able to get better jobs because of their cars. Nearly four out of five parents with young children said they were able to arrange more satisfactory child care. Family Services of Western Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh – the largest Ways to Work program in the country – has expanded its program from providing loans for 18 cars in 2000 to funding loans for 86 cars in 2005. The 2005 program review found that 85 percent of loan recipients were able to increase their salaries and 70 percent improved their credit rating.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/1310AP_Cars__Jobs.html

5. Editorial – Alabama: “Hunger in America Should Not Exist”

(“Hunger: An Anniston Journal,” annistonstar.com, October 7, 2006)

“Hunger in America should not exist,” states this editorial in The Anniston ( Ala.) Star. “The fact that people still go hungry today in America is a stunning shame. This nation can do better, and it must.”The United States is one of the most prosperous nations in the world, but one in 10 Americans lives in a household that experiences hunger or the risk of hunger, according to the Society of St. Andrew, a nonprofit dedicated to eradicating hunger. A safety net of assistance programs has been created to help hungry people, including food stamps and the WIC program. In Alabama, according to the Children’s Defense Fund, 62 percent of people eligible for food stamps do not receive them. Every day dozens of Anniston residents line up for a free hot meal at the Soup Bowl. “People fall through the cracks. Transience, embarrassment, substance abuse, language barriers and a lack of access are just some of the reasons for not getting food stamps.

http://www.annistonstar.com/opinion/2006/as-editorials-1007-0-6j06u0216.htm

6. Editorial – Iowa: State Should Be Praised for Efforts to Boost Food Stamp Participation

(“Hunger No Shame,” desmoinesregister.com, October 8, 2006)

A “rose” from The Des Moines Register goes to the Iowa Department of Human Services “for making it easier for low-income Iowans to buy food.” The newspaper’s “Roses & Thistles” editorial column writes that since 2003, DHS has increased the number of the Iowans receiving food stamps by 45 percent. Iowa, once a lower-ranked state in the number of food stamp clients, made this improvement “by helping Iowans take advantage of federal aid to which they are entitled.” The state “streamlined reporting requirements and set up outreach efforts” and “should be praised for helping remove the stigma” that for some people is still associated with using food stamps. “There should be no shame attached to having enough to eat,” states the newspaper.

http://tinyurl.com/y23mu6 (please scroll down to view this article)

7. Maine Food Stamp Use Up Sharply, Study Finds

(“Study: Maine Poverty ‘Pervasive’,” bangordailynews.com, October 11, 2006)

A new study on poverty conducted by the University of Maine for the Maine Community Action Association found a sharp increase in food stamp use in the state. “Poverty is persistent? It’s pervasive and it’s statewide,” said Charles Newton of Penquis Community Action Program. The number of Mainers receiving food stamps rose more than 50 percent between 2002 and 2005. The biggest increases came from Hancock and Knox counties, which saw jumps of more than 60 percent. Statewide, nearly 16 percent of households received food stamps on a monthly average last year. Researchers believe that high energy prices, simplification of the application process and the fading of the food stamp stigma with the use of electronic benefit cards have contributed to higher demand for food assistance. The study also documented a steady increase in the number of students eligible for free or reduced-price school lunch over three years. In 2002, about 64,000 students were eligible. In 2005, this figure rose to about 69,000, or 33 percent, of students who qualified for subsidized school lunch.

http://bangordailynews.com/news/t/statewide.aspx?articleid=141664&zoneid=500

Also see http://www.umaine.edu/mcsc/Research/2006PovertyRpt/index.html (report, “Poverty in Maine 2006”)

8. California: New Public Benefit Eligibility System in Alameda County Wrongly Cuts People Off Assistance

(“County OKs Training in Aid Eligibility System,” insidebayarea.com, October 11, 2006)

Alameda ( Calif.) County Social Services Agency is hiring a consultant to help resolve glitches with the new, computerized system that determines eligibility for public benefits, including food stamps and welfare. Advocates say that the system has wrongly cut many people off public assistance. “It’s just not designed for all the complexities of these programs,” said Steve Weiss of Bay Area Legal Aid. Agency Executive Director Chet Hewitt admitted the county is still struggling with the system. It was rolled out in 18 California counties at a cost of $744 million in order to save time for social workers by automatically calculating benefits and handling paperwork. The county is reminding people who attend county clinics to submit their aid paperwork on time or risk losing their benefits, Hewitt said.

http://www.insidebayarea.com/dailyreview/localnews/ci_4474418

9. Texas: Long Waits for Food Stamps Leave Many People Hungry

(“Running on Empty,” lufkindailynews.com, October 7, 2006)

Hungry people in Angelina County, Texas, have to wait up to 40 days for food stamps because of social service cutbacks, according to Linda Smelley, executive director of the Christian Information and Service Center. She said people in urgent need of food are often stuck in a bureaucratic no man’s land. Many of them do not meet the state’s complex formula for “emergency need” status or are in a crisis that is beyond the state’s ability to respond, she pointed out. A mother of four in dire financial straits was looking for help after all her children came down sick and had to stay home. “She didn’t have any food in the house, and didn’t know what to do,” Smelley said. Mothers count on children “to have a big lunch at school and just stretch it until the next day. I know they’re starving.” Ted Hughes, spokesman for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, contends that the wait time is 18 days, not 40. In 2003, the state began restructuring social services, with food stamp privatized call centers set for a summer 2006 rollout, which has stalled. But in anticipation of the rollout, the state cut jobs and state agencies saw many of their staff take early retirement or leave for other jobs. “As a result, caseloads became impossible,” said state Rep. Jim McReynolds. He believes that the Legislature needs to address this issue and possibly cancel the contract with Accenture that runs the call centers. In one case, hundreds of documents, including food stamp applications, were faxed to the wrong fax number, provided in Accenture forms, to a warehouse in Seattle.

10. Virginia: Verona Food Bank Fights Hunger and Food Insecurity Hidden in Mainstream Society

(“Food Bank Honored,” newsleader.com, October 5, 2006)

Verona ( Va.)-based Blue Ridge Food Bank is working to attract the public’s attention to hunger and food insecurity spreading in the area. Here homeland security begins in the kitchen, or the soup kitchen and food pantries used by 10 percent of Western Virginia’s 8 million residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. They experience food insecurity, defined as uncertainty over the source of one’s next meal. “We’re finding out what the needs are out there, and then developing a result-based approach to ending hunger,” said Marty White of the food bank. Food security specialists Darryl Jones and Anthony Tracy travel across the Shenandoah Valley to document the food needs of those who struggle to make ends meet. “We work on the front lines. We help people see if they qualify for food stamps and other nutritional programs,” Jones said. “We bring our laptops into the soup kitchens and help them sort things out.” Tracy said poverty hides itself well from mainstream society.

http://www.newsleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061005/NEWS01/610050325/1002

11. Ohio: Cincinnati Reports Progress in Serving More Free Summer Meals to Needy Children, Free Breakfast to All Elementary Students

(“163,000 Free Meals Served,” news.enquirer.com, October 7, 2006)

A partnership between Cincinnati Public Schools, the Children’s Hunger Alliance and the city’s Recreation Commission served 163,000 free meals to needy children through the Summer Food Program this year, according to Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory. Mallory organized the initiative shortly after taking office. Last summer, only 19,500 meals were served. Cincinnati Public Schools have been offering free breakfast to all elementary school children since the beginning of this school year, and the program will continue, said Superintendent Rosa Blackwell. Schools are planning to serve 14,000 free breakfasts this year, compared to 7,866 last year when families had to qualify for the program based on income.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061007/NEWS01/610070397/1056

12. Virginia: Students Who Get Lunch at Breakfast Time Complain About Hunger in the Afternoon

(“Virginia Beach Schools Seek Waiver for Lunch Before 10 a.m.,” home.hamptonroads.com, October 9, 2006)

At 9 a.m. students at six high schools in Virginia Beach, Va., gather in school cafeterias for their regular meal consisting of pizza, sub sandwiches and fries. While the menu hardly resembles common breakfast fare, there is no mistake. Breakfast-hour lunches are a “fact of life” for students at 13 public high schools in Virginia Beach and Norfolk, which start their lunch periods before 10 a.m. Federal law requires schools to serve lunch between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Late September, Virginia Beach schools discovered that they are not complying and requested a waiver through the Virginia Department of Education. School officials say they hear few complaints. “I don’t think it’s healthy, because most people skip breakfast,” said Lydia Walther-Rodriguez, a 16-year-old Bayside High junior. Lydia said hunger distracts her during her fourth block chemistry class. “It’s not that it’s too early to eat,” said Crystal Hamilton, 17, who ate pizza and fries that morning. “It’s too early to eat lunch food. We should be eating breakfast.” Chris Bullington, 15, is eating so he won’t be hungry again in an hour. But “by 2, I’m hungry again,” he said. Kim Rodriguez, 16, said that after eating an early lunch she often goes 12 hours without a meal, because after school she goes directly to work.

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=112338&ran=190236

13. Illinois Bans Junk Food in Elementary and Middle Schools Throughout School Day

(“Illinois Gov. Blagojevich’s Proposal to Ban Junk Food in Illinois Elementary and Middle Schools Wins Final Approval,” allamericanpatriots.com, October 11, 2006)

Illinois Governor’s Office reports that the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules approved rules that ban junk food and soda in Illinois elementary and middle schools. “Ask any parent if they want their child drinking soda and eating candy at school – and they’ll say no. Good nutrition isn’t candy, soda, pizza and chips. This was a long hard fight. We met plenty of resistance along the way, but … committee did the right thing,” said Gov. Blagojevich who requested the change last year. In addition to banning junk food throughout the school day, the new rules will also change the definition of junk food to focus on the food’s nutritional content. “We are pleased to see the new junk food rules moving forward, because we know that a healthy diet contributes to the learning readiness and wellbeing of the children of Illinois,” said Jesse Ruiz of the State Board of Education. Arizona, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York and West Virginia restrict elementary schools from selling junk food to students until at least after lunch. Hawaii bans sales of junk food in all schools all day. Florida forbids them in elementary schools all day and in secondary schools until after lunch.

http://www.allamericanpatriots.com/m-news+article+storyid-16681.html

14. Florida: Healthy School Program at Three Pilot Schools Brings Better Nutrition and Fitness to Students

(“School Fights Obesity,” pensacolanewsjournal.com, October 9, 2006)

Bellview Middle, Weis Elementary and Pensacola High in Escambia County were selected as three of 48 Florida schools to pilot the Alliance for a Healthier Generation’s Healthy School Program. The program, a joint initiative between the William J. Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association, aims at reducing childhood obesity. Pilot schools focus on nutrition, physical activity and wellness of staff members who serve as role models to students. After implementing healthier menus and serving rules, “the world did not come crashing down,” said Gary Lincoln, Bellview counselor. Students “aren’t going to go hungry.” Seventh-grader Stefani Taylor said, “Some things look kind of gross. But they taste good.” Just recently Bellview started a breakfast campaign offering whole grains and fruits. Within a week, the school clinic’s overall traffic – an average of 100 students a day coming with stomach pains and headaches – came down to 60, said Lori Shanahan, school nurse. She believes that breakfast worked the magic. Danielle Fulton, 13, admitted that if she didn’t eat breakfast at school, she either wouldn’t eat or would stop by McDonald’s. “The school food is better,” she said. “It keeps me up. I usually fall asleep during class.”

http://tinyurl.com/wf593

15. Massachusetts Students Slow to Buy In on Healthy Food Choices

(“Let Them Eat Cake! Students Scoff at School’s Healthy Food Choices,” news.bostonherald.com, October 4, 2006)

Susan Lacy, head of food services at Stoneham ( Mass.) Schools, is putting french fries, burgers and canned fruits back on the menu. Schools across the state have been struggling with ways to serve healthier foods and get children to pay the higher prices. “I was trying to avoid the fast food mentality,” said Lacy. “I was eliminating anything they could get at McDonald’s.” She still serves vegetables and makes whole wheat pizza crust, but healthier items are not as popular with students. After Lacy’s new menu took effect, lunch prices in Stoneham increased 75 cents, contributing to drop in school lunch participation. Lacy is “trying to maintain her commitment to wellness and stay within her budget,” said Superintendent Joseph Connelly. Sheila Parisien, food director for Manchester Essex Regional School District, said her healthy choice lunch program ran a $24,000 deficit the first year. It took three years for the program to become solvent and change student attitudes about junk food. “The cost is still higher, but educating the kids helps,” Parisien said. “If you don’t educate them and make them part of the process you don’t get them to buy in.”

http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=160625

16. Oregon: “Greening” School Lunch Rewarding to Young Portland’s Chef

(“Chef Finds Joy Cooking for Some of Portland’s Smallest Eaters,” oregonlive.com, October 10, 2006)

James Fowler shows students at Abernethy Elementary in Portland, Ore., how the food gets to their plates by putting vegetables from the schoolyard in the cafeteria salad bar. The students meet Fowlers’ explanation and the food with a loud “Yea!” This reaction is why culinary school graduate Fowler, 26, is not in a restaurant job, but in Abernethy Café, a program experimenting in rethinking school lunch. He runs the scratch kitchen, a place he calls food’s new frontier. When a second grader wrinkles his nose at the chicken-broccoli teriyaki and asks not to put “any of the green stuff on” but “just the chicken,” it’s a challenge. But when the next child in line says, “I love broccoli!” it’s rewarding. “There you go,” Fowler says with a smile. “That’s the attitude I’m looking for.”

http://tinyurl.com/y3l48r

17. North Carolina Nutrition Experts Explain Importance of Eating Breakfast

(“What’s in Your Bowl?” fayettevillenc.com, October 9, 2006)

Nutrition experts in Fayetteville, N.C., explain why eating breakfast is important. “Studies have shown that people’s reflexes and minds are slower when they don’t eat breakfast. In school, kids who go without breakfast have problems paying attention and sitting still,” said Derek Slavin, the clinical nutrition manager of the Cape Fear Valley Health System. Breakfast “helps with feeding your brain and your body the food it needs to get the energy to function through the day,” contends Kelly Povroznik, the child nutrition director for Cumberland County Schools. Since the Cumberland County school system started a “Grab & Go” breakfast program, teachers have reported fewer behavior problems and more attentive and alert students. “Eating breakfast increases your metabolic rate. Not eating breakfast slows it down, and that contributes to obesity,” said Gerianne Geszler, a doctor at the Women’s Wellness Center.

http://www.fayettevillenc.com/article?id=243924

18. Indiana Invests in Child Care to Help Working Poor Stay Off Welfare

(“Helping the Working Poor,” fortwayne.com, October 7, 2006)

The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration announced that nearly $18 million in federal funds will be transferred into a state program that provides child care vouchers for welfare recipients and working poor. State officials say finding reliable, affordable child care is the most important element in helping working poor families find jobs and stay off welfare. Since 2001, the number of Indiana children on the state’s child care waiting list has been as high as 16,000. With a decline in federal support for child care, state officials are forced to scramble for enough money to serve eligible families, but there is seldom enough. The transfer will help take about 3,500 children off the waiting list. The transfer resulted from a 25 percent increase over the past year in the number of welfare clients who are working. FSSA Secretary Mitch Roob hopes to provide vouchers to another 3,000 children over the next year.

http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/news/editorial/15700903.htm

19. Colorado: Low-Income Families Will Face Another Crisis Paying Heating Bills This Winter

(“A Cold Winter Ahead for Low Income,” denverpost.com, October 10, 2006)

Low-income Colorado families will face another crisis paying for home heating this winter. Experts say, even though their total heating bills may drop slightly because of lower natural gas prices, families will have to reach deeper into their own pockets to pay them. State and federal low-income energy assistance for the upcoming heating season could be cut down as much as 51 percent from last year. “That presents an incredible hardship for seniors and low-income families,” said Skip Arnold of Energy Outreach Colorado. Last year, the average energy assistance payment was $550. This year, it is projected to drop* to $267, leaving the households responsible for paying $716 on their own. “I’ll have to skimp to pay all the rest of my bills. If energy bills go up this winter, I’m really in trouble,” said Denver resident Claudia Hart, 68, who is disabled and lives on Social Security. “Despite the natural-gas price drops, it’s still going to be a very, very difficult year,” stated Herb Betts of Colorado’s Low Income Energy Assistance Program.

*The drop is attributed to legislation that stipulates more of this year’s money will go to energy-saving improvements rather than bill paying help.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_4448044

20. Editorial – Michigan: Parental Income Determines Teenagers’ Success in College

(“The High Cost of College Destroys American Dream,” detnews.com, October 9, 2006)

“Wealth and access to superior educations – not performance – dictates who succeeds in college and in life. That’s not the American way,” writes this editorial in The Detroit News. The University of Michigan leaders set up a task force to learn why minority students’ graduation rates lag behind. Minority students mostly come from middle-class or working-class families who struggle to pay high tuition costs. Many such students work multiple jobs and do not have the time it takes for academic excellence. “Class is the driving issue behind these students’ success or failure. … Race and sex still matter when it comes to some barriers to college success. But parents’ wealth is increasingly – and arguably more – critical.” Wealthier parents live in high-quality school districts and provide more learning opportunities such as test-taking, Advanced Placement seminars, sports and arts programs, and unpaid internships that give “incredible advantages to their offspring,” contends the newspaper.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061009/OPINION01/610090340/1008

21. Florida Consumer Advocates Seek Easier Phone Access for Senior and Low-Income Residents

(“Easier Phone Access for Poor Sought,” palmbeachpost.com, October 12, 2006)

Florida’s Office of Public Counsel and AARP asked the Public Service Commission (PSC) to make it easier for seniors and low-income people to sign up for local telephone service. Their petition calls for companies such as BellSouth, Sprint and Verizon to work with the Florida Department of Children and Families to automatically enroll customers who qualify for programs such as food stamps and federal public housing assistance in their service plans. Anyone who signs up for these programs would be entered in Lifeline, a program that reduces the cost of telephone service by $13.50 a month through a combination of federal and state funding as well as $3.50 per month from BellSouth and other participating phone companies. More than 1.12 million households in Florida are eligible for Lifeline, but only 139,261 households, or 12.4 percent, signed up last year, according to a PSC report. In the states that have automatic enrollment, the program is successful, said Mike Twomey, a consumer attorney for AARP. Among such states are Massachusetts, New York and North Dakota where Lifeline participation rates range from 37 percent to 56 percent.

http://tinyurl.com/y7sbkt