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. FRAC Survey of Food Stamp Access in Urban America Shows Millions of People Still Missing out
2. Food Stamp Trafficking Is on the Decline, GAO Says
3. Op-Ed: “Well-Fed Kids Learn More, Get Better Jobs and Stop the Poverty Cycle.”
4. Chef Ann Calls to Challenge School Food in National Event October 23-27
5. Economists Endorse Minimum Wage Increase
6. Alliance of Religious Groups Campaigns to Raise Minimum Wage
7. Donna Brazile Ranks Poverty as Most Important Issue Ignored by Politicians and Mainstream Media
8. Op-Ed: America Shamefully Denies Healthcare to One in Every Nine of Its Children
9. Montana Wins $1.8 Million Award for Excellence in Food Stamp Program
10. Op-Ed: Maine Is Effective in Providing Benefits to Eligible Residents and Reducing Poverty
11. Texas’s Privatized System Continues to Delay Public Benefits to Needy
12. Kansas: Catholic Charities of Wichita Will Use Government Grant to Fight Food Stamp Stigma
13. Wisconsin: 27 Milwaukee Public Schools Kick Off Free Breakfast for All Program
14. Kansas: WIC Food Package Changes Will Benefit Children and Mothers
15. Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative Brings Grocery Stores to Low-Income Neighborhoods
16. New Jersey: Low-Income Mothers Working Night Shifts Boost Late-Night Day Care
17. Massachusetts: Broken Link Between Rising Productivity and Higher Wages Leaves Workers With Nothing More in Their Pockets
18. Texan Families Did Paperwork But Still Lost Health Coverage for Their Children, Study Finds
19. Editorial – New Jersey: Newark’s Housing Department Swamped by Families Desperate for Affordable Housing
20. Maryland: Walk to School Week in Belvedere Promotes Children’s Exercise, Raises Safety Concerns

1. FRAC Survey of Food Stamp Access in Urban America Shows Millions of People Still Missing out

(“Food Stamps Continue to Serve as Crucial Support in U.S. Cities, But Millions Still Missing out, Finds FRAC Survey,” frac.org, October 18, 2006)

More than $1.9 billion in food stamp benefits was left unclaimed by 24 of the largest U.S. cities and urban counties in 2004, according to Food Stamp Access in Urban America, the Food Research and Action Center’s latest survey of food stamp usage and hunger. Only 66 percent of the people in the 24 cities who were eligible for food stamps were actually receiving benefits. “Too many families in America’s cities are facing a constant struggle against hunger. While there has been an increase in food stamp participation, thanks to strong outreach efforts, there are still millions unaware they could be receiving this help that is basic to their health and well-being,” said FRAC President Jim Weill. Food stamp participation in the surveyed cities was lowest in San Diego ( Calif.), with only 27 percent participating, and in Clark County ( Las Vegas, Nev.), with 43 percent participating. In Duval County ( Jacksonville, Fla.), King County ( Seattle, Wash.) and Los Angeles County, barely one half of eligible people participated. “It’s not only low-income people who lose out when there is underparticipation in the program, but also local communities,” said Ellen Vollinger, FRAC’s Legal Director. “Research shows that each dollar in federal food stamp benefits generates nearly twice that in economic activity.” The urban areas that missed out on the most federal food stamp dollars were Los Angeles County ($463 million), New York City ($430 million) and Harris County, including Houston ($168 million).

http://www.frac.org/Press_Release/10.18.06.html

2. Food Stamp Trafficking Is on the Decline, GAO Says

(“Report: Food Stamp Trafficking Drops But Still Consumes Millions,” qctimes.net, October 15, 2006)

The illegal exchange of food stamp benefits for cash instead of food is on the decline, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The practice, known as trafficking, has decreased sharply since the government switched from paper food stamp coupons to electronic cards that work like debit cards. GAO found that typical offenders are small grocery and convenience stores, where the trafficking rate is more than 7 cents per dollar. The study shows major progress, said Sen. Tom Harkin, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee. “Shifting from paper coupons to electronic delivery, which I’ve advocated for, means trafficking is at minimal levels,” Harkin said.

http://www.qctimes.net/articles/2006/10/15/news/business/doc4531bd2b1af3c402810313.txt

3. Op-Ed: “Well-Fed Kids Learn More, Get Better Jobs and Stop the Poverty Cycle.”

(“Food for Though,” stargazettenews.com, October 13, 2006)

“Yes, there is such a thing as a free lunch. Breakfast, too,” and it’s a “good thing,” writes Jim Pfiffer in his column in the Star-Gazette, in Elmira/Corning, N.Y. The Elmira City School District has seen a nearly 20 percent increase in the proportion of students who qualify for free and reduced-price school meals. “Blame the economy, too few jobs or lazy parents. It doesn’t matter,” argues Pfiffer. “What matters is feeding hungry kids. That’s why the program is so important. For the 180 days kids are in school, they know they’ll get two squares a day.” Pfiffer grew up surviving on free lunches in high school. “Schools didn’t serve breakfast then, but lunch was the highlight of my day. By noon my belly was hungry and grumbling. I ate everything on my tray and everything friends left on their trays. Sometimes I took the extra food home with me,” he recalls. Expanding free meal programs gives students a better chance for success, because nutrition affects learning. “Well-fed kids learn more, get better jobs and stop the poverty cycle.”

4. Chef Ann Calls to Challenge School Food in National Event October 23-27

(“National School Food Challenge: October 23-27, 2006,” unchlessons.org, October 2006)

Chef Ann Cooper, known for her revamping of lunch offerings in school cafeterias, invites everybody to make a stand for child nutrition during the week of Oct. 23 by joining her for the second annual National School Food Challenge. “Families and advocates are challenged to ask local administrators about the foods served in school lunches, and help their kids make strong nutritious meal choices,” writes Chef Ann. “Schools are challenged to find sources of local, fresh foods that can be served in cafeterias, and take a closer look at the nutrition messages being distributed to their students.” Chef Ann believes that “most school food programs are driven by outdated nutrition goals and budget constraints, neither of which puts kids’ nutritional needs first,” and that needs to be changed. More information about the challenge, including menu ideas and recipes to help students eat right, are available on Chef Ann’s Web site:

http://www.lunchlessons.org/html_v2/food_challenge.html

Also see http://www.frac.org/html/news/newsdigest/9.11.06.html#4 (FRAC News Digest, “Ann Cooper’s Nutrition Revolution”)

5. Economists Endorse Minimum Wage Increase

("Economists Favor Minimum Wage Raise,” kansascity.com, October 12, 2006)

A panel of 650 prominent economists urged a minimum wage increase at either the national or state level. They endorsed a $1 to $2.50 an hour increase, explaining that the change would affect only a small part of America’s lowest-paid workers, but would better reflect their contributions to national productivity and corporate profitability. Their statement mentions Missouri, Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Nevada and Ohio as considering minimum wage increases this year. The District of Columbia and 22 states already set their minimum wages higher than the federal $5.15 an hour minimum, which has been flat since 1996. Robert Solow, winner of the 1987 Nobel Prize in economics, said the time was long past to correct the erosion in earning power of the nation’s lowest-wage earners. “We need to make work more rewarding for those who are struggling to make ends meet,” commented Alice Rivlin, a former vice chairwoman of the Federal Reserve and a former director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. “The modest increases proposed are not likely to put people out of work,” she added. Henry Aaron of The Brookings Institution pointed out that the opposition overstates the fears about the effect of minimum-wage increases on America’s global competitiveness since almost all minimum-wage jobs are service jobs and cannot migrate abroad. The nation’s highest-paid workers have benefited from overall economic growth, but low-wage service workers have not, the economists said.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/15735362.htm

6. Alliance of Religious Groups Campaigns to Raise Minimum Wage

(“Momentum Builds for Minimum-Wage Hike,” csmonitor.com, October 15, 2006)

To Rev. Paul Sherry, a minimum wage boost is a matter of economic justice. If all references to economic justice were removed, the Christian and Jewish scriptures would be shredded, says Sherry who is a “campaign coordinator” for Let Justice Roll, an alliance of 80 mostly religious groups as well as the AFL-CIO. The alliance is campaigning for an increase in the minimum wage at both the state and federal levels by organizing rallies, workshops, religious services and prayer breakfasts nationwide. The name of the group comes from a line in the book of Amos, an Old Testament prophet, who said, “Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an overflowing stream.” It tends to emphasize moral and religious arguments in the campaign, but also is focused on secular views. “A job should keep you out of poverty, not keep you in it,” Sherry says. His group urges voters in six states to approve measures to raise the minimum wage to $6.85 an hour, with inflation protection. States with minimum wages higher than the federal level of $5.15 per hour have had faster small-business and retail job growth, according to a study by the Fiscal Policy Institute. “The net result could be beneficial to business,” says James Parrott, the study’s author, as businesses faced with a higher minimum wage use labor more efficiently, worker morale improves, labor turnover falls, recruitment costs drop and productivity increases.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1016/p17s01-cogn.html

7. Donna Brazile Ranks Poverty As Most Important Issue Ignored by Politicians and Mainstream Media

(Donna Brazile profile, hotsoup.com, October 2006)

Hotsoup.com, the online community that connects leaders from politics, business, religion and popular culture with leaders at the grassroots and community levels, asked prominent public figures to answer the question, “What is the most important issue ignored by mainstream media and our leaders?” Donna Brazile, a Democratic strategist and the chair of Al Gore’s 2000 Presidential Campaign, believes that that issue is poverty. “It’s so hard to address, so hard to discuss, so hard for people to come to grips with the fact that millions of our fellow citizens live in poverty. Many of our citizens go to bed every night without proper nutrition, many of our children go to school hungry,” said Brazile. “The reason why I can say this is a very important issue is when I was a little girl growing up in Louisiana, although both of my parents worked, we lived below poverty. … If my grandmother didn’t sew our clothes, if my father didn’t work extra jobs, if my mother wasn’t able to bring home food from her job where she was a maid, we would’ve went to school hungry and starved. So I think poverty is one of those issues that go unaddressed by politicians and political leaders today.”

http://www.hotsoup.com/HotIssues.aspx?Id=81ad3315-9a3a-43a3-9e0d-62d157f198c8&OpinionId=54d78e49-c885-4b7c-a830-a07650e2bddc

8. Op-Ed: America Shamefully Denies Healthcare to One in Every Nine of Its Children

(“States, Not Feds, Tending to Nation’s Uninsured Children,” latimes.com, October 15, 2006)

“It would be nice if the nation’s political leaders could spare a moment for … 8,310,000 young people who appear to have escaped their notice,” writes Ronald Brownstein in The Los Angeles Times. This is the number of children under the age of 18 without health insurance. Since President Bush took office, fewer children are receiving healthcare through their parents’ employer. But until last year, government had stepped in to offset those losses through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Both programs helped reduce the number of the uninsured children. In 2005, the continued decline in employer-based coverage and state budget cuts resulted in an increase of nearly 400,000 more uninsured children, the largest jump since 1995. Nearly nine in 10 children without insurance live in families with at least one working parent, according to Families USA. “Guaranteeing insurance for all kids should be a national priority, with a national solution and a broad funding source. … But until Washington commits to the cause, America will continue to live with the shame of denying reliable healthcare to one in every nine of its children,” writes Brownstein.

http://tinyurl.com/y2f3jo

9. Montana Wins $1.8 Million Award for Excellence in Food Stamp Program

(“State’s Food Stamp Program Gets $1.8 Million Award,” billingsgazette.net, October 18, 2006)

Montana’s Food Stamp Program received praise and a $1.8 million bonus award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The state was awarded for accuracy, timeliness and outreach efforts in providing food stamps to low-income residents. Plans for the bonus money include allowing food stamp recipients to purchase food at farmers markets and providing dental care to low-income pregnant women and various services to welfare clients. The state will set aside $250,000 of the award to recognize state employees who help manage food stamp eligibility and distribution. For the second consecutive year, Montana also received the Mountain Plains Summit Award given to state programs with excellent management in the 10-state region.

http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/10/18/news/wyoming/65-footdstamps.txt

10. Op-Ed: Maine Is Effective in Providing Benefits to Eligible Residents and Reducing Poverty

(“Governor Addresses Poverty Issues,” bangornews.com, October 16, 2006)

A recently released Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center’s Poverty Report connects the growth of food stamp participation in Maine with the rise of poverty, writes Brenda M. Harvey, a commissioner of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, in the Bangor ( Maine) Daily News. She points out that Maine’s poverty level is lower than the national average, and the food stamp use went up because “Maine has made significant strides to ensure all eligible people in need receive the services to which they are eligible.” The state has developed innovative measures to increase access to safety net programs such as utilizing debit cards, simplifying the application process, and automatically checking eligibility when a person applies for another benefit program. These efforts were recognized by the federal government, Harvey reports, and “translated into more federal funding being available for Maine’s program through high-performance bonus awards.” In 2003, 72 percent of the state residents eligible for food stamps participated in the program. This is the highest penetration rate among New England states, which have food stamp participation rates ranging from 43 to 60 percent. “ Maine is effective in ensuring that those eligible for services receive them. This is critical to helping Maine people get a hand up when they need it,” Harvey states. “Research has shown that a successful food stamp program helps to move families out of poverty. Those who receive the support — young children, families and the elderly — benefit from better nutrition and improved health. These factors also contribute to reduced health care costs, and this helps all Mainers.”

http://www.bangornews.com/news/t/viewpoints.aspx?articleid=141823&zoneid=35

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

11. Texas’s Privatized System Continues to Delay Public Benefits to Needy

(“East Texans Face Problems Getting Public Assistance,” ktre.com, October 18, 2006)

Privately operated Texas call centers that determine eligibility for public benefits have had problems with applications since August of the last year. The contractor says it takes time to process all the claims, and state workers who lost their jobs to privatization blame the contractor. Meanwhile, many East Texans are stuck in this battle and continue to wait for benefits to buy food. Since privatization, over 130 new applicants a month walk in the Christian Information Service Center that provides food to those caught up in the red tape. “Everyday there’s a story and you don’t forget them. They’re not numbers. They’re people with major problems,” said Director Linda Smelley. Some of them do not know how to use an automated telephone system and give up in frustration of not having a contact with a live representative. Sandra Pena, a single mom of four, has been waiting for food stamps that did not arrive at the promised time. “They’ve been avoiding my calls. I leave numbers, but no one returns the calls.” About 20,000 applications became backlogged at the call centers beginning this summer, overwhelming nonprofit service agencies that are trying to help those who cannot get help from the state.

http://www.ktre.com/Global/story.asp?s=5558204

12. Kansas: Catholic Charities of Wichita Will Use Government Grant to Fight Food Stamp Stigma

(“Charity Tries to Dispel Food Stamp Fears,” kansas.com, October 16, 2006)

About 15 percent of people living in the Wichita ( Kan.) area who are eligible for food stamp assistance do not apply for it, according to Catholic Charities of Wichita. The charity says some residents still fear the stigma they believe is attached to food stamp users. Others think that if they get the assistance, they will keep more needy people from getting the help. Catholic Charities are working to change these attitudes and help more people get food they need. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently awarded the organization a $60,528 grant. Catholic Charities will invest the money in raising awareness of the food stamp program by printing and distributing information about how to apply. Karole Bradford of the Inter-Faith Ministries’ Campaign to End Childhood Hunger, who supports these efforts, pointed out that the program is particularly vital to children. “Across the board, you name anything that has to do with a little kid growing up,” she said, and eating nutritional foods “helps those children.”

http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/15768608.htm

13. Wisconsin: 27 Milwaukee Public Schools Kick Off Free Breakfast for All Program

(“At MPS, Breakfast Is Served - for Free,” jsonline.com, October 15, 2006)

Twenty-seven Milwaukee Public Schools are starting a new program that offers a boxed breakfast, including cereal, milk, juice and crackers, to all students regardless of income. Wisconsin ranks last in providing low-income children with school breakfasts, but the new initiative, if successful, can be spread to more schools and improve the state’s ranking. While trying to get enough applications to start the program, MPS found thousands of children who were eligible but not receiving free- or reduced-priced lunches. MPS now has nine thousand more students approved, compared to last year. “That’s almost 10 percent of the student population,”Kym Mutch of MPS said.Students at the 21 schools will be served breakfast in the classroom. Mutch said that having breakfast in the classroom in the pilot schools resulted in increased participation in the breakfast and a decrease in tardiness. “Teachers were reporting that their kids would settle down and be ready to work more quickly,” Mutch explained. “They also noted decreases in the number of behavioral problems and visits to the school nurse - kids don’t often realize their headaches and stomachaches are from hunger.”

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=519268

14. Kansas: WIC Food Package Changes Will Benefit Children and Mothers

(“'WIC' Is Changing With Times,” hutchnews.com, October 15, 2006)

Many in the healthcare industry support the proposed changes to the WIC food package to include fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “We’re trying to look at ways that provide mothers and children with proper nutrition,” explained Neita Christopherson, the coordinator of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) for the Reno County ( Kan.) Health Department. Jean Ritter, a dietician with the same agency, said “very often fruits and vegetables are one of the first things to go” because of their high price or because “adults were not brought up eating fruits and vegetables.” Although understanding the connection between unhealthy diet and obesity has been spreading nationwide, “we’ll need to help educate people to the changes and why they are important,” Christopherson pointed out. “If children can develop a taste for fruits and vegetables early, they're more likely to retain that later in life.” According to Mike Heideman, spokesman for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, the WIC changes will be appreciated and beneficial.

http://www.hutchnews.com/news/regional/stories/WIC101506.shtml

Also see http://www.frac.org/html/federal_food_programs/programs/wic.html (“USDA Proposes Healthy WIC Food Packages: It is Time for a Change, You Can Help Make it Happen!”)

15. Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative Brings Grocery Stores to Low-Income Neighborhoods

(“In Cities, Healthful Living Through Fresher Shopping,” washingtonpost.com, October 15, 2006)

Larry Lawrence, 57, has been eating more fruits and vegetables since the ShopRite store opened close to his house in Eastwick of southwest Philadelphia. Eastwick is one of the first sites chosen by the Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative, a government campaign to bring supermarkets stocked with healthful food into neglected inner-city neighborhoods to improve public health. The initiative shifts the emphasis to the private sector, offering coaching and financial inducements for grocers to go into low-income areas without supermarkets and grocery stores. This helps improve diets and health of their residents. “We tried to make the connection between grocery stores and public health,” said R. Duane Perry of the Food Trust. In 2002, the group produced maps showing that low-income neighborhoods in Philadelphia with few or no supermarkets had high death rates from diet-related diseases. In the nation’s capital, D.C. Hunger Solutions released a study, showing that obesity rates are the highest in the city’s two wards where poverty is greatest and access to grocery stores is worst.

http://tinyurl.com/y87q5h

16. New Jersey: Low-Income Mothers Working Night Shifts Boost Late-Night Day Care

(“A Child’s Long Nights, Waiting for Mom,” nytimes.com, October 14, 2006)

Late-night child care has spread dramatically over the last decade, with the growth of a 24/7 corporate culture and federal welfare reform as contributing factors. More welfare recipients are now required to work, and states have to pay for flexible day care to support them. In New Jersey, there are three dozen day care centers licensed for late-night hours, which are used mostly by single mothers who pay between $30 and $175 in weekly fees. Nakia Alexander from Newark, N.J., felt that she had to take the promotion from being a crew member at McDonald’s to becoming a second-shift manager who supervises 8 people. She wanted to get more respect at work and money for her two children, but soon discovered that her new late-night schedule was disrupting the life of her 2-year-old son. The humble 50 cent per hour raise is covering a late-night child care program at Harmony Day Care where Jabari is now enrolled. Alexander drops him off at 2:15 p.m. and picks him up at 11:45 p.m. By the time they get home, it’s after midnight, and Jabari is wide awake and “ready to play,” she said. On a recent night at Harmony, eight children were still there at 9 p.m., falling asleep or sitting quietly in a dark classroom. Alexander worries about Jabari spending so much time in day care. “In the afternoon, we pull into the parking lot, he says, ‘no, no, no,’” said Alexander.

http://tinyurl.com/to86t

17. Massachusetts: Broken Link Between Rising Productivity and Higher Wages Leaves Workers With Nothing More in Their Pockets

(“Workers Do More, But Wages Fall Short,” boston.com, October 10, 2006)

Massachusetts workers produce more than ever, but their earnings fall short. A study by the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University found that, adjusted for inflation, Massachusetts’ median annual earnings have risen just $546, or 1.2 percent, since 1989. Workers’ productivity increased nearly 50 percent during the same period. The typical employee is working harder, faster and smarter, but getting few of the benefits, said Andrew Sum, the study’s lead author. “Despite productivity gains, workers have nothing to show for it in their pockets. The average worker is just treading water,” he said. In Massachusetts during the 1990s, inflation-adjusted earnings of full-time working women in the bottom fifth of the income scale fell 1 percent to 3 percent, while those in the top fifth earned from 16 percent to 56 percent more. Nationally, productivity grew 17 percent from 2000 to 2005, but, adjusted for inflation, median family income fell 3 percent, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

http://tinyurl.com/rnte2

18. Texan Families Did Paperwork But Still Lost Health Coverage for Their Children, Study Finds

(“Complete Forms No Guarantee for CHIP,” chron.com, October 6, 2006)

Parents of about half of the children dropped from the Children’s Health Insurance Program provided missing information requested by Accenture, a new private contractor processing program applications, but lost coverage anyway. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission released a study by the University of Florida that investigated why children were dropping off the rolls and looked at parents’ experience with the contractor’s application process and call center operations. “The study really does confirm what families have been telling us. This process has become much more difficult,” said Barbara Best of the Children’s Defense Fund. “This shows that families were doing the right thing.” Best pointed out that problems with the CHIP call centers have been aggravated by rules that went into effect in January requiring more written proof of families’ income and assets. The state admitted that the system was unfairly denying health insurance to eligible children. Now it’s providing additional training to call center staff and allowing families to submit missing information over the phone and take more time to pay enrollment fees. The survey did not explore how many children were denied coverage because their family’s income rose too high or because of the contractor’s mistakes. Ted Hughes, a spokesman for the commission, said Accenture is doing a better job of processing applications. However, in April the state halted the rollout of the integrated eligibility call centers and asked 1,000 state workers to stay on the job.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/health/4239892.html

19. Editorial – New Jersey: Newark’s Housing Department Swamped by Families Desperate for Affordable Housing

(“New Jersey Families Desperate for Housing,” courierpostonline.com, October 16, 2006)

Newark, N.J., police had to use pepper spray on a frustrated and disappointed crowd that had been waiting in line to get an application for a subsidized housing program advertised in a local newspaper. Many were waiting all night. Finally, the overwhelmed housing department put up a sign saying that it would not distribute Section 8 vouchers after all. The vouchers enable low- to moderate-income working families to rent market-rate housing. According to federal government estimates, affordable housing should not cost more than a third of a family’s monthly income. But in New Jersey, about 38 percent of homeowners and 47 percent of renters spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing. Recent studies found that about 1.1 million New Jersey residents earn more than the official poverty income, but still cannot meet their basic needs, such as housing, food and health care. The New Jersey Legal Services Poverty Research Institute estimates that about one in five New Jersey families can be classified as poor when the cost of living is considered. Last year, the official poverty rate for the state was 8.5 percent, one of the lowest in the nation. “It is no wonder that Newark’s housing authority was swamped by people seeking help with housing costs,” the paper pointed out.

http://tinyurl.com/v28ym

20. Maryland: Walk to School Week in Belvedere Promotes Children’s Exercise, Raises Safety Concerns

(“Students Take Part in Walk to School Week, Promoting Exercise, Clean Air,” hometownannapolis.com, October 6, 2006)

Shaina Paris, a second grader at Belvedere ( Md.) Elementary School, walks to school with her mother. But, during the week of Oct. 3, she walked to school with all her friends, who were celebrating International Walk to School Week in the United States. This year, it was extended for the entire month. Anne Arundel County Councilman Cathy Vitale was waiting on the corner to chat with children about the benefits of fresh air and exercise. Crossing guards stopped traffic to let the children cross safely. They also kept track of how many children were walking. On first day, 207 children crossed the road as they headed to school. On a regular day, only 35 children cross the same street. Walking to school at Belvedere is not easy. Drivers tend to speed up to 60 mph on the road with 30 mph signs and the prominent signs flashing 25 mph during school hours. Parents asked Vitale to build speed bumps to slow down traffic.

http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2006/10_06-66/NBH