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. Release of Government Report on Hunger in United States Delayed
2. WIC Proposal to Include Fruits and Vegetables in Its Food Package Reflects New Understanding of Proper Nutrition
3. Op-Ed: Leaders Should Promote Adequate Funding for Food Stamp Program, “Nation’s Time-Tested Defense Against Hunger”
4. School Lunch Provides Healthier and More Nutritious Meals
5. Editorial: Lunch at Breakfast Time Leads to “Famished” Students in Afternoon Classes
6. Oregon’s Minimum Wage Increase Has Been Boon for State’s Economy
7. Project Bread Receives $300,000 to Expand Summer Food Service Program in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York and Vermont
8. Illinois to Use USDA Award to Further Enhance Food Stamp Program
9. Texas: Association of Local Governments Will Hit Grocery Stores to Pre-Screen Candidates for Food Stamps
10. Idaho’s Hunger Summit Was “Huge Success” in Defining Steps to Address Hunger
11. Indiana: School Wellness Policies Bring Awareness of Students’ Health and Well-Being in Twin Lakes Schools
12. Tennessee: Unicoi County Officials Visit Local School to Support Movement to Improve School Lunch
13. Kansas: Schools Put Healthy Spin on Menus Modeled After Restaurant Fare
14. Indiana: Community Center Steps In to Provide Hunger Relief After Grocery Store Shut-Down
15. Illinois: Sportsmen Against Hunger Program Provides Pantries with Extra Meat
16. Massachusetts: More People Will Need Help with Heating Their Homes
17. Yale Law Students Show Interest in Working with Disadvantaged Clients
18. Colorado: Computer Containing Personal Data Stolen from Managing Contractor of Child-Support Enforcement Database

1. Release of Government Report on Hunger in United States Delayed

(“Democrats Say Hunger Report Stalled,” seattlepi.nwsource.com, November 1, 2006)

Democrats say politics are to blame for the Bush Administration’s decision to wait until after the election to release the annual report on hunger and food insecurity, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture usually releases in October. The report has shown continual increases in the number of people struggling with hunger, from 31 million in 1999 to 38 million in 2004. Democrats say the Bush administration decided to wait until after the election to issue the report fearing more bad news about the spread of hunger. USDA officials said the delay is not political. Analysts haven’t always been able to finish it by October, the agency explained. “The administration simply tries to bury bad information the closer they get to the election,” said Rep. Anthony Weiner who sent a letter about the delay to Karl Rove. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee’s farm spending subcommittee, said the administration “continues to put politics ahead of hunger in America.” Anti-hunger advocates just want to see the numbers. “Our real concern is that so few people are talking about the problem and proposing ways to address that struggle with hunger that 38 million people constantly face,” said Jim Weill, president of the Food Research and Action Center. That goes for the administration, for both parties in Congress and for the private sector, Weill stressed. “If we ought to be able to do anything as a country, it’s that we ought to be able to get enough adequate, decent food to everybody,” Weill said.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1155AP_Hunger_Report.html

2. WIC Proposal to Include Fruits and Vegetables in Its Food Package Reflects New Understanding of Proper Nutrition

(“Good Nutrition Bad for (Some) Business,” marketplace.publicradio.org, November 3, 2006)

Under a new proposal by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, fruits and vegetables may be added to the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). Fresh produce is expensive and sometimes out of reach for families on a tight food budget. Britney Deloutch, a mother of 2-year-old Brianna, says the help she gets from WIC makes her $75-a-month food budget stretch farther, but she cannot use her WIC vouchers at a supermarket to buy fruits and vegetables. “The WIC people at USDA have been trying to come up with new guidelines for quite a while,” said Geri Henchy of the Food Research and Action Center. In the early 1970s the concern was that poor diets didn’t contain enough protein, thus WIC was born and it emphasized protein-rich eggs, cheese and dairy, she explained. The WIC proposal calls for $8 in vouchers per month to spend on fruits and vegetables for eligible mothers and for $6 for produce for children. “Fruits and vegetable consumption helps kids develop healthy habits and helps kids keep their weight down,” Henchy pointed out. Egg and juice producers, however, are worried, since the addition of fruits and vegetables to WIC vouchers comes with smaller allotments for eggs and juices to keep the overall WIC budget unchanged. Final approval of the proposal is expected some time next year.

http://marketplace.publicradio.org/shows/2006/11/03/PM200611034.html

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!”)

3. Op-Ed: Leaders Should Promote Adequate Funding for Food Stamp Program, “Nation’s Time-Tested Defense Against Hunger”

(“Food Stamps Fight Hunger,” roanoke.com, October 26, 2006)

“It’s hard to believe that in our nation of plenty, almost 14 million children live in families that can’t afford to buy the food they need,” writes C. Douglas Smith, executive director of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, in The Roanoke ( Va.) Times. “Things were even worse several decades ago. A big reason we’re better off now is the federal Food Stamp Program, our nation’s time-tested defense against hunger,” argues Smith. Many children from low-income families, seniors on fixed incomes and families with working parents, whose wages are too small to cover even basic necessities, experience hunger or live at risk of hunger. Without food stamps, many people would be forced to choose between buying enough food to eat and paying for rent, utilities or medicine. “As Congress prepares to renew the Food Stamp Program, we have an important opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to fighting hunger in the United States by working positively and constructively with our representatives and asking them to reinvest in the program.” Help from state and local agencies and private charities is not the answer to hunger. “State and local government budgets are already stretched too thin and wouldn’t be able to make up for the loss of federal funding,” points out Smith. Elected officials and community leaders should recognize the central role that the Food Stamp Program plays in fighting hunger by promoting the adequate funding of the program, Smith writes.

http://www.roanoke.com/editorials/commentary/wb/wb/xp-88653

4. School Lunch Provides Healthier and More Nutritious Meals

(“School Lunch Nutrition,” washingtontimes.com, October 31, 2006)

Food is “making kids sick, and we have to change how we feed our children,” contends Ann Cooper, co-author of “Lunch Lessons, Changing the Way We Feed Our Children” and a food service director at the Berkeley School District in Berkeley, Calif. Seventy-five percent to 80 percent of schools offer meals that meet the dietary guidelines of the National School Lunch Program, but the challenge becomes what children choose from the other options available, said Jean Daniel, spokeswoman for Food and Nutrition Services of the U. S. Department of Agriculture. In addition to competitive foods and à la carte menus sold in schools, regular school lunch competes with bagged lunches that students bring from home. Often parents or students lack knowledge about balanced diet and USDA food pyramid guidelines and pack unhealthy items such as cookies and chips. Several studies show that meals provided at school are healthier than packed lunches, pointed out registered dietitian Kathy Lazor of Montgomery County ( Md.) Public Schools. The school meals are “nutritionally balanced. They’re meeting the recommended daily allowances,” including the amount of fat, Lazor explained. The school day may be the only time when nutrition is a factor in meal planning and portion sizes are controlled, according to Keith Ayoob, associate professor of pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He believes that it encourages children to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

http://washingtontimes.com/functions/print.php?StoryID=20061030-102751-4600r

5. Editorial: Lunch at Breakfast Time Leads to “Famished” Students in Afternoon Classes

(“Feeding Students Too Early Spells Hunger Later,” content.hamptonroads.com, October 23, 2006)

Some Virginia Beach and Norfolk, Va., schools are serving lunch well before 10 a.m. The problem got attention after a recent state survey found that Newport News and York County schools also were offering burgers and fries at the time when students should be having breakfast. In 2002, the federal government authorized states to grant exemptions to its policy that no one is served lunch before 10 a.m. or after 2 p.m. “Yet Virginia apparently had no idea how many schools were serving lunch even earlier,” writes this editorial in The Virginian-Pilot. “Could we all just agree that feeding unhungry children too early means that famished students are sitting in class later in the day? “We shouldn’t expect children to operate on such a loony lunch schedule,” argues the newspaper. Experts say it’s not healthy and might lead to obesity. School officials claim they serve early lunch because schools are big and cafeterias are small and use block schedules. “If you cram more than 2,000 children into a school, you’d better build a facility big enough to accommodate all students at lunchtime,” urges the editorial.

http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=113140&ran=60238

6. Oregon’s Minimum Wage Increase Has Been Boon for State’s Economy

(“Weighing Minimum Wage Hikes,” wsj.com, November 3, 2006)

On Tuesday, voters in six states are considering raising the minimum wage and indexing it to inflation as do Oregon, Washington, Florida and, beginning in 2007, Vermont. In 2002, Oregon voters raised the state’s minimum wage and mandated its annual adjustments to inflation. Oregon’s minimum-wage workers are paid at least $7.50 an hour, well above the federal minimum rate of $5.15. When the measure was debated, many argued that it would cripple the economy and raise unemployment. Over the past four years, however, private, nonfarm payrolls are up 8 percent, nearly twice the national increase. Wages also are growing. Industries employing many minimum-wage workers, such as restaurants and hotels, have exhibited strong job growth. Oregon’s estimated unemployment rate for 2006 is 5.4 percent, while in 2002 it was 7.6 percent. The experience of the late 1990s and a groundbreaking study of employment in the fast-food industry by economists David Card and Alan Krueger in New Jersey and Pennsylvania have undermined the view of academic economists who argue that raising the minimum wage leads businesses to hire fewer workers. Even though restaurant and farm industries in Oregon still are lobbying against automatic inflation adjustments, supporters of the increase say the measure has been a boon for the state. “Minimum-wage workers are the only class of workers you can give a raise to and guarantee that they’re going to spend the money and spend it in the local economy,” says Dan Gardner, Oregon labor commissioner. Matthew Holt of Woodburn, Ore., says the $7.50 an hour he earns is barely enough to make ends meet. “The increase each year does help a little, but when inflation goes up, then everything goes up,” he says.

http://tinyurl.com/ykp6gc

7. Project Bread Receives $300,000 to Expand Summer Food Service Program in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York and Vermont

(“Project Bread Receiving $300,000 from The UPS Foundation Funds to Help Reduce Hunger and Improve Nutrition,” biz.yahoo.com, October 30, 2006)

The UPS Foundation awarded Project Bread a $300,000 grant to support the expansion of the Summer Food Service Program in target communities in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York and Vermont over the next two years. Only 22.1 percent of children in Massachusetts who receive free or reduced-price school meals during the school year participate in a summer food program, which is the 16th worst ranking in the nation. The grant will help reduce childhood hunger during summer months by increasing the number of children eating meals in the summer and improving the nutritional quality of the meals. Ellen Parker, executive director, said, “In the summer months, kids are scattered throughout their neighborhoods, making it more difficult to feed them. … we’ve made an investment in neighborhood programs that combine food with fun and are successful in bringing kids in so they can eat. These programs give kids a chance to eat healthy foods, to have fun, to socialize, to learn, to grow, and to stay out of trouble.” Project Bread will be responsible for the grant and program oversight and development. It will work in collaboration with the Northeast Collaborate: End Hunger Connecticut!, The Hunger Action Network of New York State and The Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger.

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/061030/nem033.html?.v=58

8. Illinois to Use USDA Award to Further Enhance Food Stamp Program

(“Gov. Blagojevich Announces $2.3 Million Federal Bonus to Help Feed Hungry Illinoisans,” illinois.gov, October 26, 2006)

U.S. Department of Agriculture recognized Illinois for excellent customer service in the Food Stamp Program by awarding the state an additional $2.3 million for further enhancements to state programs, announced Governor Rod R. Blagojevich. “More than a million Illinois residents rely on our assistance to help feed their families every day. These funds will enhance technology and efficiency in the $1.4 billion program and make a big difference in improving the health and quality of life for low-income families in Illinois,” said the governor. “Families depend on Food Stamps to stretch their limited incomes, so improving customer service and accuracy are among our primary goals,” commented Illinois Department of Human Services Secretary Carol L. Adams. “We can expect to reach even more people as we begin to unveil our technology projects which include offering customers the option to apply for benefits online without having to submit the application in person. DHS customers should be online, not in line.” In July, USDA commended Illinois for showing dramatic improvement in calculating food stamp benefits for low-income residents. For the past three years, the state has posted one of the highest payment accuracy rates among the nation’s largest states. Before 2003, Illinois faced penalties of up to $25 million imposed by the agency for food stamp payment errors.

http://www.illinois.gov/PressReleases/ShowPressRelease.cfm?SubjectID=1&RecNum=5462

9. Texas: Association of Local Governments Will Hit Grocery Stores to Pre-Screen Candidates for Food Stamps

(“DETCOG Joins Forces with Brookshire Brothers for Holiday Food Campaign,” jaspernewsboy.com, October 31, 2006)

The Deep East Texas Council of Governments (DETCOG), in conjunction with Brookshire Brothers Grocery Store chain, will hold a “Food for the Holidays” benefit tour during November and December. Shanna Fuller, DETCOG public affairs director, says Jasper County ranks second in the 12 counties served by DETCOG for the number of people who qualify for food stamps, yet do not receive them. The tour is designed to address this problem. “Have you ever had to choose between paying the heating bill and having enough food for dinner? Have you been faced with the impossible choice of buying medicine for your sick child or food for the family table?” asked Fuller. “Every day, thousands of people in Deep East Texas grapple with issues like these. But, they don’t have to,” she contends. During the tour, DETCOG representatives will be available at the Brookshire Brothers stores to pre-screen potential recipients for food stamps and help them apply for the program.

http://www.jaspernewsboy.com/news/2006/1101/News/035.html

10. Idaho’s Hunger Summit Was “Huge Success” in Defining Steps to Address Hunger

(“Idaho’s First Hunger Summit Draws Overflow Crowd, Sets Goals,” idahofoodbank.org, October 2006)

Idaho’s first Hunger Summit was a huge success, reports the Idaho Foodbank. Representatives from 250 charities, ministries, schools, government agencies and business organizations came together to discuss food policies and programs. The summit participants agreed that more needs to be done to address the issue of hunger. Efforts should include a statewide task force with a mission to end hunger; the elimination of the sales tax on groceries; and a minimum wage increase indexed for inflation. They also agreed that the state should remove the vehicle test for food stamps. Idaho is the only state that counts vehicles as assets when determining eligibility for food stamps. “The delegates left with a shared sense of purpose. Idaho may be the eighth hungriest state in the nation, but it does not have to stay that way. Partnerships, education, better use – and improvement – of existing programs and a common sense of purpose can change that ranking,” reports the food bank.

http://www.idahofoodbank.org/Monthly%20Newsletter/news-oct06.htm

Also see http://www.fox12news.com/Global/story.asp?S=5603844 (“Hunger Summit Draws Hundreds,” fox12news.com, October 30, 2006)

11. Indiana: School Wellness Policies Bring Awareness of Students’ Health and Well-Being in Twin Lakes Schools

(“Student Wellness a Top Priority for Twin Lakes,” thehj.com, October 27, 2006)

Indiana schools are working to implement federally mandated student wellness policies that set up rules in the areas of nutrition education, physical activity and evaluation. Tom Fletcher, superintendent of Twin Lakes School Corporation, said the written wellness policy requirement has resulted in a heightened awareness of health and well-being in each of the corporation’s six school buildings. School vending machines containing less than 50 percent of the items considered healthy choices must be unplugged during school hours. Juice and water vending machines are available to students all day long. Twin Lakes Food Service Director Mark Weaver acknowledged the challenge of including fruits and vegetables in school menus, because some fresh foods, like peaches and romaine lettuce, are perishable and don’t last long. “The fresh options, when we first started, went OK. But now it goes incredibly good,” he said. Students have an opportunity to discuss obesity and nutrition in the health class. Class teacher Kim Bilskie said it helps students realize “that the choices they make really do have an affect on their health.” “I think they’re really getting it; they really take notice of it with their families,” she said.

http://tinyurl.com/ynzdbe

12. Tennessee: Unicoi County Officials Visit Local School to Support Movement to Improve School Lunch

(“Unicoi County Middle School ‘Votes’ for Lunch During National School Lunch Week,” vbbeacon.com, October 26, 2006)

Unicoi County ( Tenn.) Middle School celebrated recent National School Lunch Week by exploring the theme “Vote for School Lunch.” Unicoi County’s State Sen. Steve Southerland, county’s Register of Deeds Debbie Tittle and School Board member Renea Rogers visited the school to support the national movement to improve school lunch menus. Leaders told students that making choices in the cafeteria is similar to making candidate choices by voting. They spiced up the “5 food groups” rule by encouraging the students to “vote” for a certain food group item, make a vegetable “addendum” to their selection and then “pass a bill” that reflects a well-balanced lunch.

http://www.vbbeacon.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/10/26/4540d81d48ef8

13. Kansas: Schools Put Healthy Spin on Menus Modeled After Restaurant Fare

(“Putting the Café in Cafeteria,” kansascity.com, November 1, 2006)

Children increasingly want the same type of foods they see outside school in school cafeterias. Some food service managers respond by mimicking trendy wraps, burritos and rolls served in restaurants, though often with a healthy spin. “The most important way to get kids to eat a school lunch is to promote what they want to eat,” says Bridget McNabb of the Piper School District in Kansas City, Kan. Kansas City elementary schools took a cue from the Happy Meals sold at McDonald’s and now serve lunch in the bag two days a week. The colorful Pete’s Sacks with printed cartoon characters and “whole-grain” word games include pizza bagels or GoGurt, fruit, a vegetable and a little prize. On days when Pete’s Sacks are offered, participation in school lunch rises 15 percent to 20 percent, according to Tony Stark, a food service contractor for the Kansas City School District. Suzanne Havala Hobbs, a registered dietitian and author of “Get the Trans Fat Out,” believes that ethnic entrees such as burrito bars or noodle bowls, to which children can add fresh vegetables, are appropriate for school lunch. But she hates “to see imitation fast foods served in schools. It reinforces kids choosing foods that are damaging to their health.” Most children don’t understand the difference between baked and fried foods or between whole and refined grains. Serving “healthy” versions of fast foods “models eating behavior that we’d rather kids not have,” Hobbs says.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/living/15893298.htm

14. Indiana: Community Center Steps In to Provide Hunger Relief After Grocery Store Shut-Down

(“Community Center Offering Help to Former LoBill's Customers,” wishtv.com, November 2, 2006)

Marsh supermarkets will close 16 grocery stores in Indiana this month, including LoBills on East Washington Street in Indianapolis. The change will make it difficult for many low-income families in the area to get access to food because the next closest grocery store is more than a mile and a half away. With LoBills about to shut down, the alternative is hunger, said Jay Height, the director of Shepherd Community Center. “We already struggle in this community with the reality of hunger and the reality of folks who have limited money and now have no choices on how they spend their money and that really hurts,” he pointed out. The center joined a national program where each month families can purchase a box of groceries for $25. The food – vegetables, fruit, beans, meat and other staples – comes from Angel Food Ministries in Georgia that fed over 1.6 million families last year. The program is open to anybody, and it accepts food stamps. “We have found it to be very good to eat and we know it sure beats hunger,” Height said.

http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5626731&nav=0Ra7

15. Illinois: Sportsmen Against Hunger Program Provides Pantries with Extra Meat

(“Sportsmen Against Hunger,” wsiltv.com, November 1, 2006)

The Murphysboro ( Ill.) food pantry served more people in October than in a typical month, when 325-350 families come for help. “Most people who come in here, even if they get food stamps, … are still under the poverty level,” said Director Jack Cunneen. While the U.S. Department of Agriculture supplies just over 300 chickens a month, it’s still not enough. The Murphysboro pantry and other local agencies found a way of supplementing their resources through the Sportsmen Against Hunger program. The program engages hunters in providing food pantries with extra meat. “The state pays for the processing. They try to get the hunter to pay $35 and the state pays for the remaining $15,” explained Cunneen. He says the donations are critical to helping those in need.

http://www.wsiltv.com/p/news_details.php?newsID=1215&type=local

16. Massachusetts: More People Will Need Help with Heating Their Homes

(“'Safety Net’ Agencies Expect Busy Winter,” townonline.com, November 1, 2006)

Social services agencies in Massachusetts say more people will face the dilemma of whether to pay rent or heat their homes. According to Chris Austin of the Interfaith Council for the Homeless, many of her clients hold down two jobs and still can’t make ends meet in the winter. An emergency like an illness or a broken car can put families in a financial crisis. Many people don’t realize they’re eligible for assistance, from food stamps and school lunches for children to fuel assistance and housing payments, Austin says. Her agency helps people who have temporary difficulty making rent or mortgage payments access programs that will keep them afloat. South Shore Community Action provides fuel assistance for eligible families. Lisa Spencer, energy director, reported that 1,071 applications were filed last year. This year, about 5,677 applications have been received so far. “Even though the price at the pump has come down and the price of oil has come down, it’s still a drastic increase” compared to 2005, said Spencer.

http://www2.townonline.com/harwich/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=605351

Also see http://www.frac.org/pdf/energy_paper05.pdf (FRAC analysis, “Heat and Eat: Using Federal Nutrition Programs to Cushion the Shock of Skyrocketing Heating Bills”)

17. Yale Law Students Show Interest in Working with Disadvantaged Clients

(“Law Students Work on Cases in Local Clinics,” yaledailynews.com, October 30, 2006)

Justin Weinstein-Tull LAW ‘08 is working for school credit in a law school clinic that places students at the New Haven Legal Assistance Association. The clinic is one of four Yale Law School courses in which students work with disadvantaged clients in New Haven, Conn. Weinstein-Tull is working on three different cases under Joanne Gibau, a staff attorney at the clinic. Gibau said students work on a variety of cases covering temporary assistance to needy children, food stamps, Medicaid, unemployment compensation and sometimes even major class action lawsuits. The law school has seen significant student interest in community service in recent years, said Law School Dean Harold Koh. About 40 percent of recent graduates worked in at least one public service position in the first five years after graduation, he stressed.

http://www.yaledailynews.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=34019

18. Colorado: Computer Containing Personal Data Stolen from Managing Contractor of Child-Support Enforcement Database

(“Stolen ACS Computer May Contain Data on 1.4 million Coloradans,” fortwayne.com, November 2, 2006)

A computer stolen from a private contractor may contain personal information of up to 1.4 million Coloradans. Affiliated Computer Services (ACS) started to notify at least 500,000 people that their identity might be at risk. The company maintains the state’s child support enforcement database as well as the Directory of New Hires. ACS Spokesman Kevin Lightfoot would not say whether his company would reimburse people for the cost of their credit reports or any theft that may occur. The company is a partner with IBM Corp. that has been negotiating a contract with the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration to take over Indiana’s system of determining eligibility for food stamps, Medicaid and welfare received by one in six state’s residents. Colorado will not renew ACS’s $5.5 million contract, which the company has had since 1999, when it ends next year, said Liz McDonough of the Colorado Department of Human Services.

http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/15910627.htm