The Weekly Food Research and Action Center 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.
Issue #29, October 19, 2010
- Advocates Oppose New York City’s Proposed SNAP/Food Stamp Soda Ban
- Hunger Rampant in Pennsylvania’s First Congressional District
- NYC Poverty Rises as Congress Proposes Future SNAP/Food Stamp Benefit Cuts
- Alaska Challenge Participants Struggle to Feed Themselves on SNAP/Food Stamp Budget
- USDA Grants Will Help More Farmers’ Markets Accept SNAP/Food Stamps
- Nevada’s Record SNAP/Food Stamp Use Parallels Rise in Poverty Rate
- Georgia County Sees Long Lines for SNAP/Food Stamps
- New Mexico Puts Stimulus Money Into Child Nutrition Programs
- Iowa Should Improve School Breakfast Participation
- California Schools Offer Free Breakfast to All Students
- School Sees Improvements After Instituting Breakfast in the Classroom
- USDA Announces WIC Grants
- AARP Launches Anti-Hunger Efforts for Seniors
- Three American Cities Exemplify Extent of Recession
1. Advocates Oppose New York City’s Proposed SNAP/Food Stamp Soda Ban
(The New York Times, October 7, 2010; NPR Marketplace, October 7, 2010)
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposes banning SNAP/Food Stamp recipients from purchasing beverages with added sugar. The city asked USDA for permission to conduct a two-year pilot study to find out if benefit recipients would choose to buy more milk, fruit and vegetables. In 2004, USDA rejected a similar proposal from Minnesota, stating it would give the impression that SNAP/Food Stamp recipients are unable to make buying decisions, and would make SNAP/Food Stamp rules inconsistent across state lines. Joel Berg, executive director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger, notes that Congress has considered the idea before and decided not to do it. “What you can purchase and not purchase in the food-stamp program is described in extraordinary detail by federal law,” said Berg. Currently recipients are prohibited from purchasing some items, including alcoholic beverages, tobacco, and hot foods ready for immediate consumption. According to FRAC’s legal director Ellen Vollinger, debates in the early sixties, when the program began, centered on whether recipients could buy so-called luxury foods. “They decided not to go the way of restricting within those foods,” she said. “To start deciding good food-bad food, it’s not consistent with any of the dietary guidelines, and it moves people away from being regular consumers.” And treating people differently in the grocery line “can make them feel a stigma and make them less likely to want to participate in the program,” said Vollinger.
Additional coverage:
Wait a New York minute! New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's proposal to ban the use of food stamps to buy soda and other sugared drinks is going too far
(Los Angeles Times, October 15, 2010)
Soda Ban Seeks To Revoke Choice, Disrespects Low Income People
(Atlanta Post, October 13, 2010)
Paternalistic positions toward poor unacceptable
(Daily Campus, October 14, 2010)
Will food stamp plan to ban soda fizzle?
(Queens Chronicle, October 14, 2010)
Letter to the Editor: Unemployed mom rails against “food police” tactics in proposed SNAP/Food Stamp soda ban
(Chicago Tribune, October 14, 2010)
2. Hunger Rampant in Pennsylvania’s First Congressional District
(Philadelphia Inquirer, October 10, 2010)
Pennsylvania’s First Congressional District is one of the hungriest in America, according to data collected by the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index and analyzed by FRAC. Children here are particularly affected, which can have dire health consequences. “Too many families here must choose between rent and food,” said Renee Turchi, a pediatrician at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in the First District. “Lack of food hurts brain development in young children. Without enough food for our kids, we are fostering a cycle of failure for the entire city.” Mariana Chilton is one of Turchi’s colleagues, and is a professor at the Drexel University School of Public Health. She said that by the ninth grade, many children who haven’t had enough food in their lives have no sense of the future and become disengaged. Depriving a child younger than three of food for just a week or so, now and then, “has a detrimental, immediate effect on the brain when it’s building connections like crazy,” said Chilton. Hunger truncates the potential in people, she noted. Chilton recently worked with Sesame Street producers to help introduce the childhood hunger issue into the show. “How sick is this?” Chilton asked. “Hunger is so normal, we’re talking about Big Bird going to a food pantry.” SNAP/Food Stamps can help, but many in the district who are eligible don’t know about the program – which can be “frustrating as hell” to apply for, said Congressman Brady, who represents the district.
(This article is the first in an occasional series.)
3. NYC Poverty Rises as Congress Proposes Future SNAP/Food Stamp Benefit Cuts
(New York Amsterdam News, September 30, 2010)
The recently-released U.S. Census report on poverty in America showed that the number of New York City residents living in poverty increased from 1,500,000 in 2008 to 1,546,000 in 2009. At the same time, the median household income for city residents fell from $51,116 to $50,033. Every borough experienced an increase in poverty, except Manhattan. And while long lines of people wait for free food from the Ecumenical Food Pantry, run by Catholic Charities, Congress is proposing SNAP/Food Stamp benefit cuts. “I do not need to repeat what we already know,” said Washington Heights City Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, who recently completed the SNAP/Food Stamp Challenge. “It is impossible to still eat a healthy, balanced diet off $4.33 per day, the amount a low-income individual might receive off food stamps. Ironically, Congress is considering paying for child nutrition programs but cutting the already insufficient amount of funds for food stamps – a move that will make children less healthy!” Congressman Anthony Weiner said in a statement that the federal government has a moral obligation to help provide nutrition to hungry city residents. “Unfortunately, food stamp recipients have a tough enough time subsisting on the current allotment. The fact that further cuts are even on the table is shameful.” Policymakers should acknowledge that more intensive government action is needed, said Joel Berg, executive director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger, which hosted the challenge. “We need to simplify the application process for government benefits, get people working and ensure that workers are earning prevailing or living wages,” said Berg.
4. Alaska Challenge Participants Struggle to Feed Themselves on SNAP/Food Stamp Budget
(The Northern Light, October 5, 2010)
Alaskan participants in the SNAP/Food Stamp Challenge hosted by the School of Social Work at the University of Alaska Anchorage and the Food Bank of Alaska struggled with feeding themselves on a SNAP/Food Stamp budget the week of September 26 to October 2. Some participants found shopping to be a challenge, spending extra time at the store pricing items and returning to shelves food they couldn’t afford. “I went to the store with a list, but noticed that it seemed to take forever at the store, pricing things and figuring out how they fit into my budget,” said Ester Stirret, secretary for the Schol of Social Work. Others made do with cheap foods high in sodium. “For two days, I ate Easy Mac for lunch,” said philosophy major Elisha Waugh. “It has over 1000mg of sodium, which I know is not the best for me, but you can[’]t beat a fifty cent lunch.” By the middle of the Challenge, most participants were looking forward to it being over. “As I recall, (Wednesday) is when the challenge became less of an interesting adventure and more of a boring chore, which is probably more like what shopping and eating is for the folks who are really on Food Stamps,” said Dr. Tracey Burke, assistant professor at the School of Social Work. “Surviving on this budget is unreal,” said Keith Eraso. “I couldn’t picture actually living on this kind of budget. I’ve grinded out some tough times, but this by far [was] a unique and challenging one.”
5. USDA Grants Will Help More Farmers’ Markets Accept SNAP/Food Stamps
(USDA, October 14, 2010)
USDA announced recipients of the 2010 Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP), with more than 10 percent of FMPP funds supporting new EBT projects at farmers’ markets, enabling more low-income consumers to use their SNAP/Food Stamp, WIC and Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program benefits to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables. More than $273,000 in grants were awarded to increase fresh fruit and vegetable availability and affordability in a number of self-identified food deserts.
6. Nevada’s Record SNAP/Food Stamp Use Parallels Rise in Poverty Rate
(Reno Gazette-Journal, September 28, 2010)
Nevada leads the nation with the highest number of residents receiving SNAP/Food Stamps – the benefit goes to about 60 percent of those eligible. The state also leads the nation in the percentage of residents unemployed, the number of home foreclosures, and a decline in the number of marriages. Still, not everyone eligible is receiving SNAP/Food Stamps. “The biggest segments of the population eligible for food stamps, but who don’t apply for them, are rural and elderly residents,” said Miki Allard, staff specialist with the state’s Division of Welfare and Supportive Services. According to USDA, SNAP/Food Stamp participation has hit record numbers in every month since December 2008.
7. Georgia County Sees Long Lines for SNAP/Food Stamps
(CBS Atlanta, October 14, 2010)
People applying for SNAP/Food Stamps in DeKalb County, Georgia are facing long lines as the number of people applying for the benefit has increased more than 90 percent over the past five years. Recently, two rooms and a hallway at DeKalb County Family and Children’s Services were filled with applicants waiting for approval or finding out what paperwork they needed to qualify. In spite of the increase in applicants, the number of workers in the office has not increased. The state set up a website for people to apply online: http://www.compass.ga.gov.
8. New Mexico Puts Stimulus Money Into Child Nutrition Programs
(The Gov Monitor, September 30, 2010)
$2.4 million in federal stimulus money will go toward children’s programs facing budget cuts in New Mexico. About $250,000 of the money will restore some [state] funding to the elementary school breakfast program. “I am responding to families and child care providers who are understandably concerned about these budget cuts,” said Governor Bill Richardson. “We are losing $24 million in federal money and the Legislature mandated across-the-board cuts that unfortunately affect our most vulnerable families.”
9. Iowa Should Improve School Breakfast Participation
(Des Moines Register, October 15, 2010)
As noted in this editorial, FRAC reported that Iowa has one of the worst school breakfast participation rates in the country; for every 100 students eating free or reduced-price lunch, only 37.9 eat free or reduced-price breakfast, ranking the state 45th for the 2008-2009 school year. Iowa misses out on millions in federal reimbursements by having low breakfast participation. While Congress should improve nutrition assistance to children, local Iowa residents should find out if school boards are doing all they can to make sure more children are eating school breakfast. One solution to increase participation: offer universal breakfast (free for all students) and allow children to eat the meal in their classrooms.
10. California Schools Offer Free Breakfast to All Students
(Mydesert.com, October 2, 2010)
Starting October 1, students in California’s Palm Springs Unified School District began receiving free (universal) breakfast. All students are eligible to receive the free meal, regardless of their family’s income; the program is paid for by a grant from USDA. While most of the schools in the district will offer breakfast in the cafeteria, some schools will provide breakfast in the classroom.
11. School Sees Improvements After Instituting Breakfast in the Classroom
(Allentown Morning Call, October 2, 2010)
After implementing breakfast in the classroom, Allentown, Pennsylvania’s Cleveland Elementary School saw morning tardiness, discipline problems, and nurse visit requests almost disappear. Nearly all of the school’s 300 students qualify for free breakfasts, but only a third ate breakfast when it was offered in the cafeteria between 7:30 a.m and 8:00 a.m.
12. USDA Announces WIC Grants
(USDA, September 29, 2010)
USDA awarded WIC Special Project Grants to four states (California, New York, Massachusetts and Illinois); the grants will fund projects that will help states develop, implement and evaluate new/innovative methods of service to WIC participants. California’s grant ($399,341) will fund a healthy feeding for older infants and toddlers promotion initiative. New York’s ($405,953) will fund a project demonstrating new promotion strategies to retain children who participate at lower rates than eligible women and infants in WIC. Massachusetts and Illinois ($25,000 each) will use their grants to fund development of full grant project “concept papers” for future funding. Illinois’s project will examine barriers to retaining currently participating WIC children; Massachusetts will create a WIC family support system to increase the program’s nutrition benefits.
13. AARP Launches Anti-Hunger Efforts for Seniors
(PR Newswire, September 30, 2010)
AARP and the AARP Foundation are launching nationwide anti-hunger initiatives aimed at seniors which include new online hunger resources (www.aarp.org/hunger) as well as local SNAP/Food Stamp outreach and assistance. UnitedHealthcare is a key collaborator, working with AARP on awareness campaigns, volunteer mobilization efforts and local grantmaking programs. The number of poor and near-poor elderly who are hungry more than doubled from 4.7 percent in 2006 to 10.1 percent in 2008; in 2010, an estimated six million elderly Americans will experience food insecurity. “AARP and AARP Foundation are making a long-term commitment to helping older people get nutritious food on the table so that no one has to make the devastating choice between basic needs, like food, housing or utilities,” said Jo Ann Jenkins, AARP Foundation president. “This initiative with AARP Foundation marks an important step forward in addressing the growing problem of senior hunger, and we’re honored to be involved,” said Tom Paul, CEO of UnitedHealthcare’s Medicare business.
14. Three American Cities Exemplify Extent of Recession
(The New York Times, October 12, 2010)
Economists and experts estimate it will take nine years for the U.S. to recapture the jobs lost during the recession, 13 years for housing prices to return to their peak, and ten years for businesses to absorb commercial space vacancies. Three cities provide examples of the current state of “lost jobs, unsold houses and empty offices:”
Arizona – the state which ranked 2nd in job growth in 2005 now ranks 42nd, and has the second highest poverty rate, 19.6 percent. Subdivisions in Florence offer housing discounts, but residents don’t make enough to take advantage of them.
New Jersey – Cherry Hill’s home prices fell 16 percent since 2006; now 10 percent of listings are offered as short sales (asking price less than the mortgage). The average number of days a home sat on the market rose from 32 in 2005 to 62 in 2010. The area’s unemployment rate is 10 percent, as large employers have closed, laid-off many workers, and cut back hours.
Georgia – Industry leaders say that it would take 12 years of robust growth for Atlanta to absorb excess office space. “We’re all wondering what gets the economy producing jobs and growth again,” said Lawrence L. Gellerstedt III, chief executive of Cousins Properties. John Little, a developer, noted that, before the recession, “No one was demanding documents or reading the fine print, and mortgage banks were fat and happy. Well, that train couldn’t keep running.”
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