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.

1. Food Stamp Boost Would Feed Hungry Children and Stimulate Economy
(Idaho Statesman, January 4, 2009)

In this letter to the editor, Burke Hays, a masters of public health student, points out that increasing food stamp benefits would have a “larger positive impact” on the economy than tax rebates. According to financial analysts at Goldman Sachs, every dollar in food stamp benefits returns $1.73 in economic activity while only $1.26 in economic activity is generated for each tax rebate dollar. In addition, 90 percent of food stamp cash benefits are spent within two weeks of receipt by the poorest Americans, while middle- and upper-income tax rebate recipients take much longer to spend their cash, if they spend it at all. During this economic downturn, with many households struggling to purchase food, children are suffering from hunger; a boost to food stamps is also “an investment in our neediest and hungriest children.” Childhood hunger can lead to chronic illness, behavioral issues, and psychiatric stress, according to a study from the journal Pediatrics. The American Journal of Public Health found that hungry children are more likely to perform poorly in school, experience difficulty in extending their education beyond secondary school, and have trouble getting adequate employment. Hays concludes by urging people to contact their Congresspersons and “tell them to extend food stamp benefits to struggling Americans. Doing so will go a long way toward feeding hungry children and reviving our economy.”

2. Federal Aid – Not State Budget Cuts – Necessary to Help Economy
(Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, January 2, 2009)

This op-ed piece, which ran in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, refers to a recent New York Times editorial by 2008 Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman, which warned that governors are cutting budgets the same way that Herbert Hoover did in 1932 in order to balance the federal budget. These cuts are hurting the most vulnerable sector of society, and Krugman suggested that Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland’s approach to the economy – “calling for federal aid to the state for food stamps and Medicaid, for state and local infrastructure and for education” – is the right path to take. According to this op-ed, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, and the state’s new Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) chief Anne Waltermann Murphy, should call for the same kinds of support, especially food stamps and Medicaid, and refrain from “shredding the social safety net at a moment when many more Americans need help…” FSSA chief Murphy takes over running the agency from Mitch Roob, whose 10-year, $1.6 billion outsourced contract for social services has been criticized for keeping needy Indiana residents from receiving food stamps and other aid.

3. Economy Drives Up SNAP/Food Stamp Participation

Iowa
(Chicago Tribune, December 30, 2008; The Gazette, December 29, 2008)
More than 128,000 Iowans received food assistance in November 2008, and the number of households in the state receiving food aid and other assistance grew 15 percent from November 2007. The number of households receiving only food assistance grew 25 percent over the past year. Officials say the increase from July through September was the result of disaster relief from tornadoes and flooding. However, the economy has been driving the increase since October, according to Ann Wiebers, administrator of the human services division of financial, health and work support. From July through November 2008, the state distributed $28.9 million in food stamps, a 33 percent increase from the previous year. Cedar Rapids resident Lela Julis, a “food aid” recipient, said changes in the program – from the switch to EBT cards to being able to redeem benefits at farmers’ markets – have helped. High prices had forced her to buy “things that aren’t good for you” because they’re cheaper, and she wanted to buy more fresh fruits and vegetables. Julis appreciated being able to use her benefits at the farmers’ market, noting that it “is cheaper than the grocery store.”

West Virginia
(Louisville Courier-Journal, December 16, 2008)
One-sixth of West Virginia’s population – more than 281,000 residents – receive federal food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, which is the new federal name for the Food Stamp Program). Across the country, one in 10 Americans now receive the benefit, an all-time high as the “economy worsens and more people are out of work.” West Virginia’s neighboring states also reported food stamp enrollment increases since September 2007, including Kentucky (7 percent climb), Virginia (9 percent), and Maryland (16 percent).

Maryland
(Maryland Gazette, December 10, 2008)
Maryland’s historic 16 percent increase in Food Supplement (the state’s new name for the Food Stamp Program) participation means that 389,300 people now receive the benefit, according to the state’s Department of Human Resources. The numbers have been climbing steadily from month to month according to officials. Anne Arundel County is experiencing the fastest growth in numbers – 26 percent – as more people in the county are applying after being laid off, or are dealing with consumer price increases. Outreach strategies have brought in new recipients, especially a partnership with the county’s Department of Aging to get more elderly and disabled residents signed up for assistance.

Massachusetts
(Boston Herald, December 28, 2008)
SNAP/Food Stamp numbers grew from November 2007 to 2008 – going from 253,048 to 300,000 recipients – as the recession, combined with a huge outreach project, expanded statewide enrollment. Officials credit about 20 percent of the increase to the outreach effort, which included outreach at senior expos to sign up eligible elderly residents who had not enrolled. Also, a state program providing cash assistance – titled Emergency Aid to Elders, Disabled and Children (EAEDC) – saw an increase of 9.4 percent, going from 17,389 in November 2007 to 19,023 in November 2008. During the same period, the state’s largest welfare program – Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) – grew 3.2 percent, from 45,736 to 47,226 households. For years, caseloads for all these programs had either declined or leveled off. In addition, Gov. Deval Patrick cut funding for cash aid programs during emergency cuts made in October, with EAEDC reduced by $381,000, and TAFDC by $4.5 million.

New Jersey
(Newark Star-Ledger, January 4, 2009)
In October 2008 the number of food stamp applications doubled compared to the year before. Driven by the recession, the increase saw 4,547 people apply for food stamps in October 2008; in October 2007, 2,234 people applied. Still, a Mathematica report found that in 2006, only 60 percent of the state’s eligible residents applied for the benefit, which is below the nation’s average of 67 percent. The October increase is seen as encouraging by Adele LaTourette, director of the Statewide Emergency Food and Anti-Hunger Network, since many people who are eligible for assistance often don’t apply for help. “We really need to be getting people into the (food stamp) program,” said LaTourette.

4. New York Gov. Announces Increases for Food Assistance Program in Spite of State Budget Cuts
(Albany Times Union blog, January 2, 2009)

Saying it’s “gratifying to be in a position to provide additional funding for food assistance providers” at a time when he must propose significant budget cuts, New York Gov. David Paterson announced an emergency increase in funding of $1 million for regional food banks across the state, and noted the state has received an additional $365 million in federal food stamp funding over the last 15 months. In November, the state’s food stamp enrollment reached a record high of 2.1 million individuals, an increase over the past year of 300,000 individuals. In a press release, the Governor said that groups that traditionally do not participate – seniors, disabled people, families with children, the unemployed, and head of household college students – are seeking food stamps in increasing numbers. Also, changes in the program have made more low-income working families eligible. Calling hunger and the lack of nutrition a public health threat, State Department of Health Commissioner Richard F. Daines, M.D., thanked the Governor for moving the state “quickly to avert a hunger crisis.” Streamlined access to the food stamp program increased enrollment, and shows “that those who need these benefits are getting them,” said Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance Commissioner David A. Hansell. He added “Working families are struggling enough these days, and should not have to struggle to get the benefits to which they are entitled.” In streamlining the process, the state has raised the income limit from 130 percent to 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, waived face-to-face interviews and finger-imaging requirements for certain households, eliminated the resource test for nearly all applicants, instituted telephone interviews for renewal of benefits, and created a Web site – www.mybenefits.ny.gov – where residents of 12 counties can apply for the benefit online.

5. Legal Aid Vital to Survival of New York’s Poor
(New York Times, January 1, 2009)

While Gov. Peterson’s $121 billion “doomsday budget” does not single out any one program for elimination and guards against any interest groups putting “their needs above the stability and solvency of New York State,” this editorial points out that officials should keep in mind that the poor will suffer the most from the lack of funding for legal aid services in the new budget. Advocates point to the significant returns for relatively modest financial outlay, as legal services for poor residents keeps their mortgages from foreclosure, lowers the number of evictions and keeps many families and individuals from becoming homeless. Avoiding litigation keeps the load on judges and courtrooms manageable. Legal aid also helps needy residents access food stamps. By avoiding “the poor house,” New York’s needy “will have…more money to spend, increasing sales tax revenues and benefiting local businesses.”

6. Food Pantry Clients Benefit from Anti-Hunger Organization’s SNAP/Food Stamp Outreach
(Chicago Tribune, December 19, 2008)

Outreach workers from the Illinois Hunger Coalition are helping food pantry clients struggling through the recession by promoting food stamps and other assistance programs as ways of getting food, paying rent, and keeping warm. “We have people call and say ‘Should I pay my utility bill or my rent or my doctor’s bill?’” said Diane Doherty, the Coalition’s director. “If we can get them on food stamps, at least that’s food.” In addition to dispatching staff to food pantries, the twenty-year-old organization runs a hunger hot line through which people can find out if they’re eligible for food stamps. The current economy has forced more in the state to seek out food stamp assistance, with the benefit going to a record 1.3 million in the state.

7. Massachusetts Schools See Increase in Free and Reduced-Price Lunch Numbers
(Milford Daily News, December 28, 2008)

School food service directors in Massachusetts are reporting increased numbers of children applying for and receiving free and reduced-price lunch. “Five years ago, parents wouldn’t do it, but now they want to put (in) an application,” said Framingham’s Food Services Director Brendan Ryan. Bellingham director Kyle Parson noticed an increase since September, and attributes it to tough times, layoffs, and people struggling with paying bills. Franklin Food Service Director Clair Doyle expects more to sign up, as applications come in every day. “Let’s face it,” she said, “the economy is terrible and people need it.” These trends mirror those nationwide as reported in the School Nutrition Association’s (SNA) recently-published study “Saved by the Lunch Bell: As Economy Sinks, School Nutrition Program Participation Rises,” which found that 425,000 more students are participating in school lunch and breakfast programs this year than in previous school years. SNA, which represents workers providing school meals, found almost 80 percent of schools surveyed nationally reported increases in school lunches served.

8. Barriers Keep Massachusetts from Increasing School Breakfast Participation
(Boston Globe, January 4, 2009)

Only 34 percent of eligible low-income children in Massachusetts take advantage of free- and reduced-price breakfast according to Project Bread, and only half of Boston students receive the free or reduced-price breakfasts. Nutrition and education advocates cite barriers to participation, including

- Only 48 percent of schools – those with the neediest students – must serve breakfast. Schools not offering the meal say they can’t cover the meal costs not picked up by the federal government. (All public schools must offer free lunch to qualifying students.)
- Not all parents know school breakfast is available.
- Students travelling long distances to school arrive too late for the meal.
- Some children feel stigmatized by accepting free breakfast – and while studies have shown that in-classroom breakfast to all students removes the stigma, some schools are reluctant to spend instruction time on feeding students, due to educational mandates.

Ensuring children eat a nutritious breakfast is likely the best investment “[i]n terms of producing good outcomes for kids” said J. Larry Brown of the Harvard School of Public Health and senior author of the recent report “Impact of School Breakfast on Children’s Health and Learning.” The study’s findings mirror the impact felt by one elementary school student, who said that without breakfast “I’d sit there for 10 minutes trying to figure out the question. My belly would be grumbling while waiting for lunch.” According to Project Bread, free school meals can save a family with two young children about $1,450 a year.

9. Beverage Tax, Other Measures Battle Obesity
(Santa Rose Press Democrat, December 28, 2008)

In 2009, New Yorkers could pay an 18 percent tax on non-diet sodas and other sugar-filled drinks if a controversial plan to fight obesity proposed by Gov. David Paterson is put in place. The tax is expected to reduce high-calorie drink consumption by an estimated 5 percent, and help fight the budget deficit by generating $404 million in its first year. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, sugary drinks are the “single biggest contributor to calories in the American diet.” Numerous research studies have linked sugared sodas to obesity and diabetes. New York’s governor is also planning additional high-calorie food taxes. California passed a state law mandating menu labeling, similar to one in New York, that requires fast-food chains to prominently post calorie counts. And in South Los Angeles, which has a high obesity rate, legislation prohibits the opening of new fast-food restaurants.

10. South Carolina Governor Agrees to Continue Funding Unemployment Benefits
(New York Times, January 1, 2009)

Called “heartless” and criticized by fellow Republicans for initially refusing to ask for $146 million in federal funds to bolster the state’s almost-empty unemployment benefits fund, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford agreed to apply for the funds. Currently the state has the third-highest unemployment rate in the nation, with 77,000 residents jobless. While legislators said that they couldn’t recall any other governor “refusing to ask for unemployment funds,” Gov. Sanford refused for weeks to ask, saying he did not trust the unemployment rate calculated by the state unemployment agency. Had the Governor not requested the additional funds, the state would have stopped cutting unemployment checks. “We will not punish the unemployed for this agency’s incompetence,” said Sanford about his decision change at a news conference. He continues to ask for an audit of the unemployment office, although other legislators question the need.

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