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. USDA Secretary Names FNS Administrator
(USDA News Release, May 12, 2009)

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack named Julie Paradis as the Administrator for the Food and Nutrition Service. “For more than three decades, Paradis has worked to improve national food and nutrition programs and she will now be able to hit the ground running to enhance how these programs are delivered to the American people,” said Vilsack. From December 1997 to January 2001, Paradis was USDA’s Deputy Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services, and was responsible for 15 federal nutrition programs including SNAP/Food Stamps, school meals, WIC and community donations. She also held staff positions with the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Agriculture.

2. USDA Reports on Recovery, SNAP/Food Stamp Actions, and Launches Tool to Track Recovery Act Spending
(USDA News Release, April 29, 2009)

As President Obama marked his first 100 days in office, USDA released a progress report on its actions and announced availability of a Web tool which tracks spending on recovery programs. Secretary Vilsack noted that in these 100 days “USDA has moved quickly to respond to these difficult economic times by…increasing food aid to those in need,” and added “Over the next 100 days and beyond, we will continue our hard work to ensure that…USDA…provides a nutritious diet for all Americans and maintains a strong safety net for America’s farmers and ranchers.” USDA reported that it worked swiftly to implement provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, including an increase in SNAP/Food Stamp benefits. The increase will provide a family of four with an additional $80 each month in benefits; over the next two years, it is anticipated that this will create or save 100,000 jobs. USDA also updated and began distributing the new WIC food package, which will now include fruits and vegetables, whole grain products and reduced fat dairy options. In addition, a new mapping function at www.USDA.gov/recovery now shows where and how the agency is spending every recovery act dollar across the country.

3. Safety Net Services are “Hit-Or-Miss” Across the U.S.
(The New York Times, May 10, 2009)

Millions of people are requesting government aid during the recession, many of them for the first time, but they’re finding that the safety net is made up of a “jumble of disconnected programs” that allows some to receive assistance while denying it to others. SNAP/Food Stamps, Medicaid, cash and housing assistance make up a “hit-or-miss system of relief,” leaving the needy confused and at times cut off from services. The New York Times studied state-by-state enrollment in six federal programs and revealed discrepancies in how many needy they served. Workers that received $2,000 in severance pay can get SNAP/Food Stamps if they live in South Carolina, but not if they live in North Carolina. In Missouri, 98 percent of eligible residents receive SNAP/Food Stamps, while in California only 50 percent do; unemployment benefits go to only 19 percent of jobless in South Dakota, and 67 percent in Idaho. States with double-digit unemployment rates vary in how they provide assistance to the needy – Michigan reaches a comparatively high number, South Carolina’s in the middle, and Nevada is at the low end. SNAP/Food Stamps go to two-thirds of those eligible nationwide, but only 21 percent of poor children receive cash assistance, 30 percent of eligible households receive subsidized housing, and 44 percent of jobless get unemployment. The Urban Institute found that only five percent of a representative group of low-income families received food, health care and child care assistance, while a third received only one benefit, and a third received no assistance at all. Even when former barriers are removed, some still find it difficult to receive aid. A woman was denied SNAP/Food Stamps because she had more than $3,000 in an IRA, but was told by officials that she would have qualified if her money had been in a 401(k). Although Congress changed the law in October 2008, and both IRA and 401(k) funds are no longer a barrier, state and county officials still stood by their original ruling. With help from the Public Policy Center of Mississippi, she was able to get SNAP/Food Stamps.
Chart: Variations in Government Aid Across the Nation

4. Maryland’s SNAP/Food Stamp, Other Emergency Assistance Backlog Spurs Lawsuit
(Baltimore Sun, May 12, 2009)

As of March 2008, Maryland has a backlog of 4,100 SNAP/Food Stamp assistance requests and 7,100 medical assistance applications from children, forcing thousands to wait beyond the legal limit for these benefits. Emergency benefit applications must, by federal law, be approved within 30 days. A group of attorneys for the poor filed a lawsuit against the state, the wealthiest in the nation, over the delays. The application process for emergency benefits was overburdened before the recession, and now assistance offices are flooded with applications. At the same time, a state hiring freeze has made it impossible to hire additional staff to handle the workload. Active SNAP/Food Stamp caseloads, at 285,000 four years ago, spiked to 456,526 in April. To deal with the problem, Gov. Martin O’Malley removed the hiring freeze from the human resources department so that more processing agents can be brought on board. The department currently has 1,682 workers and 214 vacancies.

5. Staff Struggles with Rising Illinois SNAP/Food Stamp Caseload
(Medill Reports Chicago, May 6, 2009)

Since 2001, the number of Illinois caseworkers processing assistance applications has dropped by half, to a point where offices are struggling with the ongoing increase in SNAP/Food Stamp applications due to the recession and increased unemployment. The state’s SNAP/Food Stamp participation rate has grown steadily since 2002 and now more than 1.4 million residents receive the assistance each month. “It’s been an inverse relationship,” said Diane Doherty of the Illinois Hunger Coalition. “The number of caseworkers is considerably less than it was six years ago. Their offices are jammed. We need a budget that includes adequate staff.” Gov. Quinn’s FY 2010 proposed budget includes cuts to DHS. Anti-hunger advocates want legislators to revise DHS funding and staffing strategies so the department can cope with the additional applications; the state plans on closing 17 DHS branch office locations. “It’s an everyday occurrence that there are lines out of the building and down the street,” noted Anders Lindall of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31.

6. SNAP/Food Stamp Application Processing in Ohio Delayed Due to Staff Cuts
(Lima News, May 11, 2009)

SNAP/Food Stamp paperwork is “more than 30 days behind” for some applications due to staff cuts, said Allen County Job and Family Services Director Lynn Shock. “It’s causing a hardship for everyone,” she noted. The office lost eight caseworkers over the past year. First time SNAP/Food Stamp applicants and clients required to reapply for the benefit are experiencing the delays in processing time.

7. SNAP/Food Stamp Numbers Set Records Across the Country

Connecticut
(News Times, May 9, 2009)
Applications across Connecticut are up 30 to 35 percent, a trend that the state isn’t experiencing alone. “I went to a regional conference recently and they’re seeing the same thing throughout the Northeast and New England,” said Claudette Beaulieu, deputy commissioner of the state social services department. SNAP/Food Stamps and similar programs are often the most “sensitive barometers to economic conditions,” noted Beaulieu. The climb in numbers began in late 2007, said Patricia Coughlin, manager of Connecticut’s Department of Social Services’ western regional office. Changes have improved the benefit and made it easier to use – EBT cards now remove the stigma attached and help guard against fraud; federal stimulus funds raised benefit amounts beginning in April. There is a move in Connecticut to shift the income level higher, to 185 percent of the poverty level, which will make more people eligible. Beaulieu says the program is a life saver, allowing families to have good food during hard times; it also helps bring $9.20 in economic stimulus to area businesses for every $5 in benefits spent by recipients.

Florida
(South Florida Sun-Sentinel, May 3, 2009)
More than one in ten Florida residents received SNAP/Food Stamps in March, a state record, bringing $211 million in benefits to the state’s needy. Florida led the country in SNAP/Food Stamp growth between September 2007 and January 2009, with the number of households receiving the benefit up 46.9 percent. “I attribute it to the economy, and not totally unemployment, but also under-employment, people who got their hours cut,” said Jennifer Lange, director of ACCESS Florida, the office administering SNAP/Food Stamps in the state. Although economists say the recession began in December 2007, Lange says Florida’s began in April 2007. The SNAP/Food Stamp numbers show it: a 51 percent rise in Broward County’s clients from April 2007 to March 2009 (91,152 to 137,343) and a 63 percent increase in Palm Beach County (49,918 to 81,489).

North Carolina
(Times News, May 6, 2009)
Alamance County saw a 30 percent spike is SNAP/Food Stamp applications for the first three months of 2009 as compared to the same period of time in 2008, with 2,155 applications (502 more than the same period last year) being filed from January to March. March 2009 accounted for half the difference, as the Department of Social Services (DSS) took in 271 more applications than the previous March. “Those are staggering statistics,” noted Assistant DSS Director Linda Allison, who said the reason for the climb is that people have exhausted all the other choices in this poor economy, and “they have to come here.” DSS employees have noted that a number of first-time applicants are residents who have had their job hours cut or are newly unemployed. Although the department could soon reach the “breaking point” under the strain of the mounting applications, federal recovery money should help. To help administer the SNAP/Food Stamp program, the department is expecting $51,239 from the federal government, which will pay for overtime, hire retired DSS workers to process applications, and contract some work to outside vendors. The county expects to issue $26.94 million in federal SNAP/Food Stamp benefits in the 2009-10 budget year, $11.2 million more than estimated.

Oklahoma
(Tulsa World, May 12, 2009)
According to the state’s Department of Human Resources, 13,000 people were added to the SNAP/Food Stamp rolls in April for a total of 463,426, another record number for the state. Now, 12.8 percent of the population receives the benefit. The number has risen every month since March 2008; records began being set in February 2009.

Pennsylvania
(Pennlive.com, May 2, 2009)
Close to half of Pennsylvania’s 1.3 million SNAP/Food Stamp recipients are children under 17 (43 percent). The state’s numbers started to rise before spikes in home foreclosures, TANF requests, and other assistance, as residents meeting income requirements to receive SNAP/Food Stamps became “employed, underemployed, unemployed, unable to work and retired.” Midstate has seen a bigger spike than the state average as businesses have closed; Cumberland County’s SNAP/Food Stamp participation rose 27 percent from March 2008 to March 2009. The average increase for the state is 12 percent. Although the state has one of the more effective outreach programs, the Pennsylvania Hunger Action Center in Harrisburg says that more people need to sign up. Only six percent of senior citizens receive SNAP/Food Stamps, but many more might be eligible.

8. Eliminating Asset Test Would Help More New Mexico Households
(New Mexico Independent, May 4, 2009)

Although the federal government has given states the flexibility to set their own asset tests for SNAP/Food Stamps, New Mexico continues to keep its original criteria while neighboring states Arizona and Texas increased their asset test or removed it entirely. “But because New Mexico has not yet acted, a family in New Mexico with a laid off worker would have to deplete their savings before being able to access SNAP benefits while the same family in Arizona or Texas would not,” points out Patricia Anders, staff attorney with the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty and author of this op-ed. The state now has the largest proportion of households lacking sufficient assets to live at the poverty level for three months if faced with job loss or other loss of income. The ability to retain and build assets is crucial to economic self-sufficiency, noted Anders. She reported a USDA estimate that the number of eligible SNAP/Food Stamp households would increase 22 percent if asset tests were eliminated; if New Mexico were to remove the state’s asset test, up to $100 million in annual economic activity could be generated in the state.

9. Virginia’s Poor Missing Out on SNAP/Food Stamps
(Richmond Times-Dispatch, May 7, 2009)

A report released by the Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis found that while unemployment skyrocketed 122 percent from December 2007 to February 2009, the number of people receiving SNAP/Food Stamps rose only 18 percent and TANF figures rose 9.8 percent during the same time period. Those are "key signals that our safety net programs are not responding as they should," said Michael Cassidy, executive director of the Commonwealth Institute. The findings were released in time for the state’s Summit on Poverty and Economic Opportunity, which convened state officials in order to create and implement a sustainable initiative to fight Virginia’s poverty. The report suggests that the state can do more to help those living in poverty; one recommendation is for the state to eliminate asset tests and raise the income eligibility level for those seeking SNAP/Food Stamps.
Report: Poverty in Our Time - The Challenges and Opportunities of Fighting Poverty in Virginia (pdf)

10. New York Officials Urge Costco to Accept SNAP/Food Stamps
(New York Daily News, May 3, 2009; The New York Times, May 13, 2009)

“Costco is leaving a lot of people stranded,” said Eric Gioia, New York City councilman (D-Queens). The stores don’t accept SNAP/Food Stamps; Gioia, along with public advocate Betsy Gotbaum, is pressuring Costco to join its competitors (BJ’s, Sam’s Club) and accept EBT cards. Costco is opening a new East Harlem store, which was developed with $55 million in tax-free bonds and grants; Costco is eligible for millions in tax credits for creating new jobs. The chain also received special permission for its tractor-trailers to drive on residential streets in East Harlem between midnight and 5 a.m. to make deliveries. However, an estimated 30,000 people will be cut off from shopping at the East Harlem store since it doesn’t accept SNAP/Food Stamps. Gioia’s contact with Costco has yielded various reasons why they don’t accept the benefit: modifying their equipment is too expensive (Gioia points out that the state provides the equipment for free) and raising the concern that SNAP/Food Stamp recipients can’t afford the $50 membership fee. Gioia noted that Costco shouldn’t turn away this business, since the city pension funds hold $65 million of the company’s stock. “This could change a lot of people’s lives, if they were able to buy in bulk on food stamps,” said Viveca Diaz, an East Harlem resident.

11. Oregon Farmers Cooperative Begins Accepting EBT Cards
(Southern Oregon Mail Tribune, May 8, 2009)

Siskiyou Sustainable Cooperative will start accepting SNAP/Food Stamps for their organic fruits and vegetables, eggs, meat, and dairy products in July. The cooperative is a group of farmers that deliver their produce and products to consumers via subscription once a week. Subscribers purchase, in advance, part of the season’s harvest, paying between $550 and $700 for a weekly basket of food; payments are made throughout the season. In order to accept the Oregon Trail Cards (the state’s name for their EBT cards) the cooperative processed “a lot of fairly rigorous paperwork,” noted Maud Powell, the cooperative’s coordinator. But, as the first cooperative in the state to accept SNAP/Food Stamps, Powell says that the organization is glad to be “bringing low-income consumers into the loop” and changing the image of organic food as not just for wealthy people only.

12. Legislation Would Expand the Afterschool Supper Program to All States, Make it Easier for Schools to Participate
(www.stabenow.senate.gov, May 7, 2009)

U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Richard Lugar (R-IN) introduced the Stabenow-Lugar AFTERschool Meal Act, which will provide funding to expand the Afterschool Meal Program to all states. The bill would make it easier for schools to provide suppers by allowing schools to provide an afterschool meal to children through the National School Lunch Program. [Editor’s note: It also provides funding for outreach grants to states to increase participation in the Afterschool Meal Program.] Currently, only ten states are included (DE, IL, MD, MI, MO, NY, OR, PA, VT, WV) in this program, which allows them to serve suppers to more children (18 and under) with less paperwork and red tape. Current law provides afterschool meals to children 12 and under; these meals can be reimbursed through the Child and Adult Care Food Program. More and more parents are working nontraditional and longer hours, and more children are requiring afterschool care. “Hunger does not end when the school bell rings for the day, especially during these tough economic times. That’s why we must ensure that our most vulnerable children, whether in elementary school, middle school, or high school, receive a healthy meal,” said Stabenow. “Nationwide expansion of the AFTERschool Meal Act will boost the nutritional safety net for children enrolled in after school settings,” said Sen. Lugar. “I have witnessed the success of streamlining administrative barriers in the Summer Food Service Program. As states, and eventually the country, adopted the simpler, easier guidelines, sponsorship increased and more children received nutritious meals year-round.” U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is also a co-sponsor of the legislation.

13. Child Hunger Continues in Florida as Summer Looms
(Fort Myers News-Press, May 9, 2009)

Child hunger continues in Florida and is now a “quiet epidemic,” said Joe Donzelli of the Lee County School District. “Families are in a position they’ve never been in and they don’t know where to turn. Some are embarrassed to ask for help,” he added. More than half – 62 percent (50,000) – of Lee County public school students receive free and reduced-price lunch, up 12 percent from last year. The approach of summer has many scared. “Last summer we ran out of food,” said The Salvation Army’s Megan Lucas Spears. “Our shelves were empty.” Wayne Nagy, district food director for Lee County School District, knows firsthand of the problem. “I eat with the children…every day,” he said. “They’re very open and they tell me they are really hungry. They have had little to eat all weekend. [There’s] no food or very little food in the house.” Sunshine Elementary school had a sick child come to school just to eat breakfast; Spring Creek Elementary had students walk an hour to school during spring break so they could eat lunch. The district plans to have mobile units at schools for children and parents this summer, and will provide free summer meals for more than 83 summer programs at sites like the Boys and Girls Clubs.

14. New York County Implements Direct Certification for School Meals
(Newsday, May 7, 2009)

Suffolk County students from families receiving SNAP/Food Stamps will now be directly qualified to receive free school meals through a process known as direct certification. By implementing direct certification, districts are linked with state data to see which students come from families receiving SNAP/Food Stamps. These students will then automatically receive free meals, allowing parents to bypass the application. A pilot program in the Sachem school district found 27 students who received SNAP/Food Stamps but did not receive free school meals; district superintendent Charles Murphy noted “It would be worth the effort even if we found only one child who needed it.” Suffolk is the first county in New York to implement it county-wide; upstate, Rochester and Buffalo cities use this process in their schools. SNAP/Food Stamp families were, in the past, provided with a letter they could submit instead of an application for school meals, but language barriers, confusion and lost paperwork meant that not all SNAP/Food Stamp students were signed up for free and reduced-price meals.

15. School Breakfast Program a Success in Pittsburgh
(Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, May 11, 2009)

Ingram Elementary School credits the breakfast program that began on April 1 with a decrease both in tardiness and school nurse visits and an increase in academic performance. “The kids are generally in better moods and more cooperative,” said Ingram Elementary’s Principal Jennifer Kosanovic. “It’s a very easy intervention to make a difference in our school.” Of Ingram’s 40 children receiving the meal, 52 percent get free and reduced-price breakfast. Principal Kosanovic spent much of last year getting approval to serve breakfast and developing a menu that fit within the School Breakfast Program guidelines. Leah Harris of the Pennsylvania Department of Education said that Ingram’s positive breakfast program results are not unexpected.

16. School Closings Could Keep Children from Healthy Meals
(The Washington Post, May 1, 2009)

During the swine flu outbreak, 300 schools cancelled classes to contain the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have noted that there is “no single best way” for communities to prevent the disease from spreading. Thomas Inglesby, deputy director of the Center for Biosecurity at the University Pittsburgh Medical Center sees week-long closings at schools with confirmed outbreaks as reasonable, but wide-scale closures for longer periods may not be effective. He noted that large-scale closings have negative effects, as many children rely on school meals to provide them with their only good meals of the day.

17. USDA Grants Focus on Improving School Meal Operations
(USDA, May 8, 2009)

USDA awarded more than $300,000 in “Administrative Review and Training Grants” to eight states to help improve the administration of school meal programs. The eight states (CA, ID, IA, MD, MI, OR, WA, WI) will use the funding to “examine application, certification, verification, meal counting and meal claiming procedures.” USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack noted the grant awards “will help states enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of these critical [school meal] programs so that benefits are provided to needy children in the best way possible.”

18. Utah Plans Early Adoption of New WIC Food Package
(Standard-Examiner, May 4, 2009)

Although nationwide implementation of the new WIC food package is mandated for October 1, 2009, Utah plans to roll out the new package on July 1. “Based on Institutes of Medicine guidance and 2005 dietary guidelines, the food packages have been modified and updated,” noted Chris Furner, WIC manager for the Utah Department of Health. The new food package is lower in fat and cholesterol and focuses on foods with more vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.

19. Agriculture Secretary Notes SNAP/Food Stamp Boost will Bring Millions to Colorado
(USDA, May 11, 2009)

At a recent rural community forum in Northern Colorado, Secretary Vilsack noted that the SNAP/Food Stamp economic recovery boost will bring $177 million in additional benefits to the state, just one of a number of efforts to make a “positive change in the lives of Coloradoans.” Most four person households on SNAP/Food Stamps started receiving an extra $80 a month in April. In addition, eligibility limits for jobless adults were suspended in most areas. Colorado will receive an additional $1.2 million to administer the program. The Rural Development Agency has also allocated $8.2 million in direct loans, and guaranteed $81.4 million in loans to the state. Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, Senator Michael Bennet, Senator Mark Udall, and Representative Betsy Markey also participated in the forum.

20. Recession Means Jobs Hard for Find for Virginia’s Welfare-to-Work Participants
(Richmond Times-Dispatch, May 6, 2009)

Participants in the Virginia Initiative for Employment Not Welfare (VIEW) program are required to have jobs, but are finding jobs are hard to come by during this recession. Sholana Woolridge, 29, could only find volunteer work at a social services office for six months. She finally landed a job in the cafeteria of her daughter’s school. Woolridge’s story is a common one challenging welfare-to-work programs. “We’re seeing an increase in the caseload at the same time we’re seeing a decrease in work opportunities,” said Tom Steinhauser, director of benefits programs at the Virginia Department of Social Services. Some VIEW participants have to work two or three part-time jobs in order to maintain the required 30 to 35 hours of employment per week (education and training can be counted in those hours). Having multiple jobs often entails higher transportation costs for the employees. While 71 percent of the more than 2,000 Richmond area VIEW participants are in jobs, only 42 percent are in paid employment. Applications for assistance in the Richmond area has increased; in Henrico County, the SNAP/Food Stamp program saw a 92 percent increase in new applications between March 2008 and 2009, a 50 percent increase in TANF applications, and a 45 percent increase in Medicaid applications.

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