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. President’s FY 2010 Budget Invests in Food Security Programs, Anticipates Growth in Federal Nutrition Programs
(FRAC, May 2009)
President Obama’s FY2010 budget proposal includes important new investments in food security and makes room for substantial caseload growth in SNAP/Food Stamps, school meal programs, and WIC. The budget provides $10 billion over the next ten years for Child Nutrition Reauthorization and acknowledges that reauthorization will play an important role in meeting the President’s goal of ending childhood hunger by 2015.
It also continues the investments made in the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act to temporarily boost SNAP/Food Stamp benefits, provide administrative support to states in SNAP, and make improvements to the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit.
For a complete summary of federal nutrition programs in the President’s proposed budget, visit the budget analysis page on FRAC’s Web site.
2. Poll Finds Parents Struggling to Provide Families with Food during Recession
(CBS News, May 18, 2009)
A CBS News poll found that 52 percent of surveyed parents say that paying for food has been “hard” during the past six months of the recession. One in five parents are seeking food and financial assistance from friends, families and neighbors or taking advantage of school meal programs. Thirteen percent of parents surveyed said they started using SNAP/Food Stamps or emergency food providers (food banks and pantries) because of the recession. Almost half of parents said they have trouble paying utility bills, and a third is experiencing problems paying for health care, mortgage or rent. Six in ten parents are concerned about paying these bills and for these services in the next year. The recession has caused one in three parents to cut back on their children’s extracurricular activities, afterschool tutoring or test preparation programs. The recession has also had “some” or “a lot” of impact on their children’s futures, said some parents. The poll surveyed 1,874 parents nationwide, and has an error rate of one or two percentage points.
3. Interactive U.S. Map Provides Snapshot of Current Recession
(AP/Yahoo!, May 2009)
Associated Press Interactive has published online the AP Economic Stress Index. This interactive map of the U.S. gives a visual account of which counties are hardest hit by the recession, and where conditions are deteriorating or improving. When users roll their mouse over the map, county data on unemployment, foreclosure and bankruptcy percentages for the current month appear. It also displays monthly and annual point changes. Each county is given an “economic stress index,” a score between 0 and 100 (with 100 being the worse-case scenario) that goes up when the economic stress in the county gets worse and down when it gets better. Areas of the country experiencing the worst economic stress show up as dark brown.
4. Food Insecurity Can Hit SNAP/Food Stamp Recipients After They Leave Program
(Amber Waves/USDA, June 2009)
In analysis by Mark Nord, USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service reports that in 2005-2007, 35 percent of low-income households that left SNAP/Food Stamps experienced food insecurity during the 30-day period from mid-November to mid-December. During the same time, 29 percent of low-income households receiving SNAP/Food Stamps experienced food insecurity and only 14 percent of low-income households that did not receive SNAP/Food Stamps during the year experienced food insecurity. Former SNAP/Food Stamp recipients who left the program experienced very low food security at a higher rate (16 percent) than those households still receiving the benefit (12 percent). Households may experience food insecurity after leaving the program because:
- they become ineligible for the benefit because they fail to meet certain program requirements, even though they are still low-income;
- their incomes increase, moving them out of eligibility, but they still don’t make enough money to cover their bills and pay for food.
Half of all SNAP/Food Stamp recipients leave the program within eight months of their entry into the program; some of these households leave because their economic situation improves and they are able to meet their food needs without the program. USDA notes that “further research is needed to understand the diverse financial circumstances of households that have recently left SNAP and whether program enhancements could help them during the transition.”
5. Study Finds More Working Poor and Middle Class Seeking Food Assistance
(PR Newswire, May 18, 2009)
Findings from a Catholic Charities USA survey reveal that, in the first quarter of 2009, more middle class people sought food assistance for the first time because of the financial crisis. According to Catholic Charities Central Texas, more middle class and working poor individuals received food from their food pantries – 5,047 new people out of 6,644 individuals. “This is the same experience with screening and enrolling families into Food Stamps, CHIP, Medicaid, etc.,” noted the organization. Catholic Charities also found the recession also has caused increases in domestic violence, sexual assault, and more interactions with child protective custody. The survey compiled data and recent trends reported by 40 Catholic Charities direct service agencies. The increases are occurring at the same time government and funding and philanthropic donations are decreasing. Father Larry Snyder, Catholic Charities USA’s president, noted “Our agencies provide safety nets while we continue to urge the Administration and Congress to take steps toward long term recovery for each member of our community.”
6. States, Counties and Cities Continue to Experience Increases in SNAP/Food Stamp Participation
California
(The Union, May 14, 2009)
Nevada County’s SNAP/Food Stamp caseload jumped 44 percent in February 2009 (compared to February 2007), with the number of people applying for the benefit increasing 81 percent over the same time period. The recession is forcing more people, with solid work histories, to apply for the first time, after they lose their jobs and their unemployment benefits run out. The county’s social services director Alison Lehman notes that foreclosures and layoffs are “changing the profile” of those asking for assistance. Now people with “higher educations,” and two-parent families struggling to pay the mortgage and other bills, are looking for help. Owning property often puts people above the eligibility limit for assistance. They must then exhaust their financial cushions and then reapply, Lehman says. Currently, one in ten people in the county – or 10,000 residents – receives some kind of assistance.
New York
(Queens Gazette, May 13, 2009)
Applications for SNAP/Food Stamps have risen 30 percent in New York City, spurred by the recession and outreach at 30 Human Resources/Department of Social Services (HRA/DSS) satellite offices. In contrast, the city’s welfare – temporary cash assistance – numbers are at a historic low. “There are 344,834 citywide as of April,” said HRA/DSS Commissioner Robert Doar, and noted that “Welfare numbers are flat.” Mayor Bloomberg has proposed cutting city spending by $3.4 billion in his budget due July 1, and HRA/DSS will lose 843 staff when its budget is cut $600,000. “We’re not laying off yet,” said Doar. “And we hope we will not have to do so in the coming months.” However, the Administration of Child Services will eliminate funding for 3,300 private day care slots; one Borough official termed this “the meanest cut of all,” and added “Mothers won’t be able to work.”
Oklahoma
(NewsOK.com, May 19, 2009)
Oklahoma’s SNAP/Food Stamp participation hit a record high in April as more than 463,000 people received the benefit; also in April, more than 1,500 applied for SNAP/Food Stamps, an increase from the 1,100 in April 2008. Department of Human Services Director Nancy Thompson said the application numbers have been rising steadily for two years. Agency spokesman George Johnson noted that SNAP/Food Stamp participation is a good indicator of the economy. State officials are ready to handle even more applications, which they expect over the coming months as people continue to lose jobs and struggle financially. The SNAP/Food Stamp boost in April – when benefits rose 13.6 percent as part of the economic recovery act – will help feed many children “over the next 12 to 18 months,” Johnson said.
Wisconsin
(WQOW, May 4, 2009)
While the state has seen a 37 percent increase in the number of SNAP/Food Stamp recipients over the past two years, western Wisconsin counties Barron, Clark, Dunn, Polk and St. Croix saw their SNAP/Food Stamp numbers increase by 55 percent. Even higher, at 57 percent, is the increase for Buffalo, Jackson and Trempealeau Counties. Milwaukee has the highest poverty rate – 17 percent, followed by northern Wisconsin counties Burnett, Rusk and Sawyer with more than 14 percent of residents experiencing poverty.
7. Delays Force Many to Wait for SNAP/Food Stamp Benefits
Colorado
(Denver Post, May 14, 2009; Denver Post, May 7, 2009)
Advocates and more than 50 organizations secured a grant to implement a pilot program that would speed up the application system for SNAP/Food Stamp and Medicaid application system, but Colorado officials put the counties on hold, saying that an alternate system would provide “a more deliberate approach.” A four-year, $48.6 million contract with Deloitte Consulting will roll out in 12 to 18 months and be aimed at solving problems within the Colorado Benefits Management System (CBMS). Six months ago, the numbers of assistance applications skyrocketed, swamping the system and delaying benefits over the federally-mandated 30-day limit. In January 2009, the state received 20,000 more SNAP/Food Stamp applications than in January 2008. For the pilot program, local directors turned to a program, offered by two software companies, that could be implemented immediately, and garnered private foundation support to pay for it. The system would entail an easy-to-use Web-based application form, allowing people to apply at senior centers, libraries, workforce centers, or at home. The state doesn’t want multiple systems created, and is concerned the newer system would not work with CBMS. Advocates for the poor are dissatisfied with the state’s response, especially in light of the recession. The state maintains that their process may be “lethargic,” but it’s allowing them to be “thoughtful.”
New York
(Newsday, May 12, 2009)
Suffolk County has maintained that the chronic delays they’ve experienced in getting SNAP/Food Stamp and Medicaid benefits to needy residents are due to staff shortages and steep increases in the number of applications. An upcoming court order has the county pledging to get these benefits out faster. Suffolk has been one of the slowest counties in the state to approve assistance, which prompted the Empire Justice Center and the National Center for Law and Economic Justice to file a class action suit last year. Aid has taken twice as long as legally allowed to get to people, and the lawsuit states that about 17 percent of SNAP/Food Stamp applications were processed late. Similar settlements over the past two years have occurred in New York City, Erie County, N.Y., Arizona and Colorado.
South Carolina
(Greenville Online, May 14, 2009)
Record unemployment and the recession have “dramatically increased” demand for SNAP/Food Stamps in the state, but this editorial states that the delays in getting benefits to recipients are “unacceptable.” The number of households in the state receiving SNAP/Food Stamps jumped 16.2 percent in the past year, with Greenville County seeing a 26 percent increase over the past two years; the state’s unemployment rate is the nation’s third highest at 11.4 percent. “Because food stamps are a shared federal and state responsibility,” notes the editorial, “the onus is on both state officials and the state’s congressional delegation to ensure timely delivery of needed services in the challenging economic climate.” SNAP/Food Stamps are the equivalent of fire and ambulance service, the editorial concludes. “[A] slow response time can spell trouble, if not tragedy. In this still-richest nation on Earth, there’s no reason for a South Carolinian to go hungry due to official neglect.”
8. Ohio Food Bank Adds SNAP/Food Stamp Staff
(Middletown Journal, May 11, 2009)
Shared Harvest Foodbank will hire another SNAP/Food Stamp outreach worker to register Butler and Warren County families visiting the emergency food organization for the federal food assistance benefit. “Our current outreach worker, Gloria Bateman, was able to register 279 families in 2008, and that generated more than $645,000 in benefits,” said the food bank’s executive director Tina Osso. “With a second outreach worker, we hope to enroll 600 families this year and generate $1.2 million in SNAP…benefits.” It costs $50,000 to hire an outreach worker; the food bank received the funding for the hire from a grant awarded by Weathering the Economic Storm Foundation, a partnership of 16 funders that is managed by the Greater Cincinnati Foundation. Most of the people that visit the food bank have incomes that make them eligible for SNAP/Food Stamps, noted Osso.
9. North Carolina County Wants to Expand SNAP/Food Stamp Staff
(BlueRidgeNow.com, May 19, 2009)
The Henderson County (N.C.) Board of Commissioners plans on cutting expenses eight percent in its “no-new-taxes” budget, as the state faces a $4 billion deficit in the coming year. With SNAP/Food Stamp participation high in the county, Social Services Director Liston Smith will request that the county cancel the hiring freeze in his department. The county distributed $537,879 worth of SNAP/Food Stamp benefits in December 2007; that amount grew to $1.03 million in April 2009, as the unemployment rate increased and more people requested assistance. Smith has seven unfilled positions in his department, and wants to move positions (computer staff, a volunteer director, and human services planner) into the food and nutrition program. County Manager Steve Wyatt said department heads “are free to lobby for more money. I would not discourage it.”
10. ARRA Providing SNAP/Food Stamp, Social Security Payments to Seniors
(Somerville News, May 17, 2009)
It’s estimated that, in Massachusetts, 575,000 individuals on SNAP/Food Stamps will receive an extra $317 million through the boost in SNAP/Food Stamp benefits included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). In early May, ARRA will also provide one-time payments of $250 to adults receiving Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments. More than 50 million Americans should expect to receive checks; the total amount distributed will be more than $13 billion. Veterans Affairs (VA) and Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) beneficiaries will also receive $250 checks, although individuals receiving VA or RRB, and Social Security or SSI, will only receive one $250 check. The government wants beneficiaries to know that Social Security offices will not call to ask for special information; senior citizens and other recipients should be wary of anyone claiming, through phone calls, letters, emails, etc., that they are from the Social Security office and are asking about the payment.
11. More Children Can Benefit from School Breakfast Program
(Poverty & Policy, May 14, 2009)
“Far too many children don’t get a nutritious breakfast at home,” states this blog posting, which reports on FRAC’s school breakfast statistics and recommendations for expanding the reach of school breakfast. According to FRAC’s School Breakfast Scorecard, only 45.9 percent of low-income children who received free and reduced-price school lunch in the 2007-08 school year also received free and reduced-price breakfast.
FRAC recommends expanding access to school breakfast by:
- funding for more universal breakfast programs, which serve free breakfast to all children, often in the classroom as part of the school day. This ensures that all children get a healthy breakfast each school day by eliminating barriers of commuting time and bus schedules.
- additional outreach funding, which brings more children into the program and allows schools to save money through bulk food purchases, reducing the cost per meal.
The posting concludes by pointing out that any extra cost in expanding the program pales when compared to the greater cost of “denying children the nutrition they need for health and learning.”
12. Vilsack Urged to Reinstate Philadelphia Meal Program
(AllAmericanPatriots.com, May 19, 2009)
In a recent meeting with USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, Philadelphia area Congressional representatives asked to have the Philadelphia Universal Feeding pilot program reinstated. Cut by the Bush Administration, the program eliminated paperwork by not requiring parents to fill out applications. Instead, it used a “comprehensive socio-economic study” to count and claim meals under the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program. The program provided meals for 120,000 children in the city. U.S. Senators Bob Casey and Arlen Specter, and U.S. Representatives Chaka Fattah, Allyson Schwartz, Robert Brady and Joe Sestak said the meeting was positive. Senator Casey said he will work closely with Vilsack and his staff to ensure that the goal of “[providing] school children with nutritious meals” is met. Congressman Sestak noted that almost 78,000 Philadelphia children live in food insecure households, according to Dr. Mariana Chilton of Drexel University’s School of Public Health; Sestak said he will introduce legislation “to build on the success of this pilot and allow any school in the country with a high level of student eligibility to offer free lunch to everyone,” and would like to see the Philadelphia program become a model for school systems nationwide.
13. Pennsylvania Students Ask for In-Classroom Breakfast
(Allentown Morning Call, May 17, 2009)
Pennsylvania’s Department of Education now allows in-classroom breakfast to count as instructional time, provided students eat the meal in homeroom or first period. In Northern Lehigh Middle School, a group of students in the gifted program recently pitched the idea of in-classroom breakfast to the school board. The students surveyed 300 of their classmates and found “overwhelming support” for the idea; they also learned that half the students they spoke with don’t eat breakfast now. The group of students pitched the “grab and go” breakfast, which provides a bagged breakfast that students can eat in homeroom classes during morning announcements. FRAC ranked Pennsylvania 41st in the country in “getting students who received subsidized lunches to participate in the breakfast programs” for the 2007-2008 school year. It’s estimated that 668,000 Pennsylvania students – one-third of the state’s school-age population – qualify for free and reduced-price breakfast, but only 30 percent participate. The Department of Education reports that more children are participating in school breakfast this year. “[T]here’s been an increase in districts [offering breakfast] this year, but also especially because of the economy,” said Leah Harris, a spokeswomen for the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
14. Recession Brings More Consumers to Nontraditional Grocery Stores
(AmberWaves/USDA, June 2009)
Consumers turned to “price-oriented, limited-assortment supermarkets” in order to reduce their grocery spending when food prices rose in 2007 and 2008; those supermarkets saw food and nonfood sales gains of 16.2 percent in 2007 (up from their gain of 8.3 percent in 2006) according to Willard Bishop Consulting. Warehouse supermarkets increased sales 14.1 percent in 2007; the year before, these stores saw a 2.2 percent decline in sales. Sales by all supermarkets in 2007 increased only 3.0 percent. Consumers also turned increasingly to “no-frills, deep-discount retailers” to stretch their dollars during the economic downturn, although food sales by these stores are a small percentage of U.S. retail food sales. Over the long term period 2001-2008, retail food sales by supermarkets decreased from 62.8 percent to 57.8 percent; “nontraditional grocery stores like warehouse club stores and supercenters” increased their share of the market from 11.7 to 18.1 percent. Although food prices are expected to moderate in 2009 (down from their 6.4 percent increase in 2008), consumers are expected to continue their shift to nontraditional grocers during the recession.
15. Consumers Purchase Groceries Based on Price During Recession
(Progressive Grocer, May 13, 2009)
An April 2009 telephone survey of 1,002 people by the Midwest Dairy Council revealed that more than half of the consumers say price is the most important factor they consider when shopping during this recession. The consumers place nutrition lower on the scale of factors they consider, and admitted, by a margin of two to one, that shopping for discounted foods has increased in importance since the start of the economic downturn. These “new motivators…may point to a nutrition recession” notes the survey results.
16. Recession Sees Nonmetro Unemployment Rate Skyrocket
(Amber Waves/USDA, June 2009)
The nonmetro unemployment rate increased from 5.5 percent in the first quarter of 2008 to 8.5 percent a year later, the largest increase since the Economic Research Service (ERS) began its data series in 1973. ERS’ “adjusted unemployment rate” combines underemployed and “marginal” and “discouraged” workers along with those traditionally unemployed. Between the first quarters of 2008 and 2009, the nonmetro adjusted unemployment rate jumped from 10.3 percent to 15.8 percent, the highest since 1983’s first quarter figure of 17.4 percent. Nonmetro unemployment will continue to rise, even if the economy recovers quickly, as businesses are not likely to begin hiring again “until there is a clear indication that the economy is improving.”
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