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. Recession Drives Increase in Reduced-Price Lunches in Arizona
(Arizona Republic, June 11, 2009)

From February 2007 to February 2008, the percentage of Arizona children receiving free and reduced-price school lunch increased 11.3 percent; the state was one of five states with a double-digit increase. Experts point to the economic downturn as the factor driving the increase. According to Erik Peterson, director of public awareness for the School Nutrition Association, while areas in some states have experienced double-digit spikes in the past, it's unusual for that kind of increase across a whole state. Still, many parents find it difficult to sign their children up for free or reduced-price school meals. "There are a lot of people who were…well-off, and for them to physically bring a free and reduced (lunch) application into the front office, where employees know the parents, I think it was embarrassing for them," said Geoff Habgood, in charge of the cafeterias for Deer Valley Unified School District. That district ran a campaign encouraging parents to mail or bring their applications to the district office. USDA is creating an online application, but it would still require a parent's signature. More people would apply, noted Habgood, "if they had the opportunity to bypass human beings."

2. Ohio Sees Spike in Free and Reduced-Price School Lunch Participation
(Dayton Daily News, June 21, 2009)

More than half a million free school lunch applications (516,355) were filed in Ohio in February 2009, a 7.93 percent jump from February 2008, according to USDA. Reduced-price lunch applications rose by four percent. Nationwide, 20 million applications for free and reduced-price lunch were filed in the 2008-09 school year, with most states experiencing increases. Paula Montgomery, nutrition director for Ohio's Fairborn City Schools, has experienced the need firsthand. "We've had mothers calling, crying, they had no idea (about a free and discount lunch program) and they've been laid off," she said. In Dayton, all students (K-8) receive free meals, since the district operates under Provision 2 because three-quarters of the students would qualify for free and reduced-price lunch anyway. This also removes some of the "bureaucratic hassles and paperwork" for the district - including the need to collect applications, which also reduces any stigma students might feel.

3. Hunger Comments Make Missouri Rep. Cynthia Davis Keith Olbermann's "Worst Person in the World"
(MSNBC, June 22, 2009)

Missouri State Rep. Cynthia Davis (R) landed the title "Worst Person in the World" on June 22, when MSNBC's Keith Olbermann cited her views on the Summer Nutrition Programs and child hunger. "In short, Representative Davis does not get it," said Olbermann. "She writes 'Who's buying the dinner? Who is getting paid to serve the people? Churches and other non-profits can do this at no cost to the taxpayer if warranted…bigger governmental programs take away our connectedness to the human family, our brotherhood and our need for one another... Anyone under 18 can be eligible? Can't they get a job during the summer by the time they are 16? Hunger can be a positive motivator."

In response to Rep. Davis, Olbermann pointed out that "[o]ne if five kids in Missouri is already motivated by hunger, Ms. Davis…[L]ast year, because the meals are offered at churches, the 9.5 million dollars of federal money spent produced 3,700,000…meals at a cost of about 2 and a half bucks each."
Transcripts: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3719710
Video: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/vp/31496805#31496805
Additional coverage: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 16, 2009

4. States See Higher Numbers of SNAP/Food Stamp Recipients

Colorado
(KJCT8.com, June 16, 2009)
Mesa County's Department of Human Services (DHS) received 402 SNAP/Food Stamp and other assistance applications in April 2008, and 780 in April 2009. The increase has slowed application processing time, from the 30-day federally-mandated time period to 60 to 90 days to process applications. One problem cited by DHS - people need the assistance immediately, but the process is not set up to deliver benefits that quickly.

Oregon
(Salem-News.com, June 16, 2009)
Nearly one in six (601,706) Oregonians received SNAP/Food Stamps in May 2009, a 27 percent increase from May 2008, as unemployment hit "historic levels" according to the state Department of Human Services (DHS). The number of TANF recipients increased 30 percent over the same time period. In Clackamas County, which experienced a 36 percent increase in SNAP/Food Stamp numbers, eligible applicants can apply and receive benefits in the same day. "Our innovative food stamp intake process means that people are getting same-day service so they can put food on the table tonight," said Belit Stockfleth, SNAP/Food Stamps program manager.

Tennessee
(WZTV, June 16, 2009)
More than 1 million Tennessee residents - one in six - are receiving SNAP/Food Stamps, with Shelby, Davidson and Knox counties seeing the highest participation. "Half a million households are on the program…1,090,498 individuals," said Michelle Mowery Johnson of the State Department of Human Services. "That's a lot of people who need help." Lauren Lee, a student at Fisk University, enrolled recently because she does not make enough in her full-time job to pay for all her education. "I just now applied and I'm a college student and with a job and the recession and everything," she said. "I just couldn't afford it…Hopefully it will help me with my finances and what not."

5. Florida County Gets Full-Time SNAP/Food Stamp Employee
(Oyster Radio News, June 17, 2009)

A full-time eligibility worker, who will help residents apply for SNAP/Food Stamps and other forms of state assistance, was recently placed in Florida's Franklin County by the state Department of Children and Families. This is the first worker since 1998 that directly serves the county. Before this new placement, applicants had to either apply online or travel to Tallahassee or Panama City to apply for SNAP/Food Stamps, Medicaid and other benefits. Nearly half of the county's residents are eligible for some form of assistance but have not applied.

6. California Couple Films Their SNAP/Food Stamp Challenge Experience
(San Jose Mercury News, June 18, 2009)

Berkeley area filmmaker Yoav Potash and his wife Shira not only participated in a SNAP/Food Stamp Challenge, they completed a documentary on their experience. Shira Potash, a nutrition educator, organized the couple's shopping to not only make the most out of their $1 per meal per day (until recently the average amount a SNAP/Food Stamp participant receives), she attempted to create healthy meals for the couple during the Challenge. "[P]roduce tends to be more expensive than processed food," noted Yoav. After the week-long Challenge, during which they managed to eat three healthy meals per day, the Potashes showed their menus to a registered dietician, who commented that they did not get enough calories in their meals. "It really is a challenge to try to subsist in a healthy way on food stamps," said Yoav. The documentary interviewed Bay area residents on SNAP/Food Stamps, included SNAP/Food Stamp enrollment clinics, and included comments from state assembly members and other officials.

7. Kansas Farmers' Markets Accept SNAP/Food Stamps
(High Plains/Midwest Ag Journal, June 22, 2009; The Atlantic-Food, June 16, 2009)

Eleven farmers' markets in Kansas (up from two in 2008) now accept SNAP/Food Stamps after installing "wireless-point-of-sale" (POS) devices to handle recipients EBT cards. In Kansas, the cards are called Vision Cards, and the SNAP/Food Stamp program is known as the Food Assistance Program. Kansas's Food Assistance Program serves 187,000 people and brings the state $205 million in benefits, although only 65 percent of eligible Kansans participate in the program. Across the country, 753 farmers' markets were authorized to accept SNAP/Food Stamps in 2008, up 34 percent from 2007, according to USDA. Although farmers' markets still don't see many purchases from SNAP/Food Stamp participants, the program brought $2.7 million to farmers in 2008, up from $1 million in 2007. The Economic Recovery Act boosted SNAP/Food Stamp payments 13.6 percent, about $80 per family, per month; it's estimated that for every $5 of SNAP/Food Stamp money spent, $9.20 in local economic development is created. Kansas residents who would like to apply for SNAP/Food Stamps should call 888-369-4747 to request an application.

Other states increasing SNAP/Food Stamp recipient access to farmers' markets, according to USDA, include:

Arizona: 12 famers' markets (out of 53) authorized to accept SNAP/Food Stamps.
California: 39 markets accept EBT cards, 29 accept scrip, 13 use wireless POS and scrip.
Montana: 5 markets participate in the third and final year of a pilot project to accept Montana Access SNAP cards.
New Jersey: Pilot program began in 2008 which provides up to 25 wireless POS machines to farmer's markets.
Oregon: 21 markets utilize wireless POS.
Pennsylvania: The 30 markets operated by The Food Trust in the Philadelphia area accept EBT cards.
Washington: 3 markets use wireless POS technology.

8. Simplifying SNAP/Food Stamp Administration Would Save California Millions
(The Reporter, June 21, 2009)

While California struggles with a budget shortfall of $20 billion, Larry Sly, executive director of the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano notes that $8 million could be cut from the budget if SNAP/Food Stamp applications were simplified. "One step that would help the low-income people we serve," writes Sly in this op-ed, "would be eliminating the Statewide Fingerprint Imaging System (SFIS) and moving to a 6-month paperwork reporting system for food stamps and CALWORKS." While SFIS is in place to prevent fraud, an audit of the California system found "that the Department of Social Services has never demonstrated results produced by this costly and redundant finger imaging system," which the state pays $8 million to operate; state savings from eliminating the process would be even higher. "California is one of two states that have not yet taken advantage of the budgetary and administrative benefits of simplified reporting for food stamps," Sly concludes. "By simplifying its reporting requirements, California could help avoid other cuts to human services."

9. Emergency Benefit Centers Set Up in Maryland Suburbs
(Washington Post, June 17, 2009)

"Community Connectors" are staffing two new neighborhood service centers in the Maryland suburbs of Wheaton and Gaithersburg. They have been trained by the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services to help residents fill out and gather documents for SNAP/Food Stamp, medical and utility assistance applications. Residents can also apply for temporary cash assistance, eviction prevention, rental assistance and home energy programs at the centers.

10. Summer Nutrition Programs Bring Meals to Children Across the Country

Arizona
(Arizona Republic, June 14, 2009)
Children 18 and under can receive meals at approved sites this summer, according to Lori Bassett, summer food coordinator for the Arizona Department of Education, who notes that there's no application process for children to receive the meals. Funded through USDA, the meals are served at sites that qualify by being in areas with "significant concentrations of low-income children." Anyone interested in more information can locate sites at www.ade.az.gov/health-safety/cnp/sfp, or can call 602-263-8856 (inside Maricopa County) or 1-800-352-3792 (outside Maricopa County).

Georgia
(Atlanta Journal-Constitution, June 17, 2009)
Thousands of Georgia schools - public, private, and military-based - will serve breakfast, lunches and healthy snacks to children this summer in cooperation with their community partners, through the USDA-funded Seamless Summer Option feeding program. "The intention is to provide meals for low-income children where poor economic conditions exist," said Judieth Hunt, a grant program consultant with the state Department of Education. "Any of our school districts can participate." According to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey, 18 percent of related children under 18 live below the poverty level in the state. Fulton County Schools offer free lunch to children - even if they aren't attending summer school - at 15 locations; 40 percent of the county's 88,400 students qualified last year for free and reduced-price meals. And this is the second year for Cobb Schools to be involved in the program, expanding from 13 to 17 sites; the district serves about 1,500 free meals. However, only six metro Atlanta area districts - Fulton, Clayton, Cherokee, DeKalb, Douglas and Marietta - offer free meals. Last summer, 1.38 million breakfasts, 2.27 million lunches and 247,636 snacks were served statewide.

Mississippi
(Hattiesburg American, June 22, 2009)
Hattiesburg public schools runs summer nutrition programs for two months at a cost of $110,000; the program has "grown steadily over the past eight years and now feeds almost 2,000 children a day," according to child nutrition director Stephanie Hoze. "Especially this summer with layoffs, parents are trying to find places that can help them tighten budgets." N.R. Burger Middle School is the most popular site - feeding 900 children each day. At Thames, Rowan and Hawkins Elementary Schools, a combined total of 900 breakfasts and 1,200 lunches are served each day. But Rod Woullard, Forrest County District 4 supervisor, expected more children to show up at the Danny Hinton Community Center, which feeds 60 children a day. "[T]he economy should have increased our numbers," noted Woullard. "But transportation is a problem. Those who aren't within walking distance have no way to get here."

New Mexico
(Rio Rancho Observer, June 22, 2009)
The city of Rio Rancho began this year serving free lunch to youth and children 18 and under through August 7. The lunches will be funded through USDA's Summer Food Service Program. "It has been overwhelming for staff and the city to see how much the program is appreciated," said parks director Jay Hart. "This program is here to stay and we're looking to have more sites next year and possibly adding breakfast." Rio Rancho Mayor Tom Swisstack visited one of the sites and commented "What's important for me is to make a positive impact on the kids and these programs develop the fiber in our young people."

Utah
(Salt Lake Tribune, June 10, 2009)
A total of 175 sites across the state will serve free summer meals to all students, regardless of family income; adults can eat for just a few dollars. This year, four more school districts will provide meals. "There's really a need for it with the economy," said Elva Roberts, Tooele School District food services director. "When you think of kids going hungry, you think of kids overseas…When you work in this business you see how many kids actually go hungry, and it's kind of scary to me." Last summer, 1.1 million meals and snacks were served, five percent over the year before, as people struggled with high prices for food and gas. Some expect another five to 10 percent increase in numbers this year. Officials noted middle-class families taking advantage of the meals last year, and encourage families to participate this year. "Sometimes people see summer food sites in the park, but they don't think it's for them," said Luann Shipley, director of child nutrition programs at the Utah State Office of Education. "It is."

11. Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program Brings Healthy Snacks to North Dakota Schools
(Bismarck Tribune, June 21, 2009)

Students at 62 North Dakota schools will take part in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program over the coming year. In 2008, 25 schools took part in the program, funded by USDA, which provides schools with money for fresh fruit and vegetable snacks during the school day if they have 50 percent or more students enrolled in free and reduced-price lunch. Eligible schools receive $75 per student, which goes to purchase produce (except for 10 percent which pays for administrative costs and supplies). Myhre Elementary School began participating in the program in 2008. Before then, the school had snack time, "but we noticed some students were not bringing anything," said Principal Jean Hall. The school has in-classroom refrigerators to store the fruits and vegetables, giving teachers the flexibility to choose the time of day for the program. Teachers also build lessons around the food served. "It's just a wonderful opportunity," said Custer Elementary School Principal Susan Atkinson, noting the students "taste things they never had tasted before."

12. Georgia Asks for Public Comment on WIC
(Dalton Daily Citizen, June 17, 2009)

Georgia's Department of Human Resources (DHR) has created a Web page to collect feedback from the public on the WIC program in order to improve the program. "We count on our customers' feedback every year to make the WIC program better," said Dr. Sandra Elizabeth Ford, acting director of the Division of Public Health. Individuals wishing to comment should visit http://health.state.ga.us/programs/wic and click on the "Public Comment" link on the left under "Women, Infants and Children (WIC)," where they'll be able to fill out a survey. Georgia has the fifth largest WIC program in the country, with 324,000 participants; the program provides women enrolled in the program with monthly vouchers for "supplemental foods" such as eggs, juice, milk, and infant formula. Participants receive nutrition counseling as well.

13. Economic Recovery Funds to Help Pennsylvania WIC Program
(PR Newswire, June 11, 2009)

Pennsylvania applied for nearly $500,000 through the Economic Recovery Act to implement the EBT system for the state's WIC program, Governor Edward G. Rendell announced in early June. "This planning will allow us to begin the upgrade from a paper check delivery system to a plastic card based system," said Gov. Rendell. The planning stage for the project will be from September 2009 to December 2010, and transferring to the new system will begin in 2011, pending approval. "By moving to an EBT system," said Gov. Rendell, "we will be better equipped to monitor the program and make necessary adjustments in a timely manner. In addition, we will be able to ensure funding is being used appropriately."

14. Teens Stop Drinking Milk Just When They Need It
(U.S. News & World Report, June 18, 2009)

A study by researchers at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis has found that teens and young adults cut down on their consumption of dairy products as they near their 20s, right when their bodies need the bone-strengthening nutrients the most. Of the 1,500 study participants, more than half of males and two-thirds of females reduced their calcium intake in high school and the years immediately afterward. Consuming calcium, protein and vitamin D from dairy products is key to lowering the risk of osteoporosis and other health issues; human bone mass peaks in a person's 30s, making the late teen and early twenties years key for consumption. "The findings…indicate that future interventions designed to promote improvements in calcium intake should encourage the families of adolescents to serve milk at meals," the researchers conclude. The study was published in the July issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.

15. Detroit Residents Lack Access to Grocery Stores
(The Wall Street Journal, June 16, 2009)

The economic downturn and auto-industry crisis has left Detroit, the nation's 11th largest city, with a 22.8 percent unemployment rate while 30 percent of residents receive SNAP/Food Stamps. No national grocery store chain has a store in the city; the last mainstream grocery stores closed in 2007. According to a 2007 study, more than 50 percent of residents have to travel twice as far for groceries as they have to travel to convenience stores and fast food outlets, meaning it's tough for residents to purchase fresh food. Although Aldi Inc. opened discount grocery stores in the city in 2001 and 2005, residents like Michelle Robinson travel to big-box stores in the suburbs to do their shopping. The United Food and Commercial Workers Union is considering building a store of its own in the city, and farmers' markets do a booming business selling fresh produce in the city. Companies are underestimating Detroit's economic potential, notes Olga Stella, an official with the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation. The organization works to persuade businesses to consider the city, and cites the success of Aldi Inc's stores and Family Dollar as proof there's money to be made here.

16. Food Deserts Cut Life Expectancy
(Chicago Sun-Times, June 18, 2009)

In a recently-released report, food desert researcher Mari Gallagher shows that adding a supermarket to Chicago's South Side Roseland community would gain for residents, collectively, 15 years of life back from diabetes, 112 years from cardiovascular diseases, 35 years from liver disease, and 58 years from diet-related cancers. Five other food desert neighborhoods - Englewood, Grand Boulevard, West Side, West Garfield Park and Greater Grand Crossing - would have similar gains. Gallagher linked public health data and the distance to the nearest grocery store to obtain her figures, which show that living in food deserts, particularly in African-American neighborhoods, shortens life expectancy. She reports that Chicago has reduced the size of its food desert over the last three years by 1.4 square miles - at a benefit to 24,000 residents. Still, more than half a million (609,034) Chicago residents live in food deserts. More than 100,000 single mothers and 200,000 children are included in that total. Grants and tax credits are helping some cities, like Philadelphia and New York, attract grocery store chains to food deserts, along with zoning incentives which allow grocery stores on the ground floors of residential buildings.

17. Incentive Program in Philadelphia Attracts Grocery Stores
(The New York Times, June 17, 2009)

A Pennsylvania grant and revolving-loan program has made it possible for a $14.5 million ShopRite grocery store to open in the low-income west Philadelphia neighborhood of Parkside. The Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative gave the ShopRite owner Jeffrey Brown a $1 million grant and $7 million in federal New Market tax credits; the initiative has helped develop 69 projects in the state, 23 in Philadelphia, and even has helped some small corner stores (including increasing one store's sales by 40 percent). While five approved projects went out of business, initiative officials note that is a "relatively low failure rate." The projects have created 3,700 jobs, said John Weidman, deputy director of the Food Trust. "In neighborhoods like [Parkside], people have less money and the first thing they cut out are all the high-margin items," said Brown, who noted that supermarket costs for extra security tend to be higher in poor neighborhoods. Industry spokesmen say that grocery stores tend to be low-margin businesses, generating less than two percent profits. But Pennsylvania's success has spurred New York to offer financial as well as zoning incentives for northern Manhattan, South Bronx, Central Brooklyn and the Jamaica section of Queens; a "density bonus" would allow developers to add 20,000 square feet in residential buildings for ground floor grocery stores. The New York initiative - titled the Food Retail Expansion to Support Health program, or "Fresh" - qualifies stores if they plan to have at least 6,000 square feet of selling space, 30 percent of which is devoted to perishable items. Alicia Glen, a member of the New York supermarket commission and head of the urban investment group at Goldman Sachs, said that tax incentives and zoning bonuses alone are unlikely to work in a recession. In Philadelphia, the ShopRite store has saved Christine Gilliard the money she used to spend on paying someone to drive her to a grocery store. "It's great, not just for me, but also for the elderly people," said the 46-year-old Gilliard. "Who can carry $150 worth of groceries on the bus?"

18. Strapped State Budgets Suffering from Falling Income Tax Revenue
(The New York Times/AP, June 19, 2009)

The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government announced that, of those states submitting data for its monthly report, 34 of 37 tax-collecting states experienced declines in state revenue from personal income tax collections. In the first third of this year, compared to a year ago, state income tax collections dropped 26 percent nationwide - about $28.8 billion - with April collections accounting for the bulk of the decline. This "will punch still deeper holes in the budgets of many states," notes the institute. "This increases the risk that state budget agreements for 2009-10 will not close budget gaps completely, and that states will need to make midyear budget cuts." In addition, states "will confront large budget gaps when federal stimulus ends in 2011." Arizona saw the biggest decline in revenue - 55 percent; South Carolina and Michigan follow with 38.6 percent and 34.4 percent, respectively. California has the fourth highest, at 33.8 percent.

Subscribe to FRAC's News Digest | News Digest Archives | www.frac.org