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. Nutrition Suffers During Recession
(The Coloradoan, July 5, 2009)

Health problems from insufficient fruit and vegetable consumption are responsible for 2.7 million deaths each year, according to USDA. The agency also reports that 85 percent of children and 60 percent of adults do not meet USDA's recommended five or more daily servings of fruits and vegetables. During the recession, families experiencing job loss or a cut in wages are bypassing fresh fruits and vegetables in order to save money. "Food is a variable expense so it is an area people will often cut," said Sarah Morales, wellness dietician with Poudre Valley Health System in Colorado. Morales notes that the variety of foods consumed in a family decreases with lowered incomes, resulting in family members taking in less nutrients. The American Heart Association reports that 42 percent of 1000 Americans surveyed said they plan to make significant changes in the next six months, such as buying fewer fruits and vegetables - changes that may affect their health.

2. Mississippi Struggling with High Poverty and Obesity Rates
(TIME, July 9, 2009)

Mississippi is the poorest state in the nation, with 21 percent of its residents living below the poverty line (according to the U.S. Census Bureau). It also has one of the highest obesity rates, with an adult obesity rate of 33 percent. "When you're poor, you tend to eat more calorie-dense foods because they're cheaper than fruits and vegetables," notes Jeff Levi, executive director of Trust for America. According to a 2004 study by the University of South Carolina, rural areas lack grocery stores, and residents must use convenience stores for food purchases. The rural south has a poverty rate of 14 percent, making it one of the most impoverished areas in the country. Mississippi's adult obesity rate places it number one in a ranking of the states, according to a new report by Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

3. Thousands Could Flood Michigan Welfare in Coming Months
(The Wall Street Journal, June 26, 2009)

Although Michigan has the highest unemployment rate - 14.1 percent - in the country, and 1.4 million residents receive SNAP/Food Stamps, strict eligibility rules have kept the state's welfare enrollment low - 70,000 families in April, 4.8 percent below levels of a year ago. However, by January 2010, one of seven unemployed workers - 100,000 - will reach the end of their unemployment benefits, which go to many of the 680,000 unemployed and can last as long as 79 weeks. "We're expecting a huge influx of [welfare] applications in the next few months," said Barbara Anders of the state's Department of Human Services. The state Senate appropriations committee approved hiring 200 more staffers to handle the load. Still, Michigan's TANF rules are among the strictest in the nation. The first time a family fails to comply with a requirement, it loses welfare benefits for three months; families that are suspended must reapply for benefits. And a family of three earning more than $814 a month - a figure unchanged for the last twenty years - is ineligible for welfare in the state.

4. New York City Braces for Surge in Homeless Families
(The New York Times, July 7, 2009)

The number of homeless families increases during the summer each year in New York City, and this year officials expect even more families will join the ranks, making this year one of the worst for homelessness. The city's homeless population, possibly due to higher unemployment rates, was already 20 percent higher than last spring. Officials expect the number of families to reach 10,000; there are already 9,420 homeless families in the city. Compared to the last three years, the number of families applying for shelter this summer has increased 28 percent. The Figueras family of the South Bronx packed and moved to an intake shelter, staying in their apartment just long enough for their two children to graduate from school. "We just didn't want to disrupt their routines," said Marilyn Maldonado, mother of one of the children. "We couldn't do that to them."

5. Indiana on Verge of Ending Privately-Run Welfare Project
(Associated Press, July 7, 2009)

Its privately run welfare project full of problems, Indiana is on the verge of ending a $1.16 billion contract with IBM. Secretary Anne Murphy of the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration said she asked IBM Corp. to submit a "corrective action plan" as part of a process that could result in canceling the 10-year deal if promised improvements don't occur by the end of September. IBM and its partners now handle one-third of the state's 1.2 million person welfare caseload and took over intake in 59 of Indiana's 92 counties. The state has paid more than $315 million so far under the contract, which was an effort to outsource and automate welfare systems The contract was an effort for Indiana to move away from cost-intensive, hands-on work by government case workers. A similar test in Texas ended with a canceled contract in 2007.

6. SNAP/Food Stamps Participation Up in Hawaii
(Honolulu Advertiser, July 5, 2009)

According to the Hawaii Department of Human Services, 117,648 people in the state received SNAP/Food Stamps in May, more than a fifth above last year's total. The increase has been attributed to a tougher economy and better state outreach. Adding to the rolls are Hawaii's out-of-work job seekers, who are spending an average of nearly 23 weeks - double the amount of time looking for employment, some of them exhausting their unemployment benefits and turning to SNAP/Food Stamps for help. Nationally, only a third of people without work are receiving unemployment benefits, according to Lawrence "Bill" Boyd, a labor economist at the University of Hawaii - West O'ahu.

7. Needy New Yorkers Find Government Aid Hard to Access
(Metro.us, July 13, 2009)

New Yorkers using conventional means to obtain government aid are meeting roadblocks at every turn, notes this op-ed. Judith Rubinstein and her organization, Connecting to Advantages, help people access public benefits like tax rebates and SNAP/Food Stamps. Recently, Rubinstein has been getting calls from those who have been affected by the falling rates of employment and rough economy. One phone call was from a 19-year-old mother who was told by the SNAP/Food Stamp office that they could not help her until she turned 22; with Rubenstein's help, she was found eligible for the benefit. The op-ed points out that the "nouveau poor" have begun to discover what those who never had wealth already knew - "[g]etting government aid can be just as much work as a full-time job."

8. Report finds child hunger increase in Minnesota
(PRWeb.com, July 13, 2009)

A new report on child hunger by Hunger Solutions Minnesota (HSM) finds that the recession, high food costs and 8.2 percent unemployment have contributed to the high food insecurity among Minnesota families. Colleen Moriarty, the executive director of HSM, said that the increase in child hunger is one of the benchmarks that drive the organization to help provide increased access to programs like Food Support (SNAP/Food Stamps) and the Summer Food Service Program. Access to those programs help to lift children out of poverty, according to Moriarty. In the report, HSM also gives an overview of recommendations to Congress on the 2009 Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act that will be renewed later this Fall. HSM has also launched the Minnesota Food HelpLine (1-888-711-1151) for Minnesotans at risk for hunger to receive referrals to emergency food assistance in their area, as well as help with Food Support programs.

9. Ten Percent of Monroe County, Penn. on SNAP/Food Stamps
(Pocono Record, July 14, 2009)

Monroe County in Pennsylvania is reporting a 31 percent increase in SNAP/Food Stamp usage since last year. One in 10 county residents currently receives the benefit, and one in seven receives government help with health coverage. The number of people getting cash payment assistance from the government stayed relatively the same from May 2008 to May 2009, rising from 1,302 to 1,462. (Article available through Pocono Record archive.)

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