The weekly Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) 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 and Nutrition Service Reports on Status of Federal Nutrition Assistance
2. USDA Seeks Applications for Direct Certification and Verification School Meal Grants
3. Op-Ed: Former U.S. Surgeon General Calls for Creation of “Culture of Wellness” in Every School
4. Addressing Poverty in New Orleans Requires Government Action
5. Kansas: Pilot Program Will Help Determine Eligibility for Food Stamps at Private Tax Preparation Sites
6. Arizona Community Action Association Awarded USDA Food Stamp Outreach Grant
7. Florida – Op-Ed: Employers Should Educate Workers About Public Benefits
8. West Virginia Schools Lead Nation in Connecting Needy Children with School Breakfast
9. Arizona – Editorial: School Districts Do “Right” in Trying to Expand Free Breakfast Programs
10. Wisconsin Might Improve Its Low Standing in School Breakfast Participation
11. Northeast Georgia Schools Simplify Application Process for Free and Reduced-Price Meals as Students’ Needs Grow
12. Pennsylvania: WIC Participants in McKees Rocks Suffer from County Service Cuts
13. Hawaii Recognized as Nation’s Best in Addressing Obesity, Improper Nutrition and Tobacco Use
14. Minnesota: St. Paul and Minneapolis Residents of “Food Deserts” Suffer from Limited Access to Affordable, Healthful Food
15. Indiana Governor Proceeds with Welfare Privatization Plan
16. California: Fresno County Welfare Department Asks for More Staff to Handle Stream of Clients

1. Food and Nutrition Service Reports on Status of Federal Nutrition Assistance

(“Leading the Fight Against Hunger: Federal Nutrition Assistance,” fns.usda.gov, December 2006)

USDA nutrition assistance programs reach one in five Americans over the course of a year, reports the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Since 2001, funding for these programs has increased by more than 50 percent, to $59 billion, accounting for over half of USDA’s annual budget. The agency provides food stamps to more than 26 million low-income people, half of which are children. In 2004, 60 percent of eligible individuals were able to participate in the Food Stamp program. Last year, FNS awarded more than $1 million to 15 faith- and community-based organizations to improve access to the program and will award another $1 million to 14 more organizations this year. The National School Lunch Program added 1 million more children since 2001. It now feeds 30 million students, with 15.5 million receiving free or reduced-price meals. Over the same period of time, 1.3 million more children were added to the National School Breakfast Program. Almost 10 million children receive a school breakfast every school day in 82,000 schools. In addition, the Summer Food Service Program provides meals to more than 2 million low-income children in the summer months when schools are closed, the agency reports.

http://www.fns.usda.gov/fncs/hunger.pdf

Also see http://www.fns.usda.gov/fsp/outreach/tool-kits.htm (three FNS outreach tool kits for state and local food stamp offices)

http://65.216.150.143/fns/ (FNS Food Stamps Pre-Screening Eligibility Tool)

2. USDA Seeks Applications for Direct Certification and Verification School Meal Grants

(“FY 2007 Direct Certification and Verification Grants,” fns.usda.gov, January 2007)

The Food and Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture has grant funding available to state agencies to implement provisions related to certification and verification of student eligibility in school nutrition programs. The 2004 Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act provided a one time appropriation of funds to be used to assist states in implementing mandatory direct certification and other provisions related to certification and verification of students’ eligibility to receive free and reduced-price meals at school. They will award approximately $5.2 million to states on a competitive basis. Eligible applicants include state agencies that administer school nutrition, Food Stamp, or Medicaid Programs, but only one application per state is allowed. While research shows that direct certification is an effective, efficient way to enroll eligible families in the school meals program, improvements in implementation are needed to connect more children to those meals. Current data shows that direct certification is missing over 40 percent of the eligible children.

http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Grants.htm

3. Op-Ed: Former U.S. Surgeon General Calls for Creation of “Culture of Wellness” in Every School

(“‘A Culture of Wellness,’” charlotte.com, January 4, 2007)

Local wellness policies that most school districts have begun implementing this school year is a laudable first step in the fight against childhood obesity, writes David Satcher, 16th U.S. Surgeon General, founding chair of Action for Healthy Kids and director of the Center of Excellence on Health Disparities at Morehouse School of Medicine, in The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer. “These new policies, if implemented fully, have the potential to help create a lasting ‘culture of wellness’ in every school building, and in every classroom in America,” Satcher writes. Next step is to turn the policies that promote healthier eating and increased physical activity into sustainable action. An analysis of 112 local wellness policies from 42 states, conducted by Action for Healthy Kids, shows that only half school districts met the minimum wellness requirements set by the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act. As the obesity epidemic damages the nation’s children, “we can not afford complacency,” insists the author. “The partners who came together to craft these local wellness policies – parents, school administrators, school nutrition and physical education professionals, school board members, students and community leaders – must again step forward to ensure successful implementation.”

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/opinion/16379111.htm

Also see http://www.frac.org/pdf/wellness_guide2006.pdf (FRAC’s guide, “School Wellness Policy and Practice: Meeting the Needs of Low-Income Students”)

4. Addressing Poverty in New Orleans Requires Government Action

(“New Orleans Symbolizes U.S. War on Poverty,” pensacolanewsjournal.com, December 29, 2007)

Democrats who are taking charge of Congress have promised to make anti-poverty issues a higher priority. “The body politic does not want to mention the word ‘poverty.’ … We’ve got to talk about poverty, not only in Louisiana but in America,” said Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif. Meanwhile, New Orleans, ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, continues to symbolize the government’s fits and starts in addressing poverty. The majority of New Orleans’ poorest residents are still unable to return to the city because of a shortage of habitable housing and soaring prices. The nationwide diaspora Katrina created has more than 200,000 people, about 80 percent of them black, scattered across the country. The government has invested billions of dollars in housing, health care and education in the affected areas. But aid was slow to arrive and tied to red tape, said Andy Kopplin of the Louisiana Recovery Authority. “We asked for significantly more than we got in lots of categories,” he said. More money is needed for programs such as food stamps, child care, Head Start and job training, Mark Greenberg of the Center for American Progress noted.

http://tinyurl.com/y42j4m

5. Kansas: Pilot Program Will Help Determine Eligibility for Food Stamps at Private Tax Preparation Sites

(“Block, SRS to Assist Hungry,” kansascity.com, January 2, 2007)

The Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS) and H&R Block will test a pilot program that allows people to apply for food stamp benefits at H&R Block sites. Company workers from 45 locations in Johnson, Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties, who are preparing federal and state income tax returns for potential food stamp recipients, will help those taxpayers fill out food stamp applications and file them electronically with SRS. Many people who qualify for public assistance use H&R Block services when they come to file for tax refunds under the Earned Income Tax Credit. SRS estimates that about 31,000 people in the three counties receive food stamps, and some 24,000 might be eligible for the benefits. “Access to healthy, nutritious food isn’t always easy for low-income families,” said Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. “There are nutrition assistance efforts out there, but the application process can be daunting, and many families are missing out as a result,” she said. Research suggests that eligible households do not apply for help either because they are not aware it’s available or they cannot afford to lose wages during the time it might take to apply at a welfare office.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/16362978.htm

6. Arizona Community Action Association Awarded USDA Food Stamp Outreach Grant

(“ACAA Receives USDA Food Stamp Outreach Grant,” azcaa.org, December 2006)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded the Arizona Community Action Association (ACAA) a $74,937 grant to support a two-year food stamp outreach project. ACAA will develop a network of 11 community and faith-based partner organizations in Maricopa County, Ariz., that will train staff and volunteers to prescreen potential recipients of food stamp benefits and to help them with program applications. Prescreening will be conducted online through Arizona Self Help, a Web site that provides information in English and Spanish about food stamp eligibility and 18 other services. ACAA and partner organizations will host food stamp mini-fairs at community sites, including local farmers’ markets and retailers, to raise awareness about available food assistance. One-third of Arizona residents living below the poverty level are eligible to participate in the Food Stamp Program, but do not receive food stamps.

http://www.azcaa.org/pdf/December%202006%20Newsletter.pdf (see p.3)

7. Florida – Op-Ed: Employers Should Educate Workers About Public Benefits

(“Understanding Benefits Helps Employees Prosper,” miami.com, December 31, 2006)

Workers and sometimes even their employers may not be aware of public benefits available to improve one’s financial situation, writes Janet Perales, Community Relations Manager for a local employment Web site, in The Miami Herald. Through seven “prosperity centers'” in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, the Miami-Dade Prosperity Campaign connects low-wage workers with many services such as free tax preparation and eligibility screenings for food stamps, the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, energy assistance and others. The campaign also offers suggestions for employers about how they can educate their employees about the available benefits. “An important tool for employers in recruiting and retaining good employees is helping them understand and navigate benefits,” writes Perales. “Educating employees, especially entry-level staff, about these benefits is a win-win situation: It builds trust and gives employees a way to supplement their income. Employers should consider hosting a general session with employees to present this information,” Perales points out.

http://tinyurl.com/yxyfx3

Also see http://www.prosperitycampaign.org/ (Miami-Dade Prosperity Campaign)

8. West Virginia Schools Lead Nation in Connecting Needy Children with School Breakfast

(“W.Va. Leads Nation in Free Breakfasts for Kids,” herald-dispatch.com, January 1, 2007)

West Virginia schools are serving free or reduced-price breakfast to a greater proportion of children from low-income families than any other state in the nation, according to the School Breakfast Scorecard 2006 by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC). State schools served breakfast to 58.5 children for every 100 children who also participated in the federal School Lunch Program. Nationally, only 44.6 low-income children receive breakfast for every 100 eating lunch, according to the report. “I’m proud of West Virginia for recognizing the important role proper nutrition plays in education,” said State Superintendent of Schools Steve Paine. “Reaching a lot more children with breakfast in schools is probably the most cost-effective and fastest way to improve children’s learning and health,” said FRAC President Jim Weill. West Virginia is one of the few states that mandate school breakfast. It also requires that schools give children at least 10 minutes to eat their breakfast. West Virginia schools serve breakfast after first period and in the classroom and also offer grab and go items and hallway breakfast carts to increase breakfast participation.

http://tinyurl.com/yyjhyd

Also see http://www.frac.org/pdf/2006_SBP.pdf (FRAC report, “School Breakfast Scorecard 2006”)

9. Arizona – Editorial: School Districts Do “Right” in Trying to Expand Free Breakfast Programs

(“More Schools Should Expand Free Breakfasts,” azstarnet.com, January 1, 2007)

Investing in school programs that serve free breakfast to all children boosts their ability to learn and in the future may pay off in economic development spurred by well-educated workforce, argues this editorial in the Arizona Daily Star. Los Ranchitos School in Tucson, Ariz., is offering breakfast to all students, regardless of whether they qualify for a free or reduced-price meal under federal school lunch and breakfast programs. Some schools serve breakfast in the classroom, a new approach proved to be successful. Many Tucson children come to school hungry. “Some of them are hungry for reasons beyond their control,” the newspaper writes. “Making a nutritious breakfast available to all students ensures that they are in the best possible position to learn and be productive in school.” In Arizona, only 40 percent of eligible students ate free and reduced-price breakfasts at school last school year, according to a report by the Food Research and Action Center. “Local districts are right to try to increase those numbers” and expand free breakfast programs to more schools, concludes this editorial.

http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/162650

10. Wisconsin Might Improve Its Low Standing in School Breakfast Participation

(“Wisconsin Dead Last in School Breakfasts,” hudsonstarobserver.com, January 1, 2007)

For the fourth straight year, Wisconsin ranks last in the percentage of poor children getting school breakfasts. According to the Food Research and Action Center, less than 30 percent of the state’s school children received free and reduced-price breakfasts in 2006. By contrast, 60 percent of students in New Mexico and West Virginia ate breakfasts at school. But this school year holds some promise for improvement. Jon Janowski of Milwaukee’s Hunger Task Force said Wisconsin might turn itself around if more schools offer universal breakfast programs. Almost two-thirds of Milwaukee schools provide such programs that offer free morning meals to all students. It’s worth it, because the meals help children focus in class and they don’t worry about where their next meal is coming from, Janowski said.

http://tinyurl.com/swflk

11. Northeast Georgia Schools Simplify Application Process for Free and Reduced-Price Meals as Students’ Needs Grow

(“Free and Reduced Lunch on the Rise,” wneg32.com, January 4, 2007)

In Northeast Georgia, 44.85 percent of students in Franklin County and 51.64 percent of students in Hart County qualified for free or reduced-price school meals last school year. This year the numbers are up to 47.46 percent in Franklin County and 53.95 percent in Hart County. More students have difficulty affording school meals, which cost no more than 85 cents for breakfast and $1.20 for lunch, and participation in school meal programs is on the rise. Hart County School Nutrition Director JoBeth Sewell believes that one of the reasons is that local industries are closing down. Another reason is an improvement in the application process. In the past, each student eligible for free or reduced-price meals had to fill out an application form. Now only one such form is required per qualifying household for all its children. Also, all students now pay by entering an ID number, which reduces the stigma that some might have felt when receiving the free or reduced-price meals. With the ID number, no one can tell how they pay for their meals.

http://tinyurl.com/yykgxe

12. Pennsylvania: WIC Participants in McKees Rocks Suffer from County Service Cuts

(“WIC Clients Want McKees Rocks Office Open More,” post-gazette.com, December 29, 2006)

Women from McKees Rocks, Penn., participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), used to pick up their grocery vouchers by walking to a WIC office at the Focus on Renewal Community Center in their neighborhood. In 2004, Hurricane Ivan flooded the office, causing it to close. Recently reopened, it operates one day a week and serves only new clients. Program participants have to go downtown or to another distant location for their quarterly appointments. When the office was open five days a week, it used to serve more than 1,000 clients a month. Joyce Dodge, the WIC program manager for the Allegheny County Health Department, said in the time the office has been opened, two people have enrolled in WIC. She said that wasn’t the best use of the limited manpower. The county is condemning the office to failure by limiting the hours, restricting it to new clients, and not advertising that it is even there, according to DeShauna Ponton, the child nutrition advocate for Just Harvest. Just Harvest organized a bus of WIC recipients to go to a County Council’s meeting to ask for the office to be opened full time, but this action had no result. The council meeting ran late and the children that had come with their mothers had to return home for bedtime.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06363/749768-57.stm

13. Hawaii Recognized as Nation’s Best in Addressing Obesity, Improper Nutrition and Tobacco Use

(“State DOH Is Tops at Urging Healthful Ways,” starbulletin.com, January 2, 2007)

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHSS) recognized Hawaii’s state Department of Health as the best state agency in the nation to address problems of obesity, lack of physical activity and improper nutrition, and tobacco use. DHSS Secretary Michael Leavitt presented Hawaiian agency with the “Innovation in Prevention Award” for its Healthy Hawaii Initiative. The initiative includes creating county and statewide coalitions of concerned organizations and communities to implement the State Plan for Physical Activity and Nutrition. Hawaii runs a nutrition education program to help people who use food stamps. The state developed a Web site that includes resources employers can use to promote health to their employees.

http://starbulletin.com/2007/01/02/news/story11.html

Also see http://www.healthyhawaii.com/home.asp (Healthy Hawaii Initiative)

14. Minnesota: St. Paul and Minneapolis Residents of “Food Deserts” Suffer from Limited Access to Affordable, Healthful Food

(“Urban Grocery Gap Grows,” twincities.com, December 28, 2006)

Supermarkets are few and far between in many parts of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minn., creating “food deserts” for local residents, according to an investigation by the St. Paul-based Pioneer Press. “It’s almost scandalous,” said Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak. “There is a direct connection between lack of healthy food and poor health. This is a huge issue for us.” In the Twin Cities area, several suburbs have more than 20 times the food stores per capita as in the food deserts, the newspaper writes. The shortage of supermarkets in urban neighborhoods results in a limited access to affordable, healthful food for thousands of people. Instead, they rely on readily available, expensive convenience stores and fast food outlets that don’t have a selection of fruits and vegetables necessary for a nutritious diet. Farmers’ markets available in the region cannot compensate for the lack of access to fresh produce because they are open only a few days a week in warm weather. “Food-desert shoppers find ‘shop ‘til you drop’ to be more than a flip slogan,” observes the newspaper. Nearly one out of five households in the Minneapolis and St. Paul food deserts don’t own cars. Many people need to take two buses and spend more than 2.5 hours for a routine grocery trip.

http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/16331453.htm

15. Indiana Governor Proceeds with Welfare Privatization Plan

(“$1B Welfare Plan Advances,” fortwayne.com, December 28, 2006)

Gov. Mitch Daniels signed an agreement with an IBM-led group of companies to pay them $1.16 billion over 10 years for processing applications for food stamps, Medicaid and other social programs. Contractors are promising to provide an easier application process, both online and by phone. The contract also includes providing technical assistance to Indiana’s Family and Social Services Administration, which handles the work now. “No decision we’ve made is more clearly in the public interest,” stated Daniels. “For taxpayers, a billion dollars of savings. … For recipients, better service and a better chance to escape welfare for the world of work and self-reliance. … For the Indiana economy, 1,000 new quality jobs,” the governor explained. Indiana’s privatization plan has raised strong criticism by some lawmakers, caseworkers and advocates for the needy. Indiana House Speaker Patrick Bauer, D-South Bend, said Daniels’ move would allow private companies to “profit from the poor.” Bauer and other critics also warn that the deal might lead to problems similar to those in Texas whose welfare privatization plan resulted in delayed benefits.

http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/news/local/16336016.htm

Also see http://www.frac.org/html/news/newsdigest/01.02.07.html#11 (“ Indiana – Editorial: State Should Slow Down with Privatization of Social Services,” FRAC News Digest, January 2, 2007)

16. California: Fresno County Welfare Department Asks for More Staff to Handle Stream of Clients

(“Agency That Gives Help Seeks Help, Too,” fresnobee.com, January 4, 2007)

Fresno ( Calif.) County’s Employment and Temporary Assistance Department will ask the Board of Supervisors to hire 82 additional employees to help the agency better serve the nearly 300,000 low-income residents. The department has some of the highest caseloads in California, which makes it difficult to meet deadlines with benefit applications and respond to calls from clients. The shortage of staff is apparent in the Mariposa Street office in Fresno. “I’ve never seen the line like that before,” said resident Debra Stitt. She couldn’t reach the office by phone to consult about her food stamp problem, but walked out of the office after arriving there and seeing 20 other people waiting in line. County Administrator Bart Bohn is concerned about the availability of the state and federal dollars to sustain the 82 positions asked for by the welfare agency. Overworked employees say the public will benefit from more staff. They say there will be shorter lines and less chance that benefits will be discontinued because a renewal application wasn’t completed on time.

http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/22314.html

For news tips, suggestions, comments, contact Olga Doty at odoty@frac.org