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. USDA Announces Priorities of 2007 Farm Bill Proposal
2. Groups Call for Increased Benefits and Improved Access to Food Stamp Program
3. Sen. Chambliss Underscores Importance of Nutrition Assistance Programs; Proposes Raising Asset Limits for Receiving Food Stamps
4. U.S. Treasurer Launches Earned Income Tax Credit Outreach Campaign
5. Soldiers Serving Overseas Often Unaware of WIC Benefits They Can Get for Their Families
6. States Get Rated for Efforts to Fight Obesity in Children
7. New Jersey: Struggling with Poverty, Crime and Hunger, Camden Children Are Dreaming of a Better Life
8. New Jersey: Report Urges Policy Changes to Combat Poverty
9. New York Governor Proposes More Funding for State Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program
10. Oregon’s “State of Hunger” Calls for More Food Stamp Outreach and School Nutrition Programs
11. Missouri: USDA Grants Governor’s Request to Extend Deadline for Replacement Food Stamps
12. Washington: Seattle Residents Living on Food Stamps Cannot Afford Healthy Diet
13. Football Star Recalls Struggles with Poverty, His Family’s Survival on Food Stamps
14. Wisconsin: Breakfast and Homework Club at One Monroe School Makes Students More Successful
15. Texas' Welfare-to-Work Success Failed to Lift Families Out of Poverty
16. Pennsylvania Seniors and Persons with Disabilities Applying for Supplemental Security Income Will Be Simultaneously Enrolled in Food Stamps
17. New Hampshire: State Agencies Initiate Walk-In Service Center in Grafton County
18. Georgia: Food Bank Launches Mobile Pantry to Serve Rural Counties
19. Hawaii: Poverty is Best Predictor of Poor Academic Performance in Schools, Study Found

1. USDA Announces Priorities of 2007 Farm Bill Proposal

(“New Farm Bill to Promote Fruit, Veg in Schools,” foodnavigator-usa.com, February 1, 2007)

Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns unveiled priorities of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) 2007 Farm Bill proposal. The government has proposed to spend around $10 billion less than the last Farm Bill adopted in 2002. In the nutrition area, the Food Stamp Program is set to be “modernized” and “simplified” in order to improve access to food assistance for the elderly and low-income people. USDA may change the program’s name to the Food and Nutrition Program. The proposal also would provide funding for grants targeting low-income areas to develop and test solutions for the problem of obesity.

http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/news/ng.asp?n=73840&m=1FNU201&c=xqdjukrrlerzutg

Also see http://tinyurl.com/2q4kn5 (USDA Transcript: “Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns Unveils Provisions of the 2007 Farm Bill”)

http://tinyurl.com/28mqsq (“U.S. Food Stamp Plan Too Stingy, Two Groups Say,” today.reuters.com, February 1, 2007)

Also see http://www.frac.org/html/news/013107farmbill.html (FRAC Statement on Bush Administration’s Plan for Farm Bill 2007 Reauthorization, frac.org, January 31, 2007)

2. Groups Call for Increased Benefits and Improved Access to Food Stamp Program

(“More than 1,000 Organizations Voice Support for Strong Nutrition Title in Farm Bill,” frac.org, January 31, 2007)

More than 1,000 organizations joined the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) in supporting a strong nutrition title in this year’s Farm Bill reauthorization, particularly to strengthen and improve access to the Food Stamp Program. The sign-on letter, based on a joint statement released by the coalition of National Anti-Hunger Organizations, was presented to the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee during a recent hearing on federal nutrition programs. “If we want to take a serious step toward ending hunger in the U.S., we should give people more resources to purchase food. Benefit levels must be increased to actually let families obtain an adequate diet,” said Jim Weill, FRAC president. “We also must ensure that arbitrary barriers to eligibility – like unreasonable asset tests – are eliminated, and those who are eligible for food stamps get them. There are too many people waiting in lines at food banks that could be receiving food stamp benefits to help them purchase groceries,” Weill said. In the letter, groups outlined key investments for making food stamps a stronger program to address hunger.

http://www.frac.org/Press_Release/01.31.07.html

3. Sen. Chambliss Underscores Importance of Nutrition Assistance Programs; Proposes Raising Asset Limits for Receiving Food Stamps

(“Sen. Chambliss Stresses Importance Nutrition Assistance Programs to Remain Important Part of Farm Bill,” theweekly.com, January 31, 2007)

The U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee held a hearing focused on food assistance programs serving low-income families last week. “Our nutrition assistance programs play a key role in ensuring that needy Americans have access to the food they need to lead healthy, productive lives,” said Sen. Chambliss, Ranking Republican Member of the committee. “We’ve seen how the food stamp program not only helps America’s needy families on their path to independence and self-sufficiency, but also emergency response missions during hurricanes Katrina and Rita.” Chambliss proposed to increase the allowable household asset limit, which hasn’t changed for over 25 years. By increasing the assets limit, Chambliss pointed out, families would be encouraged to save for their future. “Reforming food stamp asset limits has the potential to help needy families break the cycle of poverty and achieve long-term financial independence,” the senator said and called the audience “to work together” to address these important issues in the process of reauthorization of the Farm Bill.

http://www.theweekly.com/news/2007/January/31/Farm_Bill.html

Also see testimonies of several witnesses testifying before the committee:

http://www.frac.org/pdf/bolling_farmbill07.pdf (testimony by Bill Bolling of the Atlanta Community Food Bank)

http://www.frac.org/pdf/dostistestim07wr.pdf (testimony by Robert Dostis of the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger)

http://www.frac.org/pdf/luanne_farmbill07.pdf (testimony by Luanne Francis of Health Care for All, La.)

4. U.S. Treasurer Launches Earned Income Tax Credit Outreach Campaign

(“IRS Publicizes Tax Credit for Working Poor,” latimes.com, January 28, 2007)

U.S. Treasurer Anna Escobedo Cabral launched the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) outreach campaign with EITC Awareness Day last week. More than 22.2 million taxpayers claimed $41.4 billion through EITC in 2006. The Internal Revenue Service estimates that as many as 5 million more low-income people could qualify for the credit, but are not aware of it. “We have to do a better job of reaching out to people,” Cabral said. “If you think about families at those income levels, this could mean the difference of being able to get a more reliable car to get to your job or being able to start your first savings account.” A family of four can receive up to $4,536 this year. The campaign publicizes Volunteer Income Tax Assistance centers where people can get free tax help. Cabral wants to spread the word to grandparents who are raising grandchildren that they might qualify for the program. She also wants to draw attention to a new IRS program that allows people to split their refunds among more than one account, e.g., between a regular checking account and a savings or retirement account. This is particularly useful for lower-income families, whose tax refunds are likely to be the biggest checks they’ll receive all year, she said.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-perfin28jan28,1,5699304.column?coll=la-utilities-business

5. Soldiers Serving Overseas Often Unaware of WIC Benefits They Can Get for Their Families

(“WIC Program Reaches out to Military Families,” estripes.com, January 25, 2007)

While the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants & Children (WIC) has been providing nutrition assistance to mothers and young children for decades, families of military personnel serving abroad received access to WIC benefits just five years ago. “The WIC program is great,” said a Kitty Hawk sailor whose two sons participate in the program with U.S. Naval Hospital Yokosuka in Japan. “For those younger soldiers, (the savings) can make a big difference. It can really help them out,” he said. But Denise Williams, WIC regional manager at Yokosuka Naval Base, is worried thatmany of those younger sailors don’t come to her office. Some of them don’t understand the program or are fearful of the stigma associated with receiving free help. Although the number of participants has increased over the years, most of new clients still come from referrals by the Yokosuka hospital staff or through word-of-mouth, Williams said.

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=41992&archive=true

6. States Get Rated for Efforts to Fight Obesity in Children

(“Six States Get an ‘A’ for Work Against Kids’ Obesity,” cnn.com, January 30, 2007)

California, Illinois, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Tennessee received As for their legislative and public policy work last year to control childhood obesity. A report by the University of Baltimore Obesity Initiative that rated states’ anti-obesity efforts praised these states for the bills that set nutrition standards for school food; limit students’ access to vending machines; require measuring and reporting of students’ Body Mass Index; add obesity-awareness and weight-reduction programs to school curricula; and mandate recess time and physical education classes. Kenneth Stanton, assistant professor at the University of Baltimore and chair of the Obesity Initiative, says more states will start to include school-based nutrition standards, obesity programs and physical education classes to keep children fit. And more schools will replace sugary drinks with more healthful fare like juices, low-fat milk and bottled water, she says.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/diet.fitness/01/30/obesity.report/

Also see http://www.ubalt.edu/experts/obesity/ (“The UB Obesity Report Card™”)

7. New Jersey: Struggling with Poverty, Crime and Hunger, Camden Children Are Dreaming of a Better Life

(“Waiting on the World to Change,” abcnews.go.com, January 25, 2007)

“20/20” followed the lives of three children growing up in Camden, N.J., which was named America’s most dangerous city twice by City Crime Rankings. Four-year-old Ivan, teenager Billy Joe and 6-year-old Moochie dream of a better life as they struggle to thrive in an environment of abundant drug trade, violent crime and poverty. Ivan’s Christmas wish was a house with “bathrooms, food in the refrigerator, cabinets, bread, chocolate pudding, curtains, lights and a heater.” He, his mother and little brother are homeless. In his kindergarten class, Ivan was stumped when asked how many meals you are supposed to eat in a day. “Ivan, who has gone to school without eating breakfast, was puzzled. The words lunch and dinner seemed foreign to him. In fact, at the end of the day, … he proudly showed the extra juice box he was able to take with him.” Billy Joe’s dream is to be the first family member to graduate from high school. But there isn’t much time left for homework after he returns home from his part-time job at 10 p.m. Billy Joe feels obligated to help out. His family hardly can afford heat and food. The third child, nicknamed Moochie, lives in a neighborhood where, she says, one can get “stuck” in needles left by drug dealers. For Moochie, her school is a sanctuary, but her home is a war zone with her parents fighting over her father’s drinking problem. Yet, she vowed to get straight As and graduate from college.

http://www.abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=2826545&page=1

8. New Jersey: Report Urges Policy Changes to Combat Poverty

(“Report: N.J. Poor Get Poorer, Struggle to Survive,” courierpostonline.com, January 28, 2007)

The widening gap between the rich and the poor, the disproportionate incidence of poverty among the disabled and the failures of safety net programs intended to help the poor are some of New Jersey trends revealed in a report by Legal Services of New Jersey. The Poverty Benchmarks Report, conducted by the organization’s Poverty Research Institute, says policy changes are needed to deal with poverty. Serena Rice of the institute said many low-income families are forced to sacrifice some basic necessities, e.g., housing, health care, food or transportation, in order to pay for the others. Over the past three decades, income inequality has been rising in the state and the country, but has grown at a faster rate in New Jersey than nationwide. “This should trouble the people at the top as much as it troubles the people at the bottom,” said Jon Shure of the New Jersey Policy Perspective, as it is “not good for the state and its economy.” Only 21 percent of New Jersey’s poor families receive public assistance, the maximum amount of which hasn’t changed since 1987, despite inflation and rising living costs. The report recommends addressing these shortfalls by funding programs to directly subsidize low –wage incomes and by creating policies to relieve the burden on low-income families, such as universal health care coverage.

http://tinyurl.com/2342od

Also see http://www.lsnj.org/PDFs/budget/FinalBenchmarksReport012507.pdf (“Poverty Benchmarks Report - Poor in the Garden State: Beginning to Assess New Jersey’s Progress in Addressing Poverty”)

http://www.thnt.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070129/NEWS/701290350/1001(“Woes Mount for Poor,” thnt.com, January 29, 2007)

9. New York Governor Proposes More Funding for State Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program

(“Spitzer Proposes 24% Increase in Emergency Food Funds” and “Spitzer Calls for Large Funding Hike for Feeding Charities,” nyccah.blogspot.com, January 30, 2007)

Advocates praised New York Gov. Spitzer for proposing a funding increase in the Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program (HPNAP), reports the New York City Coalition Against Hunger (NYCCAH) in its blog. The program is the only New York state government funding source for soup kitchens and food pantries. Spitzer proposed raising funding by $5.5 million – from $22.84 million to $28.34 million. This increase would provide HPNAP with $3.9 million, or 13 percent, more than the peak level of program funding five years ago. “Governor Spitzer understands that good nutrition not only reduces the suffering of low-income New Yorkers, it improves their educational performance, enhances their long-term health, and boosts their economic productivity. By calling for this long-overdue funding increase for feeding charities, Governor Spitzer is leading both with his head and his heart. We hope the Legislature provides at least as much funding as he proposed,” commented Joel Berg, NYCCAH executive director.

http://nyccah.blogspot.com/ (scroll down to items of January 31, 2007)

NYCCAH news release, “Spitzer Calls for Large Funding Hike for Feeding Charities,” is available for download from a link in the original text of the above news item.

10. Oregon’s “State of Hunger” Calls for More Food Stamp Outreach and School Nutrition Programs

(“A State of Hunger,” gazettetimes.com, January 31, 2007)

Almost 23 percent of Oregon children are food insecure, and even when those children are getting fed, their food often is not nutritious enough to help them grow and thrive, said Patti Whitney-Wise of the Oregon Hunger Relief Task Force. In the state, 20 percent of families with an income of between $16,000 and $30,000 are food insecure, compared with the national average of 13 percent. High housing costs that grow faster than wages as well as health care and child care costs stretch families’ incomes to the limit. The food budget is the only flexible item, meaning that families cannot choose not to pay rent or utility bills, but they can choose to go without food. To provide outreach and education to families who don’t realize that they are eligible for food stamps is one way to help combat these issues, Whitney-Wise said. In Benton County, at least 44 percent of those eligible for food stamp benefits do not receive them. Whitney-Wise also stressed that more school breakfast programs and afterschool meal programs are needed to support children in need.

http://www.gazettetimes.com/articles/2007/01/30/news/community/6loc04_hunger.txt

11. Missouri: USDA Grants Governor’s Request to Extend Deadline for Replacement Food Stamps

(“USDA Extends Deadline for Replacement Food Stamps,” news-leader.com, January 25, 2007)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture agreed to extend the deadline for requesting replacement food stamps due to food spoilage from an ice storm in Missouri. Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt had requested the extension. The state Department of Social Services announced that people who lost food purchased with food stamps now may contact their local office about replacement benefits until Feb. 13. “Many Missouri families, especially low-income families, are still reeling from the devastating effects of the recent ice storms, particularly with the loss of food,” DSS Director Deborah Scott said in a written statement.

http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070125/BREAKING01/70125012

12. Washington: Seattle Residents Living on Food Stamps Cannot Afford Healthy Diet

(“Poor Are Priced out of Healthful Eating,” seattlepi.nwsource.com, January 29, 2007)

Jamillah Jordan, a fellow with the Congressional Hunger Center, studied food prices in Seattle’s Rainier Valley and Queen Anne neighborhoods and found that a four-member family living on the maximum allowable amount of food stamps can barely afford the basics. “Nutrition is important, but it’s really a matter of economics,” said Jordan whose research is part of the Grocery Gap Project with nonprofit Solid Ground. “If people simply can’t afford that [nutritious diet], what does that do to their health?” she said. Adam Drewnowski of the University of Washington’s Center for Public Health Nutrition also believes that lower-income people are priced out of healthful eating. “It’s just amazing how nutritious food is becoming a luxury item and increasingly inaccessible to an ever larger number of people,” Drewnowski said. The food stamp allowances are based on the government’s Thrifty Food Plan. Jordan contends that the plan sets “unrealistic criteria” and doesn’t take into account regional differences in food costs. Mark Lino of the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion of the U.S. Department of Agriculture believes that living on food stamps is “realistic.” “When people shop on the Thrifty (Food Plan), they have to be more savvy shoppers – buy in bulk, use coupons when they have them, buy generic versions of food. You have to use shopping skills,” Lino explained. USDA plans to revise the 1999 Thrifty Food Plan in the coming months.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/food/301574_grocerygap29.html

13. Football Star Recalls Struggles with Poverty, His Family’s Survival on Food Stamps

(“Ayanbadejo Living Up to Boyhood dreams,” suntimes.com, February 2, 2007)

Bears special-teams ace Brendon Ayanbadejo strongly believes that true greatness is measured not by how high one ascends, but by how far one comes from where he started. “I grew up on welfare,” Ayanbadejo said. “I had to wait in long lines to get free milk and cheese. The first of the month was a holiday for my mother, my brother, my sister and me because that was when my mother got our food stamps.” Ayanbadejo said his family’s challenges, determination, discipline and eventual breakthrough should serve as a blueprint for other struggling families. “We’d like for our story to be an inspiration to others,” he said.

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/football/bears/240118,CST-SPT-ayan02.article

14. Wisconsin: Breakfast and Homework Club at One Monroe School Makes Students More Successful

(“A Bright and Early Start to Day,” themonroetimes.com, January 26, 2007)

Every Tuesday and Thursday morning before school, students at Northside Elementary School in Monroe, Wis., come to the cafeteria to eat breakfast and get extra help with homework. The breakfast and homework club was started by a group of teachers who thought it would be good to provide students with “extra help,” Northside Principal Cory Hirsbrunner said. They chose to conduct their meetings in the morning, during the school’s successful breakfast program. “Kids can come in, eat breakfast if they didn’t eat at home and then get one-on-one or small group help,” Hirsbrunner said. Parents and teachers have noticed a difference in students’ achievements. According to Hirsbrunner, parents feel that the club makes their children more successful in school.

http://www.themonroetimes.com/o0127pbr.htm

15. Texas' Welfare-to-Work Success Failed to Lift Families Out of Poverty

(“The Cost of Cutting Welfare,” chron.com, January 28, 2007)

For more than a decade, Texas’ welfare-to-work efforts have lead to a 73 percent decrease in the number of people receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF. But the state’s welfare-to-work success has not made it a better place to live for many families who are struggling with poverty. They still fall victim to the state’s historical resistance to offering services to those in need. Texas lawmakers have adopted some of the most restrictive policies for the poorest residents in terms of asset limits, eligibility requirements and low payments. The majority of welfare clients are single mothers whose average wage is $7.19 an hour. Advocates for the poor say Texas failed to invest in job training and child care programs so that families thrive instead of merely survive. The state practices harsh sanctions that cut off benefits to children when their parents fail to comply with work and other welfare requirements. “We’ve been able to move low-income people into low-wage jobs, but little attention or money has been devoted to helping former welfare recipients advance in the work force … [to] move these individuals out of poverty,” pointed out state Rep. Elliott Naishtat. “I can’t imagine what the future of this state will be like if we don’t start investing in families and children,” said Barbara Best of the Children’s Defense Fund.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/4505105.html

16. Pennsylvania Seniors and Persons with Disabilities Applying for Supplemental Security Income Will Be Simultaneously Enrolled in Food Stamps

(“Pennsylvania Streamlines Access to Food Stamps for Seniors and Adults With Disabilities,” earthtimes.org, January 30, 2007)

Pennsylvania senior citizens and adults with disabilities may now apply for food stamps and supplemental security income (SSI) simultaneously, announced Department of Public Welfare Secretary Estelle B. Richman. The agency, joined by the Social Security Administration and the Food and Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, launched Pennsylvania’s Combined Application Project (PA CAP). The project already enabled about 34,000 seniors and people with disabilities to enroll automatically for benefits. “With this new benefit program we are continuing our commitment to breaking down the barriers to self-sufficiency and helping people afford items that can significantly improve their quality of life,” said Secretary Richman.

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,51672.shtml

17. New Hampshire: State Agencies Initiate Walk-In Service Center in Grafton County

(“State Brings Services to Residents in Need,” citizen.com, January 30, 2007)

Staff of the N.H. Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Employment Security will be available at the Whole Village Family Resource Center in Plymouth, N.H., every other Monday to help people in need apply for food stamps and unemployment benefits. “Appointments are not necessary. Those who need our services can just come on in. Nobody will be turned away,” said organizer and County Commissioner Martha Richards. She said the initiative will help a lot of people in the area. “This is really about easy access to services that many people need,” commented commissioner Richard Brothers. “This isn’t just for people who are unemployed. It’s not just for food stamps. People who need help with [their] resume or interviewing skills will also benefit.”

http://www.citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070130/CITIZEN_01/101300209/-1/CITIZEN

18. Georgia: Food Bank Launches Mobile Pantry to Serve Rural Counties

(“Food Bank Goes Mobile,” savannahnow.com, January 28, 2007)

America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia is setting up a mobile food pantry program in Hinesville, Ga. The mobile food program will use a refrigerated truck to deliver food to 20 rural counties. Residents in those areas are very hesitant to ask for help, said Executive Director Mary Jane Crouch. “As the poverty in our area continues to increase, thousands in our community constantly struggle to provide enough food for their families,” Crouch said in a statement. “The mobile pantry will allow us to ... distribute more nutritious food to our community,” she stressed. According to Crouch, the organization hopes that the new program also will “highlight to the community” why its residents need help.

http://savannahnow.com/node/219352

Also see http://www.dailynews.com/santaclarita/ci_5122856 (“Pantry Feeds Even More,” daily news.com, January, 30, 2007)

19. Hawaii: Poverty is Best Predictor of Poor Academic Performance in Schools, Study Found

(“Poverty’s Detriment to Pupils Affirmed,” honoluluadvertiser.com, January 29, 2007)

Poverty is the single best predictor of poor academic performance, according to a school performance analysis conducted by the Hawaii Department of Education (DOE). The latest state assessment showed that 35 percent of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds were proficient in reading on the 2006 assessment, compared with 57 percent of students from better-off families, reported education officials to a Board of Education committee. “The more economically disadvantaged students at a school, the lower the school’s reading performance,” said Bob Campbell of DOE. Board Member Donna Ikeda called on the department to address some of the effects of poverty by providing students afterschool help and other assistance.

http://tinyurl.com/2abwaf

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