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.

Issue 15, April 9, 2007     

 

 

 

1. Rural America Starved for Access to Food in Growing Food Deserts, Study Says

 

(“Starved for Access: Life in Rural America's Food Deserts,” ruralsociology.org, April 4 2007)

 

Rural areas, and the Great Plains especially, risk becoming “food deserts ” as young families move away and market pressures continue to squeeze small grocers and retailers, according to the study entitled, “Starved for Access: Life in Rural America’s Food Deserts.” The study defines a food desert as an area where all residents must drive more than 10 miles to the nearest supermarket. “The residents of food deserts tend to be older, poorer, and less educated,” write the authors. They found that “health can be compromised by lack of food access. Many do not consume adequate amounts of fresh fruits or vegetables, and they often lack adequate dairy and protein in their diet.” Of all U.S. counties, 418 are food deserts, with nearly 98 percent located in non-metropolitan areas such as towns or cities of fewer than 10,000 people. In a case study of rural Iowa,nearly two-thirds of the population did not consume adequate amounts of vegetables and more than one-third lacked dairy in their diet. One of the study’s recommendations is to enhance the food safety net for disadvantaged residents.

 

http://www.ruralsociology.org/pubs/RuralRealities/Issue4.html

 

 

2. State Income Taxes on Low-Income Families Make It Bigger Struggle to Escape Poverty, Study Says

 

(“The Impact of State Income Taxes on Low-Income Families,” cbpp.org, March 27, 2007)

As families file their 2006 income taxes in Alabama, Arkansas, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, Oregon and West Virginia, families with incomes below the poverty line face more than $200 in state income taxes, according to a report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP). Such families in Alabama, Arkansas, Hawaii and West Virginia owe more than $400. “These amounts can cause significant difficulties for families struggling to escape poverty, especially when combined with other taxes these families pay, such as sales, payroll, and excise taxes,” writes CBPP. Moreover, Georgia, Iowa, Mississippi and North Carolina raised low-income households’ tax bills by at least 25 percent since 2005. New Jersey began taxing poor families of four for the first time since 1998. “Families with very limited means are still taxed too much by states,” said Jason Levitis, the report’s author. “Progress is occurring slowly. States increasingly realize they shouldn’t be taxing people deeper into poverty.”

http://www.cbpp.org/3-27-07sfp.htm

 

 

3. Texas: Low Education and Low-Paying Jobs in El Paso Result in Widespread, Enduring Poverty

 

(“More than 200,000 El Pasoans Survive $14 a Day,” elpasotimes.com, April 1, 2007)

 

An estimated 200,000 (29.2 percent of the populations) El Pasoans live in poverty, according to the 2005 American Community Survey of the U.S. Census Bureau. Families – couples with children or single parents – make up 80 percent of El Paso’s poor. “A lot of people are living paycheck to paycheck, making significant choices to survive - living with relatives, not enrolling their children in extracurricular activities, opting not to take some of their medicine, not to manage their high blood pressure or their diabetes,” said Maj. Ron Wildman of the Salvation Army. The reasons for El Paso’s enduring poverty rates are low education levels and low-paying jobs, experts say. According to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, in El Paso County, only 3.3 percent of the 25.3 percent people eligible for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families received it in 2000. The same year, only 16 percent of residents who qualified for food stamps actually received the benefits.   

 

http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_5568546

 

4. New York: New York City to Proceed with Anti-Poverty Experiment

 

(“Bloomberg Details City’s Antipoverty Experiment,” nytimes.com, March 29, 2007)

 

New York City is moving ahead with an anti-poverty experiment that will pay poor families up to $5,000 a year to meet targets like exemplary school attendance, going for medical checkups or holding down a full-time job, announced Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. The program is based on a similar effort in Mexico and is believed to be the first of its kind in the United States. Participating families would receive payments every two months for meeting any of about 20 criteria per individual. The payments would range from $25 for an elementary school student’s attendance to $300 for greatly improved performance on a standardized test, officials report. The project will begin in September, serving 2,500 randomly selected families. The progress they make will be tracked against another 2,500 randomly selected families who will not receive the assistance. If the experiment is successful, the city administration plans to make it a government-financed program.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/29/nyregion/29cnd-poverty.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

 

 

5. Oklahoma – Op-Ed: State Legislature Should Support Bill to Create Task Force on Hunger

 

(“Hunger Task Force Needed,” newsok.com, March 26, 2007)

 

“As the directors of Oklahoma’s two food banks … we have seen the growing determination of Oklahomans from all walks of life to fight hunger in our state,” write Rodney Bivens of the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma and Sara Waggoner of the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma in The Oklahoman. “Oklahomans have realized that hunger is hurting their neighbors, from the little girl who gets second helpings in the school cafeteria because it is the only meal she will eat that day to the senior citizen who has to make a choice between buying food and diabetes medication,” write Bivens and Waggoner. Despite the efforts to improve the situation, Oklahoma’s hunger problem keeps getting worse, the authors state. State Sen. Andrew Rice and state Rep. Kris Steele co-authored a bill that would create an Oklahoma Task Force on Hunger. “It is our hope that the Legislature will take this opportunity” and support the creation of an Oklahoma Task Force on Hunger. “Together, they would craft a broad range of recommendations to move us toward the goal of eliminating hunger in Oklahoma,” Bivens and Waggoner write.  

 

http://www.newsok.com/article/3031145/ (registration required)

 

 

6. Connecticut: Human Services Association Partners with State to Spread Word About Food Stamps

 

(“CAHS Looking to Help Encourage Food Stamp Enrollment,” zwire.com, March 29, 2007)

 

The Connecticut Association for Human Services is working to help encourage eligible low-income people to enroll in the Food Stamp Program. CAHS’s outreach program has been operating for several years as part of the State of Connecticut Department of Social Services’ statewide outreach plan. CAHS hopes to reach an estimated 100,000 state residents who are eligible for the program, but not currently participating. “Quite often, people are simply not aware that they are eligible for food stamps. They may not be aware of the eligibility guidelines, or they may have heard from friends or family members that they will not qualify,” said Tracy Helin of CAHS. “We are now able to give people an idea of what benefit level they might qualify for by pre-screening them, which may make them more likely to apply,” Helin said.

 

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18141998&BRD=1379&PAG=461&dept_id=162912&rfi=6

 

 

7. New York: Nutrition Consortium of NYS Offers Classroom Breakfast Startup Grants

 

(“New Funding Opportunity for Schools to offer Universal Classroom Breakfast” hungernys.org, April 2, 2007)

 

The Nutrition Consortium of NYS is awarding grants of $2,000-$5,000 to NY schools to begin universal classroom breakfast programs for the 2007-2008 school year. All public and non-public schools in NYS are eligible to apply, with the exception of school buildings receiving ABC Pilot funding in '03-'04. Letter of intent is due by April 20th; application deadline is May 7, 2007.

 

http://www.hungernys.org

 

 

8. Illinois: Breakfast Program in Donovan Exceeds Expectations

 

(“Donovan Breakfast Program to Continue,” watsekatimesrepublic.com, March 29, 2007)

 

The breakfast program at elementary and high schools in Donovan, Ill., has acquired many supporters among students, parents and the faculty. Superintendent Jerome Pankey reported to the district’s Board of Education that the program has exceeded his expectations. Teachers made comments about the positive changes they have seen in students since they started eating breakfast, Pankey said. He also received some letters from elementary school students in support of the breakfast program. “The kids love it,” said Kim Yates, a district bus driver and Title 1 aide. Her daughter looks forward to eating breakfast at school. Students are no longer bringing candy bars, chips and soda onto the bus in the morning, Yates noted.

 

http://www.watsekatimesrepublic.com/articles/2007/03/29/news/200news01.txt

 

 

9. Ohio: Bucyrus Fifth Grader Wins National Contest to Encourage Children to Eat Breakfast

 

(“Breakfast Really Pays Off,” bucyrustelegraphforum.com, March 29, 2007)

 

Bucyrus (Ohio) Middle School fifth grader Samantha Lohr won a national contest designed to encourage children to eat a healthy breakfast every day. The contest, endorsed by the NFL and the American Dairy Association, promoted the importance of eating a regular breakfast and nutrition education, such as awareness of different food groups, to children. Principal Todd Roll believes that one of the easiest and most affordable ways for children to get a healthy breakfast is through the school’s breakfast program. “Breakfast is truly the most important meal of the day,” Roll said. “A good breakfast boosts energy, improves mood and ultimately helps children learn. We do our best to provide kids with every advantage we can, and our breakfast before school program is an important part of that goal,” Roll stressed. Samantha’s prize includes an NFL-themed breakfast that she can share with her classmates.

 

http://www.bucyrustelegraphforum.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070329/NEWS01/703290301/1002

 

 

10. Massachusetts: Farm to School Project Brings Local Produce into School Kitchens

 

(“Massachusetts Schools Buy Local Produce,” chron.com, March 29, 2007)

 

“I care about what I eat, so I’m happy the school is doing what it can to help make meals healthier,” said Joe Levering, a sophomore at Clark University whose lunch included carrots from a farm just about 25 miles away from his campus in Worcester, Mass. The Massachusetts Farm to School Project is a three-year-old program that brings fresh fruits, vegetables and dairy products from local farms directly to campuses. Kelly Erwin, a former state agriculture department staff, started the program to get fresher ingredients into school kitchens. Today, 75 public school districts and a dozen colleges across the state benefit from the program. Nationwide, more than 200 colleges and 1,000 public school districts in 35 states have similar programs, said Marion Kalb, director of National Farm to School Program.

 

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/business/4670924.html

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