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 22, June 4, 2004
- "Blueprint to End Hunger" Unveiled on National Hunger Awareness Day
- Hungry Children More Likely to be Sick and Hospitalized
- Food Stamp Demand Surges Among Military Families
- One in Four Workers Live at Federal Poverty Level
- Revised Food Pyramid Will Recommend More Fish, Fiber, & Exercise
- California: Bill Approves $7.75 Minimum Wage, Governor Likely to Veto
- Texas: Summer Food Service Program Reaches Only 15% of Eligible Children
- New York: Food Stamp Use on the Rise
- Arizona: Number of Hungry Arizonans Growing
- New York: Rewards of a 90-Hour Week: Poverty and Dirty Laundry
- Colorado: Denver Human Services Faces Large Cut in Welfare, Medicaid, Food Stamp Casework Staff
- North Carolina: Requests for Help Surprise Agencies
1. "Blueprint to End Hunger"
Unveiled on National Hunger Awareness Day
(National Anti-Hunger Organizations, June, 3, 2004)
Thirteen organizations that comprise the National Anti-Hunger Organizations (NAHO) unveiled a new “Blueprint to End Hunger in America." The NAHO Blueprint recommends programmatic investments and improvements in the national nutrition safety net to halve hunger and food insecurity in the US by 2010 and to end both by 2015. It outlines strategies to improve benefit adequacy and access in the Food Stamp, child nutrition, WIC and emergency feeding programs. “Our nation has the tools and resources to end hunger. Our Blueprint offers a realistic plan for achieving that goal,” said NAHO Chairperson H. Eric Schockman.
Press Release: http://www.frac.org/html/news/Press_06.04.04.html
Blueprint to End Hunger (PDF): http://www.frac.org/Blueprint to End Hunger.pdf
Statement by FRAC President Jim Weill: http://www.frac.org/html/news/Statement_06.03.04.html
Note: Next week FRAC will post a round-up of Hunger
Awareness Day news.
2. Hungry Children More Likely to be Sick and Hospitalized
("Kids who go hungry likely to land in poor health," Boston Herald, June 1, 2004)
Infants and toddlers who do not get enough to eat are more likely to get
sick and be hospitalized, according to a recent study published in this
month's Journal of Nutrition. Children up to age 3 with limited or uncertain
access to nutritious food are 90 percent more likely to be in only fair
or poor health and 30 percent more likely to be hospitalized. John Cook,
lead author of the study, said poor nutrition harms children by weakening
their immune systems and ability to learn. Co-investigator for the study
Carol Berkowitz said that the nation's health care costs may be higher
because so many eligible children do not actually receive food stamps
and then are more likely to become sick enough to require hospitalization.
http://news.bostonherald.com/national/view.bg?articleid=30098
Study available at: http://www.nutrition.org/cgi/content/abstract/134/6/1432
3. Food Stamp Demand Surges Among Military Families
("Hungry U.S. families can't be defended," Oregonian, June 2, 2004)
Demand for food stamps among the families of
national guardsmen and reservists skyrocketed
several hundred percent from 2002 to 2003.
Col. Dennis Spiegel,
deputy director of Army Emergency Relief, says
families qualify for benefits as soon as they
enter service. Spiegel says states nationwide
have been
asking the Department of Defense to explain
how military families can access such programs
as food stamps and the Women, Infants and Children
nutrition
programs. "I think the stories
of families being in need are pretty striking," said
Ellen Vollinger of FRAC. "Now more than ever,
we must make sure as a community that the families
of these troops are taken care of here on
the home front," said Mayor
of San Jose, Ron Gonzales.
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/david_sarasohn/index.ssf?/base/editorial/
108617735225180.xml
FRAC web page on Nutrition Program Benefits for
Reservists: http://www.frac.org/html/federal_food_programs/military/reservists.htm
4. One in Four Workers Live at Federal Poverty Level
("Working...and Poor," Business Week Online, May 31, 2004)
Twenty-eight million working Americans, or one in four
workers between the ages of 18 to 64, make less than
$9.04
an
hour, putting them below the federal poverty level
for
a family of four. The loss of white-collar jobs offshore
has produced headlines; less publicized are the
problems
of
the
working
poor, such as unpaid sick days and jobs with no benefits.
For those on the edge of poverty, one event
such as a stalled car, can lead to being fired or financial
ruin. A
2003
study
by
the
Federal
Reserve
Bank
of
Boston
found
that
in
the
1990s,
the
chance a poor person would remain poor increased compared
to the 1970s. "If current trends persist, a greater
and greater share of wealth will keep going into the
hands of the few," said James Sinegal, CEO of Costco
Wholesale Corp., who worries that lack of mobility
will
destroy initiative among the working class. Families
who go just beyond a poverty-level wage by earning
$7 to $10 an hour, can become ineligible for vital
assistance such as food stamps, child care assistance,
and the earned-income tax credit.
Says Ron Haskins of the Brookings Institution, "For
them, Horatio
Alger does not apply."
http://businessweek.com/magazine/content/04_22/b3885001_mz001.htm
5. Revised Food Pyramid Will Recommend More Fish, Fiber, & Exercise
("Rebuilding the pyramid," Cape Cod Times, May 28,
2004)
The food pyramid, the federal government's guide to healthy eating, is
undergoing revision. Federal advisors will recommend Americans eat more
fish, fiber, and fewer refined grains such as white bread. The U.S. Department
of Agriculture asked its Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee to change
the pyramid's focus from maintaining a healthy diet to losing weight.
In addition to dietary changes, the committee recommended 30 to 60 minutes
of vigorous exercise for adults most days.
http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/rebuildingthe28.htm
6. California: Bill Approves $7.75 Minimum Wage, Governor Likely to Veto
("$1 increase in state minimum wage gets Assembly OK
Governor, against more regulatory burdens on California businesses, likely to veto bill," San Francisco Chronicle, May 28, 2004)
A bill in California's Legislature would raise the state's minimum wage
by $1, from $6.75 to $7.75 in 2006. However, Governor Schwarzenegger would
likely veto the bill if it came before him. California's minimum wage
is currently the lowest on the West Coast. In order to match the purchasing
power of the state's minimum wage in 1968, it would have to be $8.92 an
hour today, according to labor officials. "In my [district] nobody can
live on anything less than $15 an hour. That's why many wage earners have
two jobs," said Assemblyman Manny Diaz (D-San Jose).
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/05/28/BUG446T4461.DTL
7. Texas: Summer Food Service Program Reaches Only 15% of Eligible Children
("Program targets summer hunger," Houston Chronicle, May 31, 2004)
When school ends, Dorothy Lackins struggles to feed her three granddaughters who rely on the free school breakfast and lunch program during the regular school year. Food is available through the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), but only about 15 percent of Texas children who are eligible take part in the program. Nationally, the average participation rate is 21 percent. Skipping meals produces lethargy in children because their metabolism slows and their bodies start storing fat. Overeating also occurs because children do not know when they will next get food. Growth and learning are affected as well.
(subscription required) http://www.houstonchronicle.com
8. New York: Food Stamp Use on the Rise
("Food stamp use on the rise," The Journal News.com, May 27, 2004)
In April, 17,322 residents of Rockland County received food stamps, an
increase of 18.6 percent since December 1999. A county official said the
last time demand was so high was in 1992. Recipients such as Yajaira Rodriguez
calls the benefit "a blessing." Carmen Loras, of the Community Action
Partnership in Haverstraw, notes that two years ago three people a week
visited CAP for food stamp information. Now 15 people a week come in.
A majority are Spanish-speaking. Food stamps, however, only provide poor
families with some support. They also rely on food pantries and soup kitchens,
particularly at the end of the month, when food stamp benefits have been
exhausted.
http://www.thejournalnews.com/newsroom/052704/a0127foodstamps.html
9. Arizona: Number of Hungry Arizonans Growing
("Number of hungry Arizonans growing," Arizona Republic, May 30, 2004)
Doris Campbell is among an estimated 630,000 Arizonans
struggling to put food on their tables -- "food insecure" under
federal definitions. Campbell has been relying on the
senior lunch program for 10 years to get a consistent,
nutritious meal. Arizona's rate of food insecurity
in 2000 was 12.5 percent, compared to 10.8 percent
nationally. Food insecure households include working
poor families, senior adults, people with physical
and mental disabilities, the unemployed, the homeless,
and immigrants. Ginny Hildebrand, executive director
of the Association of Arizona Food Banks, encounters
people who have part-time jobs, seasonal work, or service-related
work, all paying salaries too low to meet a family's
basic needs.
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0530food30.html
10. New York: Rewards of a 90-Hour Week: Poverty and
Dirty Laundry
("Rewards of a 90-Hour Week: Poverty and Dirty
Laundry," New York Times, May 31, 2004)
Laundromats in New York City employ thousands of "wash and fold"
workers to do customers' laundry. The majority of these workers are paid
less, often much less, than the minimum wage of $5.15 an hour and speak
of abusive, sweltering work conditions. Inriqueta G. works 70 hours a
week and earns $350 in cash, $400 less a month than what she would earn
if she were paid the minimum wage plus overtime. Many of the workers are
immigrants. "Life is a lot more difficult here than I thought,"
says Piedad G. "Sometimes I think I was crazy to come here. This
is a country with a lot of opportunities, but in order to take advantage
of those opportunities you have to suffer a lot."
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/31/nyregion/31laundry.html
11. Colorado: Denver Human Services Faces Large Cut
in Welfare, Medicaid, Food Stamp Casework Staff
("Human Services to trim 150 jobs," Rocky Mountain News, May 28, 2004)
Colorado state budget cuts that go into effect July
1 will mean a loss of 150 jobs and an $8.2 million
cut to Denver Human Services. The agency's welfare
funding, Medicaid, food stamp eligibility, and child
care assistance could be affected. Cuts are occurring
as
demand for services is rising. Approximately 1,200
children are waiting placement into child care services.
Child-abuse cases were up 33 percent in the first quarter
of 2004.
http://rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_2920546,00.html
12. North Carolina: Requests for Help Surprise
Agencies
("Requests for help surprise agencies," The
Charlotte Observer, May 29, 2004)
April and May are generally the quietest months for
food pantries and other organizations that assist
poor people, but the demand in recent weeks has surged
dramatically, surprising service providers. Rising
gas prices are blamed. High utility bills, due to
a cold winter followed by a hot summer, have also
pinched the budgets of poor families. The number
of people seeking assistance at Mooresville Christian
Mission was more than double the usual monthly total.
Although the economy is improving, it generally takes
three years for low-income families to feel the effects
of a recovery, say social workers.
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/8790442.htm