FRAC News Digest - August 6, 2004

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.

Note: Beginning July 23, the FRAC News Digest will be published biweekly until September 6, 2004.

Issue 30, August 6, 2004

Food Stamp Participation Increases in May 2004 to 24 Million Persons
12th Annual Victory Against Hunger Awards Announced
National Day for Afterschool Programs on October 14
Fruit & Vegetable Pilot Expands to More States & Schools
Health Insurance Rolls Grow by 5 Million Children Due to Economy
Georgia: School Board Votes to Continue Free Breakfast
High Food Prices Create 'Sticker Shock'
New York: 750,000 Working Poor Hurt by Veto to Raise Minimum Wage
I.R.S. Says Americans' Income Shrank for 2 Straight Years
Healthy Habits Harder in Low-Income Areas
Promising Practices and Lessons Learned for Food Stamp Outreach
Pennsylvania: Grab 'N' Go Service Increases Number of Children Eating Breakfast
Nationwide, Hunger Doesn't Take a Summer Vacation
Mississippi: Academic Success Traced to Healthier School Menu

1. Food Stamp Participation Increases in May 2004 to 24 Million Persons

(Food Research & Action Center, August 2004)

Participation in the Food Stamp Program in May 2004 (the latest data available) increased by 99,607 persons from the previous month to 23,976,028 persons. Some of this increase was due to continuing high rates of joblessness, states improving access, and the effects of the food stamp reauthorization implementation. The May 2004 level of Food Stamp Program participation represented a rise of more than 2.4 million persons compared to the May 2003 level.

http://frac.org/html/news/fsp/05.04_FSP.html

2. 12th Annual Victory Against Hunger Awards Announced

(Congressional Hunger Center and Victory Wholesale Grocers, August 4, 2004)

Twenty-six state and local anti-hunger organizations were honored for their outstanding work with $1,000 prizes given by the 12th annual Victory Against Hunger Awards. Victory Wholesale Grocers of Springboro, OH and Boca Raton, FL partner with the D.C.-based Congressional Hunger Center to recognize statewide and local anti-hunger organizations that have effectively fought hunger in their communities. This year's prizes honored initiatives to improve access to the Food Stamp Program. Since the competition's founding, a total of $170,000 has been awarded.

http://www.hungercenter.org/chc/news8.htm

For a list of winners:
http://www.hungercenter.org/chc/news8a.htm

3. National Day for Afterschool Programs on October 14

(Afterschool Alliance, August, 2004)

On October 14, supporters of afterschool programs will celebrate the fifth anniversary of Lights On Afterschool! nationwide. Program providers and other afterschool supporters use this day to rally support for afterschool programs that provide a vital service to children and families. Every year, thousands of communities across the nation organize activities such as rallies, talent shows, town hall meetings, letter writing campaigns, and site visits for media and elected officials as part of Lights On Afterschool!

http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/loa_2003/index.cfm

4. Fruit & Vegetable Pilot Expands to More States & Schools

(U.S. Department of Agriculture, July 29, 2004)

More schoolchildren will be getting special supplies of fresh fruit and vegetables in school with the expansion of the Fruit and Vegetable Pilot Program. The 2002 Farm Bill established the program as a pilot in Indiana, Michigan, Iowa, Ohio (in 25 elementary and secondary schools in each state), and the Zuni Pueblo of New Mexico. A program evaluation found that it was popular with both students and administrators, improved students' eating habits, and raised student preference for and awareness of fruits and vegetables. The program was made permanent in the recently passed Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act and more jurisdictions were added. In addition to the original pilot states, Washington, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and two Indian reservations will begin offering the program.

http://www.fns.usda.gov/cga/PressReleases/2004/PR-0312.htm

5. Health Insurance Rolls Grow by 5 Million Children Due to Economy

("5 million kids added to public health insurance rolls during downturn," The Olympian, August 3, 2004)

The number of children receiving Medicaid or SCHIP (State Children's Health Insurance Program) increased by 5 million since 2001, mainly because parents lost employer-sponsored insurance, according to a study by the Center for Studying Health System Change. The economic downturn at the start of the decade caused parents' insurance to end or become too expensive. When children lack insurance, they miss regular checkups and use the emergency room for routine care, according to a new report by the Urban Institute. The two studies were released in tandem by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as part of its Covering Kids and Families campaign. In 2001, 67 percent of Americans were insured through their employers, dropping to 63.4 percent by 2003.

http://www.theolympian.com/home/news/20040803/topstories/112352.shtml

6. Georgia: School Board Votes to Continue Free Breakfast

("Breakfast to be free at schools," August Chronicle, August 3, 2004)

Free breakfast will be offered to all students again this upcoming school year after last year's successful experiment increased the number of pupils eating breakfast by more than 25 percent. During the 2003-04 school year, an average of 13,710 students ate breakfast every morning, up from 10,489 the previous year, when some children paid. Offering free breakfast helps remove stigma, said Randy Rosso of the Food Research & Action Center. Rosso added that eating breakfast improves students' memories and attention spans. The schools' nutrition director said lunch should be universally free also --- "meals [should be provided] the same way [children] are given textbooks and a ride on the school bus."

http://augustachronicle.com/stories/080304/met_1634614.shtml

7. High Food Prices Create 'Sticker Shock'

("Food prices tough to swallow," Des Moines Register, August 1, 2004)

Most food prices have increased over the last year, due to high farm commodity prices and increased energy costs. "There's been sticker shock for everybody, and if you have less resources that's an even bigger shock," said Karen Ford, executive director of the Food Bank of Iowa. Americans spend on average 10.1 percent of disposable income on food, down from 19.5 percent in 1954 and 12 percent in 1984, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But while all U.S. food prices have risen on average 2.5 percent every year for the past decade, this year and next they are expected to increase up to 4 percent.

http://tinyurl.com/4c26o

8. New York: 750,000 Working Poor Hurt by Veto to Raise Minimum Wage

("Nothing wrong with a pay raise," Newsday.com, August 2, 2004)

Governor Pataki's veto of the bill to raise New York's state minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.15 an hour in 2007 will hurt New York's 750,000 working poor, whose wages have not risen with inflation.

http://tinyurl.com/3jrbc

9. I.R.S. Says Americans' Income Shrank for 2 Straight Years

("I.R.S. Says Americans' Income Shrank for 2 Consecutive Years," New York Times, July 29, 2004)

Overall income that taxpayers reported shrank for two consecutive years after 2000. The back-to-back decline is the first of its kind since the introduction of the modern tax system, according to newly released information by the Internal Revenue Service. Adjusted gross incomes fell 5.1 percent, and adusted for inflation, the income reported by all Americans dropped 9.2 percent from 2000 to 2002. The fall in the stock market and losses of jobs and wages in well-paying industries were primary causes of the unprecedented decline. Earnings of people with modest incomes "are more volatile," said Edward Wolff, an economist at New York University, leaving them more vulnerable to losing pay essential to cover their mortgage, car loans, and other day-to-day expenses.

http://tinyurl.com/54pkz

10. Healthy Habits Harder in Low-Income Areas

("Healthy habits harder in low-income areas," Contra Costa Times, July 23, 2004)

Residents of low-income areas face special barriers to obtaining healthy food. The lack of grocery stores in impoverished urban communities creates "food deserts," as nutritionists call them. To improve nutrition options for low-income families, about 200 representatives from East Bay food banks, soup kitchens and other hunger prevention agencies recently gathered to discuss the issue. The convenience of takeout meals, schools serving prepackaged meals from fast food vendors, and ads for sugary cereals and sodas make it even harder for people to change their diets. The short shelf life of produce is an issue that the California Association of Food Banks is addressing by setting up a toll-free hotline that growers and retailers can call for same day delivery of the items to a soup kitchen or food pantry. One effort by California's 5-A-Day campaign takes unneeded refrigeration and display units to convenience stores so they can offer fresh produce to underserved communities. "Of course people make choices, and they don't always make the right choices, and we want to educate them to make better choices," says Leslie Mikkelsen, managing director of the Prevention Institute. "But we also have to create a system...where healthy choices are realistic options."

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/living/health/9224406.htm?1c

11. Promising Practices and Lessons Learned for Food Stamp Outreach

(Food Stamp Outreach Coalition, August 2004)

Outreach materials, promising practices, and lessons learned in food stamp outreach are available online at the Food Stamp Outreach Resource Center on the U.S. Department of Agriculture website. Under promising practices, positive examples of food stamp outreach and materials are available. A link to lessons learned gives groups that conduct food stamp outreach to share what has or has not worked. The Food and Nutrition Service is collecting promising practices, outreach materials, and lessons learned to understand successful practices and to use them to guide FNS administrative decisions. Community organizations also benefit by learning from other groups' successes and mistakes.

http://www.fns.usda.gov/fsp/outreach/coalition/Promising-Practices.htm

12. Pennsylvania: Grab 'N' Go Service Increases Number of Children Eating Breakfast

("Grab 'n' Go Breakfast Increases Participation in the School Breakfast Program," Journal of Child Nutrition and Management, Spring 2004)

A grab 'n' go breakfast service significantly increased breakfast participation for all categories of students when implemented in a Pennsylvania middle school. The school began grab 'n' go breakfast at the end of the 2002 school year. Grab 'n' go service allows students to pick up food in carts in the school's atrium, a main traffic area remote from the cafeteria. Providing breakfast in an unrestricted hallway prompted more students receiving free and reduced-priced meals to participate as well. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but limited time in the morning may mean even well-intentioned parents send children to school without nourishment. The morning crunch for time was one of several reasons why the middle school initiated a grab 'n' go breakfast program.

http://www.asfsa.org/childnutrition/jcnm/04spring/conklin/

13. Nationwide, Hunger Doesn't Take a Summer Vacation

("Hunger Doesn't Take a Vacation," Food Research & Action Center, July 2004)

A report including state rankings on student participation rates in the Summer Food Service Program was recently released by the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC). "Hunger Doesn't Take a Vacation," generated nationwide media attention.

News roundup:
http://www.frac.org/Press_Release/07.22.04.html

Utah:
Utah's summer food program participation rate rose by 31 percent between 2002 and 2003, the third most rapid increase in the nation. "I can't think of a better program," said Kelly Orton, the child nutrition director for the Lake School District. The district's lunch sites offer free lunch to anyone 18 and under, "no ID's are checked and no money is handed over...no questions asked," said Orton.

"Summer federal lunch plan feeds Utah Kids," Salt Lake Tribune, July 23, 2004
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_2381277

"Lunch aid continuing for needy youngsters," Desert News, July 29, 2004
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,595080592,00.html

Iowa:
Only 8 percent of Iowa children who got federal lunch during the school year were served by the Summer Food Program last year, one of the lowest participation rates in the nation. Iowa loses $6 million federal dollars each summer. More publicity about the program; more schools, local governments, and nonprofit organizations as sponsors; and transportation for students in rural areas are needed to serve more children. State budget crunches have meant fewer summer classes, ideal places for summer food sites.

"Lunch plan underused in Iowa, study finds," Des Moines Register, July 28, 2004
http://tinyurl.com/3jwj7

"Missing a chance to help kids," Des Moines Register, July 30, 2004
http://tinyurl.com/5reh9

Michigan:
Only 13 states do a worse job than Michigan in providing summer meals to low-income children who qualify for federal school lunches. Michigan dropped from 34th to 37th in the numbers of children served. "There are consequences of hunger," said Jane Marshall, executive director of the Food Bank Council of Michigan. Children experience "hyperactivity, aggression, withdrawn behaviors," said Marshall. Federal efforts to simplify cost-accounting, reduce paperwork and increase reimbursement rates are expected to help Michigan recruit more lunch sites into the program.

"Fewer lunches served to poor kids," MLive.com, July 26, 2004
http://www.mlive.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/news-10/109085539898460.xml

Nevada:
Nevada ranked sixth in the nation overall in terms of feeding needy children in the summer for free. The state serves about 33 percent of those children who participate in federal nutrition programs during the school year. A decrease in the number of sites and the fact than many parents do not know about the sites are partly to blame for participation numbers lower than they should be, policy analysts and government officials said. To serve more children, the guideline for opening a summer site at a school should drop from 50 of parents below the federal income level to 40 percent, said Randy Rosso of the Food Research & Action Center.

"Kids need not go hungry," Las Vegas Sun, July 28, 2004
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/text/2004/jul/28/517247494.html

14. Mississippi: Academic Success Traced to Healthier School Menu

("Success Traced to Menu in District," The Columbus Dispatch, August 4, 2004)

After replacing sodas and candy in vending machines with milk, water and 100 percent juice; offering fewer fried items and more fresh produce on the cafeteria menu; ending a la carte options on the cafeteria line; and allowing students to take juice and water to class, the McComb school district saw its graduation rate jump 92 percent and dropout rate plunge from 30 percent to less than 2 percent. Pat Cooper, school district superintendent, calls nutrition the "bedrock" of the district's success. "We also are getting good test scores because we are zeroing in on the basic needs of children," said Cooper. Physical education and mental health counseling are part of changes in McComb. Vending machine revenue is up 30 percent and participation rate in the cafeterias has risen from 78 to 98 percent.

http://tinyurl.com/4hnws