FRAC News Digest - October 29, 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.

Issue 40, October 29, 2004

USDA Says Annual Food Insecurity and Hunger Numbers Show Little or No Change
Food Stamp Nutrition Education Tools and Maps Online
Enrolling for School Meals to Get Easier
As Fuel Costs Rise, Energy Assistance Program Likely to Fall Short
Florida: Hunger Frequent for Many Families, Report Finds
Kansas: Ending Hunger in Kansas Gets Public-Private Boost
Arizona: Web Site Prescreens Eligibility for Food Stamps and Other Services
California: School Cafeterias Go Electronic with Meal Card
Washington: Community Effort Working to End Hunger
Iowa: Food Stamp Card Popular
California: Schools Cut Fat Creatively
Florida: Polls Support Raising Minimum Wage

1. USDA Says Annual Food Insecurity and Hunger Numbers Show Little or No Change

("Kerry criticizes delay in hunger report," News and Observer, October 29, 2004)

USDA's annual report on food security "shows little or no change from the numbers in last year's report," says Alisa Harrison, USDA's press secretary. Harrison was responding to a report that the annual release of the Census Bureau/USDA food security numbers had been scheduled for Thursday or Friday, October 28 or 29, but that the release had been delayed until after the election for political reasons. USDA says there is no new date for the release. The Census Bureau said in August that the ranks of the poor grew in 2003 for the third consecutive year, with the number living in poverty rising 1.3 million to 35.8 million. A rise in people living below the poverty line usually translates into a rise in those who experience either food insecurity or actual hunger.

http://tinyurl.com/7yma2

2. Food Stamp Nutrition Education Tools and Maps Online

(Economic Research Service, US Department of Agriculture)

Information on the Food Stamp Nutrition Education (FSNE) program, tools for community food security assessment, state fact sheets, current research on nutrition education, and links to web sites of interest for FSNE program planners and researchers are now available on the Economic Research Service web site. A key feature of the site is a series of maps illustrating, by state, Federal FSNE funding, FSNE funding per Food Stamp recipient, and numbers of food stamp recipients for the years 1992 to 2003. State agency commitment to nutrition education has grown rapidly. In 1992, the first year, seven States had nutrition education plans approved with total Federal funding of $661,076. By fiscal 2003, the number of States with approved nutrition education plans reached 49. Federal dollars totaled nearly $193 million.

http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/FoodStamps/fsne.htm

3. Enrolling for School Meals to Get Easier

("Role in Directly Certifying School-Age Food Stamp Recipients for the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs," Food and Nutrition Service USDA, October 8, 2004)

It will become easier for school children from households receiving food stamps to be directly certified for free school meals without a separate application. The change is a provision in the recently enacted Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act. The provision will be phased in over three years and requires the State agency that administers the Food Stamp Program to enter into an agreement with the State agency that administers the school lunch and breakfast programs. The link below is a memo from the US Department of Agriculture explaining the new law's requirements for local education agencies and State and local agencies that administer the Food Stamp Program.

http://www.fns.usda.gov/fsp/rules/Memo/04/100804.htm

4. As Fuel Costs Rise, Energy Assistance Program Likely to Fall Short

("As heating costs rise, the federal program to help poor may not keep pace," KRT Wire, October 21, 2004)

Soaring energy prices, a slow job market, and rising poverty rates have states bracing for a projected 20 percent increase in the number of poor families seeking help paying their heating bills this winter. Applications for energy assistance programs are expected to jump from last year's approximately 5 million households to 6 million nationally this winter, said Mark Wolfe, director of the National Energy Assistance Directors' Association in Washington. The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Programs (LIHEAP) last year helped pay a part of winter heating bills for nearly 4.6 million families. Under current budget projections, the program will get $2 billion this winter, up from $1.9 billion last winter. But the proposed increase is more than offset by rising energy prices.

http://tinyurl.com/4jhld

5. Florida: Hunger Frequent for Many Families, Report Finds

("Hunger frequent for many working-poor families," Sun-Sentinel, October 15, 2004)

Nearly 19 percent of working poor families in Palm Beach County -- those making $35,000 a year or less for a family of four -- eat small meals skimping on nutrition, or skip meals altogether, according to a study released by a coalition of Florida social service agencies. This is double the national average. Palm Beach County's particularly high housing, transportation, and utility costs leave many families without enough money for food. Among the families surveyed, more than 20 percent said they sometimes cut the size of youngsters' meals; almost 10 percent reported children skipped meals in three or more months; and more than 5 percent said that at some point in the past year, children did not eat for an entire day. The study used U.S. Department of Agriculture methodology and involved 247 households from 69 neighborhoods where the median household income was $35,000 a year.

http://tinyurl.com/6xqoz

Download the report "Food Security Survey Summary Report":
http://www.unitedwaypbc.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=np.one&content_id=670&x=5754550

6. Kansas: Ending Hunger in Kansas Gets Public-Private Boost

("Partners Against Hunger team up for new campaign to stop hunger," Dodge Globe, October 26, 2004)

Combating hunger across Kansas has brought the state's department of social services, Dillon's stores, and the Kansas Food Bank Warehouse into partnership for a campaign: "Filling the Plate: Partners Against Hunger." Hunger is not just an "east coast..west coast..urban problem," said the state's Andy West; "It's a problem here [in rural Kansas]," and it affects working families. The campaign's chief goal is to increase access to food assistance programs for low-income Kansans through expanded outreach efforts, starting with the 80 Dillon's stores across the state. Only 60 percent of eligible persons participate in Kansas' food stamp program, leaving more than 100,000 individuals who could receive the benefit, but do not. Increased participation would benefit the state and communities as well. Every $5 of federal food assistance benefit produces a $9.20 impact in economic activity due to the increased purchasing power of consumers.

http://www.dodgeglobe.com/stories/102604/local_102604012.shtml

7. Arizona: Web Site Prescreens Eligibility for Food Stamps and Other Services

("Web site prescreens eligibility for 11 social services," Arizona Republic, October 22, 2004)

In about 10 minutes, the Arizona Self Help web site can prescreen eligibility for 11 social service programs such as food stamps and child care assistance, helping applicants avoid long lines and embarrassment for those who would be turned away. Online survey results show that most of the site's visitors are surprised at the benefits for which they qualify. Created by the Arizona Community Action Association, the year-old site gets about 2,000 hits a month, but the nonprofit agency wants to increase those numbers. Community Action Agencies do not have computers set up yet for clients to use, but people may still make appointments with a staff member to be prescreened.

http://tinyurl.com/67tp7

8. California: School Cafeterias Go Electronic with Meal Card

("New policy forbids cash payments in lunch rooms," NapaNews.com, October 24, 2004)

School cafeterias will begin using electronic meal cards for payment in the St. Helena Unified School District. The new policy bars cash and makes impossible the identification of which students are enrolled in the free or reduced price meal program. Federal law prohibits overt identification of free or reduced price eligible students, but advocates around the country have long been concerned about systems that let such students be identified and feel embarrassed. With electronic cards "all the cash is taken care of in the school secretary's office, away from the lunch room," says Nicole Woo of the Food Research and Action Center, which has worked to shield the identity of students getting subsidies. The cards are also helping St. Helena's cut administrative costs by eliminating the need for a cafeteria cashier.

http://tinyurl.com/5j765

9. Washington: Community Effort Working to End Hunger

("Community effort aims to wipe out kids' hunger," The Columbian, October 24, 2004)

Despite federal programs that provide free and reduced-price meals for thousands of Clark County, Washington children, hunger is still a problem at county schools. Faculty members have been known to stock extra food to discreetly help students who have not had enough to eat. When children lack nutritious meals, it shows, says Judy Hudson, a counselor at Orchard Elementary: "they just don't learn as well." Hungry children also tire quickly and their energy dwindles by the end of the day. Many of the families are among the working poor where one or both parents have jobs, but are unable to afford enough food.

http://www.columbian.com/10242004/clark_co/203217.html

10. Iowa: Food Stamp Card Popular

("Food stamp card a hit, but there are glitches," DesMoinesRegister.com, October 27, 2004)

Since Iowa replaced paper food stamp coupons with an electronic debit-card, food stamp participation has increased in the state. The rise is not solely due to economic conditions, said officials with the Department of Human Services: participants are attracted to a system that is more dignified and less of a hassle. Also, paperwork requirements have been reduced. The enrollment application is now eight pages instead of 10, the language is simpler, and participants need only report the amounts of their earned income twice a year instead of monthly.

http://tinyurl.com/6rwmj

11. California: Schools Cut Fat Creatively

("Schools cutting the fat with creative solutions," Modesto Bee, October 25, 2004)

Whole wheat bread, salad bars, baked chips, and pizza with low-fat cheese are some of the measures taken by Modesto City and Sylvan Union school districts to counter childhood obesity. In addition, the state Legislature has eliminated soft drinks from elementary and junior high schools. With many children eating one or two meals a day on campus, schools play an important role in curbing childhood obesity. Students who do not exercise or eat well have difficulty concentrating, do not test as well, and miss school more often, found a report by Action for Healthy Kids. Cecilia Cobbs, vice principal at Fairview Elementary School in Modesto, agrees: "Kids who have healthy food do better and their behavior is better than when they eat the sugary stuff."

http://www.modbee.com/local/story/9332291p-10239117c.html

12. Florida: Polls Support Raising Minimum Wage

("Amendment 5: Raising lowest wages has support in polls," Sun-Sentinel, October 25, 2004)

Voters will decide next week whether to raise the state minimum wage by $1 to $6.15 an hour. Polls have shown relatively strong support for the measure. The amendment, if passed, would also tie future increases to the rate of inflation. Supporters of the increase estimate about 300,000 low-wage workers in Florida would directly benefit from a minimum wage hike. Boosting the minimum wage would help the lowest earners get a decent raise in percentage terms, but the cost would not be so large as to damage Florida's economy, said economist Mark Brenner of the University of Massachusetts. Opponents, including the Florida Restaurant Association, contend that jobs would be lost.

http://tinyurl.com/4l9x8