FRAC Chat

Have you heard the news? Ward 8 is getting two new grocery stores. But it’s not because of the Mayor’s Food Access Fund, the Nourish DC Fund, or any of the District’s other interventions to increase grocery access. It’s because the new redistricting map extends Ward 8 across the Anacostia River for the first time, and it includes both a Harris Teeter and a Whole Foods Market.
Redistricting occurs in the District every 10 years after the new Census data becomes available. The goal is to make the population of the wards more even. The 2020 Census found that more than 87,000 people had moved to Washington, D.C. in the past ten years, with Ward 6 experiencing the biggest population growth by 35.2 percent and Wards 7 and 8 both losing residents. The purpose of D.C. redistricting isn’t Congressional representation but rather to give the wards equal power within the DC government.

Anti-hunger stakeholders can take action now to ensure eligible households claim their expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) benefits by filing a 2021 federal tax return by April 18, 2022. Outreach is particularly needed to households with the lowest income, who may not have been eligible for the CTC in the past. Many families, including more than 2.3 million children, are at risk of not receiving the expanded CTC benefit. This blog highlights key background on the expanded CTC–including its impact on poverty and hunger–and how to leverage this powerful benefit.

This blog focuses on procedural flexibilities available during COVID-19 and on strategies to promote efficient and equitable SNAP access and good customer service before, during, and beyond any post-PHE transitional period. Part 1 of this two-part blog summarizes the array of SNAP aid tied to the duration of that PHE declaration, makes the case for maintaining it, and outlines legislative actions to permanently strengthen SNAP benefit amounts and eligibility provisions.

From March 15-17, anti-hunger advocates from around the country will virtually join the National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference (AHPC) to share and learn best practices to eradicate hunger in America. The conference is co-sponsored by FRAC and Feeding America, in cooperation with the National CACFP Forum.
Haven’t registered yet? Registration is still open. See below for what you can expect from this annual, “can’t miss” event.

As we celebrate National School Breakfast Week (March 7-11), Maryland Hunger Solutions is ramping up to celebrate Hear the Maryland Crunch on Thursday, March 10, to highlight the importance of school breakfast and the incredible work our school food nutrition professionals have been doing to serve healthy school meals through the immense challenges of the pandemic.