4 New York Groups Receive Hunger-Free Communities Grants

Last week, the USDA announced Hunger-Free Communities grant awards to four groups in New York State:

• The United Way of NYC,
• Cornell Cooperative Extension of Niagara County,
• Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County, and
  
• Poughkeepsie Farm Project
  

Funded projects will improve access to nutritious food through research, planning, and implementation of hunger relief activities through community partnerships and collaborations.

The USDA awarded 14 grants to groups in eight states.

For more information, please visit the USDA's website (here).

April 1 Standard Utility Allowance Decrease

The Standard Utility Allowances (SUA) will decrease on April 1, 2011. The SUA, along with rent or mortgage payments and certain other shelter related deductions are subtracted from a food stamp household’s income to determine the food stamp benefit amount for which the household is eligible. For the first time, the SUA adjustment scheduled to go into effect on April 1 of this year will result in a reduction in food stamp benefits for many households, particularly those with elderly or disabled members.

The following SUA amounts go into effect beginning April 1, 2011:

Standard Utility Allowances for NYS (effective April 1, 2011)

New York City

Level 1 - $718

Level 2 - $284

Level 3 - $33 unchanged

Nassau & Suffolk

Level 1 -$669

Level 2 - $263

Level 3 - $33 unchanged

--

Rest of State

Level 1 - $593

Level 2 - $240

Level 3 - $33 unchanged

--

This memo provides more information on how this decrease will effect FS benefits and includes the following attachments:

• Food Stamp Budget Worksheet for April 1
• NYSNIP Benefit Matrix by Shelter Type
• An upstate and NYC GIS 11 TA/DC004

To view the memo and attachements click here.

If you have any questions about this memo, or any other food-stamp related question, please contact me at (518) 436-8757, ext. 12, or by e-mailing Dawn.Secor@nutritionconsortium.org

Federal Continuing Resolution Bill Threatens Anti-Poverty Programs

This week, the House passed a Continuing Resolution (CR) bill to fund the federal government for the rest of the FY 2011 (through September 20, 2011). The bill proposes to cut spending by more than $65 billion in the next seven months.

Proposed cuts could affect:

• WIC,
• Commodity Supplemental Food Program,
• Congressional Hunger Center,
• Hunger Free Communities Grants,
  
• Home Energy Assistance Program
• Head Start, and
  
• Community Services Block Grant.
  

Read the press release from the House Committee on Appropriations (here) and check out a chart of program cuts (here).

For additional analysis, visit the Food Research and Action Center (here).

Join a national effort led by the Coalition on Human Needs to protect programs and services for low-income families (here).

President's 2012 Budget Proposes Restoration to SNAP/FS Cuts

Last week, President Obama's released his proposed 2012 FY budget.

The President's proposed budget provides support for the federal nutrition programs and anti-hunger efforts, including:

• Restoration of cuts to SNAP/food stamps made last December to partially finance Child Nutrition Reauthorization,
• Suspension of a restriction that caps food stamp benefits to certain adults trying to meet program work requirements
• Support for WIC,
• New funding for school breakfast expansion grants,
• Restoration of cuts to emergency food,
• Support for state and local anti-hunger efforts,
• Funds for the Congressional Hunger Center, and
  
• Support for the Healthy Food Financing Initiative, and effort to combat food deserts.

When passed/adopted, the 2012 budget will go into effect on October 1, 2011.

To learn more about funding for the Department of Agriculture, please visit the White House (here) and/or the Food Research and Action Center (here).

Free Webinar: All About Summer Food

On March 3rd from 2-3pm, the Nutrition Consortium of NYS and the NYS Education Department are co-sponsoring a free, web-based discussion about the SFSP. If your organization is interested in getting involved with summer meals for this summer, please join us.

https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/815114232

Please note: This webinar is catered to potentially new sponsors and sites, not existing SFSP sponsors and sites.