New: Factsheets About Children in Foster Care, Temporary Housing and Free School Meals

New factsheets are now available regarding certain students who are categorically eligible for free school meals.

Visit our "Child Nutrition Center/Related Tools and Resources" page for more information or view the factsheets directly:

Key Information for Lawyers and Child Advocates about Foster Child Eligibility for Free School Meals and Other Government Nutrition Programs

Students in Temporary Housing & Free School Meals

FRAC: 11/3 Webinar About Afterschool Snack and Supper Program

From the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC):

Join us for a webinar on operating the Afterschool Meal Program on weekends and during school holidays. Children need healthy meals when school is out for the weekend or during school holidays. Learn ways to incorporate meals into your weekend program and how you can successfully serve children during school holidays.

Thursday, November 03, 2011
1:00 - 2:00 PM Eastern

Visit the FRAC website for more information and to register

Action for For Healthy Kids Webinar: 10/27 School Breakfast Basics

From Action for Healthy Kids:

School Breakfast Basics – Making the Case and Making It Work (webinar #1 in a series of 5)

Thursday, October 27, 2011
Time: 4:00-5:00pm ET

This session is designed to bring school breakfast beginners up to speed. Participants will gain a better understanding of the operation, funding, and benefits of the federal School Breakfast Program. You will leave the webinar with resources and next steps for improving school breakfast in your community.

This is a great webinar for anyone who is unfamiliar with the School Breakfast Program but wants to help ensure that all students are well nourished and ready to learn. We welcome any and all participants, including parents, teachers, principals, food vendors, advocates, and district administrators.

Hear from experts at the Food Research and Action Center, California Food Policy Advocates (The BreakfastFirst Campaign), and districts with successful school breakfast programs.

Click here to learn more and register online

Improving School Meal Standards: No Time to Go Backward

This week, the US Senate will be reviewing funding for Agriculture Appropriations. Up for debate is an amendment urging the USDA to revisit the proposed school meal standards. This means possibly delaying or suspending the proposed standards, and/or creating a new set of school nutrition standards.

From the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC):
"...children – and the nation – cannot wait any longer for these changes. Poor nutrition leads to a higher risk of obesity and diet-related diseases, and hunger also produces health and educational damage."

For more information, please see the following resources from FRAC:

• Summary of the USDA's Proposed Nutritional Standards for School Meals
• Improving School Meal Nutrition Standards: No Time to Go Backward analysis
• Letter urging Congress to reject any attempt to derail the school meal regulation process

Summary of SFSP Participation in NYS, Summer 2010

Now available online, participation statistics for the SFSP in NYS for summer 2010.

Participation statistics for summer 2011 will be available in the future.

Visit our website for Bridging the Summer Nutrition Gap: SFSP in NYS, 2010 (text) and (tables).

Brentwood UFSD, Syracuse City SD Receive School Breakfast Grants

Congratulations to Brentwood UFSD and Syracuse City SD!

They are two of four urban school districts nationwide awarded funds from The American Association of School Administrators (AASA) and the Walmart Foundation's Superintendent Leadership to Enhance and Expand the School Breakfast Program in Urban Districts.

Hunger Solutions New York serves on the national advisory board of this effort and looks forward to the expansion of the SBP in both school districts. Stay tuned for more information!

USDA's Ending Childhood Hunger Video Contest

From the USDA:

Get your video cameras ready to help end hunger! The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) wants you to participate in the Ending Childhood Hunger Video Contest. We invite elementary, middle/junior high, and high school students to participate in the video contest (the "Contest"), which asks the question, "What are you doing to end childhood hunger in your community?"

FNS is accepting student-created videos of two minutes or less that show current activities or innovative ideas that tackle the problem of childhood hunger. Your videos will serve to inspire other students across the country to take action on this important issue.

Submissions must be made no later than October 21, 2011 at 11:59 PM EDT at http://endhunger.challenge.gov/submissions/new.

The Cost of Hunger in New York State

The Center for American Progress released a report last week that estimates the cost of hunger in the United States to be over $167 billion. This cost includes avoidable illnesses and poor educational outcomes that occur as a result of food insecurity as well as the charitable donations for emergency food to address hunger.

The hunger bill for New York State is $9.28 billion which is an increase of 30.89 percent since 2007.

See how New York compares to other states by visiting the CAP interactive map.

More Families Eligible for the Food Stamp Program on October 1

Each October 1 the Food Stamp Program (FSP) adjusts the guidelines used to determine the amount of food stamp benefits a household will receive. Our newest policy update highlights the increases to the FSP standards and deductions for October 1, 2011.

Due to these increases in the income guidelines more families could be eligible for the Food Stamp Program as of October 1st! This includes households who previously had been slightly “over income” for food stamps.

Help with applying for the Food Stamp Program available in many communities:
There are Nutrition Outreach and Education Program (NOEP) Coordinators in many communities across NYS. NOEP coordinators are available to help potentially eligible individuals and families apply for food stamp benefits by:

• Providing confidential screening to see if the family may be eligible for the FSP.


• Assisting with completing the application including the online application.


• Answering any questions households may have.


• Working with current recipients around recertification or other issues with their food stamp case.

Find out if there is a NOEP coordinator in your community.

If you have any questions about this FSP policy update, or any other food-stamp related question, please contact Dawn Secor at (518) 436-8757, ext. 112, or by e-mailing Dawn.Secor@hungersolutionsny.org.