Federal Budget Update, FY2012 Agriculture Appropriations

On November 18th, President Obama signed HR 2112 into law, which provides funding to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and essential nutrition assistance programs.

The bill provides a total of $136.6 billion in funding for nutrition programs and efforts related to SNAP/Food Stamp Program, school meals, Summer Food Service Program, WIC, emergency food, farm to school, and more.

Regarding school nutrition, the bill limits the USDA's authority on the final rule regarding school meal improvement, modifying and/or limiting various recommendations from the Institute of Medicine.

Read more from the Food Research and Action Center, including a summary of funding levels for each program and a budget analysis.

NY Times: Line Grows Long for Free Meals at U.S. Schools

From the New York Times:

"Millions of American schoolchildren are receiving free or low-cost meals for the first time as their parents, many once solidly middle class, have lost jobs or homes during the economic crisis, qualifying their families for the decades-old safety-net program."

"In New York, the Gates Chili school district west of Rochester has lost 700 students since 2007-8, as many families have fled the area after mass layoffs. But over those same four years, the subsidized lunch program has added 125 mouths, many of them belonging to the children of Kodak and Xerox managers and technicians who once assumed they had a lifetime job, said Debbi Beauvais, district supervisor of the meals program.

“Parents signing up children say, ‘I never thought a program like this would apply to me and my kids,’ ” Ms. Beauvais said."

Read the full article here.

Rise in Veterans and Military Families Seeking Food Assistance

Coming off of Veterans Day, two reports have come out highlighting the rising struggles of our veterans and military families. Stars and Stripes reports that food stamp use at military commissaries is up sharply from four years ago. Nearly $88 million worth of groceries were purchased using food stamps at military commissaries in 2011, more than double the amount spent in 2008, according to the Defense Commissary Agency.

Additionally, the Food Bank for New York City reports on a similar rise in need among veterans. According to their report, From the Front Lines to the Bread Lines: Food Poverty Among Veterans, veterans’ households are making a range of sacrifices in order to make ends meet: more than 1 in 10 are unable to buy food because of rent or utilities; many more are reducing the quantity and quality of food they are purchasing. Further, the data show more than one third of veteran households would not be able to afford food for their families within three months of losing their household income.

Connect struggling veterans and military families to their local Nutrition Outreach and Education Program.

2011 Food Stamp Prescreening Guide Now Available

The October 2011 version of "FOOD STAMPS IN NYS: An Elgibility Prescreening Guide" is now available on our website. This year's web version includes new tools for navigating the document and many links to additional resources.

This guide is designed for community based organizations, advocates and volunteers who are working with low-income families. The guide will help you determine if a family/individual may be eligible to recieve food stamp benefits. It is a great tool for those helping families/individuals in applying for the Food Stamp Program. The guide also provides detailed information on how to calculate an estimated food stamp benefit allotment for a family/individual.

Due to financial restraints we cannot provide printed copies of this guide, as we have in past years.

For questions concerning information in the guide please contact Dawn Secor, Food Stamp Specialist at dawn.secor@hungersolutionsny.org or by calling 518-436-8757 x 112.

USDA Warning about Phony SNAP Application Assistance

Urgent Notice From USDA
SCAM Alert:
SCAMMERS OFFER PHONY SNAP APPLICATION ASSISTANCE

There have been reports of individuals placing ads on the internet, sometimes located on the side of legitimate articles, offering assistance for filling out SNAP applications.

The links will take you to another website where you may be asked to provide personal information, including credit card information. Do NOT provide this information. It can be used to allow other individuals to make unauthorized purchases on your credit card, or gain access to your bank accounts.

If you see any ad on the internet offering SNAP application assistance with a corresponding link, don’t click on it. Never provide any personal information, including credit card information on an unsecure Web Site. SNAP employees or service providers will never ask you for credit card information or for anything not on your State Agency application.

If you have already fallen victim to this or a similar scam, contact your credit card company immediately. You may also choose to file a police report. For more information on identity theft, please visit: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/ .

USDA: At-Risk Afterschool Meal Handbook

Afterschool care settings located in high-need areas may qualify to serve snacks and/or suppers at no charge to children. 

Learn more from a June 2011 USDA publication, "At-Risk Afterschool Meals: A Child and Adult Care Food Program Handbook"

Determining Foods Covered Under Nutrition Assistance Programs is Not Always a SNAP

From The Network for Public Health Law:

"The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, is under the microscope lately. People are debating about what foods and beverages should be eligible for SNAP benefits, and which businesses should be eligible to accept SNAP benefits. USDA recently updated the website page where it describes the foods eligible for SNAP. It’s not entirely surprising that SNAP is attracting more scrutiny. Use of SNAP has increased by about 50 percent during the recession to over 45 million Americans in July, 2011.

...Can we end hunger and malnutrition and eliminate obesity and diet-related disease? Are there ideas on which the public health and anti-hunger communities can agree?" 

Read more of the blog posting here.

October Snow Storm, Power Outages and Replacement Food Stamp Benefits

With hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers still without power after a surprise snow storm hit much of the Hudson Valley, Hunger Solutions New York wants to inform food stamp recipients that if they have lost food purchased with their EBT card due to a power outage of more than 4 hours, they may be eligible for replacement food stamp benefits.

The recent snow storm has left many people in the Hudson Valley and surrounding areas without power for several days. Losing power for extended periods of time can result in food spoilage. If food stamp recipients lost food that they purchased with their food stamp benefits, they should contact their local food stamp office immediately. If they are eligible, households will need to fill out a form in order to receive replacement food stamp benefits, but they must report the loss as soon as possible.

A flyer is now available for community organizations to help spread the word.

The form needed to request replacement benefits is available to download.