Governor Cuomo Kicks Off Farmers' Market Season and Encourages New Yorkers to Take Advantage of FreshConnect Projects Across the State

New Website For New Yorkers to Find a FreshConnect Market and Learn More About Resources to Access Fresh, Healthy Farm Produce

June 27, 2012 - Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today officially kicked off New York State's farmers' market season, and encouraged New Yorkers to take advantage of the many projects and markets supported through the FreshConnect Program across the state. To assist New Yorkers in locating a FreshConnect market, the Governor announced the launch of http://freshconnect.ny.gov, a new website that allows New Yorkers to learn more about FreshConnect projects in their area.
  
Governor Cuomo awarded grants this spring to support creative, local solutions around the state to improve access to fresh, locally produced food by low-income or underserved communities. As a result, 34 projects at over 50 locations statewide will provide improved access to New York farm products. A wide variety of supported programs -- including subsidized CSA farm shares, increased ability to use Food Stamp/Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits at farmers markets, free transportation to markets, and new local food donation programs -- all make New York farm products more accessible to all New Yorkers. For more information on FreshConnect projects and to locate a site near you, visit http://freshconnect.ny.gov.
 
To further assist FreshConnect farmers' markets across the state, the State will be providing FreshConnect Checks, a nutrition incentive for Food Stamp/SNAP recipients to use their benefits at FreshConnect markets. The checks are $2 coupons issued for every $5 of Food Stamp/SNAP benefits used at the market for the purchase of Food Stamp/SNAP eligible foods including fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy products and meat. FreshConnect Checks will be made available at the beginning of July at FreshConnect farmers' markets throughout the State.

For full press release...

June 2012 Food Stamp e-News Available

Check out Hunger Solutions New York's latest electronic newsletter covering the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the new name for the Food Stamp Program in NYS.

In this newest edition you will find:

• NYS Food Stamp Program gets a new name
• Updated NYSNIP resources including an article, forms, desk guide and more...
• NYS Announces Fresh Connect Program including a list of funded projects
• Senate Farm Bill Passes
• Tools to Promote EBT use at NYS Farmers Markets
• New Proposed Regulations to End Finger-Imaging for Food Stamps in NYS

Sign up for future FS e-news

Fuel Up School Breakfast Grants

From the Fuel Up to Play 60 website:

The Fuel Up Breakfast Grants program  is sponsored by General Mills Foodservice as part of a partnership effort with National Dairy Council® to help improve student access to high-quality, nutritious foods at school. This grant specifically targets breakfast, providing funds to help schools improve or expand their breakfast programs with an emphasis on alternative breakfast options that are sustainable.

Eligibility Criteria:
To be considered for the Fuel Up Breakfast Grant schools must:

1. Complete and submit an accurate online grant application.
2. Participate in the National School Breakfast Program.
3. Be enrolled in the Fuel Up to Play 60 program for the 2012-13 school year and agree to participate fully by displaying the Fuel Up to Play 60 Activation Kit materials and encouraging students to track their healthy eating and physical activity online.  (Note:  program enrollment is free of charge and schools can enroll online at www.FuelUpToPlay60.com).
4. Have support/backing from the school principal, district school nutrition director, and school nutrition manager.
5. Have school enrollment of at least 500 students.
6. Have opportunity to raise breakfast participation (current participation is < 40%).     

Schools may apply for up to $2,000 in grant funding. Application deadline July 31, 2012. 
Click here to apply today!

Why Are Republicans Waging War on Food Stamps Now?

The Atlantic
By Jordan Weissmann
Jun 21 2012, 10:18 AM ET

Hunger is high. Overpayments are low. The economy is weak, and food stamps are a strong stimulus. What exactly is the problem the GOP is trying to solve?

 Here is a fact that should disturb everyone, regardless of their politics: Today, about one out of every seven Americans receives food stamps. That's a population of 45 million people -- roughly the size of Spain -- who rely on government help to feed themselves.

There are two ways to interpret this number. On the one hand, you could take it as evidence of just how crucial the social safety net has become in the wake of the Great Recession, as families are quite literally struggling to put food on the table. On the other, you could just read it as an example of government welfare run amok. 


Guess which view is popular among conservatives these days.

read the full article...

Jordan Weissmann - Jordan Weissmann is an associate editor at The Atlantic. He has written for a number of publications, including The Washington Post and The National Law Journal.

Map the Meal Gap: Child Hunger in New York

Updated for 2010, from Feeding America:

Feeding America first published the Map the Meal Gap project in early 2011, with the generous support of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation and The Nielsen Company, to learn more about the face of hunger at the local level. In August, 2011, with the support of the ConAgra Foods Foundation, child food insecurity data was added to the project. The maps below reflect 2009 and 2010 data, and will be updated every year with new data. Select a year and your state in our interactive map below and start learning more about the residents struggling with hunger in your community and the food banks that serve them. 

View the interactive map online: Children At Risk Of Hunger In Every County

Some SSI Recipients Recieve Food Stamps Automatically

The New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) implemented a demonstration project called the New York State Nutrition Improvement Project (NYSNIP) late in 2003.  This project continues today with the goal of automatically enrolling all of New York State’s SSI (Supplemental Security Income) live-alone recipients into the Food Stamp Program. 

For this population, no separate food stamp application, no interview and no separate verification is needed; OTDA relies on information provided by the Social Security Administration (SSA) through the State Data Exchange in order to generate a food stamp case.  NYSNIP participants use their existing Medicaid benefit card to access their food stamp benefits.  Benefit amounts are standardized, and participants can receive food stamps through NYSNIP for as long as 48 months.

Click here for  Hunger Solutions New York NYSNIP article and resources, including:

• NYSNIP Benefit Matrix (adjusted May 1, 2012),
• NYSNIP Forms (updated in November 2011) in English and Spanish,
• NYSNIP Frequently Asked Questions from OTDA in English and Spanish, 
• NYSNIP Desk Guide, 
• OTDA Policy Memo's concerning NYSNIP, and
• Contact Information for help with NYSNIP questions in your community.

SNAP: A Critical Lifeline for Families and Children

From the Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity: 

SNAP: A Critical Lifeline for Families and Children

Billy Shore, Share Our Strength - Posted June 11, 2012

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity will be running a series of commentaries in the summer of 2012 on the fight to end childhood hunger in America.

This commentary is the third installment in the series, which is entitled “Ending Childhood Hunger in America.”

Today, more than 16 million children in America live their lives under the looming shadow of hunger. As a nation, we have a very simple question to ask ourselves: Will we stand up for these kids and make sure they get the food they need or will we stand by silently while even heavier burdens are shifted onto their young shoulders?

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a critical lifeline for millions of families struggling to make ends meet. Over 46 million Americans rely on SNAP benefits to provide basic nutrition for their families and nearly half of all participants are kids under the age of 18. Yet, Congress is seriously considering slashing funds for this important program. 

Read the rest of the commentary online.  

Attention Schools: Community Eligibility Option

New for school year 2012-2013, schools with a certain percentage of students directly certified for free school meals can serve universally free meals to all students.  Also referred to as Provision 4, Community Eligibility Option (CEO) is a new meal claiming option for schools. 

NY was selected as one of a few in the nation to pilot this effort.  Instead of collecting individual free and reduced-price meal applications and claiming meals at the individual student level, with CEO, certain schools can serve free meals to all students without the need for applications and reimbursement on the number of students directly certified for free meals.  

Of the schools in other pilot states already using CEO (IL, KY, MI), there has been overall positive response. 

Learn more about CEO on our website, with materials from the Food Research and Action Center and Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.  Includes a new resource for schools all about CEO, benefits, meal revenue, and a Q&A.  

USDA's 2nd Annual National SFSP Kick-Off Week!

From the USDA:  

Today marks the 2nd annual National Summer Food Service Program Kick Off Week (June 11-15)!  During the school year, more than 21 million children receive free and reduced-price breakfast and lunch through the School Breakfast and National School Lunch Programs.  But when school is out, many low-income kids relying on these school meals, go hungry.  To close that gap, USDA’s Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) helps children get the nutritious meals they need during the summer months so they’re ready to learn when they return to school in the fall. 

This week, we’ll be sharing SFSP information through Twitter (@USDANutrition), blogs (http://blogs.usda.gov/), and a variety of National Summer Food Service Program kick-off events throughout the country. 

Help us raise awareness of this program and connect children and families to summer meal sites in their community!  Here are some ways you can help!

• Help promote the National Hunger Hotline at 1-866-3-Hungry or 1-877-8-HAMBRE.  The Hotline staff can provide families, parents and children with information on where summer meal sites are in their community in addition to other food help resources.  It’s a free call, available in both English and Spanish.
• Get your local radio station to run a SFSP Public Service Announcement (PSA).  Download the PSAs and provide them to your local radio station to play for free. They are available in English and Spanish: http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer/Outreach.htm#PSA
  
• Conduct outreach and distribute outreach materials to children and families, free customizable and downloadable materials are included in our USDA SFSP Outreach Toolkit, such as doorhangers, fliers with site information, brochures, letters to parents to send home from school, and much more!  http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer/Outreach.htm
• Use your social media sites to spread the word! Retweet @USDANutrition tweets, repost our SFSP blog posts, share your summer stories and outreach tips!

For more information on the Summer Food Service Program, please visit: www.summerfood.usda.gov.  Our nation's children are relying on all of us  to do our part so no child goes hungry this summer.  Thank you for your work and continued support!

FRAC Releases 2012 Hunger Doesn't Take a Vacation Report

From the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC): 

"Fewer low-income children participated in the nation’s summer nutrition programs in July 2011 than a year earlier, according to Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation, an analysis by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC). Only one in seven of the low-income students who depended on the National School Lunch Program during the regular 2010-2011 school year received summer meals in July 2011."

Read more from the press release and view a map with state rankings of participation and how New York State compares to others. 

According to the report, New York ranks high in the nation for connecting children with summer nutrition; for every 100 students eating free or reduced-price school lunch, 23.1 students ate summer lunch with the Summer Food Service Program.  Yet, this still means that a tremendous number of low-income students may be experiencing a nutrition void over the summer.  

July 10 SFSP Conference Call: Keep Children Coming

From the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC): 

"Register now for the next Summer Meals Matter conference call:  
Keep Children Coming -- Tuesday, July 10, at 1:00 pm EST

The next Summer Meals Matter call will be about maintaining participation throughout the summer in your summer meals program. We will discuss strategies for engaging children in your program beyond the healthy meal you are serving them. We will hear about fun and interesting activities to incorporate into your programming that have been found to be effective by other program operators. Additionally, we will hear from programs that operate all summer long and what tactics they use to do so. Please join us as we learn how to make our summer programs more than just a meal for the children we serve! 

We encourage you to sign-up early for the upcoming call to ensure your reservation." 

Register on the FRAC website.

Senator Gillibrand to Fight Against Food Stamp Cuts in Farm Bill

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand  said Monday that she will fight to increase spending on food stamps through an amendment to the 2013 Farm Bill when it comes to the Senate floor this week.

Gillibrand voted against the bill in the Senate Agriculture Committee because of its $4.5 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), known as the Food Stamp Program in NYS. Her amendment would restore the funding. She made the announcement flanked by New York City anti-hunger advocates.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the proposed food stamp cuts would result in an average benefit cut of $90 per month, or 32%, for nearly a half a million households, meaning a significant cut to food dollars for these families.

Click here to read Senator Gillibrand's press release.

Human Services and Our Obsession With Fraud

There is an interesting post by former Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser on the Governing Institute Blog this week. It focuses on the balance of preventing fraud in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and meeting the needs of hungry Americans. It raises the question: How much are we willing to spend to prevent ineligible people from receiving benefits and will we miss the goal of the program in the process?

The author points out that SNAP has done extraordinarily well given the rising tide of poverty. Moreover, the complexity of SNAP's eligibility rules and the diversity of household situations has placed front line human services workers under increasing scrutiny. Error rates are also at an all time low. He urges us to circle back to the goal of the programs and focus on the most important outcomes.

But we can't have it both ways. We're going to have to decide whether we are willing to allow a few ineligibles to slip through the system as part of the price of assuring that more than 20 million low-income children have enough to eat.

Click here to read the entire blog post.