While
Congress is acting to slash SNAP, Hunger Solutions New York and the
Empire Justice Center argue that now is the time to strengthen, not
weaken our nutrition safety net. Governor Cuomo is taking several
actions to do just that.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
AARP Raises Awareness of Senior Hunger to 2.5 Million Members
From the AARP Bulletin, published July 1, 2012
by Winnie Yu
Two years ago, a social worker encouraged Louiza Crosby to apply for food stamps. "I had never applied before because I didn't think I qualified," said Crosby, 75, of the Bronx. "I have a lot of pride, and I didn't want to go on them."
As it turned out, Crosby was eligible to receive $200 a month in food stamps. "There have been days when I didn't know what I'd do without them," said the retired housekeeper whose only income is from Social Security. "Now, I'm able to get fresh vegetables, meat and liver, which helps with my blood count."
As many as a million older New Yorkers may be eligible to receive food stamps, said Linda Bopp, executive director of Hunger Solutions New York, but only about half are enrolled in the program. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - called food stamps in New York — is a federal program administered by states that helps low-income people buy groceries.
The AARP Bulletin publication is delivered directly to 2.5 million AARP members throughout New York State.
To apply for SNAP or to find out if you or someone you care about may qualify, visit FoodHelpNY.org.
by Winnie Yu
Two years ago, a social worker encouraged Louiza Crosby to apply for food stamps. "I had never applied before because I didn't think I qualified," said Crosby, 75, of the Bronx. "I have a lot of pride, and I didn't want to go on them."
As it turned out, Crosby was eligible to receive $200 a month in food stamps. "There have been days when I didn't know what I'd do without them," said the retired housekeeper whose only income is from Social Security. "Now, I'm able to get fresh vegetables, meat and liver, which helps with my blood count."
As many as a million older New Yorkers may be eligible to receive food stamps, said Linda Bopp, executive director of Hunger Solutions New York, but only about half are enrolled in the program. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - called food stamps in New York — is a federal program administered by states that helps low-income people buy groceries.
"Malnutrition has been found to affect one in four older Americans
living at home and is a factor in half of all hospital admissions and
readmissions of older people," Bopp said. "Good health depends on good
nutrition. Seniors, in particular, need a healthy diet to prevent
sickness, manage chronic diseases, or heal after an injury."
The AARP Bulletin publication is delivered directly to 2.5 million AARP members throughout New York State.
To apply for SNAP or to find out if you or someone you care about may qualify, visit FoodHelpNY.org.
Times Herald-Record: Summer's No Fun for Hungry Kids
From the Times Herald-Record:
The little boy – maybe 10 years old – sits in
the school nurse's office, sick to his empty stomach. There isn't enough
food at home for the boy and his younger brother and sister. So he
makes sure they eat, while he goes hungry.
Another
little boy is so famished, he walks six blocks in the 100-degree heat
to the pool where there's a free summer lunch program. When he gets
there, he ignores the cool water so he can eat, in needy silence.
But
at least these children didn't have to prowl through the garbage to
find food – like a few kids had to do in Middletown, recalls Chris
Brinckerhoff, assistant superintendent of Middletown's Recreation and
Parks Department.
These are just a few of the record number of hungry school children in Orange, Ulster and Sullivan counties.
In
the past five years, or since the Great Recession began, the number of
children who can't afford food and must rely on free or reduced-price
school meals has soared to what one top child-nutrition expert in New
York, Rachel Hye Youn Rupright of Hunger Solutions, terms “absolutely an
all-time high” of some 40 percent of all local students.
That number – about 39,000, according to the latest state records – is an increase of about 6,000 over the past 5 years. In
Sullivan County, the 54 percent of children who can't afford food is
now nearly 20 percentage points above the state average, not including
New York City. As the amount of needy kids
climbs – with the number of local children needing food stamps nearly
doubling in the past five years – a summer program that feeds kids when
schools are closed can't come close to keeping pace.
This,
despite the fact that the number of local sites for that federal/state
Summer Food Service Program has grown in the past two years, from 20 to
32. “Despite the success of (the program),
there are still many children and teenagers who miss out,” says Rupright
of Hunger Solutions, a contact for the program.
In
Orange County, only one of four needy kids who eat free or reduced
price meals during the school year also eat the summer meals. In Sullivan – with one of the state's highest poverty rates – the percentage is 13 percent. In
Ulster, the percentage of hungry kids who receive free food such as
cereal, sandwiches, milk and fruit in the summer food program is just 4
percent – although three Kingston schools do continue to serve free and
reduced meals to qualified kids throughout the summer.
“We're
nowhere near meeting the need,” says Monticello schools lunch manager
Debra Donleavy, in the district which has seen the percentage of
food-needy students climb from 51 percent in 2007 to 63 percent this
year. She notes that Monticello, which served 5,000 summer meals in 2009, now serves 40,000.
“And
there's still a huge gap,” she adds, noting that her goal is to
increase the number of summer sites in the district that stretches from
Bethel to Wurtsboro.
The hard fact of local life is this: “A lot of kids, they just don't have food,” says John Merchant, who
helps train counselors for Middletown's Recreation and Parks
Department's Little People Playtime summer camp, which also serves as a
site for that summer program.
“I just don't
remember it ever being this bad,” adds Vonnie Hubbard of Abraham's Table
summer food service program in Newburgh, which serves up to 1,200 free
meals per day at various locations throughout the city, where 65 percent
of all students need free or reduced- price food, and where some kids
are so hungry that they hoard the sandwiches, cereals and fruit
available to any child under 18. "It just breaks your heart," adds Hubbard, a former food service coordinator in the Beacon and Stony Point school districts.
The
need for more summer food programs is especially acute because hunger
and poverty have been spreading throughout our region, to rural school
districts like Pine Bush, Livingston Manor and Onteora.
The
need has also spread to relatively suburban areas like Chester, where
the number of children who need help with food has doubled, and Goshen,
where that number has nearly doubled.
They're
areas where the population isn't as concentrated as Middletown, Newburgh
or Monticello. They're also areas where public transportation to free
food spots is spotty at best — especially now that budget cuts have
drastically reduced public bus service. Plus,
many of those rural areas still don't meet the traditional criteria for
summer food programs — that 50 percent of the children in a school
district must qualify for school meal assistance, although areas can
also qualify by meeting certain census data.
The
need is so great in Goshen — in the farm-rich Black Dirt region — that
the school district's Youth Ending Hunger Club has had to double the
amount of meals it hands out — to 90 families, compared with 45 just a
year ago. "The problem is getting worse, not better," says Sue Anne Dropkin, an adviser to the club.
Another
reason the problem is exacerbated in some districts without summer food
service sites is that summer school programs have been slashed. So
hundreds of kids who were guaranteed the meals that "help immensely,"
says an aunt of six hungry kids, have nowhere to turn.
"The kids that need the most are getting the least," says Dropkin. This
is why some districts, like Pine Bush — which has a summer food program
in Circleville — are adding summer sites for next year in their more
rural areas. This is why Donleavy of Monticello wants to expand to
Wurtsboro. And this is also why she says she'd like to see a summer
program in an area like Minisink Valley, where one-fifth of all students
receive financial help with food.
The growing
need of the soaring number of hungry children is why some folks fear
that right now, when there aren't enough summer food programs to feed
the thousands of needy children, many kids are going hungry.
"Until
school begins, we know these are the only meals of the day for some
kids," says Brinckerhoff of Middletown. So what do they do on the
weekends?"
The answer is not pretty.
"Some of these kids get their two meals day at school, and the rest of the time, they don't get anything," says Donleavy.
NYC Summer Food: Food Trucks to Text Messages
From the USDA blog:
For most children, summertime means school vacation, family trips and beach days, but for many, it also means losing the two free or reduced-price meals provided at school.
The New York City Department of Education SchoolFood program is working with USDA’s Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) to fill that nutrition gap and taking aggressive steps to ensure that no child goes hungry this summer.
One of the most successful initiatives was the launch of three food trucks. Averaging between 550 and 950 meals a day per truck, they have been able to serve over 17,000 meals to children so far this summer. In addition, there are 362 open service sites throughout the city, which provide free meals to children on a first-come, first-serve basis in communities where 50 percent or more children are eligible for free or reduced-price meals in the National School Lunch Program.
Leading up to the beginning of the Summer Food Service season, the program distributed 1.2 million post cards, 140,000 flyers and 2,000 posters in low participation areas. The program also provides information via phone calls and texts to individuals seeking information about summer feeding sites.
Read the full post on the USDA blog.
For most children, summertime means school vacation, family trips and beach days, but for many, it also means losing the two free or reduced-price meals provided at school.
The New York City Department of Education SchoolFood program is working with USDA’s Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) to fill that nutrition gap and taking aggressive steps to ensure that no child goes hungry this summer.
One of the most successful initiatives was the launch of three food trucks. Averaging between 550 and 950 meals a day per truck, they have been able to serve over 17,000 meals to children so far this summer. In addition, there are 362 open service sites throughout the city, which provide free meals to children on a first-come, first-serve basis in communities where 50 percent or more children are eligible for free or reduced-price meals in the National School Lunch Program.
Leading up to the beginning of the Summer Food Service season, the program distributed 1.2 million post cards, 140,000 flyers and 2,000 posters in low participation areas. The program also provides information via phone calls and texts to individuals seeking information about summer feeding sites.
Read the full post on the USDA blog.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Now online! July Child Nutrition e-News
Check out our latest electronic newsletter about child nutrition.
Topics include: Free summer meals for kids, summer food posters, Map the Meal Gap: Child Food Insecurity in NYS, USDA snacks and suppers webinar, Fuel Up breakfast grants.
Visit our New section of the Hunger Solutions New York website.
Topics include: Free summer meals for kids, summer food posters, Map the Meal Gap: Child Food Insecurity in NYS, USDA snacks and suppers webinar, Fuel Up breakfast grants.
Visit our New section of the Hunger Solutions New York website.
NYT: A Fresh New Look at What School Menus Can Be
From the New York Times (NYT):
By Dan Frosch
Published: July 17, 2012
DENVER — With the authority of a celebrity chef, Adam Fisher gestured toward the bushels of fresh basil, oregano and parsley sitting on the counter in front of him, as the crowd leaned forward.
By Dan Frosch
Published: July 17, 2012
DENVER — With the authority of a celebrity chef, Adam Fisher gestured toward the bushels of fresh basil, oregano and parsley sitting on the counter in front of him, as the crowd leaned forward.
A tasting booth at the School Nutrition Association’s
annual national conference. This year, in Denver, a focus was new
federal standards and how they will speed a change already under way.
“We almost want to treat fresh herbs like we treat fresh flowers,” he
commanded, speaking into a microphone clipped to his apron. “You want to
snip off the ends, and ideally you want to store them in some water.”
Mr. Fisher may not be some fast-talking TV personality, but he is a
chef, a food supervisor for the Denver Public Schools, and he was giving
a demonstration on how to whip up cafeteria food — in this case,
cucumber and pasta salads — from scratch.
With new federal standards for school meals going into effect this
month, and a renewed focus on the issue brought by the first lady,
Michelle Obama, thousands of school chefs, food service workers and
nutrition experts from around the country gathered in Denver this week
at an annual conference put on by the School Nutrition Association, a nonprofit organization of school food professionals.
New Report from the CBPP: SNAP Plays a Critical Role in Helping Children
From the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP):
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program) is the nation’s largest child nutrition program, providing benefits to help one in three children in the nation to be able to eat a nutritionally sound diet. As such, SNAP is crucially important to children’s health and well-being.
Read more about how SNAP helps children on the CBPP website.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program) is the nation’s largest child nutrition program, providing benefits to help one in three children in the nation to be able to eat a nutritionally sound diet. As such, SNAP is crucially important to children’s health and well-being.
Read more about how SNAP helps children on the CBPP website.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Split Among House Republicans Over How Deeply to Cut May Delay Farm Bill
The New York Times has an interesting article on Farm Bill. The article describes how this first major overhaul of the nation’s nutrition and farm program is in jeopardy due to a split in the ranks of House Republicans over the degree of spending cuts, pitting conservatives who want deeper cuts against moderates and Democrats who think the bill goes far enough at a time of weak economic growth. Click here to read more.
More Pain for the Working Poor
The New York Times Opinion Page discusses the House Agriculture Committee approving "an unconscionable farm bill that protects grossly generous subsidies for the agriculture industry by cutting food stamps by a staggering $16.5 billion over the next decade." Click here to read more.
Top Ten Reasons to Reject the House's Farm Bill
From The Indypendent
By Scott Faber
July 14, 2012
The budget-busting farm bill approved by the House Agriculture Committee late Wednesday night is quite simply the worst piece of farm and food legislation in decades. The bill will feed fewer people, help fewer farmers, do less to promote healthy diets and weaken environmental protections–and it will cost far more than Congressional bean counters say.
Read more…
By Scott Faber
July 14, 2012
The budget-busting farm bill approved by the House Agriculture Committee late Wednesday night is quite simply the worst piece of farm and food legislation in decades. The bill will feed fewer people, help fewer farmers, do less to promote healthy diets and weaken environmental protections–and it will cost far more than Congressional bean counters say.
Read more…
Federal farm-bill fight affects big portion of state's economy
Source: The Poughkeepsie Journal
Written by: Brian Tumulty, Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON — The percentage of New Yorkers who own or operate a farm is pretty small, yet agriculture is a big part of the state’s economy.
About 23 percent of the state’s land – 7 million acres – is used for 36,300 farms that produced $4.7 billion in revenue in 2010. The 2007 Census of Agriculture, the most recent report, counted 656 farms in Dutchess County. Farms occupied 102,360 acres. Types include dairies, orchards, vineyards and horses.
Read more…
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Top Reasons to Shop at a Farmers Market
From the USDA Blog
Posted by Joyce Hornick, Dietetic Intern and Wendy Wasserman Communications Specialist, USDA, on July 2, 2012 at 3:32 PM
Why shop at a Farmers Market?
Access to fresh, locally grown foods, for starters. That may be one of the best reasons, but there are many more. Farmers markets have fruits and vegetables at the peak of the growing season. This means produce is at its freshest and tastes the best. The food is typically grown near where you live, not thousands of miles away or another country. Shopping at farmers markets also supports your local farmers and keeps the money you spend on food closer to your neighborhood.
Nutrition.gov recently filmed a video to promote the benefits of shopping at farmers markets, featuring a registered dietitian as she talks with farmers and customers at the market. And here’s a sneak peek at our Top 10 Reasons to Shop at Farmers Markets with links to resources to help you find local markets and get the most out of your market experience:
read more...
Posted by Joyce Hornick, Dietetic Intern and Wendy Wasserman Communications Specialist, USDA, on July 2, 2012 at 3:32 PM
Why shop at a Farmers Market?
Access to fresh, locally grown foods, for starters. That may be one of the best reasons, but there are many more. Farmers markets have fruits and vegetables at the peak of the growing season. This means produce is at its freshest and tastes the best. The food is typically grown near where you live, not thousands of miles away or another country. Shopping at farmers markets also supports your local farmers and keeps the money you spend on food closer to your neighborhood.
Nutrition.gov recently filmed a video to promote the benefits of shopping at farmers markets, featuring a registered dietitian as she talks with farmers and customers at the market. And here’s a sneak peek at our Top 10 Reasons to Shop at Farmers Markets with links to resources to help you find local markets and get the most out of your market experience:
read more...
MAYOR BLOOMBERG AND SPEAKER QUINN ANNOUNCE THAT, FOR FIRST TIME EVER, ALL OF CITY'S FARMERS MARKETS WILL MAKE FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES MORE AFFORDABLE FOR LOW-INCOME NEW YORKERS
138 Farmers Markets
Throughout Five Boroughs Will Accept Health Bucks, Which Give Food Stamp
Participants Extra $2 Toward Fruits and Vegetables For Every $5 Spent
Click here to view the press release.
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Linda I. Gibbs, Health Commissioner Thomas A. Farley and Human Resources Administration Commissioner Robert Doar announced today that, as part of the city-wide effort to fight the obesity epidemic, the City is increasing efforts to improve access to healthy eating.
To support the healthy food purchasing power of food-stamp participants, the Health Department and Human Resources Administration this year has more than doubled farmers markets participating in the Health Bucks program. Health Bucks are $2 coupons good for fresh produce at farmers markets. This year, all 138 markets (up from last year’s 65) will accept Health Bucks and the 125 of those markets that accept Food stamps/ EBT will also distribute the coupons as incentives. For each $5 of food stamps that a customer spends at farmers’ markets, they will receive one Health Buck coupon worth $2 for fresh fruits and vegetables at any farmers market. (Additional coupons at 18 of these markets are also being made available through the New York State Fresh Connect Program and Wholesome Wave foundation funding.) The program, which is the largest municipal farmers market incentive program in the country, runs from July 1 through November 15.
A limited supply of coupons will also be available through community organizations located in Health Department District Public Health Office neighborhoods in the South Bronx, North and Central Brooklyn, and East and Central Harlem. These organizations service neighborhoods that have high rates of poverty and chronic illness, as well as low consumption rates for fresh fruits and vegetables. Organizations in these neighborhoods may apply to distribute Health Bucks as part of their nutrition programming.
Additionally, Stellar Farmers Markets, a nutrition education program at farmers markets that provides Food stamp eligible New Yorkers with the knowledge, skills and resources for a healthier diet, will be at 18 markets this year. The program offers practical, cost-effective tips for eating more fruits and vegetables through onsite nutrition education and cooking demonstrations using produce purchased that day at the market, and last year reached more than 37,000 people. Each market day, Stellar Farmers Markets holds 5 nutrition workshops and cooking demonstrations and provides a $2 Health Bucks coupon for all participants.
Click here to view the press release.
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Linda I. Gibbs, Health Commissioner Thomas A. Farley and Human Resources Administration Commissioner Robert Doar announced today that, as part of the city-wide effort to fight the obesity epidemic, the City is increasing efforts to improve access to healthy eating.
To support the healthy food purchasing power of food-stamp participants, the Health Department and Human Resources Administration this year has more than doubled farmers markets participating in the Health Bucks program. Health Bucks are $2 coupons good for fresh produce at farmers markets. This year, all 138 markets (up from last year’s 65) will accept Health Bucks and the 125 of those markets that accept Food stamps/ EBT will also distribute the coupons as incentives. For each $5 of food stamps that a customer spends at farmers’ markets, they will receive one Health Buck coupon worth $2 for fresh fruits and vegetables at any farmers market. (Additional coupons at 18 of these markets are also being made available through the New York State Fresh Connect Program and Wholesome Wave foundation funding.) The program, which is the largest municipal farmers market incentive program in the country, runs from July 1 through November 15.
A limited supply of coupons will also be available through community organizations located in Health Department District Public Health Office neighborhoods in the South Bronx, North and Central Brooklyn, and East and Central Harlem. These organizations service neighborhoods that have high rates of poverty and chronic illness, as well as low consumption rates for fresh fruits and vegetables. Organizations in these neighborhoods may apply to distribute Health Bucks as part of their nutrition programming.
Additionally, Stellar Farmers Markets, a nutrition education program at farmers markets that provides Food stamp eligible New Yorkers with the knowledge, skills and resources for a healthier diet, will be at 18 markets this year. The program offers practical, cost-effective tips for eating more fruits and vegetables through onsite nutrition education and cooking demonstrations using produce purchased that day at the market, and last year reached more than 37,000 people. Each market day, Stellar Farmers Markets holds 5 nutrition workshops and cooking demonstrations and provides a $2 Health Bucks coupon for all participants.
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