Governor Cuomo Announces $3.4 Million For Low Income Families To Access Healthy Foods At Farmers' Markets Across The State

Press Release from Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA):

Governor Cuomo Announces $3.4 Million For Low Income Families To Access Healthy Foods At Farmers' Markets Across The State

New York Operates the Largest Such Program in the Nation

June 14, 2013 - Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced $3.4 million to help low-income Women, Infants and Children (WIC) increase their access to healthy, locally-grown food at farmers’ markets across the state. The funding will provide over 215,000 families with access to healthy food at 470 farmers’ markets. WIC families can find Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) checks at their local WIC clinic. New York operates the largest such program in the nation.

“Farmers’ markets help pump money back into local economies while encouraging New Yorkers to support local agriculture and promote healthy eating,” Governor Cuomo said. “The WIC program connects low-income families with affordable, fresh and locally-grown food at farmers’ markets in their communities. Not only does this program help New Yorkers to eat better and healthier, it also expands the customer base for our local farmers and promotes New York-grown products.”

Click here to read more. 

FRAC Applauds House for Voting Against Farm Bill Containing Harmful SNAP Provisions

Washington, D.C. – July 20, 2013 – The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) applauds the House of Representatives for decisively rejecting a Farm Bill that would have harmed millions of struggling people in need of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. The committee bill put on the floor would have cost two million low-income individuals their benefits entirely, 210,000 children would have lost their free school meals, and an additional 850,000 households would have seen their benefits cut by an average of $90 a month. Then, amendments adopted on the floor would have added uncounted more low-income people to the bill’s victims.

House Members who voted against this bill because of its awful SNAP provisions have shown they care about the hungriest people in America – children, seniors, working families, unemployed workers, and individuals with disabilities – who are struggling every day to meet their basic needs and to put food on the table,” said FRAC President Jim Weill. “The House did the right thing, and we applaud them for it.”

Read full statement...

see role call for house vote of 195-234

Message and Action Needed: Thank Members of Congress for votes that protected SNAP, including votes against final passage of H.R. 1947 and for the McGovern SNAP restoration amendment.

Check FRAC’s website for links to key roll call votes on H.R. 1947. Roll call votes on H.R. 1947 also are available via on the Thomas site.

Food Stamp Cuts Draw White House Veto Threat

by Aurthor Delaney
Huffington Post Politics
Posted: 06/17/2013 6:24 pm EDT  |  Updated: 06/17/2013 6:42 pm EDT

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration on Monday threatened to veto farm legislation that would cut billions from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps.

"The bill makes unacceptable deep cuts in SNAP, which could increase hunger among millions of Americans who are struggling to make ends meet, including families with children and senior citizens," the White House said in a statement, adding that the president's senior advisers would tell him to veto the legislation if it reached his desk.

"The Administration believes that Congress should achieve significant budgetary savings to help reduce the deficit without creating hardship for vulnerable families -– for example, by reducing crop insurance subsidies," the White House said.

Read full article

Read President Obama's Statement of Adminstrative Policy

FRAC Applauds New Proposed Legislation to Strengthen SNAP Benefits

By Contrast, House Agriculture Committee Bill Would Leave Millions of Americans with Empty Cupboards

Statement attributable to FRAC President Jim Weill

June 17, 2013 – Washington, D.C. – As the Farm Bill moves to the floor of the House of Representatives this week, Congress must acknowledge that any cut to SNAP means less food in the cupboards and refrigerators of the hungriest people in America – including children, seniors, working families, unemployed workers, and people with disabilities.

At a time when more than one in six Americans struggle to put food on the table, it is unconscionable for Congress to consider any cuts to SNAP, let alone the proposed House bill’s more than $20 billion over the next ten years. Specifically, the House bill would result in at least 1.8 million people losing SNAP benefits entirely, and another 1.7 million people losing $90 per month.

SNAP must be strengthened. According to the Institute of Medicine, current SNAP benefit levels are inadequate in most circumstances, and leave many households hungry by the end of the month. FRAC applauds Congressman Ted Deutch (D-FL), and 25 additional House Members (see link to list below) for introducing a bill that would require SNAP benefits to be calculated using USDA’s low-cost food plan, which would improve benefit allotments, would positively impact the health and nutrition of millions of Americans, and would reduce long-term health costs.


The House of Representatives must reject cuts to SNAP and pass a Farm Bill that protects and strengthens the program. Ensuring that our most vulnerable populations have enough food to eat is not only the right thing to do, it is essential to the nation’s social, economic, and fiscal success. Seven out of 10 voters say cutting SNAP funding is the wrong way to reduce government spending – it’s past time for Congress to listen.　


Read full statement and view list of co-sponsors

Participate in National Call-in Day to Support and Protect SNAP in the Farm Bill

From the Food Research and Action Center: 

Take Action: Participate in National Call-In Day to Support and Protect SNAP in Farm Bill (Tuesday, June 18)

Next week, the House is expected to take up its Farm Bill and we need your help protecting SNAP from proposed cuts — cuts that would cause 2 million individuals to lose their benefits entirely, 210,000 children to lose free school meals, and 850,000 households to see their benefits cut by an average $90 per month.

On Tuesday, June 18, join advocates from across the country and call your Member of Congress and urge him/her to support and protect SNAP.

Take Action:  

1) Pick up the phone, dial 866-527-1087* and urge your Member of Congress to:

• Speak out in support of SNAP and against any cuts on the House floor.
• Vote NO on any harmful amendments to SNAP.
• Vote YES on any amendments to restore SNAP cuts or to strengthen the program.
• Vote NO on a Farm Bill that includes SNAP cuts.

2) Spread the word by sharing with your networks and on social media.

At a time when millions of families are still struggling to put food on the table, now is the time to protect and strengthen SNAP, not cut benefits for people and families in need.

These proposed cuts would come on top of an across-the-board benefit reduction affecting every SNAP recipient  scheduled to occur on November 1, 2013, as the benefit boost provided in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) expires, resulting in a cut of approximately $25/month for a family of four.

For more information on the proposed cuts go to FRAC’s Legislative Action Center.

Remember to follow @fractweets for the latest on the Farm Bill and include #SNAPWorks, #SNAPChallenge, and #endhungernow in your tweets.

*Special thanks to our friends at Feeding America for providing their toll-free number.

For Many Working Families Loss or Reduction of SNAP Benefits Can Cause Serious Harm

Children's HealthWatch
May 15, 2013

Children's HealthWatch summarized their forthcoming analysis about the child health effects of lost or reduced Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. The research shows that when families lose SNAP they are more likely to be food insecure and to have a child in poor health and at risk of developmental delays. Children's HealthWatch urges Congress to consider these findings when making decisions about SNAP legislation in the Farm Bill. 

Read the summary...

Pediatric Health Professionals from around the Country Know SNAP is Good Medicine

Children's HealthWatch
May 15, 2013

Children's HealthWatch has released a statement titled, Pediatric Health Professionals from around the Country Know SNAP is Good Medicine, affirming our support for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) given the strong scientific evidence showing the importance of SNAP for children’s health and development.  As the Senate and House work on Farm Bill legislation that will determine the funding and structure of the SNAP program for the next five years, Children's HealthWatch urges Congress to protect and strengthen SNAP. 

Read the statement...

Food Research and Action Center Expresses Disappointment with Senate Farm Bill Cutting SNAP Benefits

Statement attributable to FRAC President Jim Weill

 Contact: Jennifer Adach, 202.986.2200 x3018

Washington, D.C. – June 11, 2013 – The Farm Bill passed yesterday by the Senate contains a $4.1 billion cut to SNAP that will harm large numbers of struggling families. That provision limits the ability of states to operate “Heat and Eat” policies, and will trigger sizable reductions in monthly SNAP benefits for many households, as well as increasing state administrative burdens. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), an estimated 500,000 households a year will lose $90 per month in SNAP benefits.

The cuts being proposed by the House are even more outrageous, building on the Senate bill by adding another cut that would remove two million people from the program altogether and cause more than 200,000 low-income children to lose access to school meals.

We appreciate that the Senate rejected – in Committee and on the floor – several amendments that would have made the situation far worse.

We applaud those in the Senate who fought off larger cuts, as well as those Senators who voted to restore the $4.1 billion cut.

As the Farm Bill moves through the rest of the process, FRAC will work to produce a final bill that contains no SNAP cuts and that preserves the strong structure of the program.

Read full statement...

New Webpage for the Summer Food Service Program

The USDA Food and Nutrition Service has launched an easy-to-use Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) webpage (www.summerfood.usda.gov) with all the tools and information that you and your organization need to get involved in SFSP!   Here you can download radio public service announcements, watch training videos, download flyers, connect with summer sites, and much more!  Whether you want to become a sponsor, feeding site, volunteer, or promote SFSP, this webpage is a resource to help you.  We believe your use of these tools will help us achieve the USDA's goal of serving 5 million additional meals across the nation during this Summer.

The Learning Connection: What You Need to Know to Ensure Your Kids Are Healthy and Ready to Learn

The Learning Connection: What You Need to Know to Ensure Your Kids Are Healthy and Ready to Learn demonstrates that physical activity supports academic achievement, well-nourished kids learn better and that healthier practices in schools can increase school revenue. The easy-to-read special report, released in 2013, is a roadmap for parents, educators, school administrators and school volunteers to create healthier school environments so the kids in their lives are better positioned to learn. 

Click here to read the full report.