Quick Fact:
Nearly 1 in 8 Americans now receive
SNAP/Food Stamp benefits. |
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How Can you Contribute to Ending Childhood Hunger?
The Food and Nutrition Service of the USDA is currently requesting input on creating a comprehensive plan to achieve President Obama's goal of ending childhood hunger by 2015. Putting food in the hands of children will not end hunger alone. President Obama knows this personally, as he was the recipient of food stamps and other programs as a child.
End Hunger Connecticut! asks all of our partners to send a message to the United States Department of Agriculture to let them know that ending childhood hunger is about more than using the federal food program more effectively. Moreover, ending childhood hunger is about the whole family, is about fair wages, and good jobs, family care, and supports for families to be self-sufficient as well as appropriate nutrition programs that are accessible and funded as necessary.
The Food Research and Action Center's (FRAC) "Ending Childhood Hunger by 2015: The Essential Strategies for Achieving the President's Goal.
Resources:
FRAC blog on President Obama's commitment to end childhood hunger by 2015:
http://frac.org/blog/
Current Child Nutrition Bills:
http://frac.org/Legislative/action_center/current_childnutrition_bills09.htm
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Summer Success in the Northeast: A Model to be Replicated
It was a year ago when End Hunger CT! began meeting with community
partners in the Northeast corner of CT to expand participation in the Summer Food Service Program (the provides free meals to
kids 18 and under when school meal are not available). The previous summer the program was
underutilized - only 40% of eligible children (those that ate a free or reduced-price
meals during the school year) were getting meals through "Summer Food". This is a rural area where access and
promotion of the program were barriers.
EHC! led community partners from Putnam, Thompson, Killingly, and
Plainfield to meet and collaborate monthly. The group determined what the major
participation barriers were - lack of transportation (for both meals and
children), accessible sites, and parental and community awareness. Working
together the team successfully addressed these issues by finding summer food
sponsor support, creating a venue to share ideas and ways to save on
costs. The first steps in reaching more
children.
The Team increased
accessibility and awareness around the Program - providing more locations for
breakfast and /or lunch, delivering meals to community sites, and launching
community outreach techniques, such as displaying lawn signs at sites,
organizing a press conference, and distributing flyers through our vast
community networks. It worked!
By the end August, 423 additional meals were
served each day!
Total Daily Meal Counts 2008: 572 
Total Daily Meal Counts
2009: 995
Percentage increase: 74%
Thanks to Sponsors: Putnam: Town of Putnam, Killingly: Killingly School
Food Service, Plainfield: Plainfield School Food Service, Thompson: Thompson
Ecumenical Empowerment Group (TEEG)
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Support Needed Now More Than Ever:
Poverty Rate Increase in Connecticut-Largest in the Nation
The latest results
from the American Community Survey show that Connecticut has had the largest
increase in the number of people in poverty from 2007 to 2008. The
percentage of people with incomes under the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) in
Connecticut increased from 7.9% in 2007, to 9.3% in 2008. The impact on Connecticut children
under 18 is as drastic - in 2007, 11.1% of children under 18 lived in families
with incomes under the FPL, compared to 12.5% in 2008.
The future doesn't
look bright. Connecticut Voices for Children, a research-based think tank
that analyzed the survey's results, noted that poverty estimates for 2008 were
only for the first half of Connecticut's recession, which began in March 2008.
Given that Connecticut's unemployment rates are the highest they have been
since 1977, rising from 6.1% in August 2008 to 8.1% in August 2009, the
organization warned that the poverty rate would most likely increase in 2009.
Cities such as New Haven, Norwalk, and Stamford have seen the largest increases
in poverty rates; child poverty rates have also increased in Norwalk.
For more information on the American Community Survey and poverty in Connecticut please visit the Connecticut Voices website
Adapted from Connecticut Alliance For Basic Human Needs, CABHN October 2009 Newsletter. Retrieved from http://files.e2ma.net/18709/assets/docs/cfoctober09.pdf
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SNAP Participation Rising
One in eight of our neighbors are benefitting from the SNAP
(formally known as Food Stamps) across the US.
Between June and July of this year the program saw an increase of over
700,000 people - in Connecticut alone there was an increase of 11,316
people. In fact, Connecticut had the third highest rate of increased participation in
the country! Connecticut is serving record numbers with approximately
271,777 people on the program.
Last June, Connecticut increased the income limit for
eligibility to 185% of the Federal Poverty Limit, making many more eligible for
SNAP - while at the same time the state saw many Department of Social Service
workers retire, creating a backlog of cases.
Workers have a very large number of cases - for some up to 2,000! EHC! supports DSS efforts to increase phone
applications and the move to modernize.
The United Way's 2-1-1 assistance program reports: "In the 3rd quarter of 2009,
2-1-1 received over 11,000 requests for services for food assistance programs.
These programs include SNAP, formerly known as Food Stamps, food pantries, food
cooperatives, soup kitchens and more. Requests for food resources increased 37%
over the same period last year."
EHC! outreach workers, web-site and toll-free line all make
it easier for people to got to DSS with the right paperwork. They do this through outreach, trainings, and
presentations.
Additionally, EHC! is
constantly engaged with Department of Social Service offices and policy staff
to stay sharp on matters of access and the details of eligibility for the SNAP
program. EHC! hosts quarterly meetings
with the USDA, DSS and statewide advocates to define additional policy needs
for access. We, and the Connecticut
Association for Human Services (CAHS), host quarterly meetings - Regional SNAP
Advisory Boards - in various regions across the state.
For more information on any of the above: outreach, Advisory Boards and SNAP
Improvement meetings, please contact EHC!.
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 Congress Approves FY2010 Agriculture Appropriations Bill
Update on Child Nutrition Reauthorization 2009: This bill extends the child nutrition programs to September 30, 2010, giving Congress more time to reauthorize them. Congressional leaders hope to complete the process within the next 6 months before passage of the new FY2011 budget resolution in the spring.
The final Agriculture Appropriations bill includes $97.58 billion in mandatory spending and another $23.30 billion for discretionary programs administered by the United States Department of Agriculture. A significant proportion of the funds were allocated to nutrition assistance programs.
Spending includes:
WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants, and Children)
WIC funds at $7.252 billion-an increase of $398 million above last year's level. Increases in Fruit and Vegetable vouchers up to levels recommended by the Institute of Medicine, $80 million for breastfeeding initiatives, $60 million for improved state management information systems, $14 million for infrastructure improvements, and continued exemption of military combat pay from WIC eligibility.
Child Nutrition Programs
Child Nutrition Programs received 16.0 billion-a 1.9 billion increase over 2009. Afterschool suppers will be permitted in four new areas including Connecticut, Washington D.C., Nevada, and Wisconsin. In addition, $3 million to promote Hunger-Free communities, and more than $130 million for one-time grant opportunities to feed children during the summer, increased direct certification of low-income children for school meals, and additional school equipment assistance grants.
Acquiring the At-risk Supper Program is huge news for Connecticut who joins the other eleven states in the nation who currently have the program. This program will allow Child and Adult Care Food (CACFP) providers to serve suppers to children 0-18 in low income areas. Stay tuned for more information about this new and exciting program that will help increase accessibility to healthy meals for children in CT.
SNAP/Food Stamps
A $4.3 billion dollar increase (enough funds for more than 36 million people a month) has been allocated for SNAP. The total amount allocated is $58.278 billion.
The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP)
TEFAP enhancements include $49.95 million for storage and distribution costs and $6 million to start a Food Bank Infrastructure Grants Program.
For more information on specific programs please visit FRAC's website here.
End Hunger CT! and its members would like to thank Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro for her continued dedication to increasing the accessibility of child nutrition programs in Connecticut. The children of Connecticut are very fortunate to have such a devoted and passionate advocate on their side.
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Crisis Invites Opportunities through Collaboration
EHC! Executive Director Lucy Nolan has been appointed to two
very important General Assembly Task Forces - Speaker's Task Force on Children and the
Recession, and the SustiNet Child and Adult Obesity Task Force as co-chair,
with Marlene Schwartz at the Rudd Center on Food Policy and Obesity at Yale. Both appointments were made by the Speaker
of the House, Christopher Donovan. Lucy's expertise on food insecurity, obesity
and poverty combined with her knowledge of federal food programs, as well as
community food programs make her a perfect candidate for these task forces.
Click here for more information on the Task Force on Children and Recession
Click here for information on the SustiNet Child and Adult
Obesity Task Force
Converging issues:
Lucy attended a forum sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation titled "Thought Leaders' Forum on Childhood Obesity and the
Economy: Crisis and Opportunity". The forum brought together a diverse panel of
25 national experts from government, community programming and policy advocacy
and research to explore how the current economic crisis is affecting the
childhood obesity epidemic. Inspired by a JAMA editorial called Obesity and the Economy: From Crisis to Opportunity by David Ludwig and Harold Pollack, the goal
was to identify ways to help counter or minimize the threats and maximize the
opportunities that this crisis brings. A
final report will be out soon and we'll let you know what it says!
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New Member to the EHC! Team
Welcome Karen Hudkins! Karen, once an
employee of EHC!, just couldn't stay away from us. Karen rejoins the staff as
the Managing Director or what she refers to as an "administrative
assistant with attitude". If you need help with any of the
operations of EHC! Karen is the one to talk to. Karen's experience with
membership development at the New Britain Museum of American History,
administration at Jordon Caterers, and her community work in New Britain make
her a perfect fit for the job. The staff and the Board of Directors
welcome her to the team and is confident she will be an integral part of our
mission in ending hunger in Connecticut.
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