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           Newsletter
       September 2014

What's in this Issue?       

Well summer's over and it's back to school. This newsletter highlights success from the summer and everything to look forward to this fall with EHC!

Here's what you'll find:
  • Summer Site Visit recap and a guest blog from Congressman Courtney
  • Three ways to support EHC! this fall
  • What's been happening with Child Nutrition Program Reauthorization
  • Info about the At-Risk After School Meal Program
  • Review of the annual KIDS COUNT Data Book with comments about childhood hunger & poverty
  • Introduction EHC!'s newest staff person
Summer in Review
When School Lets Out... EHC! Gets to Work!

 

It's a mission at End Hunger CT! to make sure that every child that relies on school meals over the school year can enjoy the summer with a full belly and nutritious foods through the Summer Meals Programs.

 

As summer steadily rolled by, it brought the EHC! team a whirlwind of events, accomplishments, partnerships, and meetings, all in an effort to boost awareness and accessibility around these programs.  Looking back, we would like to share EHC!'s top five highlights from the summer. Click on the links to see photos and news items:


 

1.      For the first time ever, all area eligible towns in Connecticut had an "open" Summer Meals site.  These eligible towns came aboard this summer:: Derby, Sprague, Greenwich, Branford and East Haven.

 

2.      At the June 14th New Haven Summer Meals outreach Blitz Day, Governor Dannel P. Malloy declared the month of July 2014 in CT to be Summer Meals Month! This Blitz Day was the first of nine that were held statewide that month.


 
3.      End Hunger CT!'s Operation Participation grant, funded by Share Our Strength, offered resources for ten Summer Meals sponsors to expand their programs. Funds went to advertisement, coolers, meals for parents, and many activities ranging from hula hoops to tie dye and weekly prizes.


 
4.      In collaboration with the Bloomfield Hunger Action Team, mobile meals were piloted in Bloomfield which expanded Summer Meals to four additional sites (including both libraries!)

 

5.      The Mission Nutrition grant, funded through Our Family Foundation, provided funds to five school districts to increase Summer Meals nutrition. From New Haven to Putnam, tasting, gardening, and cooking demonstrations were held at sites all in an effort to make fresh, local fruits and vegetables more appealing to children

 

Thank you to everyone who helped to make these accomplishments possible!


Congressman Joe Courtney guest blogs on his visit to the Groton
Summer Meals Program in August

Summer Meals in CT
By Rep. Joe Courtney 
 

Nearly 21 million kids have access to nutritious food at little or no cost to them during the school year. However, during the summer months only one in four 

children who qualify continue to receive free, nutritious meals.
 

I am proud to be a longtime champion of federal Summer Meals Programs. I recently visited a summer meals program sponsored by Groton Public Schools' 

Food Services at Washington Park in Groton, Connecticut to help highlight the resources available to families and help connect them with free meals for their kids age 18 and younger in their communities. 
 

During my visit, I participated in a fun day of recreational activities. 

Kids who came to the site enjoyed music and give-aways from Clear Channel Radio, participated in volleyball and wiffle ball games, arts and crafts. A mock farmers market was set up for kids to earn coins and "buy" pieces of produce,  or taste test smoothies. Most importantly, a nutritious lunch was served to all the kids at no cost to them or their families.
 

Unfortunately, too many children are missing out on free summer meals when school is out of session. Here in Connecticut, only 26 percent of kids who participate in free or reduced price meals during the school year also participate in summer meals. Many parents are not aware of the program, or are not able to provide transportation to and from nearby sites for their children.
 

Read the full blog here on the Share Our Strength website.

Thank You to Whole Foods Market, Glastonbury!


As part of their commitment to give back to the community, Whole Foods Market in Glastonbury recently selected End Hunger Connecticut! to receive 5% of their sales on Wednesday, September 10th. As a result, EHC! received $5,370.35!

 

Thank you to Whole Foods Market, Glastonbury for their generosity and commitment to ending hunger in Connecticut!.                         

Three ways to Support EHC!'s work this Fall

1. Durham Fair Fundraiser; September 25-28th in Durham, CT

The University of New Haven's Hospitality and Tourism Management Department is partnering with EHC! to sell

"The World's Best Chocolate Molten Lava Cookies" in

 support of EHC!. Thanks to a generous contribution from Guida's

 Dairy in support of this effort, each cookie sale will be accompanied by cookie's best friend - milk! 

Come find our booth and buy a cookie or two! EHC! extends a special thank you to our partners at the University of New Haven and Guida's Dairy for their support - remember to find them on Facebook and like their pages!

 

2. Matilda & Friends: Baking a Difference Fundraiser; October 11th in Vernon, CT

Join End Hunger Connecticut! and one of our youngest advocates, Matilda, at the "Matilda & Friends: Baking a Difference Bake Sale" in Vernon from 12-4 on Saturday,

October 11th at the Vernon YMCA at 375 Hartford Turnpike. Join us for fun, fabulous baked goods, music, face painting, and more - all in support of End Hunger Connecticut!'s child nutrition work. EHC! would like to thank our 10 year old friend, Matilda, and her mom, for their commitment to ending child hunger in our state and for making this awesome event happen!

 

3. Check out www.smile.amazon.com today and choose End Hunger Connecticut! as your charity of choice.  As a user, nothing about www.smile.amazon.com will change your Amazon experience, but to End Hunger Connecticut! it makes a 

world of difference. At no cost to you, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price from your eligible AmazonSmile purchases. 

 

Please change your Amazon default to www.smile.amazon.com today and help us to end hunger in Connecticut! 
Suppers After School   

Do the schools in your town offer after school enrichment activities?  If yes, then they may be eligible to receive federal funds to serve suppers to students who participate in those activities under the At-Risk After School Meal program!

The  process to obtain reimbursement may be simpler than your school administrator may think. AND, we can help.  EHC! works with the CT State Department of Education to offer technical assistance to help administrators sign-on and set-up a sustainable program.

For more info, please call Genevieve Caron at 860 560 2100, x312 or email Genevieve at [email protected].

KIDS COUNT 2014 ~ A Roadmap by the Numbers

 

Each year, for the past twenty five, the Annie E. Casey Foundation in partnership with the CT Association for Human Services presents a compilation of facts and figures on childhood poverty in America entitled KIDS COUNT Data Book. It measures the state of children across the nation through four domains: education, health, economic well-being, and family/community context.  This Silver Anniversary edition highlights some dramatic improvements in some subcategories, as well as serious setbacks resulting from the recession and changing employment characteristics.  Click here to visit the Kids Count Data Center to find more information.

 

 Each state is ranked for their effectiveness in providing an environment that enhances child well-being.  Connecticut's score for 2014 places it in 7th position nationwide.  We join New England neighbors Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine in the top 15.  That being said, it's important to note that there has been a 50% increase in the number of children in our state living in poverty since the first Data Book was produced in 1990.  

 

Getting lunch at at school

Poverty's most immediate consequence, hunger, remains an issue for many in our state.
 
Here are some key statistics about children and hunger in Connecticut:

  • More than 117,000 young people (15% of the total) live in homes that are financially insecure.  The poverty level nationally is $23,283 for a family of two adults and two children.
  • The food insecurity rate for Connecticut is 13.4%   Food insecurity is the lack of access at all times to enough food for healthy, active lives.    
  • Over 18% of households with children are suffering from food hardship which is the inability to afford enough food.
 USDA Child Nutrition Programs are a Part of the Solution

   

 We know that more than 150,000 school children are receiving free or reduced price meals through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP).  We also know that Connecticut is last in the nation for the percentage of our schools that offer the NSLP and also offer the School Breakfast Program (SBP).  Less than half the children on free or reduced price plans are eating school breakfast. 

Research is very clear on the importance of starting the school day fueled and ready to learn.  We need to do better in this critical area and implement SBP in all our schools.  No towns in Connecticut are immune from the nutritional crisis so many of our children experience.

    

Kids enjoying the summer and a meal in Sprague

Additionally, the Summer Meals Program provides free food to all children and teens 18 years of age and younger.  This program fills the critical need for nutritious food during the weeks when schools are not open.  Summer Meals are often paired with stimulating academic and/or physical activities which help keep kids engaged and fight the "Summer Slide" that often results in lost learning and skill retention.  We as a state can do a much better job encouraging more Summer Meals Programs in towns throughout Connecticut.


 
Other important federal programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Women,  Infants, and Children (WIC), and the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) must be accessible to all who are eligible. 


 
For more information and insight into childhood poverty and hunger in Connecticut, click here.  

Meet Brian Johnson, EHC!'s new SNAP Coordinator

Brian Johnson Brian Johnson joined the End Hunger Connecticut! team in June as the SNAP Outreach Coordinator.

Brian recently received his social work license LMSW and is a 2013 graduate from the University Of Connecticut School of Social Work. Brian is active in the community serving as Political Action Chairperson for the Greater Hartford NAACP. 

Brian is a husband, father and avid sports fan. Brian is in the middle of fulfilling a goal set with a few friends to visit every major league baseball park. Last check 21 parks have been visited. Brian enjoys studying US history and listening to live music (all genres). 

Brian looks forward to working with all the dedicated people of Connecticut to ensure everyone is food secure.     

Upcoming Events

The Great American Milk Drive is Coming!

 

Adams Hometown Markets in Connecticut (seven locations) has agreed to support The Great American Milk Drive

 in-store for over two months, beginning September 20th.  Over this time frame, store cashiers will ask customers to donate to The Great American Milk Drive, which will provide milk to the Connecticut Food Bank. 


Guida's Dairy wants to support the program by providing product for sampling and mascot appearances during 
sampling events.
                              
Please go to the Adams Hometown Market near you between September 20th and November 30th to donate!  Click here for locations.

It Taste of the Nation Hartford 's time for
 Taste of the Nation
Hartford
 
Attend to help fight
childhood hunger! 

    Thursday, October 2, 2014
6:00 pm-9:00 pm
Marquee Events featuring 

the Gershon Fox Ballroom
960 Main St., Hartford, CT

The 3rd Annual 
School Breakfast Summit
November 4, 2015
SAVE THIS DATE
THANK YOU!!
End Hunger Connecticut! 
 counts on you!
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our donors who have been so generous over the past years. Grants pay for program work in the community and educating the public - but policy work depends on independent funding. We would not be able to advocate for critical policy options to our national and state legislators without you!  Really!

Your donation helps pay for our advocacy at Congress and at the State Legislature.  

Your donation makes change!

 

  Please donate to EHC! here.

   
About Us         
 End Hunger Connecticut! is dedicated to ending hunger and promoting healthy nutrition by promoting access to federal nutrition assistance programs, speaking out to raise awareness of hunger in the state of Connecticut, and advocating for positive change of local, state and national programs. We provide statewide SNAP and Child Nutrition Program outreach/training and assistance. Learn about our CT No Kid Hungry Campaign here.

Have a question?  Call us at (860) 560-2100  or e-mail [email protected] 
Thank you for staying in touch!

Annie E Casey logo
Lucy Nolan  
End Hunger Connecticut! 

 

Nondiscrimination Statement:

In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, political beliefs, or disability.

 

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TTY). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

 

EHC! SNAP outreach  is funded by the AARP Foundation, the Walmart Foundation, FRAC and the USDA Food and Nutrition Service. 

                                                                                   
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