There are many facets to hunger and to hunger relief. Among them are root causes, emergency solutions, state and federal hunger relief programs, local and community food systems, and collaboration among hunger relief partners.
In June 2009, Idaho Governor C.L "Butch" Otter placed a one year suspension on the Food Stamp Program Asset Test. By temporarily dropping the asset test, Idaho joined 29 other states that have taken similar action. The removal was put in place due to an increasing number of individuals losing their jobs and families losing income, placing them into food insecure homes. In the spring of 2010, the asset test suspension is expected to sunset, putting many Idaho families in danger of going without food support in a time when they need it most.
The best way to assure that a community is food secure is to support and promote convenient access to local, fresh produce. There are several programs existing and some that are needed but do not yet exist in Idaho that build up a community's ability to feed its hungry population, including the acceptance of food stamps (EBT) at farmers' markets, Farm to School programs, and the Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program. The use of these programs and several like them support the local community, keep the economic benefits of spending within the community, while providing fresh and nutritious foods to those in need.
Idaho Indian Tribal Organizations and Hunger Read More
Idaho is home to five Indian Tribal organizations. These are the Coeur d’Alene Tribe in Plummer, the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho in Bonners Ferry, the Nez Perce Tribe in Lapwai, the Shoshone-Bannock Tribe in Ft. Hall, and the Shoshone-Paiute of Duck Valley.
The Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) provides USDA foods to low-income households living on Indian reservations and to American Indian households residing in approved areas near reservations. FDPIR serves as an alternative to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP (formerly known as the Food Stamp Program).
The Food Stamp Program is the nation’s basic safety net against hunger. Its goal is to alleviate hunger and malnutrition by permitting low-income households to obtain a more nutritious diet. Because this is a federal entitlement program, all those who qualify for benefits should receive them. The Food Stamp Program provides a monthly benefit amount to eligible low-income families that can be used to purchase food. Eligibility for the Food Stamp Program is based on household income and assets.
Community food security is a condition in which all community residents obtain a safe, culturally acceptable, nutritionally adequate diet through a sustainable food system that maximizes community self-reliance and social justice.
The 2008 Farm Bill makes numerous improvements to the Food Stamp Program that will help low-income Americans put food on the table in the face of rising food and fuel prices.1 Over the2009-2017 period, the Farm Bill will add $7.8 billion in new resources for the program, according tothe Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
A critical component to a healthy life is nutrition. From birth, the intake of vital nutrients is essential to the growth and development of a healthy individual. Good nutrition, particularly in the first three years of life, is important in establishing and maintaining a good foundation that has implications on a child’s future physical and mental health, academic achievement, and economic productivity. Unfortunately, food insecurity is an obstacle that threatens that critical foundation.
The USDA is preparing for the Reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Programs, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and the WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program. The reauthorization was originally set for September, 30 2009, but was given a one year extension. The reauthorization process provides Congress with a regular opportunity to examine the operation and effectiveness of the Federal nutrition assistance programs, and consider making improvements to their statutory structure under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966.
As a nation, we have a special responsibility to vulnerable populations such as the elderly. Older Americans have built the economy and national infrastructure from which we now benefit. Raised during the Great Depression, they went on to defend our freedom in the Second World War and won the cold war. America's older citizens have rightly been called the "greatest generation." It is morally reprehensible that the people that built this country should suffer hunger in a land of plenty, which they helped to create. Food insecurity among this vulnerable population is especially troublesome because they have unique nutritional needs and may require special diets for medical conditions.