Idaho Hunger Summit 2010

Creating a stronger Treasure Valley food system may be the best path toward economic recovery, researcher says...

A region built on deep agricultural roots is sending $2 billion a year outside the area for food and food production costs. That's money that could turn the economy around if it were spent here at home, said Ken Meter of the Crossroads Resource Center in Minneapolis, who put together a report on the local food economy. Meter found that if Valley families purchased from local farmers just 15 percent of the food they eat at home, it could produce $165 million of new local farm income. The $2 billion loss is more than the value of all the commodities produced in a nine-country swath of southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon, a region the size of Indiana, Meter found. "This is a substantial loss that you endure," Meter told about 100 people gathered at a recent public meeting in Boise to discuss the report and the state of agriculture in the region. "You can't outsource a local food economy ... as long as consumers are loyal to it." Meter has studied 50 regions in 22 states and one Canadian province. The purpose of the report, paid for by the nonprofit Treasure Valley Food Coalition, was to look at the local food economy from the level of community, not just the number of farms or acreage, he said. "We need good data to make good decisions," said Nampa farmer Janie Burns, local food chair of Sustainable Community Connections of Idaho. She called the Valley's current food economy "a dismal, dysfunctional system." The global commodity market doesn't care how many farms the Treasure Valley has, Meter said. Since 2002, farmland has decreased 14 percent in Ada County and 4 percent in Canyon County, the report shows. More than $1.7 billion is spent on food from outside the area by the region's nearly 700,000 residents, the report found. About $1.1 billion of that is spent on food to eat at home. The rest of the total $2 billion lost each year goes to the "inputs" that farmers have to purchase from elsewhere - like petroleum, fertilizers, seeds, feed and migrant labor. Planning for the future means planning where food will come from, and there has been little public planning to make sure Idahoans will have enough food to eat when petroleum hits $200 a barrel, Meter said. Petroleum products such as diesel fuel and fertilizer are the lifeblood of most farms. "If we plan for sewage systems on the basis of health, we need to plan for a food system on the basis of health," Meter said. One of the things the region has done well is raise cattle and food for cattle, with new livestock operations being a major source of growth since 1995, the report shows. Dairy products and cattle brought in $3.2 million in 2008. But the shadow side of that is revealed in the Idaho Foodbank's study "Hunger in Idaho 2010," which found that 65,517 children under age 18 are not sure of where their next meal will come from. "We know what cattle need to eat and how to get grain to them, but we don't know how to make sure everyone has food," Meter said. Dave Krick, owner of Bittercreek Ale House and Red Feather lounge in Downtown Boise, said the food economy was bigger than he expected. "In some ways, our ag community is doing better than other parts of the country," he said. "There are a lot of opportunities." Some of the opportunities discussed at Thursday's public event were large-scale composting and growing organically to reduce dependence on petroleum products. Investments in processing plants also would help farmers, said Burns, co-owner of Home Grown Poultry in New Plymouth, the first state-approved poultry processor in Idaho. Idaho has only one flour mill. Boise farmer Mary Rohlfing was surprised that income for farmers has remained static since the oil embargo of the early 1970s. "Oil scarcity and food scarcity are closely related," she said. "What it says is we have to plan now. We can't pretend we don't know the facts." Bethann Stewart: 377-6393 The Idaho Statesman Read more: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/06/09/1223506/bringing-the-food-home.html#ixzz0qN1enMOI

"LOCAL FARM & FOOD ECONOMY--HIGHLIGHTS OF A DATA COMPILATION FOR THE GREATER TREASURE VALLEY," by Ken Meter, Crossroads Resource

Note: the IHRTF website is under construction and has temporarily lost some linking/video functionality. This study was commissioned by the Treasure Valley Food Coalition and the Oregon Food Bank. The food/farm assessment data compilation covers a 9-county region including Ada, Canyon, Elmore, Gem, Owyhee, Payette, & Washington Counties in Idaho, as well as Harney & Malheur Counties in Oregon. Author Ken Meter is one of the most experienced food system analysts in the United States. His work integrates market analysis, business development, systems thinking, and social concerns. As president of Crossroads Resource Center (Minneapolis), Meter holds 39 years experience in inner-city and rural community capacity building. Ken’s pioneering study of the farm and food economy of Southeast Minnesota, Finding Food in Farm Country, helped strengthen a collaborative of food producers and led to the creation of the Hiawatha Fund, a regional investment fund. Meter serves as founding member of the board of the fund. Ken’s work serves as a national model for analyzing rural economics and has been adopted by 45 regions in 20 states across the U.S. and in one Canadian province.

Boise's farmers market hopes to reach new families by accepting food stamps Read more: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/04/17

A certain cliche hounds farmers markets: that they serve an affluent clientele willing to pay high prices for arugula and artisanal cheeses. But last year, growers at one Capital City booth - Global Gardens, a community garden project run by the Idaho Office for Refugees - started quietly undermining that idea by accepting food stamps at their produce booth. The idea caught on, and this year most produce booths at the market will be food stamp accessible, said Katie Painter, refugee agriculture coordinator with the agency. Though the market opens Saturday, the EBT, or "electronic benefits transfer" machines, will be up and running June 5, just as harvest season is picking up. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare staff has actively recruited Idaho farmers markets to accept food stamps. Seven markets across Idaho have tentatively signed on, said Health and Welfare spokeswoman Emily Simnitt. A record number of Idahoans are using food stamps - 180,000 in the most recent count, an increase of 106 percent in the last two years. "This lets people use their food stamps to 'buy local,' which also supports the community," Simnitt said.

Read More

“Idaho is first state in the nation to receive the second half of Department of Energy American Recovery and Reinvestment Act $

Contact: Mary Chant, Executive Director Community Action Partnership Association of Idaho Phone: 208.867.9053 mchant@capai.org www.idahocommunityaction.org Idaho is the first state in the nation to complete the production and quality inspection requirements necessary to receive the second half of the $30 million in total funding allocated for lower income weatherization in Idaho. The Department of Energy released the second half to Idaho in mid March and completed its quality and financial monitoring review of Idaho’s weatherization program April 1, 2010. DOE commended Idaho on its rapid implementation of additional funding, while maintaining such high standards for quality and service. Stimulus funds have weatherized an additional 1500 Idaho homes in the first year, more than doubling its weatherization to over 2,900 homes in the last year. “The weatherization agencies have really stepped up to increase their production and have provided top level weatherization throughout this ramping up process. Their commitment and dedication is amazing,” offered Mary Chant, Community Action Partnership Association of Idaho’s Executive Director. Weatherization is designed to reduce energy costs for lower income families, particularly for the elderly, people with disabilities, and children, by improving the energy efficiency of their homes while ensuring their health and safety." HISTORY The Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) was created in 1976 to assist low-income families who lacked resources to invest in energy efficiency. WAP is operated in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Native American tribes, and U.S. Territories. Funds are used to improve the energy efficiency of low-income homes using the most advanced technologies and testing protocols available in the housing industry. The energy conservation resulting from the efforts of state and local agencies helps our country reduce its dependence on foreign oil and decrease the cost of energy for families in need while improving the health and safety of their homes. In Idaho, the DOE Weatherization funding is administered by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, which in turn contracts with Community Action Partnership Association of Idaho and six weatherization agencies throughout Idaho.

Idaho Health and Welfare to close 9 offices, lay off 126 workers

by Scott Evans Idaho's NewsChannel 7 Posted on April 6, 2010 at 1:17 PM Updated today at 6:16 PM BOISE -- The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is laying off 126 employees and closing a third of its offices across the state. These cuts not only affect the employees, but also those who need or require the government's services. Those losing their jobs found out about it Tuesday morning, and while that is bad news for those workers and their families, there is a ripple effect that will impact many more people. Health and Welfare spokesman Tom Shanahan says that these layoffs were a budget-balancing measure. The department had to balance its books by July 1, and letting these employees go will make that portion of the budget right on. "We will not be able to provide the same customer service. There will be longer waits in offices, there's no doubt. We're still going to do the best we can and if people can be patient, it would be great because it would make it easier for everyone," said Shanahan. While employees will have to figure out a way to get by with less, those looking to get help from the government will have a more difficult time. Shanahan says there is no doubt that lines will be longer and wait times will increase, but there is another group of people that will be affected. With the closure of these nine offices, travel time for those looking to get appointments and assistance will also no doubt increase, especially in a time where the agency is dealing with record case loads. Offices in American Falls, Bellevue, Bonners Ferry, Emmett, Jerome, McCall, Orofino, Rupert and Soda Springs would close within the next two months, and some services in the St. Maries office would be shifted to Coeur d'Alene. Shanahan says for those already having a hard time, these cuts and closures won't make it any easier, but they had to balance the budget by July 1, the first day of the state's new fiscal year. The majority of those laid off today will actually work through May 18, the same day the field offices close. That will allow workers to get state benefits through July 1. Department officials say the closures are expected to save about $7 million.

USDA To Highlight Obama Administration Efforts To Improve School Meals

Contact: USDA Office of Communications (202) 720-4623 WASHINGTON, March 23, 2010 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA will be holding a series of school nutrition events throughout the country to highlight the Obama Administration's efforts to improve school meals as Congress considers reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act. USDA leaders will outline a number of steps to reduce hunger and improve the health and nutrition of our nation's children. "With childhood hunger and obesity on the rise we owe it to our child to ensure our nutrition programs address these challenges," said Vilsack. "The President and First Lady have asked the American people to join in this effort not only for our children, but for the future of our country. And this year presents an unprecedented opportunity to improve the health and well being of our children when Congress considers legislation to improve the Child Nutrition Act." A strong reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act is the legislative centerpiece for First Lady Michelle Obama's recently announced Let's Move! campaign to end childhood obesity within a generation. USDA leadership will host the school nutrition events in regions throughout the country where participants will include food service workers, school officials, community and advocacy members, federal, state and local officials, parents and students.

Read More

Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Statement on the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Mark-Up

Contact: USDA Office of Communications (202) 720-4623 WASHINGTON, March 24, 2010 - Today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack issued the following statement regarding the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry's meeting to consider the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act. "I applaud Chairman Lincoln, Senator Chambliss, and the membership of the Senate Agriculture Committee for their efforts to develop a strong bill to reauthorize and reform the Child Nutrition Act. Today's Senate action shows that there is broad, bipartisan support for reforming our school meals programs to improve meal quality and reduce barriers to participation. The Senate's Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act is a significant step toward legislation that reduces hunger, improves the health of our children, and supports their academic achievement. Though we continue to believe that additional access and nutrition goals can and should be accomplished by passing a more robust bill that supports the President's $10 billion budget request, the bipartisan Senate action today is a very positive step forward. I congratulate the Senate Agriculture Committee for its work today and call on Congress to continue to make progress on this important priority."

First Lady Michelle Obama Launches Let's Move: America's Move to Raise a Healthier Generation of Kids For Immediate Release

For Immediate Release
February 09, 2010

America’s move to raise a healthier generation of kids
www.LetsMove.gov

THE WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON – First Lady Michelle Obama today announced an ambitious national goal of solving the challenge of childhood obesity within a generation so that children born today will reach adulthood at a healthy weight and unveiled a nationwide campaign – Let’s Move – to help achieve it. 

The Let’s Move campaign will combat the epidemic of childhood obesity through a comprehensive approach that builds on effective strategies, and mobilizes public and private sector resources.  Let’s Move will engage every sector impacting the health of children to achieve the national goal, and will provide schools, families and communities simple tools to help kids be more active, eat better, and get healthy. 

To support Let’s Move and facilitate and coordinate partnerships with States, communities, and the non-profit and for-profit private sectors, the nation’s leading children’s health foundations have come together to create a new independent foundation – the Partnership for a Healthier America – which will accelerate existing efforts addressing childhood obesity and facilitate new commitments towards the national goal of solving childhood obesity within a generation.

Read More

USDA Secretary Outlines Child Nutrition Reauthorization Priorities at National Press Club, Reaffirms 2015 Commitment February 26

Earlier this week, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack spoke at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. His speech, which focused on Child Nutrition Reauthorization, is available on the C-SPAN Web site. In his speech, Secretary Vilsack spoke forcefully about the Administration’s commitment to achieving the President’s goal to end childhood hunger by 2015 and about the First Lady’s initiative to reduce obesity among children. The Secretary stated, “[i]t is vitally important that we focus our energies and resources on solving both of these challenges.” He spoke about the links between stronger child nutrition programs and better education and health for children and stronger national security. He outlined USDA priorities for reauthorization, many of which echoed priorities in the anti-hunger community. He specifically proposed reducing stigma and expanding participation in the School Breakfast Program, expanding the Afterschool Meal Program from 14 states to all states, working to encourage more sites to provide summer meals, improving the quality of food offered in schools, regulating competitive foods, strengthening school wellness policies, supporting efforts to move away from paper applications and to expand the use of direct certification, and competitive grants to states to advance successful strategies, and to states and nonprofits for systems to streamline application processes. He concluded by saying: “In his first year in office, President Obama pulled us back from the brink of the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression and worked to lay a new foundation for economic growth. He identified three key strategies to building that lasting prosperity: innovation, investment, and education. All three strategies require the next generation to be the healthiest and best educated in our history. We will not succeed if of our children aren’t learning as they should because they are hungry, and cannot achieve because they aren’t healthy. “After World War II, when our future was on the line, our leaders understood that the health of our nation – of our economy, our national security, and our communities – depends on the health of our children. We would do well to remember that lesson today, and to act on it once again.” For a full list of the Secretary’s priorities, click here to read the text of the remarks and here to read the press release. FRAC remains committed to working with the Administration and with Congress to pass a strong reauthorization bill. To learn more about Child Nutrition Reauthorization and actions you can take, visit FRAC’s Legislative Action Center.

NEWS RELEASE American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA): STRENGTHENING FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES IN IDAHO

United States Department of Agriculture • Food and Nutrition Service • Western Regional Office •
90 Seventh Street, Suite 10-100, San Francisco, CA  94103
• Phone: (415) 705-1311 • Fax: (415) 705-1364 
WASHINGTON, DC,  February 17, 2010 -- Today, USDA Under Secretary Kevin Concannon marked the one year anniversary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, also known as the stimulus or recovery package, by announcing that ARRA invested more than $8 billion in local economies to feed the hungry through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly the Food Stamp Program, with approximately $830 million more invested each month. In addition, through the Emergency Food Assistance Program, States received an additional $150 million to support local food banks, food pantries and soup kitchens.

Improving the nutrition and health of all Americans is a top priority for the Obama Administration. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is an integral part of the national nutrition safety net,” said Concannon.  “SNAP is now serving over 38 million low-income Americans each month proving that never before in history have our nutrition programs been more critical. SNAP is an important contribution to fighting hunger and provides needed resources to communities.”

ARRA increased benefits for recipients of SNAP and provided nearly $300 million to help States administer SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program.  SNAP also provides a significant boost to local economies.  For every $5 in new SNAP benefits, as much as $9.20 is generated in total economic activity. 

“By injecting immediate revenue streams into local business, SNAP helps accomplish another primary goal of ARRA by stimulating the American economy,” said Concannon.  “Every time a family uses SNAP benefits to put healthy food on the table, it benefits the store and the employees where the purchase was made, the truck driver who delivered the food, the warehouses that stored it, the plant that processed it, and the farmer who produced the food in the first place.”

Currently, SNAP helps 170,962 in Idaho put more healthy food on the table, reaching over 47 percent more people than the previous year.  The beauty of the program is that it expands and contracts based on economic conditions.  ARRA money provides participating SNAP families of four, for instance, an additional $80 each month to purchase nutritious food.  Since April 2009, ARRA provided an additional $35,032,481 in benefits and administrative support to strengthen individuals and communities in Idaho.  Through the Emergency Food Assistance Program, Idaho received over $500,000 for food and administrative expenses to support local food banks, pantries and soup kitchens. 

In addition ARRA also provided infrastructure support to the National School Lunch Program, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations – to make them even stronger.  To help schools provide nutritious and safe meals the State received over $480,000.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service oversees 15 nutrition assistance programs that form a national safety net against hunger.  The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly the Food Stamp Program, is our largest nutrition program serving more than 38 million people each month, half of whom are children. 

United States Department of Agriculture • Food and Nutrition Service • Western Regional Office •
90 Seventh Street, Suite 10-100, San Francisco, CA  94103
• Phone: (415) 705-1311 • Fax: (415) 705-1364 
WASHINGTON, DC,  February 17, 2010 -- Today, USDA Under Secretary Kevin Concannon marked the one year anniversary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, also known as the stimulus or recovery package, by announcing that ARRA invested more than $8 billion in local economies to feed the hungry through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly the Food Stamp Program, with approximately $830 million more invested each month. In addition, through the Emergency Food Assistance Program, States received an additional $150 million to support local food banks, food pantries and soup kitchens.

Improving the nutrition and health of all Americans is a top priority for the Obama Administration. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is an integral part of the national nutrition safety net,” said Concannon.  “SNAP is now serving over 38 million low-income Americans each month proving that never before in history have our nutrition programs been more critical. SNAP is an important contribution to fighting hunger and provides needed resources to communities.”

ARRA increased benefits for recipients of SNAP and provided nearly $300 million to help States administer SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program.  SNAP also provides a significant boost to local economies.  For every $5 in new SNAP benefits, as much as $9.20 is generated in total economic activity. 

“By injecting immediate revenue streams into local business, SNAP helps accomplish another primary goal of ARRA by stimulating the American economy,” said Concannon.  “Every time a family uses SNAP benefits to put healthy food on the table, it benefits the store and the employees where the purchase was made, the truck driver who delivered the food, the warehouses that stored it, the plant that processed it, and the farmer who produced the food in the first place.”

Currently, SNAP helps 170,962 in Idaho put more healthy food on the table, reaching over 47 percent more people than the previous year.  The beauty of the program is that it expands and contracts based on economic conditions.  ARRA money provides participating SNAP families of four, for instance, an additional $80 each month to purchase nutritious food.  Since April 2009, ARRA provided an additional $35,032,481 in benefits and administrative support to strengthen individuals and communities in Idaho.  Through the Emergency Food Assistance Program, Idaho received over $500,000 for food and administrative expenses to support local food banks, pantries and soup kitchens. 

In addition ARRA also provided infrastructure support to the National School Lunch Program, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations – to make them even stronger.  To help schools provide nutritious and safe meals the State received over $480,000.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service oversees 15 nutrition assistance programs that form a national safety net against hunger.  The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly the Food Stamp Program, is our largest nutrition program serving more than 38 million people each month, half of whom are children. 

Raising awareness: The new face of hunger

by Kim Fields
Idaho's NewsChannel 7

Posted on January 25, 2010 at 8:29 PM

Updated today at 4:49 AM

******

BOISE -- During the holidays we hear a lot about those in need, but some agencies that work with the hungry want lawmakers at the State Capitol to know that hunger exists year round.

At a time when lawmakers are cutting the fat out of budgets, the agencies are trying to raise awareness about what they call the new face of hunger.

"And one day I had a great career and the next day we. literally overnight almost, Elizabeth and I found ourselves with absolutely no income and no way to make a living," said Susan Hasbrouck.

Susan Hasbrouck and her 9 year old daughter Elizabeth are the new face of hunger.  "There were times when we had nothing in the refrigerator," said Elizabeth Resnick.

They're on the fourth floor of the State Capitol to make their story heard because the mother and daughter are part of a growing problem in Idaho.

"We know many, many people in the last year who are working like me 14, 15 hours a day, men are working, and they have 10 and 15 dollars in their bank accounts.  They do not have food, they have very little food to eat," said Hasbrouck.

Kathy Gardner with Idaho Hunger Relief Task Force defines the new face of hunger.  "The new face are a lot of people who are unlikely suspects.  They've got an education, they've had full-time jobs or maybe they're still employed but under-employed," said Gardner.
 

The Idaho Hunger Relief Task Force is one of the 16 agencies taking part in Idaho Hunger Awareness Day.  The agency provided numbers based by regions so that lawmakers could see how many of their constituents are going hungry.

Hasbrouck's great-great grandfather, Herman Hasbrouck, was once an Idaho lawmaker.  He served in the State Senate from 1909 to 1910.   As she tours the Capitol with her daughter, Hasbrouck says she never imagined she'd be here lobbying lawmakers like her great-great grandfather about hunger.  But it's an issue she says Idahoans can't ignore anymore.

"I never thought I'd be here on the side of the person who could barely put food on the table and who was getting lost in the system," said Hasbrouck.

Some of the agencies want lawmakers to support programs like the grocery tax credit.  Governor Otter wants to extend the program to help underprivileged Idahoans pay for their groceries.  He is proposing to raise the rebates by ten dollars a year to a maximum of 100 dollars.   Lawmakers still have to vote on Otter's recommendations.

2010 Idaho Legislature Rep. George Sayler, D-Coeur d’Alene, talks with members of the Idaho Hunger Relief Task

• 
  
• 2010 Idaho Legislature

Otter asks lawmakers to boost grocery tax credit - The Associated Press Published: 01/12/10

Food stamps on the rise

Jesse Nance
jnance@idahopress.com
Saturday, December 26th, 2009

CANYON COUNTY — As unemployment has steadily increased the past two years, food stamps have arisen as a crucial safety net for many victims of the recession.

In Canyon County, among the hardest hit areas in the state, the number of food stamp users has nearly doubled since the recession began two years ago.

As of September, more than 14 percent of Canyon County's residents use food stamps and more than one in five Canyon County residents use some type of welfare program.

Statewide, the number of food stamp recipients has also increased significantly — from 87,232 before the recession in September 2007 to 154,106 this year.

About half of Idaho's food stamp recipients are children, officials at the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare say.

Not surprisingly, program officials point to a direct correlation between the rise in food stamps and the economy.

"Food stamps is one of those indicators that reacts right away to unemployment and the economy," Rosie Andueza, Idaho's Food Stamp Program manager, said. "A lot of times we see an increase in food stamps in a county before they even report unemployment statistics for that county. Unemployment is the largest factor, and that follows food stamps pretty closely nationally and in Idaho."

In past years, the number ebbed and flowed with seasonal employment opportunities, peaking in the winter months. Not so with this recession. The numbers have steadily risen each month since July 2007, Andueza said.

Jennifer Smith, a statistician for the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, said for the past two years, Idaho has consistently seen in the top 5 among states each month experiencing the largest year-over-year growth in the food stamp program.

The maximum allotment for a one-person household is $140 a month. Those who have some income usually don't get the maximum allotment.  

Face of recipients changes

Program officials point to a dramatic shift in food stamp demographics as the recession has taken its toll across a broad swath of the population.

Many of the families that apply for the program have never received any assistance before, Andueza said.

To address the expanding demographic of food stamp users, the state decided to expand eligibility earlier this year. Prior to June, applicants were disqualified if their assets — including bank accounts or things like ATV's or boats — exceeded $2,000. With the new policy, though temporary, eligibility is now based on monthly income.

"The economy was so poor that we were seeing a lot of people we've never seen before," Andueza said. "The clichéd example is someone working at Micron, with a boat in back yard that they can't sell because nobody would buy it."

The new eligibility policy is set to expire May 31, but Andueza said it's possible the state may extend the new rule beyond that if the employment situation has not improved.

Aside from monthly income, other  factors officials look at to determine food stamp allotment are household size and expenses such as housing, childcare and sometimes medical expenses.

Because of the rising popularity of the program, some believe the stigma often associated with the program in the past may be fading.

 "With the way the economy is right now, it could be any of us in that same situation," said Kim Ady, a former MPC Computers employee who now works as supervisor of  the Nampa food stamp office. "It's not just people who have traditionally been in the program — we've seen people come in here who have never had to apply ever before. Unemployment has hit them hard and they're not able to find work."

Still, as more people use the program, complaints about those who perceive abuse of the program have also grown. Many of the complaints fielded by program officials stem from those who see food stamps used to purchase items like potato chips, steaks or lobster.

"As more and more people are using food stamps, more and more people are seeing what people buy with them and are complaining about it," Andueza said. "But on the other hand,, just out of necessity some people a year or two ago would have had a negative mentality about food stamps, but now many are having to change their ideas of what this program is all about."  

Applicants flood offices

About 14.7 percent of Canyon County residents use food stamps — by far the highest in the region, program officials said.

"This region does tend to be our area of having the most people receiving benefits and the highest poverty area," Andueza said.

The staff of 16 at the Nampa office see about 65 to 90 people every day. On its busiest days that number can balloon to  200 to 300 people seeking help. The situation is similar in Caldwell.

"We have been overwhelmed a bit," Ady said.

Ady, along with many other former MPC employees, have played a key role in updating the program's technology systems to improve efficiency.

With a new system in place, the amount of time it took to process a claim at the Nampa food stamp office dropped from 18 days in October to 3.6 days in November, Ady said. Under federal law, claims must be processed within 30 days. In emergency situations — which comprise about 30 percent of all applicants in Idaho — the average processing time has fallen to just one day in Idaho.

Participation in Idaho

Participation in Idaho's food stamp program has traditionally been much lower than other states, with only about 60 percent of those eligible applying. Because the latest participation data is three years old, however, officials are uncertain if the recession has changed that trend.

Some attribute the low participation rate in previous years to Idaho's conservative bent.

"Idaho has a lot of that pick-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps mentality," Andueza said. "And I also think a lot of large religious organizations help fill that void as well by helping people out, maybe more so than other states."

The turnover rate among recipients also ranks high among states. Last year, 64 percent of those who enrolled in the program eventually dropped out.

 "For most people it's temporary assistance, and really a lot of people are eventually finding things and getting income again," Tom Shanahan, spokesman for the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, said. "So people do want to get off them if they can."

Read More

Health & Science Food stamps estimate raises debate over 'poverty'

Idaho--Area school sets national bar for nutritional standards

By Brittany Cooper

There are thousands of schools nationwide, but there's only one that received the 'Healthier US School Challenge Gold of Distinction Award'.

Last year Gooding Elementary was the first school in the west to receive the gold level award; now it's the first school in the country to achieve the gold of distinction award.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna and the USDA's Deputy Under Secretary Doctor Janey Thornton joined in on the celebration.

Thornton says, "It takes great cooperation from all partners and this is sometimes very difficult in a school. You have to have input from the principal clear down tot the people in the kitchen."

In order to receive the honor, Gooding Elementary needed to meet rigorous nutrition and physical activity standards.

The school had to serve meals each day that included whole grain foods, low-fat and fat-free milk and fruits and vegetables.

Plus at least 90 minutes of physical education was required per week.

Luna says, "Nutrition, exercise and academics are all part of a well-rounded student and so Gooding, Idaho has not just set a standard for all of Idaho, but the whole country."

Luna says at the state level through the child nutrition program, increasing nutrition standards have been the major focus the last few years.

SEE GREAT VIDEO--To access a news video clip click here.

For a CELEBRATORY VIDEO put out by the Gooding School District click here.

Oregon activist fights to improve the debilitating gaps in our food system By Paige Parker, The Oregonian November 09, 2009, 8:3

Randy L. Rasmussen, The Oregonian

Sharon Thornberry is now a community organizer who works with the Oregon Food Bank. Three decades ago she had two little kids at home and $5 to stretch for three days' groceries.Two little kids at home, $5 in her pocket to feed them, Sharon Thornberry found to her great relief that processed macaroni with powdered cheese ran five boxes for a buck.

"I bought that, one package of turkey hotdogs and the cheapest margarine I could find on the shelf because I needed that for mac and cheese," Thornberry remembers of that shopping trip three decades ago. She added a small amount of milk and frozen peas "because I wanted the kids to eat vegetables.

"That was what we ate until the food stamps came."

Every meal.

Every day.

For three days.

No mother could forget it. But Thornberry, 56, has done more than simply remember. She has dedicated her life to getting nutritious food into the hands of poor families, parlaying the practicality and humility that comes naturally to an Iowa hog farmer's daughter into a career as a community organizer fighting rural hunger with the Oregon Food Bank.

Last month, a statewide coalition named Thornberry a public health genius for her gut-level grasp of how hunger and gaps in our food system contribute to chronic disease and health disparities.

It's counterintuitive, but hunger and obesity go hand-in-hand. The cheapest food is often high in calories -- just like the mac and cheese with weenies Thornberry fed her children when her own cupboards were bare. And with a new study showing that, by age 20, half of America's children will have needed food stamps, being hungry today could have far-reaching consequences for a swath of our population.

"The failure of our food system has such an affect on our health," Thornberry says. "Without working on the food system, we will never be well."


Such a sentiment has become a popular one of late, says Mary Lou Hennrich, executive director of Community Health Partnership, the organization that honored Thornberry.

About 2003, "We woke up to the obesity epidemic and started seeing those maps, and realizing it was hitting especially in low-income, vulnerable populations, and with children," Hennrich says. "Now all of a sudden it seems like everybody and their brother is into the food system."

No doubt. When snack food giant Frito-Lay is positioning itself as a purveyor of local foods, trotting out potato farmers onto the floor of the New York Stock Exchange as it did in May, something is up.

But Thornberry was among the first to connect the dots, Hennrich says.

Perhaps because they form the backdrop of her life. Thornberry was brought up on an 80-acre farm with milk cows and a family that made its own butter and cheese. Whatever food the family didn't raise, they traded, fished or hunted for, purchasing only staples.

Her father gave away what they couldn't eat or preserve to needy neighbors. "Most often it was left silently on the doorstep or given with the message, 'I hope you can help us out with this, there is just too much for Rene to put up,'" Thornberry remembered in a speech earlier this year.

Thornberry's life imploded in the late 1970s. Her husband left her, and homeless with a 2- and a 5-year-old, she relied on food stamps, the nutrition program known as WIC and free school meals to feed her children until she could find work.

"I know what it's like when you can feed your kids, but you can't feed yourself," Thornberry says. "Physically, it takes a toll on you."

By 1985 she'd moved to Oregon, found work at a paper mill and then lost it. A Corvallis career-retraining program helped Thornberry, who has never been to college, see herself as a community organizer. She became a Vista volunteer, developing a firewood-gleaning program and working herself into a staff position with the Community Services Consortium in Corvallis.

Soon, Thornberry coordinated a dozen gleaning groups across three counties, getting food that would otherwise go to waste onto the tables of the hungry.

At a conference in the early '90s, Thornberry met Andy Fisher, executive director of Community Food Security Coalition, a national anti-hunger organization based in Portland.

"She came up to me and gave me hell," Fisher says. "She felt like I was being too divisive about the anti-hunger movement."

With encouragement from his organization's co-founder, Fisher appointed Thornberry to the board.

Thornberry joined the Oregon Food Bank in 1998. She's been among several people, both inside and outside the food bank system, pushing with some success to put more nutritious offerings on pantry shelves. But, she notes, as a salvage system, food banks ultimately reflect the broader market.

Her role traveling to Oregon's remote corners and establishing food banks reminds Thornberry daily that those who live near the fields of plenty often have the stingiest access to grains, fresh fruits and vegetables and meat.

Big grocers avoid tiny towns where it's hard to turn a profit. Smaller operations find they're past the end of the line for grocery distributors. Take Fields, near Steens Mountain. Thornberry says store owners there must drive 400 miles round trip to Bend or Idaho to stock their shelves.

"It's ridiculous that you can stand in the ranching community of Jordan Valley and there are thousands of cattle around you that get shipped around the world, and you can't get any of that ground beef locally," Thornberry says. "The best you can do is get chicken strips and jo-jos from the convenience store.

"When the best grocery store in town is the emergency food pantry, there's a problem."

Umatilla County -- Oregon's top wheat and vegetable producer. Seventh-highest cattle and sheep inventories.

Umatilla County can also claim Oregon's ninth-highest rate of poverty and sixth-highest percentage of students on free- or reduced-price school lunch. Last year, the regional food bank serving Umatilla and three other counties distributed 22,809 emergency boxes of food.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Umatilla County residents report eating fewer servings of fruits and vegetables than the state's residents do on average.

Thornberry came to the county in October to host a community food organizing workshop on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.

Thornberry learned that the reservation has one small grocery and a convenience store. Previous efforts at operating a rural produce stand have come up short. A commodity food program feeds many tribal members, but not all who are eligible, and none of the items they offer is local.

Ranchers who are tribal members have a small herd they could raise entirely on pasture. Grass-fed beef is leaner than mass market beef, and the ranchers are willing to sell to their fellow tribal members. But with a shortage of USDA-inspected slaughter facilities nearby, they ship most of their animals off to an Idaho feedlot.

Thornberry's approach during the workshop is humble but expert, not so much giving advice as suggesting resources, and otherwise letting the conversation unfold.

"We've lost our system to process and preserve food in Oregon," Thornberry says later.

"We just have given over ownership of the food system to influences outside our community, and, in a lot of ways, outside of our state. I understand completely how much large farmers in Oregon depend on selling on the global market. I have no illusions that's going to change. But for our health and our security, we have to have a local food system that can balance the global food system."

-- Paige Parker

Half of US kids will get food stamps, study says By LINDSEY TANNER (AP) – 19 hours ago

CHICAGO — Nearly half of all U.S. children and 90 percent of black youngsters will be on food stamps at some point during childhood, and fallout from the current recession could push those numbers even higher, researchers say.

The estimate comes from an analysis of 30 years of national data, and it bolsters other recent evidence on the pervasiveness of youngsters at economic risk. It suggests that almost everyone knows a family who has received food stamps, or will in the future, said lead author Mark Rank, a sociologist at Washington University in St. Louis.

"Your neighbor may be using some of these programs but it's not the kind of thing people want to talk about," Rank said.

The analysis was released Monday in the November issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. The authors say it's a medical issue pediatricians need to be aware of because children on food stamps are at risk for malnutrition and other ills linked with poverty.

"This is a real danger sign that we as a society need to do a lot more to protect children," Rank said.

Food stamps are a Department of Agriculture program for low-income individuals and families, covering most foods although not prepared hot foods or alcohol. For a family of four to be eligible, their annual take-home pay can't exceed about $22,000.

According to a USDA report released last month, 28.4 million Americans received food stamps in an average month in 2008, and about half were younger than age 18. The average monthly benefit per household totaled $222.

Rank and Cornell University sociologist Thomas Hirschl studied data from a nationally representative survey of 4,800 American households interviewed annually from 1968 through 1997 by the University of Michigan. About 18,000 adults and children were involved.

Overall, about 49 percent of all children were on food stamps at some point by the age of 20, the analysis found. That includes 90 percent of black children and 37 percent of whites. The analysis didn't include other ethnic groups.

The time span included typical economic ups and downs, including the early 1980s recession. That means similar portions of children now and in the future will live in families receiving food stamps, although ongoing economic turmoil may increase the numbers, Rank said.

An editorial in the medical journal agreed.

"The current recession is likely to generate for children in the United States the greatest level of material deprivation that we will see in our professional lifetimes," Stanford pediatrician Dr. Paul Wise wrote.

Wise said the Archives study estimate is believable.

"I find it terribly sad, but not surprising," Wise said.

James Weill, president of Food Research and Action Center, a Washington-based advocacy group, said the analysis underscores that "there are just very large numbers of people who rely on this program for a month, six months, a year."

"What I hope comes out of this study is an understanding that food stamp beneficiaries aren't them — they're us," Weill said.

The analysis is in line with other recent research suggesting that more than 40 percent of U.S. children will live in poverty or near-poverty by age 17; and that half will live at some point in a single-parent family. Also, other researchers have estimated that slightly more than half of adults will use food stamps at some point by age 65.

School Meals Need to Get Healthier: Report Atlanta Journal Constitution

TUESDAY, Oct. 20 (HealthDay News) -- New guidelines are needed to improve the diets of U.S. school children, finds a new government report that would set maximum calorie counts for school breakfasts and lunches.

School meals should have less salt; more vegetables, fruits and whole grains; skim and low-fat milk, and other dairy products, the report from the Institute of Medicine says. It called on the federally funded National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program to update its current policies.

"The program was due for a revision," said IOM committee chairwoman Dr. Virginia A. Stallings, a professor and director of the Nutrition Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

The committee's job was to make recommendations to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which runs the school meal program, Stallings said. "We expect that they will take this information and revise the program," she said.

"These recommendations will become regulations, and schools are required to follow them if they are going to get reimbursed for school meals," she said.

The IOM recommendations would bring school meals in line with the latest dietary guidelines and reference intakes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The current standards for school meals are based on the 1995 dietary guidelines and the 1989 recommended dietary allowances.

Increased funding will be needed to implement the changes because of the higher cost of vegetables and whole-grain foods, the report noted. Also, greater federal meal reimbursement, capital investment and additional training of food service personnel will be required for the recommendations to succeed.

But these changes are needed to assure parents that schools are providing healthful, satisfying meals, Stallings said.

"The school meal programs were established when we were worried about children being hungry and undernourished," she said. "Now we have to worry both about that safety net for children who may not have enough food, but also balance it with a food supply that will prevent the school meals from contributing to the obesity problem."

In the past, there had only been a minimum calorie amount, Stallings said. "What the committee is now recommending is a minimum and a maximum," she said.

The report on healthy school meals suggests lunches contain no more than 650 calories for students in grades kindergarten through five; 700 calories for children in grades six to eight, and 850 for those in grades nine to 12. Breakfast calories should not exceed 500, 550 and 600, respectively, for these grade groups.

To ease the adjustment to lower salt meals, the report calls for reducing sodium over the next decade from today's average of 1,600 milligrams per lunch to 740 milligrams.

In addition, breakfasts should contain one cup of fruit, and lunches for grades nine to 12 should also contain one cup of fruit. No more than half of the fruit should come from juice, the report says.

Vegetable offerings should increase to three-quarters of a cup a day for grades kindergarten through eight, and one cup a day for grades nine to 12. Starchy vegetables, such as potatoes, should be served less often, and at least half a cup each of green leafy vegetables, orange vegetables and legumes should be provided each week, the report said.

For grains, half of the breads and pasta should be whole grain, Stallings said. Milk served with school meals should be skim or 1 percent fat, she added.

Meat with lunches should be kept to about two ounces for all grades, but can be higher for students in high school. For breakfast, meat should be kept to about one ounce a day for children in kindergarten through grade eight, and two ounces for high school students, the report noted.

The National School Lunch Program is available in 99 percent of U.S. public schools and in 83 percent of private and public schools combined. The School Breakfast Program is available in 85 percent of public schools.

About 30.6 million school children participated in the school lunch program in 2007, and 10.1 million children had school breakfasts. In 2007, schools in the program served about 5.1 billion lunches and 1.7 billion breakfasts, according to the report.

Stallings hopes the recommendations will filter down to the meals parents serve at home. "I do believe that parents will be able to use some of this to talk about the kinds of fruits and vegetables they should be serving at home and other recommendations that are easily implemented, like going to skim or low-fat milk and thinking about sodium both in cooking and table salt," she said.

Dr. David L. Katz, director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University School of Medicine, said "this update to school nutrition standards is timely, and most welcome."

School nutrition standards were originally devised to protect children from malnutrition and want, Katz noted.

"But in an age of epidemic childhood obesity, when children are far more likely to get too many calories than too few, and when more and more succumb to what was called 'adult onset' diabetes just a generation ago, the time-honored school food standards are clearly obsolete," he said.

More information

For more IDAHO-SPECIFIC information:

The New Idaho Nutrition Standards that were unveiled January 2009 are in line with these new IOM recommendations. in fact, Idaho New Nutrition Standards have additional standards not seen in IOMs recommendations. Please see more at:
http://www.sde.idaho.gov/site/cnp/nutritionStandards/

On this site you will find resources such as:
Nutrition Standards Book
Nutrition Education Videos
Booklets geared towards (1) Parents, (2) Administrators, (3) Teachers and (4) Research Based Information.

For more on healthful eating, visit the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

 

Hunger Awareness Proclamation

October is Hunger Awareness Month, and the state marked the occasion this morning when Lt. Gov. Brad Little joined a wide array of religious leaders, anti-hunger activists and children from the Boise Urban Garden School to make it official. The children presented a basket of locally grown produce from farmer’s markets and community gardens around the state, and Little said he’s seen first-hand in his hometown of Emmett the success of interfaith efforts to get fresh, local produce to the needy. Idaho is ranked as the 24th hungriest state, Little noted, and it has the 10th highest percentage of food-insecure children under age 5. “It is important at this point in time, particularly in Idaho where we have so much agricultural products, that there are people who are hungry,” Little said, calling on Idahoans to “be aware of the necessity to take care of our own.”

Read More

'Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food' USDA Launches web tools for healthier choices

10 Tips Series - "10 Tips" will feature a variety of topics under CNPP's Nutrition Education Series. The "10 Tips" begins with cutting back on salt and sodium, followed by tips for setting good examples to be a healthy role model for children, tips for following a vegetarian diet, and tips for making more environmentally friendly food choices. Other tips will be added regularly, and can be downloaded at www.MyPyramid.gov.

Recession-Weary Idahoans Struggle With Basic Food, Shelter, Utility and Medical Cost ST. PAUL, Minn. (September 17, 2009)

A recession that has seen an unprecedented collapse of financial institutions, ongoing home foreclosures, rising unemployment, and bankruptcies in the auto industry has pounded Idaho with job losses, reduced work hours and scaled-back lifestyles. A national poll of more than 4,000 shows Idaho families have cut their spending, taken in friends or relatives because of money, and lent or given money to those in need. Idahoans without a college degree are more likely to report a job loss than those with a degree. Commissioned by the Northwest Area Foundation, the poll shows three-quarters in the state see more people struggling to make ends meet than a year ago, mostly because of circumstances they believe are beyond their control. 

Sixty-four percent of Idahoans say they’ve had to cut back on spending. More than half, 59 percent, report the change in spending habits will be permanent. In the past year, families reported: 

• 32% had problems paying for basic necessities like their mortgage, rent or heating.
• 55% say they’ve cut down on the amount they’ve spent on food.
• 49% have cut back on saving for retirement.
• 27% have had a friend or family member stay with them because of lack of funds.
• 33% have had trouble affording medical care. 

Compounding those challenges, 41 percent of people in the state say they would not know where to go in their community for help, and 49 percent say they are not familiar with government services such as food stamps. 

“This poll confirms what we are seeing in Idaho. We’re seeing a whole new group of people who’ve never experienced financial difficulties of this magnitude. It’s the former high-earning, two-income families who’ve lost a job and have a heavy debt load,” said Mary Chant, executive director of the Community Action Partnership Association of Idaho. “It’s putting a huge stress on our services, because we’re still working with all the low-income families we’ve typically helped in the past.” 

 For a second year in a row, people are worried that their paychecks won’t be enough to meet their bills, a response that may be related to reports of job insecurity: 

• 26% say someone in their household has been laid off or lost a job.
• 38% say someone in their household has had their work hours cut. 

Idahoans also reported:

• A majority says it takes at least $40,000 a year to meet basic needs of a family of four, which is more than twice the federal poverty level of $21,834 – the fourth year in a row a majority of respondents has expressed this belief.
• 43% say two adults earning $10 per hour is not enough to make ends meet for a family of four. 

For the full report and interactive polling data for Idaho, visit  http://www.nwaf.org/content/Survey 

Americans told us that things are even tougher for their families than the official unemployment and poverty rates suggest,” said Kevin F. Walker, president and CEO of the Northwest Area Foundation. “They also say elected officials need to join them in finding solutions. Public policy is a critical tool in moving low-income people – and our nation – toward prosperity that lasts.” 

Forty-seven percent of respondents said the government is doing too little to help. Their priorities for lawmakers are ranked as follows: attracting and keeping well-paying jobs, making college and vocational education more affordable, making medical care more accessible, and making sure there is a safety net for those on the verge of losing their homes to foreclosure. Overwhelmingly people in Idaho said that when they vote, they will think about how well the candidate would help those struggling to make ends meet. 

Despite the tough times, Idahoan resolve is strong. Forty-eight percent say they are hopeful about the national economy, and 87 percent say they believe the number of people struggling to get by in their community can be reduced. Eighty-four percent say they are willing to volunteer to help, and 57 percent say someone in their household has gone so far as to lend or give money to someone who was in need. 

 

-END-

The Northwest Area Foundation is dedicated to supporting efforts by the people, organizations and communities in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington to reduce poverty and achieve sustainable prosperity. These states were served by the Great Northern Railway, founded by James J. Hill. In 1934, Hill’s son Louis W. Hill established the Foundation. To learn more, visit www.nwaf.org.

 

 

SNAP/Food Stamps Top 35 Million in June 2009 -- Idaho sees 40.8% increase June 2008 to June 2009

In June 2009, SNAP/Food Stamp participation rose to a record 35,122,123 people, an increase of 712,635 individuals from May 2009, the prior record level, and an increase of more than 6.4 million people compared with the prior June.

Currently, one in nine Americans receives SNAP/Food Stamps. This is the highest share of the U.S. population on SNAP/Food Stamps. Click here to see a state-by-state analysis (share of total participation - pdf).

All states reported increases in caseloads between June 2008 and June 2009. Four states experienced increases over-the-prior June percentage caseload increases above 40 percent: Utah (46.3%); Nevada (45.1%); Washington (45%); and Idaho (40.8%). Eight states experienced increases above 30 percent: Florida (38.6%); Vermont (37.4%); Arizona (34.4%); Colorado (34%); Wisconsin (31.7%); Wyoming (31.1%); Maryland (30.4%); and Georgia (30.2%).

June is the third month that the SNAP/Food Stamp benefit boost, which was included in the ARRA, took effect and bolstered the programs’ stimulative effects for local economies. ARRA raised benefits for all SNAP/Food Stamp households-for example, $80 more per month for a household of four.

The increase in benefits also bolstered the stimulative effect of SNAP/Food Stamp spending on local economies. Total spending for program benefits in June 2009 due to ARRA raises, other improvements, and increased program participation rose to $4.7 billion, bringing the estimated total economic stimulative impact of SNAP benefits to more than $8.6 billion in June 2009.

Implementing policies that improve program access, ensuring staff capacity to process applications, and mounting outreach campaigns to get the word out to the public can help communities maximize the federal recovery dollars available to help local families and businesses.

Food Stamp Program Participation Data (pdf): Chart A: 5-Year Change Chart B: 1-Year Change Chart C: 1-Month Change

Overall Trends

The number of people participating in SNAP/Food Stamps in June 2009 was more than 18.3 million more persons than in July 2000, when program participation nationally reached its lowest point in the last decade (16.8 million individuals).

Caseloads dropped through 1998 and 1999 as the economy improved and many states failed to get food stamps to low-income families who had left cash welfare for low-paid work. Caseloads then stabilized and began rising in 2000. Increases in participation since then likely have been driven by improved access to the program in states, including most recently for legal immigrants, by the weakened economy for low-income families, and (in September, October, and November 2005) by hurricanes.

Research suggests that one in three eligible people are not receiving food stamp benefits. See FRAC's "Gaps in Coverage" page. page. Fortunately, tools are available to bring federal food stamp dollars into families and communities, where each dollar is estimated to produce nearly two dollars in economic activity. See FRAC's "Countercyclical Section" attachment.

Trends: 1998-2001

From December 1997 to December 2000, the food stamp caseload fell by 3.5 million persons. Some reduction in poverty and improvement in the overall unemployment rate contributed to these Food Stamp Program caseload declines, but other factors, including negative program changes by Congress, interactions with the cash public assistance system that make food stamp access harder for eligible families, and lack of information about the program among potentially eligible people, explained much of the drop.

Because of the 1996 welfare law, by August 22, 1997 most legal immigrants lost eligibility for federal food stamp benefits. Some immigrants were made newly eligible November 1, 1998, but a majority remained barred from the program. (Important additional improvements are occurring in 2003.) The period after March 1997 was also marked by implementation of cuts in Food Stamp Program eligibility for many childless, jobless adults. Implementation of the new, separate Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program established by the 1996 welfare law also had major, unintended, adverse effects on the Food Stamp Program, as families lost food stamps (for which many were still eligible) at the same time that they lost TANF benefits. According to a July 2001 USDA report to Congress, over half (56 percent) of caseload declines between 1994 and 1999 "occurred because fewer eligible individuals participated in the program," rather than because of the economy or changes in eligibility rules. Further, USDA finds, "nearly a quarter of all leavers (from food stamps) experienced hunger in the first year after leaving the Food Stamp Program."

Trends: 2001-2008

Unemployment and underemployment; improved processes in some states at application; better rules in many states, such as no longer treating vehicles as a resource barring eligibility; and other increased efforts by states and non-profit groups to connect eligible persons with benefits have contributed to the increase in Food Stamp Program participation in the last five years.

Pursuant to the 2002 Farm Bill, many legal immigrants became newly eligible for benefits in 2003 (as of April 2003, those residing in the US at least five years; as of October 2003, those under 18 regardless of date of entry).

Caseload trends in late 2005 were affected by the temporary disaster Food Stamp Program relief in the wake of several hurricanes, relief that by December was on the wane.

A positive feature of the SNAP/Food Stamp Program is its ability to meet increased need, whether due to economic changes or disasters. For information about the Disaster Food Stamp Program, download FRAC's Guide to the Disaster Food Stamp Program; click here for a press release on the guide.

Three states with large numbers of those affected by the hurricanes– Florida, Louisiana, and Texas--accounted for nearly 3.4 million of the 3.8 million person increase between August and November 2005. Also ranking in the ten states with the largest percentage increases between August and November 2005 were three other states disproportionately impacted by hurricanes— Mississippi (hit by Katrina), Georgia and Arkansas (both reportedly serving large numbers of hurricane evacuees).

Not reflected in the caseload figures was additional nutrition assistance provided to many regular food stamp households affected by the hurricanes. Many households already enrolled in the program received replacement allotments to help cope with their food losses. Additional nutrition assistance also was provided to hurricane victims through the school meals programs, Child and Adult Care Food Program, and WIC Program.

The significant food stamp service to hurricane survivors was due to a combination of factors: the entitlement structure of the program which allowed it to respond quickly to deep and urgent need; strong leadership from political appointees and career officials at the US Department of Agriculture; key efforts of state governments; efficiency of the Electronic Benefit Transfer delivery system; and outreach and advocacy by non-profit groups.

Changes in SNAP/Food Stamp benefit levels and asset rules that were enacted in the 2008 Farm Bill became effective as of October 1, 2008. These include the first ever increase in the minimum monthly benefit (from $10 to $14), an increase in the standard deduction for households of three or fewer, and taking into account the full amount of dependent care costs households incur. Retirement and education savings accounts will no longer be counted against a household's SNAP eligibility.

Kale for the Proletariat Farmers market accepting food stamps by Nathaniel Hoffman

With support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Boise's Saturday, Thursday and Tuesday farmers markets will accept food stamps next spring, part of a growing trend at markets across the country.

"The benefit is that we will be able to attract more people who need the fresh food," said Karen Ellis, Capital City Public Market executive director. "A lot of the misconception about farmers markets is they are more expensive."

The market was awarded a two-year start-up grant, to be finalized this week, to purchase the equipment and train vendors in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. SNAP is still called food stamps in Idaho, though the 2008 farm bill did away with the term last year and many states have followed suit in an effort to banish the stigmas associated with food stamps.

At least two market vendors have applied for a SNAP license, but only Global Gardens, a program coordinated by the Idaho Office for Refugees, has been authorized.

For the past two weeks, Global Gardens has accepted food stamps for fresh, local vegetables, and while participation has been slow at market, refugee agriculture coordinator Katie Painter said they have had more success with their mobile food stand, which serves refugee families during the week.

While Global Gardens has to call in each food stamp purchase, next year, the market will have an Electronic Benefits Transfer reader and customers can scan their Idaho Quest Card--a food stamp debit card--and get tokens to use at farm stands. Regular bank debit cards will also be accommodated next year.

Fresh vegetables and fruits, honey, meat and even plants that produce food are eligible for food stamp purchases.

Read More

Food Stamps, Economic Spark? August 2, 2009 3:54 PM

August 2, 2009 3:54 PM

Families on food stamps have been reaping the benefits of the stimulus package which gave poor families more food stamp money. As Terrell Brown reports, this could be a spark that ignites businesses.   Watch this 2 minute video on the stimulus effort of food stamps for farmers' markets, grocery stores, and hungry families.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5205385n

Idaho summer programs feed more hungry kids this year But only a quarter of eligible low-income children are receiving the free

The 5-year-old summer feeding programs run by the Oasis Worship and Food Center throughout Canyon County are proof that lots of low-income Idaho kids are getting fed.

Pastor Royce Wright said the program, which served 121,000 meals during its first summer, served 250,000 meals in 2008.

"By the end of this summer, we're looking at over 310,000," Wright said.

The Idaho Foodbank and Boise School District also run a summer food program, Picnic in the Park, that put 8,000 meals in kids' hands in its first three weeks.

All that is good news, said Kathy Gardner, part of the Idaho Hunger Relief Task Force, a statewide group of public and private agencies trying to stem food insecurity in Idaho.

According to the Food Research and Action Center's recent annual report, based on 2008 figures, Idaho rose to ninth from 12th in the United States when it comes to getting summer food aid to kids.

Minnick researches reduced-meal program with lunch Associated Press - July 4, 2009 7:04 PM ET

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho (AP) - U.S. Rep. Walt Minnick shared lunch in the cafeteria at Post Falls High School to get a taste of the reduced-priced food that is served to children and adults.

The Idaho Democrat also received an earful about the Child Nutrition Act that lawmakers will likely vote on sometime in the next few weeks and that helps provide free breakfasts and lunches for anyone under 18.

Adults are also eligible for meals at a cost of $2.

Minnick says he's trying to understand the program and become as familiar as he can with food distribution programs.

Annie Mader, director of the Post Falls School District's child nutrition program, told Minnick on Friday that the number of people being fed through the program is up 178% from last year.

Information from: Coeur d'Alene Press, http://www.cdapress.com

NEW REPORT AVAILABLE JULY 8--2009 - NEW JULY REPORT- Hunger Doesn’t Take A Vacation: Summer Nutrition Status Report 2009   (RESOURCES PAGE--AT LEFT)

Food stamp program suspends asset test Idaho Press-Tribune Staff newsroom@idahopress.com

BOISE — The Idaho Food Stamp Program announced Thursday that as of this month it will drop its asset test for eligibility to help residents who struggle with current economic conditions.

Previously, most residents were not eligible for food assistance if they had more than $2,000 in assets, which most commonly consists of savings accounts or vehicles such as boats or RVs. The new policy will be in effect until June 1, 2010.

By temporarily dropping the asset test, the state joins 22 others that have taken similar action.

"There are many families who suffered a recent job loss who meet the income eligibility criteria for Food Stamp assistance, but have some assets," Russ Barron, Idaho administrator of the division of welfare, said. "The problem is, they cannot sell that boat or RV — there is no market for it."

State leaders first considered raising the asset amount above $2,000. However, officials said administrative costs would have soared as the state would need many additional eligibility workers to verify asset amounts.

"People seeking food assistance today are some of our most responsible citizens — they have always worked hard, paid taxes and helped other people in their time of need," Health and Welfare director Richard Armstrong said. "It is now our time to help them as they search for work and struggle to keep a roof over their families' heads."

The program offers food assistance to people who earn 130 percent or less of the federal poverty limit. For a family of four, this amounts to about $2,300 of monthly income. Officials said about 4 percent of food stamp applicants met the income eligibility guidelines but were denied assistance because of the asset limit.

In recent months, the Idaho Food Stamp Program has seen record growth, serving about 140,000 people in April — up 36 percent from the previous year.

SNAP/Food Stamp Participation Continues to Set Record Levels; More than 33.1 Million Participate in March 2009

Recovery Act Further Boosts SNAP/Food Stamp Purchasing Power and Economic Stimulus Impact for Families and Communities

In March 2009, SNAP/Food Stamp participation was 33,156,745 people, the highest participation level on record, and an increase of nearly 600,000 individuals from February 2009, the prior record level. Over the past twelve months, participation has grown by 5.2 million individuals.

All states reported increases in caseloads between March 2008 and March 2009. Eleven states registered over-the-prior March percentage caseload increases above 25 percent: Utah (37.1), Nevada (35.7), Idaho (35.4), Florida (32.1), Vermont (31.0), Washington (29.6), Wisconsin (29), Arizona (27.9), Georgia (26.2), Colorado (25.5), and Maryland (25).

Since April, implementation of the federal economic recovery package has meant higher benefits for SNAP/Food Stamp households—for example, $80 more per month for a household of four. The increases bolster the stimulative effect of SNAP/Food Stamp spending on local economies. USDA research shows that each dollar in federal SNAP/Food Stamp benefits generates nearly double that in economic activity. Click here for more details on SNAP/Food Stamps and economic recovery.

A weakened economy means that many more individuals are turning to SNAP/Food Stamps. Even before the latest economic crisis, more than 36.2 million people lived in U.S. households facing a constant struggle against hunger.

Federal, state and local governments and their private and nonprofit sector partners need to step up efforts to enroll more eligible people. Currently, one in three eligible people are missed. Implementing policies that improve program access, ensuring staff capacity to process applications, and mounting outreach campaigns to get the word out to the public can help communities maximize the federal recovery dollars available to help local families and businesses.

Changes in SNAP/Food Stamp benefit levels and asset rules that were enacted in the 2008 Farm Bill became effective as of October 1, 2008. These include the first ever increase in the minimum monthly benefit (from $10 to $14), an increase in the standard deduction for households of three or fewer, and taking into account the full amount of dependent care costs households incur. Retirement and education savings accounts will no longer be counted against a household's SNAP eligibility.

Food Stamp Program Participation Data (pdf): Chart A: 5-Year Change Chart B: 1-Year Change Chart C: 1-Month Change

Read More

Idaho kids among most ‘food insecure’ Study also shows state making significant gains Betsy Z. Russell / betsyr@spokesman.com

BOISE – A new nationwide study of child hunger shows Idaho making two top-10 lists – one measuring the most improvement in rates of child hunger, and another showing it among the 10 worst states for hungry kids younger than 5.

State Health and Welfare officials are “a little puzzled” by the conflicting results.

“We don’t have a good answer for it,” agency spokesman Tom Shanahan said. “We may have been a little behind the curve, and we’re headed in the right direction now.”

The study, “Feeding America: Child Food Insecurity in the United States,” looked at hunger rates for children by state. It compared data from 2005 through 2007 with data from 2003 to 2005. It also, for the first time, broke out data for children under 5.

Washington didn’t make any of the study’s top-10 lists, but it tied with New Mexico for the 11th-highest rate of child “food insecurity.” Washington ranked 18th in hunger rates for kids under 5.

Kathy Gardner, director of the Idaho Hunger Relief Task Force, said the improvements aligned with several bright spots in the state’s fight against hunger. Idaho’s food stamp program, which she called “the front-line program for childhood hunger and family hunger,” is rapidly expanding. And on Monday, it dropped its asset test for one year, potentially making more laid-off Idahoans eligible for help.

“Every once in a while we do something that’s very progressive,” she said.

People qualify for food stamps in Idaho if they earn less than 130 percent of the federal poverty level, which, for a family of four, is $27,564 a year. But until Monday, Idaho families were disqualified if they had more than $2,000 worth of assets.

For the next year, assets won’t matter. So a family with no work but with enough in the bank for a few months’ worth of mortgage payments still could get help.

“The economic conditions we’re in are not typical at all – they really are kind of topsy-turvy,” Shanahan said. “We worked with the governor’s office and decided we’ll suspend it for one year, try to help stabilize families so they don’t go into poverty or don’t lose their homes, and hopefully things will recover.”

In Washington, people earning less than 200 percent of poverty level qualify for food stamps; that’s $44,100 a year for a family of four, and asset limits have been waived.

Emergency food banks throughout the region are seeing increasing demand.

“We see new faces every day,” said Angie Lee, manager of the Community Action Partnership Food Bank in Coeur d’Alene.

She’s seen a 19 percent jump in demand for emergency food boxes for low-income families, but food donations are down 8 percent, Lee said.

“What happens is a little bit less goes in our food boxes. Everybody goes away with something, but they go away with a little bit less.”

One in Six Young Children Live at Risk of Hunger in 26 U.S. States According to New Feeding America Report

More than 3.5 Million Children Under the Age of Five are Food Insecure

Chicago, Illinois
May 6, 2009

One in six young children live on the brink of hunger in 26 states in the U.S., according to a new report issued today by Feeding America. The rate of food insecurity in young children is 33 percent higher than in U.S. adults, where one in eight live at risk of hunger

Child Food Insecurity in the United States: 2005 -- 2007 states that 3.5 million children, ages five and under, are food insecure.

The analysis includes the first ever state-by-state analysis of early childhood hunger, using data collected by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The report also found that food insecurity among all children (persons less than 18 years of age) increased dramatically in many states, when compared to USDA data collected between 2003 and 2005. The report was funded with a grant from the ConAgra Foods Foundation.

More than 12 million children in the United States are food insecure – unable to consistently access adequate amounts of nutritious food necessary for a healthy life. 

“Children are the engine for economic growth in the United States.  Hunger creates unbearable, unsustainable costs that ripple through the economy and prevent economic success.” said researcher John Cook, Ph.D., of the Boston Medical Center and Boston University School of Medicine, a nationally-recognized expert on child hunger, who conducted the analysis. “If we fail to give them the nutrition and health supports they need in the first three to five years of life, our economy cannot fulfill its potential.”

(Idaho ranks #10 for children under age 5 who are food insecure, read further...)

Read More

President Obama, Sec. Vilsack Announce Intent To Nominate Kevin Concannon As Under Secretary For USDA Food & Nutrition Services

	WASHINGTON, April 17, 2009 – President Barack Obama today announced his intent to nominate Kevin W. Concannon as Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Concannon will serve with Secretary Tom Vilsack. "In the past 25 years, Kevin Concannon has been Director of four health and human service agencies in three states—Iowa, Maine and Oregon," Vilsack said. "In these positions, Kevin has led state efforts to make food stamps and emergency food assistance more accessible to those in need. "From children's and juvenile services, to Medicaid, public health and many other areas, Kevin has dedicated his career to improving the lives of millions in every stage and every circumstance of life. Now we're tapping his leadership and experience to serve citizens across the nation and address President Obama's deep concern for the health and welfare—and particularly the nutrition—of America's children." As Director of the Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) from 2003 to 2008, Concannon headed an agency that serves close to one million Iowans each year. He was Maine's DHS Commissioner from 1995 to 2003; Director of Oregon's DHS from 1987 to 1995; and Commissioner of the Maine Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation from 1980 to 1987. In these offices, Concannon helped transform state welfare systems; led major initiatives in prescription drug access; championed improvements in child support and child care programs; and led long-term care system reform for the elderly, among many other achievements. Concannon has held many national leadership roles. He has served as President of the American Public Welfare Association and President of the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors. He was Co-Chair of the Milbank Fund's Reforming States' Health Care Steering Committee and a member of the Harvard University Executive Session on the Future of Child Welfare, among other positions. A native of Portland, Maine, Concannon holds a B.A. degree from St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, and a M.S.W. degree from St. Francis Xavier University and the Maritime School of Social Work, Halifax, Nova Scotia. He and his wife M. Eileen Concannon have four adult sons.

Otter will ease food stamp eligibility Idaho enrollment is soaring as the economic crisis takes its toll.

By Brian Murphy - bmurphy@idahostatesman.com 

Published: 03/27/09

KBSU Boise Idaho - Documenting Hunger In Idaho 02/20/2009 Release of the IDAHO HUNGER ATLAS by Idaho Hunger Relief Task Force

Lawerence Denney: Don't delay grocery tax credit increase READER'S VIEW GROCERY TAX CREDIT

BY LAWERENCE DENNEY - Idaho Statesman

Edition Date: 02/13/09

News Updates Survey reflects Idaho's rapid downturn Based on 3 key numbers, the state ranks No. 3 in the nation

BY CYNTHIA SEWELL - cmsewell@idahostatesman.com

Edition Date:  02/03/09

January 22, 2009 HOUSE ECONOMIC RECOVERY PACKAGE: State-by-State Estimates of Key Provisions Affecting Low- and Moderate-Income

The House economic recovery package unveiled last week is designed to boost employment and the economy.  It contains a number of spending and tax measures crafted to inject more aggregate demand into the sagging economy.   This paper provides state-by-state estimates for most of the major spending and provisions that will affect low- and moderate-income Americans (some provisions cannot be allocated on a state-by-state basis).  The Center will update this analysis as more information and details become available.

These provisions are among the most effective economic stimulus in the package.  Low-income and unemployed families will spend benefits or tax refunds quickly to meet household expenses.  The state fiscal relief will lessen the degree to which states will have to enact very painful budget cuts and tax increases, both of which have a negative effect on the economy.  In addition, the measures included in the package will help avert severe hardship among low-income populations and preserve some needed state and local services. 

The paper provides short descriptions and tables with estimated state-by-state impacts of several key provisions.  For each of the following proposals there is a short description of the proposed policy and the methodology for CBPP’s state-by-state estimates.

• Temporary Increase in State FMAP
• State Fiscal Stabilization Fund
• Education
• Unemployment Insurance
• Child Care
• Training and Employment Services
• Food Stamp (or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance) Program
• Supplemental Security Income
• Emergency Shelter Grant Program
• Child Tax Credit
• Making Work Pay Tax Credit

 

Burke Hays: Increasing food stamp benefits would help kids, economy READER'S VIEW CHILDHOOD HUNGER - BURKE HAYS Idaho Statesman

With the sudden economic downturn, many Americans are struggling to purchase even the most basic necessity: food. Children bear an unequal burden of our economic situation. A recent Associated Press article noted that 691,000 youth went hungry in 2007. These figures increased 50 percent from 2006, and the Department of Agriculture predicts the numbers will continue to rise through 2009.

Both the struggling economy and growing childhood hunger are prompting Congress to consider a stimulus package likely to be enacted in the first quarter of 2009. Limited federal revenues and ballooning deficits will certainly dampen the scope of Congress' actions. But if lawmakers are careful, they can simultaneously bolster the economy and alleviate child hunger.

Economic stimulus traditionally takes the form of rebate checks, but there is a better way. Financial analysts at Goldman Sachs suggest that increasing food stamp benefits has a larger positive economic effect. They predict that for every dollar spent increasing food stamp benefits, $1.73 of economic activity is generated. However, for every dollar that is spent on tax rebate checks, only $1.26 of economic activity is generated.

Increasing food stamp benefits also fosters economic recovery faster than rebate checks. Because food stamps target the poorest Americans, 90 percent of the cash benefits are spent within two weeks of receipt. Middle- and upper-income earners take much longer to spend their stimulus checks, if they spend them at all.

Read More

Hunger has a New Face

By Kerri Sandaine of the Tribune

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Some of the people coming through the door have never needed to ask for help before.

But with a tough economic climate and winter on the way, new faces are showing up at area food banks this holiday season, said Connie Granbois, manager of the Community Action Partnership Food Bank in Lewiston.

"We are seeing a new hungry, people that have never used a food bank before. They were doing OK, but now with the higher cost of food and utilities, they find themselves struggling. People have lost their jobs due to cutbacks or places closing their doors. There are many reasons why people need assistance with their groceries."

At the same time, donations have taken a dip, she said. People are still making charitable contributions, but unemployment and other financial factors have taken a toll on giving in this region.

Chuck Whitman, director of the Idaho Foodbank in the north central Idaho area, said in places like Kooskia, Orofino and Kamiah, there is a direct relation between recent layoffs and the increasing requests for help.

Read More

Americans' Food Stamp Use Nears All-Time High

By Jane Black

Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 26, 2008; Page A01

Fueled by rising unemployment and food prices, the number of Americans on food stamps is poised to exceed 30 million for the first time this month, surpassing the historic high set in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina.

The figures will put the spotlight on hunger when Congress begins deliberations on a new economic stimulus package, said legislators and anti-hunger advocates, predicting that any stimulus bill will include a boost in food stamp benefits. Advocates are also optimistic that President-elect Barack Obama, who made campaign promises to end childhood hunger and whose mother once briefly received food stamps, will make the issue a priority next year.

"We soon will have the most food stamps recipients in the history of our country," said Jim Weill, president of the Food Research and Action Center, a D.C.-based anti-hunger policy organization. "If the economic forecasts come true, we're likely to see the most hunger that we've seen since the 1981 recession and maybe since the 1960s, when these programs were established."

Read More

More than 36.2 Million Americans Struggled Against Hunger in 2007 Number in Worst-Off Households Rose 40 Percent from 2000-2007

Washington, D.C. – November 17, 2008 – The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) announced today that the hunger and food insecurity rates in the United States increased in 2007, according to official data. More than 36.2 million people lived in households struggling against hunger in 2007, compared to 35.5 million in 2006 and 33.2 million in 2000. The number of people in the worst-off category – the hungriest Americans – has risen 40 percent since 2000, from 8.5 million to 11.9 million.

“In 2007, there were nearly three million more Americans in food insecure households than when President Bush was elected. And the 2008 food insecurity number almost certainly will be far worse,” said Jim Weill, president of FRAC. “We need both Congress and President Bush now, and President-elect Obama and the new Congress beginning in January, to respond to this huge national problem.”

“Increased demand at food stamp and WIC offices, social service agencies, and emergency food providers shows that growing economic dislocation is overwhelming the nation’s first responders to hunger. The nation urgently needs a boost in SNAP/Food Stamp benefits, as has been recommended by economists from across the political spectrum, both as a necessary support for low-income people and as the best stimulus expenditure, dollar for dollar. And then Congress must make further improvements in food stamps, school meals, and other nutrition programs.”

Idaho is now ranked #24 in the nation.  Download the charts:

Prevalence of Household-Level Food Insecurity and Very Low Food Security by State 2005-2007 (Average) (pdf)

Prevalence of Household-Level Food Insecurity and Very Low Food Security by State 2005-2007 (Average) and 2002-2004 (Average) (pdf)

Read More

More Idahoans getting food stamps to feed their families 06:19 PM MDT on Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Bruce Whitehouse says his family of four started using food stamps a little while ago, but also uses a food pantry as well.

"I’m hungry, the kids are hungry, what have you, so you just got to do what you got to do. It's more for the kids than for me, so I’m making sure my family eats first, then I eat, so it's just making ends meet," said Whitehouse.

The Freedom Resource Center in Boise is just one of dozens of places across the valley that provides food and supplies to help families get by.

Their director says they are seeing 20 to 30 new families asking for help everyday.

The food stamp program is federally funded, and will continue to give aid to every Idahoan that qualifies.

Read More

Statement by Jim Weill, President of the Food Research and Action Center, on the Release of the Blueprint to End Hunger in Ameri

October 16, 2008 - Today, the National Anti-Hunger Organizations (NAHO) – of which the Food Research and Action Center is a member – released the Blueprint to End Hunger in America (pdf). In it, we offer common sense recommendations that will set our nation on the path to ending hunger. These recommendations call for a renewed commitment by the public and by our nation’s leaders at all levels of government, and call for adequate new investment in proven public nutrition programs. Together, these recommendations, when adopted, will lead to a day when all Americans can obtain an adequate and healthy diet.

Read More

Child Nutrition Reauthorization - Public Comment Process

FRAC, September 29, 2008- USDA has been having "listening sessions" around the country on policies for the 2009 Child Nutrition and WIC reauthorization. (Congress will continue, modify, and, if we all work hard enough, considerably improve the school lunch and breakfast programs, Child and Adult Care Food Program, Summer Food Service Program, and WIC.

USDA is also inviting written comments on reauthorization. The comments must be received by USDA on or before October 15, 2008. They can be sent by mail, fax or electronically. This is an important opportunity for you and your organization to provide recommendations on improving access and nutrition quality in the programs.

The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) has set-up a page for you to submit comments electronically to USDA. The model letter is based on FRAC's knowledge of the programs and process of gathering together recommendations from many of you. The letter is designed for you to be able to modify to fit your priorities and to add more detailed recommendations if that suits your priorities.

To submit your comment electronically, click here.

N. Idaho food bank running low on supplies

The Associated Press
Edition Date:  09/16/08

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — Fewer donations and more hungry families are combining to empty the shelves at a food bank in northern Idaho, the manager says.

Angie Lee, manager of the Community Action Partnership Food Bank, said donations of food and cash are off about 50 percent while the number of those seeking help is up about 25 percent.

"This is as bad as I've seen it," she told the Coeur d'Alene Press. "There are volunteers who have been here nine years, and they say it's the worst they've ever seen it.

Read More

Richard Armstrong: Food stamps help keep families fed in hard times READER'S VIEW

By Richard Armstrong - Idaho Statesman

Edition Date:  9/12/08

Recently, an opinion titled, "Taxpayers shouldn't be footing bill for cigarettes," expressed a concern that someone used a food stamp card to pay for cigarettes.

Cigarettes are not an allowable purchase with a food stamp card, and the store's computer system would not have allowed cigarettes to be charged as a food stamp benefit.

That said, I'd like to take this opportunity to provide some background about the Food Stamp Program, how the program works, and shed some light on the issue of hunger in Idaho.

Read More

Oasis Food Center

Oasis Worship and Food Center

Posted: Aug 28, 2008 09:24 PM

http://www.fox12idaho.com Caldwell, Idaho -- Tough economic times have hit local facilities dedicated to helping people and families in need. However, one Caldwell church says they're supporting more families and giving away more food than ever. They're a small church with big dreams and an even bigger impact on our community. This summer alone they've fed more than 200,000 people. "The statistics are out there that we're, that our community and our state, is in trouble," said Oasis pastor Royce Right. Newly released statistics show Idaho to be the 13th hungriest state with over 68,000 working poor, meaning they make less than minimum wage. With so many needy people in the Treasure Valley, charity is more important than ever -- and that's where Right comes in.

Read More

WIC food program 'swamped' with requests

Health officials blame the economy for the increase in WIC aid. More people are eligible starting this month.

A record number of families in the Treasure Valley and across Idaho are signing up for a federal program that puts food on the table for mothers and young children.  "We've just been swamped here in the last several months," said Karen Martz, manager of the Women, Infants and Children program for the Central District Health Department, which covers Ada, Boise, Valley and Elmore counties.

 

Read More

Governor signs grocery tax relief bill

Gov. Butch Otter has signed into law the long-sought break for Idahoans who have been paying full 6 percent sales taxes on their grocery purchases, ever since the Legislature raised the sales tax from 5 percent to 6 in August of 2006.

Read More