Gwendolyn Smith, a single mother with three of seven kids still living at home, struggles with both obesity and being able to afford healthy meals for herself and her family. (Credit: MPR Photo/Jennifer Simonson)

“If you don’t have a lot of food, whatever you get, you gonna try to eat enough so that you can be filled up, because you might not know when you’ll get your next meal,” says Gwendolyn Smith of Minneapolis Minnesota.  

Fact:  Mothers are more vulnerable to the paradox of hunger and obesity.

While it may not seem intuitive, it is possible for hunger and obesity to exist in the same person or household. Several studies have shown that there is a strong relationship between hunger and obesity particularly among food insecure women.  The financial and emotional stress of raising children on a poverty budget, coupled with repeated cycles of food deprivation and overeating, make mothers and women at greater risk of obesity.

Dr. Dianna Cutts from Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis shares how she began to understand the struggles of hunger and obesity.  “For families who have very little, this becomes a reward that really has meaning and is yet affordable at some times,” Cutts said. “And I think just in general, the meaning of food becomes so loaded when access is restricted.”  Read the full story here.

Poor and pregnant mothers are additionally at greater risk for pregnancy complications, particularly gestational diabetes and obesity.  Research related to food insecurity and birth defects is still in its infancy and requires further exploration.

In part 3, we’ll learn how hunger leaves women and their children vulnerable to other mental and physical trauma.

For the first time in Texas, individuals receiving SNAP (food stamps) or Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) EBT fruit and vegetable benefits will be able to double the dollar amount that they can spend on fruits and vegetables at a farmers’ market. Eligible shoppers will be matched dollar for dollar up to $10 each week, totaling $20 to purchase fruits and vegetables. If an individual receives both SNAP and WIC EBT fruit and vegetable benefits they can receive up to $10 in “Double Dollars” per program, per week.

The program is called the Double Dollar Incentive Program (DDIP) and is made possible by funding and support from the Sustainable Food Center (SFC), St. David’s Foundation, Wholesome Wave Foundation and Farm Aid, United States Agriculture Department (USDA) Farmers Market Promotion Program, Texas Department of Agriculture Specialty Crops Grant, and the YMCA East Communities Branch of YMCA of Austin.

“This farmers’ market will help fill the long-identified gap in northeast Austin where there are no farmers’ markets,” said SFC executive director Ronda Rutledge. “This particular market – and only this market – will include incentives of matching dollars to be given to shoppers who use their SNAP and WIC fruits and vegetable benefits for purchases weekly.”

It’s easier than you think to use your EBT card at the farmers market. Former AmeriCORPS VISTA Amelia demonstrates how she was able to easily and quickly use her card at the market.

DDIP is just one of the ways SFC is attracting Austin residents to their new year-long farmers’ market at the YMCA East. In addition to shopping at the vendors featured at SFC’s three other markets in Austin, this market also includes bilingual staff on site, a tasting tent, cooking demos, shaded picnic area, playground and free parking.

The need for healthy affordable foods in East Austin is well documented. The recently released Central Texas Foodshed Assessment reports that East Austin residents desire access to healthy quality foods, but it is too often out of reach. In the 11 East Austin zip codes that were part of the study area, five lack full-service grocery stores with the nearest grocery store being three to 15 miles away. Two of the zip codes in the study can be considered food deserts. East Austin also has higher concentrations of low-income and minority populations; the same populations most vulnerable to hunger.

The perceived high cost of healthy foods, especially fruits and vegetables “reduces the diversity of one’s diet and contributes to decision making that is counter to one’s values: choosing satiating over salutary foods even though a healthy diet is of importance…” according to the findings in the study.

This new market featuring DDIP is a positive step towards aligning the values of residents at risk of hunger with access to the healthy foods they desire.

SFC Farmers’ Market East
Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
At the YMCA East
5315 Ed Bluestein
Visit the website.

Grand opening and celebration: Tuesday, March 20

Cooler winds these past few weeks have been a welcome relief from this summer’s brutal heat, but the extreme drought lingers on with no end in sight. Ninety days of 100-degree temperatures this past summer coupled with record low rainfall has devastated local harvests and have forced ranchers to sell their livestock.

Now, saying “this item costs peanuts” takes on a whole new meaning. A recent Chicago Tribune article reports that major peanut butter manufacturers are looking to raise prices anywhere from 20 to 40 percent. Texas ranks second in peanut production providing approximately 25 percent of all peanuts produced in the U.S.

The USDA anticipates that the Consumer Price Index for all food is projected to increase 3.5 to 4.5 percent this year with food at home prices set to increase 4 to 5 percent. But how are prices faring in Texas? In September, the Texas Farm Bureau released its third quarter Grocery Price Watch survey which monitors the cost of 16 staple food products across Texas. Of the 16 items surveyed, several healthy food items such as grapefruit (up 24.7 percent), 2 percent milk (up 5.72 percent), dried pinto beans (up 6.05 percent) and sliced turkey (up 14.26 percent) skyrocketed in price, while less-healthy items such as white rice, corn flakes, white bread, vanilla ice cream and 80 percent lean ground beef decreased in price or stayed the same from the previous quarter. Families hoping to eat local this winter may face additional challenges as both large and small farmers anticipate decreasing production this season.

In these tough economic times, eating healthy is becoming more of a luxury for those in need. You can help by choosing to donate healthy food items, sharing your garden harvest or simply donating funds. Financial gifts allow us to ensure that a healthy mix of fresh fruits and vegetables as well as and lean protein items fills our warehouse. Tomorrow, we’ll share how CHOP (Choosing Healthy Options Program) helps us monitor and manage the nutritional mix of food we receive. Stay tuned.

Arrianna is in third grade at Travis Heights Elementary school. “My favorite subject is science because we get to do experiments,” says Arrianna. At school, Arrianna receives free breakfast and lunch and her favorite things to eat are spaghetti, macaroni and fish sticks. “Sometimes I don’t have any food at home and I feel hungry. I usually eat whatever’s left. I feel bad when I’m hungry,” says Arrianna.

Arrianna lives with her father, stepmother and three siblings. She says her father lost his job and it has been a long time since he has been out of work.

Across Texas, children are starting their first day of school and already children like Arrianna are at a disadvantage before they put pencil to paper.

The recently released 2011 National Kids Count Data Book reveals Texas ranks among the worst states in child well-being with a 35^th place ranking. The study also indicates that one in four Texas children live in poverty – a 9 percent increase since 2000 and 41^st worst in the country. Nearly half of all Texas children live at 200% below poverty (less than $44,700 for a family of four).

Many studies link child poverty with educational achievement gaps exacerbated by poor diet and health. A hungry child doesn’t learn as well, and can be a disruption in the classroom.

Behind a lack of school supplies and discipline, hunger is ranked as the third biggest problem teachers face in the classroom. As a result, teachers are increasingly taking matters into their own hands by adding the role of “hunger relief resource” to their duties. A survey of K-8 public school teachers nationwide by Share Our Strength shows that four in ten teachers are spending an average of $25 per month for extra food in the classroom because their students are coming to school hungry.

However, there are some great programs across the country making great strides to improve child nutrition in the school environment.

Results of pilot programs in the city of Milwaukee, statewide in Maryland and elsewhere show that serving breakfast in class results in less tardiness, less disruptive behavior and fewer visits to the nurse. With the help of the Texas Hunger Initiative, Breakfast In the Classroom (BIC) programs are making their way across Texas.

In Michigan, the Community Eligibility Option pilot program provides free lunch to all students regardless of income, removing any stigma and ensuring school lunch has the same equitable access as the school textbook. We look forward to the results of this four-year study.

Child hunger and poverty needs to be priority, so children like Arrianna can fulfill their potential and have a successful education. Children will have greater chances for academic achievement, graduation, and higher education when they don’t have to worry about their next meal. The investment is needed and the payoff is real.

A recent report titled “The Big Payoff: Educational Attainment and Synthetic Estimates of Work-Life Earnings” (.pdf) reveals that over an adult’s working life, high school graduates can expect, on average, to earn $1.2 million; those with a bachelor’s degree, $2.1 million; and people with a master’s degree, $2.5 million. Persons with doctoral degrees earn an average of $3.4 million during their working life, while those with professional degrees do best at $4.4 million.

“I wish that I was rich so that when we don’t have anything else to eat and we don’t have enough money, then we could buy something…I also wish I had a puppy and another sister,” giggles Arrianna.

We can’t make puppies or little sisters, but we should be able to provide Arrianna with bigger dreams than having enough to eat.

Sarah in her garden.

A month ago, we brought to you Sara and Wayne’s story about their battle with cancer with little food on the shelves. When we met them at Gethsemane Lutheran Church’s food pantry, they were hoping to also apply for SNAP (food stamps) to help improve their access to healthy foods. You can read the full story here.

Fast forward to today, and we have some great news to share. They qualified for SNAP!

“SNAP saved us,” said Sarah.

In a recent Giving City Magazine interview, Sarah shared that SNAP has helped them to do more than merely survive in the face of debilitating health problems, pending surgeries, expensive medications and no health insurance. Thanks to vegetables seeds purchased with her SNAP benefits, Sara tends to her garden at home. “The smallest victories in those garden beds represent the tenacity of life,” Sarah said. Read Sarah and Wayne’s story at Giving City Magazine.

May Sara and Wayne’s health improve and their garden harvest be bountiful.

You can help families like Sara and Wayne’s by donating your garden harvest to the Food Bank. Read this weekend’s article from the Austin-American Statesman to learn how community members are growing food for the hungry.

According to the Economic Research Service (ERS) the cost of food is increasing, and seeing its sharpest rise in 36 years.

The ERS, a branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, regularly provides food price forecasts based on the Consumer Price Index. This measures prices consumers will pay for food both at the grocery store and at restaurants.

For 2011, all food “at home”—food purchased at the grocery store–is expected to increase an average of 3 to 4 percent.  For specific foods: meats are expected to rise 5 to 6 percent; dairy products, 5 to 6 percent; and fruits and vegetables, 3.5 to 4.5 percent.

How does this affect Capital Area Food Bank’s (CAFB) clients?  Simply put, client dollars, whether in the form of personal income or government assistance, such as SNAP (food stamps), don’t go as far, they have less purchasing power. Since their food dollar doesn’t buy as much, clients may be enticed to purchase more of those foods that haven’t risen in cost as much as fruits and vegetables, or lean meats and dairy.  That could mean a shopping basket filled with more processed, low-nutrient foods.  Many studies have concluded that greater consumption of such foods can lead to and increase chronic health issues such as diabetes and obesity.

Lower-income households also spend a greater portion of their income on food than high-income families (17% compared to 12%). Therefore, low income households feel the “pinch” of higher food prices more, and the prices affect what is available in a family’s budget for other basic neccessities such as housing, utilities, transportation, or childcare.

Low-income clients may find themselves hard-pressed to maintain a healthy food lifestyle in this environment.  However, the forecast need not be all dire.  With tools such cooking classes and nutrition education, clients can learn to prepare healthy meals at low cost.  CAFB offers the CHOICES program, which provides meal planning assistance, cooking instruction, and nutrition education to SNAP-eligible clients.

Additionally, incentives for clients to purchase healthier foods will help clients put their new knowledge into action. Austin’s Sustainable Food Center recently received a $45,000 grant to establish a farmer’s market in a low income neighborhood and “double coupon” the value of food assistance benefits spent at those markets.  Therefore, a client’s SNAP dollar goes further, and improves their access to healthy local, fresh produce.

As food bank advocates, we can combat the rising costs of food by encouraging such programs across our service area.  Agencies or schools that serve SNAP-eligible clients can host a CHOICES class in their facility.  Working in your local community to increase access to local foods through farmer’s markets or community gardens can also help low income neighbors.

Higher food costs can be daunting, but they need not be a barrier to healthy food access.

Samantha

Samantha is 17 and homeless. “I’m here today to find some food and bring it back to my camp.” Samantha lives with her fiancé, David, and two other friends in a homeless camp in Austin.

“I’ve been homeless for ten weeks. My mother drove me here from San Antonio because my father kicked me out. I didn’t tell her that we had no where to live because I knew she wouldn’t bring me,” says Samantha. She has been in-and-out of foster homes and has been through many difficult family situations.

Samantha has diabetes and is five months pregnant. She says that she always has access to food because of places like Father Joe’s House, a food pantry at St. Ignatius Martyr Catholic Church in South Austin.

She says it’s sometimes difficult to find the nutritious food she needs to control her diabetes and support her baby. “Fresh produce is expensive. I haven’t really had any since I have been here,” says Samantha. “I have to make the choice between a small amount of fresh produce and a cheeseburger. They are the same price but the cheeseburger will fill me up for longer,” she says.

Samantha and her fiancé are working on getting their identification cards in order to apply for jobs. “I hope to work in child-care or be a veterinarian someday. I love animals,” she says. She has not yet finished high school, but hopes to attend a program so she can receive her GED.

“I am nervous about becoming a mom, but I hope to get a job and an apartment within the next few months so that we can better raise our daughter.”

Over the past month, Austin Food Bloggers Alliance members shared some amazing recipes inspired by the $16 minimum SNAP (food stamp) allowance for individuals. Here’s a roundup of the posts so far (photos link to the blog post):   Suzanna, from South Austin Foodie, made this amazing beet slaw.  Since it’s mayo-free, it’s great for picnics and will keep in the fridge for several days.

She also earned her advocacy stripes by encouraging her readers to contact our US Senators and ask them to stop cutting SNAP benefits. Thank you for advocating on behalf of those in need!   Newcomer, Kathryn, from Austin Gastronomist, is writing a three-part series with the first post highlighting healthy, easy snacks for children.  Check out her six yummy recipes including confetti deviled eggs.

Kristi Willis reports this time from her other food blog, Ditch the Box. Here, she looks to fresh seasonal vegetables and her nine-year-old nephew for inspiration to her beautiful and colorful tuna wrap with carrot salad.

Laurie, from The Lonely Gourmet, racks up her fourth blog post by sharing a way to stretch $16 to provide a week’s worth of lunches and dinners for a small family. Who knew one chicken could stretch so far!  See how she did it. For Mandy at Mandy Makes Dinner, the project brought back strong memories of her childhood and growing up in a low-income family.  Her creativity and compassion for children at risk of hunger shows in her recipes such as “Pirates of the Bannana Boat.”

Holidays can be a stressful time for families on a budget.  Emme, from The Kid Can Cook shares a festive Cinco De Mayo black bean and avocado salad - a perfect side dish for a family and friends gathering.

Mary at Mary Makes Dinner asks her Mainer mom for advice on the best ways to stock a pantry and stretch a budget.  Check out her blog for her favorite place to get low-cost foods in Austin as well as other great tips. Kristi, at Girl Gone Grits, turns to comfort food for her recipe inspiration.  Instead of the usual “cream of something” in a casserole she whips up a saucy and healthy taco filling with a cornbread topping. Yum!

A special thank you goes to those who shared information about our Stamp Out Hunger food drive through their blog and  social media. For more recipes and a full list of participants, check out our Austin Food Bloggers Hunger Awareness Project website.

It is easy to hear nutrition education and think, “Oh, people are going tell me about healthy eating, a balanced diet, and exercise.” This past semester with the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas has taught me that providing nutrition education to individuals in need can truly have an impact.

As the current Nutrition Education intern, I just finished teaching a four-week Power of Choice series at Metz Recreation Center. I partnered with Anadeli DeJesus to teach back-to-back classes, me being her “volunteer” and vise versa. I taught about 20 children in the kindergarten-2^nd grade range, and although I had shadowed the current nutrition educators in many classes, it was definitely a blessing to have Anadeli there helping me and teaching the class before mine.

Before my first class, I was nervous about actually teaching a structured class about the MyPyramid Food Groups. After meeting the children, I was relieved to find that they were actually very well-behaved and attentive. I got more comfortable with teaching as the class went on, and by the end of it, I was able to joke around with the little ones.

Much like the children, my favorite part of the class was making the healthy snack that follows every lesson. I realized how picky I was in my younger years, and it is really amazing how open some children are to trying new things. Their favorite recipe was the peanut butter and banana sandwich with whole wheat bread. I even got to test-run my own recipe that I created! It is a “Roll It Up Fiesta Wrap” with a whole wheat tortilla, creamy low-fat salsa, carrots, cucumbers, and string cheese (see recipe below). Some of the children really enjoyed it, and some were not as enthusiastic, but all seemed to like at least one or two components of the fairly unique children’s snack.

The most interesting part about tackling my own four-week series was seeing how much work the Nutrition Educators actually put in. For one class, there is a list of things to take care of before you even teach your first lesson: making packets, labeling incentives (kids love Frisbees, by the way), shopping and chopping for recipes, doing sign in sheets, and prepping activities. Afterward, the list grows: updating the class database, recording sign in sheets, grading tests, compiling demographics, and my personal favorite, washing dishes.

My time here at CAFB has been nothing short of awesome. I have gotten to learn about the workings of community nutrition by shadowing the Nutrition Education Department consisting of Angela Henry, Emily Eckelkamp, Claudia Shenoda, and Anadeli DeJesus. This opportunity at the Food Bank has been such a blessing, and I have definitely grown from it, and I wish the best for the future of CAFB. It is doing good things for the community, and I am really happy to have played a role in helping out.

Roll It Up Fiesta Wrap

Prep time: 5 minutes

Serving size: 1 roll          Serves: 1

Ingredients

¼ cup shredded carrots

6” thin cucumber strip

½ string cheese stick (cut lengthwise)

6 inch whole-wheat tortilla

1 tbsp prepared creamy salsa (see Creamy salsa recipe below)

Preparation

Nutrient Analysis: Calories: 210 Carbohydrates: 26g Protein: 12g Fat: 6g Cholesterol: 5mg Sodium: 470mg Fiber: 2g

Source: Team Nutrition, Power of Choice

Creamy Salsa Recipe

Prep time: 2 minutes

Serving size: ½ cup Serves: 3

Ingredients

1 cup mild salsa
½ cup reduced fat sour cream
Baby carrots, broccoli florets, sugar snap peas, cherry tomatoes, celery sticks

Preparation

1. Mix salsa with sour cream in small bowl.

Source: Team Nutrition, Power of Choice

Cassandra waits in line at the “Wheels of Sharing” Mobile Food Pantry distribution in Marlin, a town about 30 miles from Waco. The distribution happens once a month in the parking lot in the center of town.

“The need is real great here, we really need this. Marlin is a small town that was flourishing at one point, but now so much has shut down that we don’t hardly have anything,” she says.

“I get food stamps, but it doesn’t stretch out enough. I’m diabetic, and I can’t eat the way the doctors want me to. To eat the vegetables and fruit I need all month long, it’s hard. When the gas prices go up the vegetable and fruit prices go up, too. You can see it in the grocery store. So, this is a big help to put this distribution in a place where there’s not a lot of food,” she says.

“Bless you all. You don’t even know how big of a blessing this is.”