by Wendy Heiges, Senior Director of Advocacy and Public Policy

This afternoon, Congress voted to provide funding for Medicaid and save the jobs of public school teachers, government employees and emergency workers.  At the same time, Congress voted against the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps).

Congress used nearly $12 billion in future SNAP benefits to pay for the legislation – a huge blow to 40 million low-income people throughout the country who depend on SNAP to meet their nutritional requirements.

It’s a huge blow to Texas, a state in which one in five households report not having enough money to buy the food they needed at some point last year.

It’s a huge blow to the Capital Area Food Bank which provides emergency food assistance to about 48,000 people in Central Texas each week.

I understand that Congress had to make difficult choices.  Anemic state budgets are hurting social services and programs.  We need more public school teachers, not fewer.

People at risk of hunger make difficult choices too.  Try choosing between food and utilities, food and medicine, food and mortgage.  These choices are truly agonizing.

Is the genie out of the bottle?  Let’s hope not.  We have to make sure the SNAP benefits are not used to offset the costs of reauthorizing critical federal nutrition programs for low-income children.  The House must not consider the Senate Child Nutrition Reauthorization bill taking a further $2.4 billion of funding away from low-income people at risk of hunger to feed their low-income children at risk of hunger.

In this case, the genie must stay in a bottle placed in a safe within an impermeable vault – locked, and with no key.

Correction: Client story and photo removed.

When implemented properly, federal nutrition programs respond well to seasonal increase in demand for food assistance. In Central Texas, the Summer Food Service Program, which provides free nutritious summer meals and snacks to children in households with income at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty guideline,  is having a tough time reaching children in need.

The Summer Nutrition Status report released in July 2009 by the Food and Research Action Center revealed that on an average week day in July 2007, the Summer Food Service Program provided meals to more than 164,000 children in Texas. This is only 7.41 percent of the 2,213,000 children receiving free- and reduced-price lunch during the 2007-2008 school year.

In Central Texas, participation is not much better than the state average. In our Hunger in America 2010: Central Texas Report 7.1 percent of households with at least one child younger than age 18 reported that they participate in the Summer Food Service Program.  Nearly one third of those households said they don’t participate in the program because they didn’t know about it.

Clearly, Texas has a serious under-participation problem, and is consequently leaving millions of dollars on the table.  If Texas was to achieve even 40 percent participation in the Summer Food Service Program, the state could receive $38,444,674 in federal funding.

On the Road to Happy Healthy Summer in Central Texas

To improve Texas’ ranking as the state with  47^th worst participation levels, Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples launched the “Summer Meals Mayor’s Challenge” . The challenge encourages mayors to support local Summer Food Service Program sponsors by raising awareness about program sites;  providing outreach to local school districts, faith-based organizations, and non-profits; and working with city council and other elected officials to make this program a success.

Thank you to the Central Texas mayors participating in the challenge:

Austin – Mayor Lee Leffingwell

Smithville – Mayor Mark Bunte

Thorndale – Mayor Billy E. Simank

Waco – Mayor Virginia DuPuy

CAFB supports the Summer Food Service Program

CAFB is hosting 20 Summer Food Service Program sites in Travis county in addition to our ongoing programs serving children in need.   We pledge to make this a “Happy, Healthy Summer” so families like Irma Olea’s will not have to struggle in the summer months and children just like Jordan, Victoria and Emily in the video below can receive nourishing meals this summer.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2KtNh0bMQ4&feature=channel]

How you can help

Advocate

The Summer Food Service Program is one of the many federal programs up reauthorization  as part of the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act.  Send a letter to your congressperson to provide adequate funding, administrative improvements, and ensure children in rural and urban areas can access the program  Customize your letter with the information you just learned.

Stay in Touch

Sign up at HungerisUnacceptable.com to learn how you can make a difference this summer and year long.

Food hardship is the inability to buy enough food for the household because of lack of money. Unlike the USDA’s food insecurity data, food hardship is determined from one question: “Have there been times in the past twelve months when you did not have enough money to buy food that you or your family needed?” Food insecurity, on the other hand, is determined from a series of questions that evaluate access to food in economically and socially acceptable ways, the ability to sustain access to food, and the quantity and quality of available food. Answers to these questions place individuals and households on a spectrum of food security ranging from high food security to very low food security (formerly known as hunger).

The Advantage of  Food Hardship Data

This new data collected by Gallup as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index (GHWBI) provides insight into the hardship Americans face in putting food on the table. Never before has there been such localized and up-to-date data available on a quarterly and annual basis.

How does Central Texas compare to the state and the nation?

Food hardship for the nation ranged from 16.3 percent in the first quarter of 2008 to a high of 19.5 percent in 2008 and dipped slightly to 18.5 percent in 2009. While no state in the nation had a food hardship rate below 10 percent, Texas is one of 20 states with a food hardship rate of 20 percent or higher. At 20.9 percent in 2009, Texas ranks 13th worst in food hardship. The Many Eyes graphic below shows food hardship rates for the Austin-Round Rock Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and congressional districts in Central Texas for 2008-2009.

What’s clear is that food hardship affects every county, every city and every congressional district in the nation. Central Texas stands out in some aspects as doing slightly better than other parts of Texas, but not enough to declare that we do not have a serious problem on our hands.  We do have a problem, one that needs to be addressed by fixing the SNAP eligibility system, sufficient funding for the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act, and supporting the Food Bank as we provide immediate food relief.

Further Reading:

Gallup-Healthways Well Being Index

Food Research and Action Center – Food Hardship: A Closer Look at Hunger

Measuring Household Food Security (USDA)

Lisa Goddard
Advocay and Online Marketing Director

Congress is listening and acting. Yesterday, the House of Representatives approved HR 2997 which provides hunger relief for families in Texas and across the nation. The $121 billion spending bill temporarily extends expiring provisions of the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act and includes:

• $58.2 billion ($4.2 billion more than last year) for SNAP (Food Stamps)
• $7.3 billion ($400 million more than 2009 non-emergency levels) for the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program
• $16.9 billion ($1.9 billion more than last year) for aid to school and child care nutrition programs
• $85 million for pilot summer food service program projects to provide nutritious food to low income children during the summer

The bill passed with wide bi-partisan support of 263 to 162. For those representing our 21-county service area the votes were as follows:

The bill now heads to the Senate for voting, and hopefully to the president to be signed into law. For a detailed list of the improvements headed our way, read the Committee on Education & Labor’s blog post here. 

While you’re still reading this blog, I’ll be sending some hand-written thank you cards to our hunger-fighting representatives.  Please join me in a round of thanks by sending a thank you or giving them a call.  For those who voted against the bill, we clearly have more work ahead of us. 

In other news, the Texas Democratic Congressional Delegation is deeply concerned about the SNAP delays at home and wants the USDA to act. Read the letter below, sent to Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack.

[scribd id=20765374 key=key-2n0d64jprbv1exomciey]

Lisa Goddard
Advocacy and Online Marketing Director

Pop quiz:  According to current USDA regulations, what is a junk food?

a) Doughnuts

b) Snack cakes

c) Fruitades/Fruit Drinks (with little fruit – not 100% juice)

d) Seltzer water

Answer:  D

Confused?  You’re not alone.  USDA sets nutrition standards for foods sold at schools, but outside of school meals (such as vending machines, a la carte items and school stores) haven’t changed since the 1970s.  In fact, nutrition criteria for non-meal foods only apply to “foods of minimal nutritional value” and don’t address calories, saturated and trans-fats or sodium. So while little Suzie can’t get a breath mint with her onion-laden chili dog, she can get a side of fries and a candy bar.

Photo credit: shapingyouth.org

The Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection Act (H.R. 1324), one of the many bills up for review in the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act, would update national school nutrition standards for foods and beverages sold outside of school meals to conform to current nutrition science.

So, how can this legislation help hungry Central Texas children?

By not using the same nutrition standards for junk food/non-food items as we do for the school lunch system, we undermine our investment in these nutrition programs.  Ultimately, the health of our children is undermined – especially low-income children.

States do have the option of exceeding USDA guidelines such as limiting access to competitive foods, or through stricter nutrition standards. Unfortunately, Texas has chosen to simply comply with USDA competitive food guidelines, leaving Texas children subject to these antiquated laws.

Why can’t we just focus on improving participation?

When school revenue is directly linked to the number of meals they serve, schools are forced to focus not on nutrition, but on pleasing the customer for maximum participation. In this School Lunch Talk interview, Leslie Phillips, business development director for Meriwhether Godsey, which runs the lunch program at Sidwell where President Obama’s girls attend school, explains how the retail model used by public schools makes it difficult for children to choose healthy, balanced meals.

If we are to address the problems food-insecure and hungry Texas children face during the school day and the life-long problems from poor nutrition, the answer isn’t to simply increase participation. We must also change incentives and nutrition standards so that profit doesn’t take precedence over nutrition.

If you’ve ever struggled with weight, or quitting cigarettes, or any other vice, you know how important a positive environment is for your success. Let’s make the lunchroom a place for positive experiential learning, where the most vulnerable children can make informed choices based on modern, scientific nutrition standards.

Take action: 
Support the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act by asking your representative to co-sponsor H.R. 1324. Click here to find your congressperson.

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Nutrition and School Related Bills Passed in the 81st Legislative Session

SB 282          Sen. Jane Nelson                                     
Provides for grants for nutrition education and nutrition programs in early childhood programs.

 SB 1027       Sen. Kirk Watson                                  
Establishes a farm-to-school task force so public schools have more locally grown fresh food.

SB 395         Sen. Eddie Lucio, Jr.                        
Creates a council to improve nutrition, health and physical activity in early childhood programs.

Bonus advocacy points: 

Tell your Texas legislative representatives that nutrition and health initiatives for low-income children remain a priority for you. Click here to find your representative.

Lisa Goddard
Advocacy and Online Marketing Director

In most classrooms, the tools needed for success are not rationed by income.  Children from both poor and wealthy families play on gym equipment, and use textbooks, computers and lab equipment, regardless of income.

However, in the forgotten classroom – the lunchroom – children are not given equal access to the tools needed for success. In some states, children who forget their lunch money, or whose parents were delinquent on paying lunch, or filling out the required paperwork, are at least guaranteed a cold cheese sandwich.  In Texas, it is up to the individual schools to determine if a child receives a lunch if their account is overdrawn. We can only hope that the lunch administrators show compassion for the student – and the teachers attempting to instruct hungry children after lunch period.

Universal Feeding Program – One Lunch, No Paperwork, No Kidding!
The tough economy is not the only reason parents choose not to participate in the program. Paperwork is one of the greatest barriers to the success of the school lunch program.  Language barriers, literacy and stigma prevent otherwise eligible children from properly accessing the free- and reduced-lunch program.  In Philadelphia, the popular two-decade long Universal Feeding pilot program enjoyed participation nearly rates twice as high as in non-Universal sites (80 percent vs. 45 percent, according to state figures). In this program, all children, regardless of income, have access to school lunches.  Similar to how children are allocated textbooks, there is no probing into a family’s financials.

S. 1226 / H.R. 2803, makes the successful Philadelphia “Universal Free” model a national option – one of the many bills to be potentially bundled as part of the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act up for review this fall.

Would it be “fair” to have low-income families pay the same for food as other families? Why is it acceptable to treat lunch differently from other school-related experiences?

 TAKE ACTION

Ask your Senator to co-sponsor S. 1226, and your Representative to sponsor  H.R. 2803.  Click here to find your congressperson.

Lisa Goddard
Advocacy and Marketing Online Director

Growing up in New York City, I wasn’t exposed enough to the day-to-day joys of country life – at least that’s what my father told me.  When my preteen world meant trips to the mall and MTV, his stories of playing hide-and-seek in the woods, picking fresh mangoes from the neighbor’s tree and spending an afternoon at the local fishing hole, didn’t make an impression on me.  

When I moved to Texas and met more rural-turned-urban friends, I began to understand why these memories are cherished by my father.  From what I understand, there’s a type of freedom and creativity children experience that is unique to rural life.  I’m proud to say, I’m no longer the ignorant city dweller who thinks Texans spend their days tipping cows for fun.

If Central Texans value these country memories, and wish to preserve these opportunities for future generations, we must also ensure that federal feeding programs don’t forget our rural families.

Kids Cafe, Boys & Girls Club - East Austin

As you know, hunger is not just an urban issue.  However, the majority of sponsors and sites participating in the Summer Food Service program in Central Texas are in urban areas. Summer meals are available in areas where at least 50 percent of the children are eligible for free or reduced-priced meals.  A successful pilot program in Pennsylvania showed that by simply reducing the threshold to 40 percent, significantly increased the number of sites and provided tens of thousands more meals.

H.R. 540, the Summer Food Service Rural Expansion Act, makes the successful pilot program a permanent program and would be effective for every state.  This bill amends the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act up for review this fall.

Let’s give children more than good memories.  Let’s give them good food during the summer.

Take Action

Ask your congressman to co-sponsor H.R. 540.

 Click here to find your legislative representative.

Lisa Goddard
Advocacy and Online Marketing Director 

Returning to work a little more than two months after maternity leave after each of my sons were born was certainly a shock to my system.  The intimate quiet moments I enjoyed to feed my newborn was replaced by a quick dash (well within the speed limit and driving safety guidelines, of course) home during my lunch break.   I feel like I’m one of the lucky ones because I have a private space to pump if I choose, or can go home to nurse, as well as the finances to take an unpaid maternity leave for three months.  Across the nation, and especially in Texas, many women are not as “lucky.”

According to an Institute for Women’s Policy Research study, paid parental leave is still not standard, even among the best U.S. employers. While no federal or state law mandates paid maternity leave, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and Family and Medical Leave Act provide some protection for pregnant women and new families.  This powerful report released by Texans Care for Children made me realize how lucky my family is, and how so many children in Texas have the odds stacked against them. Did you know:

• Texas ranks last in the number of children without health insurance.
• Texas has one of the country’s highest rates of births to teenage mothers (49 out of 50 states).
• Infant mortality rates have steadily climbed in Texas, this decade, while remaining unchanged in the nation as a whole.

And then there’s cost. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that mothers feed their babies only breast milk for the first six months, with some additional nursing as solid food is introduced and continuing at least for the baby’s first year. I again, was one of the lucky moms who didn’t have a great deal of difficulty nursing or maintaining supply. As this Babble.com article points out, breastfeeding isn’t exactly free for everyone, especially moms who return to the workforce. With my second, more than my first boy, work and life responsibilies sometimes got in the way of my desire for breastmilk-only babies, and I needed to suppliment my hapazard supply with formula.

So what happens when you live in a country that doesn’t create laws that make it easy to meet pediatric guidelines, in a state with the odds stacked against you for growing healthy children, and where the cost of breastfeeding while returning to work could cost a small fortune?  I’ll tell you –

Guilt.

I’m sure, I’m not the only mom who experienced this after returning to work, wanting to at least make it to one year exclusively breastfeeding.  A  New York Times article explains this breastfeeding class divide and says that on average, lower-income mothers have less time, fewer resources and less employer support for breastfeeding.  And before anyone thinks I’m going down the path of “formula is poison,” I, like many mothers, clearly made the informed decision that supplementing with formula is good enough. 

Over time, and with the support of my loved ones, I have made peace with my choice. In the end, guilt serves no one. 

For many moms, breastfeeding is a sore subject (no pun intended) which is why we need your voice. Your advocacy for the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act and WIC can help moms have more real choices about how they feed their new babies.

One of the major goals of the Women Infants and Children (WIC) program is to improve the nutrition of infants, and encourage breastfeeding. They do this by offering support and resources that consider the real-life challenges of low-income moms:

• Breastfeeding mothers receive follow-up support through peer counselors
• Breastfeeding mothers are eligible to participate in WIC longer than non-breastfeeding mothers
• Mothers who exclusively breastfeed their infants receive an enhanced food package
• Breastfeeding mothers can receive breast pumps, breast shells or nursing supplementers to help support the initiation and continuation of breastfeeding

WIC is one of five programs under the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act that is not an entitlement program.  This means that Congress does not set aside funds to allow every eligible individual to participate.  Each state has a yearly food expenditure goal and must meet at least 97 percent of its food grant or face penalties in the form of reduced funding for the next year.  Funding does not keep up with rising food costs and increased caseloads from the poor economy.

We need your support to ensure:

• Adequate funding in the FY 2010 budget to meet the growing need
• Combat pay from income for the purposes of determining eligibility (S.581) is excluded

My two boys -

Lisa Goddard
Advocacy and Online Marketing Director

Child Nutrition Programs are meant to be a safety net for families struggling to nourish their children. You may be wondering how these programs work, or think they fall short of fulfilling their promise to feed hungry children.  Four reports were released this month, providing an in-depth analysis as well as recommendations for improvements.

Child Food Insecurity: The Economic Impact on Our Nation, by Feeding America, reveals the impact of food insecurity and hunger on child health, growth and development, and details the economic effect of child hunger in the United States.  This is the first report to link food insecurity and hunger to tax-payer burdens, life-time earnings and other long-term economic issues. 

The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) released Ending Childhood Hunger by 2015:  The Essential Strategies for Achieving the President’s Goal. This report is the first in-depth look at a comprehensive and realistic strategy to achieve President Obama’s goal of ending childhood hunger by 2015.

Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation:  Summer Nutrition Status Report 2009 (by FRAC) provides in-depth analysis of an average 2.9 million children (190,174 in Texas) relying on summer nutrition programs in July 2008.  Texas ranks 42 out of 51 states (data counts District of Columbia as a state) in participation, forfeiting millions of dollars in unclaimed summer nutrition funding.

School’s Out… Who Ate?  A Report on Summer Nutrition in California analizes the decline in participation of the federal summer lunch program in California. So why should Texans care? The problems faced in California are not typical and the obstacles states face in achieving full participation in federal feeding programs require adequate resources, funding and community support.

In our own backyard, Agriculture Commissioner, Todd Staple’s rallying cry to Texas Mayors to support summer feeding programs, and the offer of a donation from H-E-B to the top three cities with the largest increase in summer meals served, it was not enough to offset budget cuts in the program.  Austin-based Urban Connection chronicles their recent challenge participating in the program in response to the City of Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department cutting back on the number of feeding sites from 84 to 14.

The message in all of these reports are clear — Child hunger is preventable and unnecessary in the United States.  We have the solutions. We just need the social will.

What are we doing about it?
The Food Bank and Texas Food Bank Network has agreed on a set of detailed policy changes for improving the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act, due to expire this September.  Read the recommendations here.

What can you do about it? 
Click here to send your message to Congress.