Senator John Edwards Visits East Harlem Pantry to Highlight Half in Ten Campaign

On Wednesday, July 9, Senator John Edwards met with local food pantry clients and toured the Yorkville Common Pantry in East Harlem as a part of the Half in Ten Campaign, which aims to reduce poverty in the United States by 50% in ten years. The New York City Coalition Against Hunger and World Hunger Year joined Senator Edwards in bringing attention to widespread hunger and poverty in New York City. “When you have people - mothers, children, entire families – going to bed hungry right here in the richest nation in the world, that's not just wrong – it's immoral,” said Senator Edwards. As Chair of Half in Ten, Senator Edwards is working with partner organizations to increase public and government awareness of issues that affect the poor and middle class, strengthen a constituency to demand action on poverty legislation, and advance policies that assist struggling American families. Current Half in Ten policy priorities include increasing the minimum wage to 50% of the current average hourly wage, expanding access to the Earned Income Tax Credit, and guaranteeing childcare assistance and early education opportunities for low-income families.

New Long Island City CSA Promotes Food Access and Community Action

The neighborhood surrounding the Jacob Riis Settlement House is home to the largest public housing development in the nation, but only one grocery store. In a neighborhood where fast food restaurants and bodegas dominate the food landscape, the new Long Island City Community Supported Agriculture project is offering residents sustained access to fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as direct involvement in improving local food systems. The Community Supported Agriculture Project (CSA) was created through the Craig Murphey Anti-Hunger Partnership: a collaboration between The New York City Coalition Against Hunger, the Hunger Action Network of New York State, Just Food, the East River Development Alliance, and the Farm at Miller’s Crossing. The CSA project allows residents to purchase shares of fresh produce from a local farmer, which are then delivered and distributed weekly throughout the growing season, while also supplying food pantries and soup kitchens with an average of 180 pounds of farm fresh food each week paid for by state funding. The CSA stresses direct member involvement in the distribution and organizing process, requiring all members to volunteer at least four hours per season. “It gives you a sense of feeling empowered, that you are part of the production line to some degree” said Bill Newlin, Executive Director of the Jacob Riis Community Settlement House, which serves as the distribution point for the CSA. The Long Island City CSA follows on the success of a NYCCAH co-sponsored CSA in West Harlem, now in its second distribution season. Plans are underway for a third pilot CSA in the 2009 season.

With Free Summer Meals, Good Nutrition is Still in Session

Although summer break is in full swing, schools, recreation centers, pools and food pantries across the City are ensuring that healthy eating doesn’t end with the school year. Through funding from the Department of Education’s Summer Food Service Program, over 700 sites across the city are offering free weekday breakfast and lunch to anyone under the age of 19. Program policies focus on making summer meals accessible– no fee, application, or ID is required to receive meals. Despite these efforts, nationwide participation rates are still well-below those of in-school free and reduced-price meal programs, which also suffer from underutilization. “Tens of thousands of [New York City] children are being reached through this program but hundreds of thousands of children need it, so we really need to get the word out about kids and parents needing to call 311 to find sites nearest them,” said New York City Coalition Against Hunger Executive Director Joel Berg. Congress is scheduled to review funding for SFSP next year, ahead of the September 2009 expiration in program allocations. Click here for a comprehensive list of free summer meals sites near you.

City Council Turns to Medicaid to Boost Food Stamp Enrollment

In an effort to continue recent increases in food stamp enrollment, City Council has launched a new initiative to identify eligible New Yorkers from the 600,000 City residents currently receiving Medicaid. Beginning in July, City Council, in partnership with the Human Resource Administration, will begin issuing letters informing Medicaid recipients of their food stamp eligibility and detailing the application process. The City Council initiative is a step towards streamlining enrollment for government services that rely on similar qualifications for eligibility. Not only will this targeted outreach helps families receive the benefits they need, but it will also bolsters the city’s economy by bringing in revenue from federal food stamp funding that would otherwise go unclaimed. Said Councilman Eric Gioia: "This is a common sense solution- we are connecting those who qualify with the help they need."

For the Next President,  A Plan to End Child Hunger

In recent months, the rising cost of food and the declining economy have forced the issues of food access and food insecurity into public debate and political consciousness. The next President will be faced with the critical task of translating this growing concern into lasting policies that help the most vulnerable of food insecure populations, including the 12.6 million American children who live in households that are not always able to afford enough food. In outlining a strategy to this end, NYCCAH Executive Director Joel Berg and Tom Freedman argue that the government should make increasing enrollment in the Food Stamps and Women, Infants and Children (WIC) programs a priority by offering a common application for all supplemental nutrition programs, while simultaneously increasing accountability for agencies that administer nutrition programs. Access to these programs should be combined with universal school breakfasts, which have proven effective in increasing student performance, attendance and participation. Berg and Freedman also urge further government collaboration with non-profits in order to better facilitate policy improvements and innovations. “Americans are ready to come together and defeat a common challenge like child hunger,” says Berg. “The problem is finding the political will to do it.”

© 2008 New York City Coalition Against Hunger