HH2008

NEW YORK CITY NEWS

NYCCAH Expands Free Summer Meals Access for New York City Kids

New online interactive maps make it easier for New York City families to find free summer meals in their neighborhoods. NYCCAH has partnered with the city to create the maps and to offer free summer meals for kids at fifteen soup kitchens and food pantries for the first time in 2008 through the federal Summer Food Service Program. The Summer Food Service Program is a subsidized nutrition program offering free breakfast and lunch to kids 18 and under regardless of immigration status, school enrollment or family income. All kids are qualified to receive meals just by showing up at one of over 700 sites across the five boroughs. In 2007, only 29% of City children enrolled in free- and low-cost meal programs during the school year also received summer meals. Free summer meals will be served through August 29th.

NYCCAH’s interactive maps allow users to search for summer meals sites by borough or download a comprehensive list of sites across the city. Expanding access to free meals helps more families bridge the gap between school-year nutrition programs, ensuring that kids receive nutritious food and parents receive some relief from mounting food costs. “Given our current food prices crises, every bit of free food that struggling families can access for their children helps” said NYCCAH Executive Director Joel Berg.

City Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry Use Spikes as Welfare Rolls Decline

As the Mayor’s office flaunts a 42-year low in the number of New Yorkers receiving public assistance, the number of meals served at City-supported soup kitchens and food pantries were nine percent higher in March and April 2008 than the same period a year before. According to a report by the New York City Department of Social Services, city-supported food pantries served 1.39 million meals in March and April of 2008. The sharp increase brings into question the effectiveness of Mayor Bloomberg’s current anti-poverty initiatives and suggests that New Yorkers living in poverty are being shunted from federal assistance without an appropriate economic safety net. The Department of Social Services study coincided with a report by City Council Member Bill de Blasio showing that the Mayor’s $710 million anti- homelessness campaign has failed to reduce the number of New Yorkers living in homeless shelters. De Blasio warned that, despite the good intentions of Bloomberg’s anti-poverty initiatives, such programs are doomed to ineffectiveness without clear, time-sensitive goals and methods for measuring success.

Lack of Targeted Food Stamp Outreach Leaves Immigrants Underserved

Free Summer Meals A complicated history of immigration requirements for food stamp applicants has left many immigrants in New York City unaware of their eligibility for benefits, according to a new study by the Urban Justice Center. Language barriers and a lack of targeted outreach to immigrant communities have also contributed to lagging participation rates for immigrants and their citizen children. Non-citizens are currently eligible for benefits if they meet standard income requirements and have legally resided in the United States for at least five years, while immigrants under 18 and those receiving disability benefits can qualify regardless of their length of residency. The Urban Justice Center called on City agencies to increase outreach and language access for non-citizen applicants, while utilizing the Mayor’s office and the Office of Immigrant Affairs to dispel myths and clarify eligibility requirements for non-citizen New Yorkers. The study cited the Food Card Access Project and the Food Change outreach program as effective models for increasing food stamp enrollment among non-citizens.

STATE AND NATIONAL ROUNDUP

Cost of Fuel Could Force Many to Seek Emergency Food this Winter

Free Summer Meals Rising fuel prices this winter could tax already severely overburdened low and middle-income families, according to home energy experts. Natural gas costs are expected to rise 30% to 50% from last year, while heating oil will likely increase by up to 100%. Huge heating bills may be the tipping point for many middle-income families that are barely absorbing rising food costs, joining the many low-income families who will be forced to choose between fuel or food. In preparation for the coming winter, the governors of Wisconsin, Illinois, Vermont, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania are pushing for increased funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), a federal program that provides funding to offset heating costs for families in need. Many fear that LIHEAPs average annual coverage of $359 per family will not go far this year. President Bush has proposed a 22% cut in LIHEAP funding for the 2009 fiscal year. Meanwhile, cities across the country are preparing for dangerous winter weather by identifying additional warming centers in churches and community centers where city residents can go when the temperature drops.

Congress Increases Funding to Help Seniors Purchase Local Produce

New York State has received $1,906,553 in federal final Fiscal Year grant awards to fund the Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP), which provides low-income seniors with coupons that can be exchanged for locally-grown produce at farmers’ markets, roadside stands and community supported agriculture programs. Congress allocated $21 million dollars in grants to 49 state agencies and tribal organizations to administer SFMNP: $5 million more than the Bush administration previously allocated for the 2008 fiscal year. Agricultural Secretary Ed Schafer emphasized the mutual benefit of the program, noting that SFMNP “provides low-income seniors with improved nutrition choices while also helping local farmers gain new customers who will eat more fresh fruits and vegetables.” Over 900,000 seniors nationwide will receive produce through SFMNP in the coming year.

Correction: The July edition of Hunger Headlines included a reference to 600,000 New York City residents receiving Medicaid but not food stamp benefits. 600,000 instead refers to the number of Medicaid households who may be eligible for food stamp benefits, as calculated by a City Council-sponsored data match in an effort to expand targeted food stamp outreach.

		Cost of Fuel Could Force Many to Seek Emergency Food this Winter
		Rising fuel prices this winter could tax already severely overburdened low and middle-income families, according to home energy experts. Natural gas costs are expected to rise 30% to 50% from last year, while heating oil will likely increase by up to 100%. Huge heating bills may be the tipping point for many middle-income families that are barely absorbing rising food costs, joining the many low-income families who will be forced to choose between fuel or food. In preparation for the coming winter, the governors of Wisconsin, Illinois, Vermont, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania are pushing for increased funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), a federal program that provides funding to offset heating costs for families in need. Many fear that LIHEAPs average annual coverage of $359 per family will not go far this year. President Bush has proposed a 22% cut in LIHEAP funding for the 2009 fiscal year. Meanwhile, cities across the country are preparing for dangerous winter weather by identifying additional warming centers in churches and community centers where city residents can go when the temperature drops.
		Congress Increases Funding to Help Seniors Purchase Local Produce
		New York State has received $1,906,553 in federal final Fiscal Year grant awards to fund the Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP), which provides low-income seniors with coupons that can be exchanged for locally-grown produce at farmers’ markets, roadside stands and community supported agriculture programs. Congress allocated $21 million dollars in grants to 49 state agencies and tribal organizations to administer SFMNP: $5 million more than the Bush administration previously allocated for the 2008 fiscal year. Agricultural Secretary Ed Schafer emphasized the mutual benefit of the program, noting that SFMNP “provides low-income seniors with improved nutrition choices while also helping local farmers gain new customers who will eat more fresh fruits and vegetables.” Over 900,000 seniors nationwide will receive produce through SFMNP in the coming year.
		Correction: The July edition of Hunger Headlines included a reference to 600,000 New York City residents receiving Medicaid but not food stamp benefits. 600,000 instead refers to the number of Medicaid households who may be eligible for food stamp benefits, as calculated by a City Council-sponsored data match in an effort to expand targeted food stamp outreach.