By Triada Stampas,

Right now, Congress is considering legislation that would cut off a critical source of support provided by the Child Tax Credit to our most vulnerable working families.

At a time when one in five children relies on soup kitchens and food pantries in NYC, this legislation would

Cash refunds received by tax-paying immigrants through the Child Tax Credit help some of our most vulnerable families keep food no the table. Act now >

More than half of low-income households with children in New York City struggle to afford food. Last year, ITIN filers who accessed the Food Bank’s Free Income Tax Services had an average household income of $10,800 and received, on average, $1,160 in Child Tax Credits — a significant boost for low-income working people struggling to raise children in New York City.

Simply put, the Child Tax Credit helps keep food on the table for working families. The decision is now in the hands of a Congressional “conference committee” of House and Senate members — and their decision is expected soon! 

Tell Congress: Protect the Child Tax Credit. Protect our most vulnerable children.

By Triada Stampas,

In his State of the State address, Governor Andrew Cuomo called for New York City to end the practice of finger-imaging for food stamps — a practice that stigmatizes the program and acts as a barrier to participation.

Throughout the U.S., only New York City and the state of Arizona continue to require finger-imaging, as other cost-effective, reliable fraud detection and prevention methods are in use in New York State and across the country.

With such great need in New York — nearly three million people struggle to afford food in NYC alone — and with alternate measures readily available, our neighbors cannot wait any longer for this stigmatizing and burdensome requirement to end.

With the Governor's recent statements, an end to this practice is finally in sight. We hope you will join us in our call to Albany: Let's end finger-imaging for all food stamp applicants NOW! Please act today!
 

In his third State of the Union address, President Obama warned the nation that the decades-old promise of a secure and rising middle class is under threat because of growing disparities between the rich and everyone else in America. In local news, Governor Andrew Cuomo reiterated his call to stop finger-imaging food stamp applicants. Meanwhile, in Washington, the U.S. Conference of Mayors met to launch a food policy task force that will share information on urban food policy initiatives and make sure that federal policy supports these local efforts. Other encouraging news this week: Federal unemployment claims continued to drop, and the USDA announced extra aid to farmers affected by this year’s extreme weather.

In State of the Union, Obama warns economic disparity threatens middle class, Washington Post, 1/24
In an election-year State of the Union message that will likely serve as the template for the months of campaigning ahead, Obama outlined a series of steps that he believes will reinforce the tentative economic recovery, including proposals to eliminate tax incentives for companies to move jobs overseas, to make college more affordable and to expand help for credit-worthy homeowners looking to refinance mortgages at historically low interest rates.

Mayor Bloomberg Hasn’t Persuaded Governor Cuomo To Keep Food Stamp Fingerprinting, "Politicker NY," The Observer, 1/19
Governor Cuomo said, “My position is this: there are many ways to detect fraud, especially nowadays, you don’t need fingerprinting.  If fingerprinting is stopping people from applying for food stamps so children are going to bed hungry, let’s do away with fingerprinting and let’s do away with fingerprinting now. Let’s make sure no child goes to bed hungry in New York.”  He went on to describe the fingerprinting process as “intrusive, and frightening, and just unknown and threatening” for many people.

Big-City Mayors Dig In To Food Policy, The Salt, NPR, 1/19
Big-city mayors are starting to see local food policy as a key step in getting healthy, affordable food to their constituents. "One of the conversations we'll be having is wanting to work with USDA and grocery retailers to overcome the policy barriers and technology barriers to online SNAP benefits," says Holly Freishtat, director of Baltimore's Food Policy Initiative. Urban dwellers might think that the USDA doesn't have much to offer them, but cities nationwide reap billions in benefits associated with the federal farm bill. Lobbying to make sure that the 2012 farm bill reauthorization works for the benefit of urban food initiatives is the next step, Freishtat said.

Unemployment claims at 352,000, fewest since 2008, Associated Press, 1/19
December marked the sixth straight month in which the economy added at least 100,000 jobs, and the number of people seeking unemployment benefits plummeted last week to 352,000, the fewest since April 2008. When weekly applications fall consistently below 375,000, it usually signals that hiring is strong enough to push down the unemployment rate.

USDA announces $308 million in aid to help agriculture in disaster-stricken states, Associated Press, 1/18
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is adding more than $300 million to the massive amount of financial assistance federal agencies have doled out in response to an unusually intense year of natural disasters, officials announced Wednesday. In New York, which is set to receive $41.8 million — including about $37.8 million in watershed funds — money is earmarked for repairing erosion and other damage left behind by back-to-back late summer tropical storms Irene and Lee.

Newt Gingrich's labeling of President Barack Obama as the "best food stamp president in American history" drew a sharp rebuke from the White House this week, underscoring how the federal food assistance program has again become a flashpoint in national politics. The New York State food stamp program received a boost from Governor Cuomo, whose executive budget would increase funding for food stamp outreach by $1 million, consistent his pledge to eliminate barriers to access. Also this week: Congress returned to session and prepared to discuss the yearlong extension of the payroll tax cut, with both parties hoping to avoid the partisan squabbles that marked the end of 2011. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released data showing that obesity levels remain unchanged over the past decade, a finding that suggests national efforts at promoting healthful eating and exercise are having little effect on the overweight.

Campaign Renews Scrutiny of Growing Food-Stamp Program, Wall Street Journal, 1/17
Newt Gingrich continued his attack on the White House and SNAP, saying President Obama had boosted the rolls by opposing "American jobs" and failing to spur economic growth. The program's supporters say SNAP is efficient and effective. Kevin Concannon, the USDA's undersecretary for food, nutrition and consumer services, said the program has grown, as it was supposed to, because of the economic downturn, not because the Obama administration had adopted policies to expand its rolls, as Mr. Gingrich has suggested. 

The 311 on Food Stamps: What You Need To Know, MetroFocus, 1/18
It's an undeniable fact that millions of New Yorkers are hungry and need assistance to feed their families. More than 3 million a month, to be exact. But just how to help is a contentious issue. Here's what you should know about Food Stamps in New York.

Parties Confident of Extending Payroll Tax Cut, New York Times, 1/17
Republicans and Democrats say passage of a yearlong extension should go smoothly, and they vowed not to have another 11th-hour crisis before the temporary extension expires at the end of February. "We feel all the concessions going forward need to come from them," said one senior Senate Democratic official.

Obesity Rates Stall, But No Decline, New York Times, 1/17
After two decades of steady increases, obesity rates in adults and children in the United States have remained largely unchanged during the past 12 years, signaling that the country will be dealing with the health consequences of obesity for years to come.

Farmers want agriculture bill to keep safety net: Reuters survey, Reuters, 1/13
Farmers think Congress should seek cuts in agricultural spending but protect growers from volatile prices and low yields by retaining a safety net when it writes a new farm law this year, a Reuters survey released on Wednesday found. Almost half of the survey participants supported shifting the emphasis of the farm program to protecting farms from revenue loss rather than setting prices.

By Kyle Smith,

Although this is only Daisy Carusillo’s second year implementing the Food Bank’s CookShop Classroom curriculum at PS 24 in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, she handles the job like an old pro.

I recently had the pleasure of seeing Daisy in action as she instructed a roomful of new CookShop teachers at a training session one evening this fall.  After a full day in their own classrooms, the teachers had arrived looking a little weary. But as Daisy led a mock Chef Lesson (a cooking activity in which students help prepare nutritious, kid-friendly recipes) it was clear that these lessons are her favorite part of the curriculum – and it was impossible for the tired teachers to resist Daisy’s infectious energy and humorous anecdotes! Plus, it didn’t hurt that the tangy batch of Peachy Orange Salsa they were preparing smelled so great.  

“This is where nutrition education takes on a whole new life,” Daisy said. “The actual handling of the produce, the chopping, the dicing, mixing, the smells…does so much for the building of community.” 

CookShop Chef Lessons give elementary-school children an opportunity to try healthy food, such as fruits and vegetables, in a learning environment, Daisy said, while the Explorer and Discovery Lessons reinforce other academic areas such as reading, math and science skills.

"One of my favorite [Chef Lesson] memories is when a student was so proud of her dish – it looked so colorful, and it was so flavorful – she wanted to take some to the principal so she could taste it,” Daisy said.

But like all learning experiences, some can be a little jarring at first. When Daisy’s students were told carrots comprised the root of a plant, “they were so shocked, they weren’t sure if they wanted to continue eating [the Carrot Raisin Salad].”

Daisy said the students were more willing to taste the Three-Bean Salad and Apple Dipper recipes, but, she said, all CookShop lessons help serve a child’s personal development.

“Children who develop adequate cooking skills and nutritional knowledge are more likely to make healthier food choices later in life,” Daisy said.

And it’s that kind of insight – rather than the number of years’ experience -- that makes Daisy Carusillo an expert CookShop teacher.
 

The Food Bank released its annual research report this week, NYC Hunger Experience 2011: Support and Sacrifice, which revealed a startling increase in the number of middle-income and college-educated New Yorkers struggling to afford food. “The fact that education is no longer a buffer against poverty and hunger is antithetical to conventional wisdom and a blow to everything we’ve ever been told,” Food Bank President and CEO Margarette Purvis said. In other news, the mayor and the governor disagreed on finger-imaging of food stamp applicants and the NYC Health Department launched a new campaign to warn New Yorkers against super-sized portions.

More College-Educated NYers Struggle To Afford Food, Report Finds, NY1, 1/11
The Food Bank's NYC Hunger Experience 2011 report finds that between 2010 and 2011 the number of college-educated New Yorkers concerned about affording food or needing assistance getting food increased by 25 percent. The Food Bank says the study shows that higher levels of education don't always provide a safety net against hunger.

NY Gov. Cuomo sets aggressive agenda for 2nd year, Associated Press, 1/5
While outlining an aggressive agenda to boost New York's economy during his second year in office, Gov. Andrew Cuomo advocated several measures to help the poor and dispossessed, such as better access to food stamps. He said 30 percent of New Yorkers eligible for food stamps, about 1.4 million people, don't get them — leaving more than $1 billion in federal funds unclaimed annually. The state should help remove barriers and stigma and end fingerprinting as a requirement, he said.

Bloomberg Says He Will Fight for Fingerprinting Rule, New York Times, City Room, 1/5
A day after Gov. Andrew Cuomo vowed to end New York City’s policy of requiring food stamp applicants to be electronically fingerprinted, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg defended the policy and said he would try to convince the governor to keep it in place.

In New Ads, Health Department Offers Super-Sized Warnings, New York Times, City Room, 1/10
In a new set of posters in English and Spanish, the health department depicts the steady increase in sizes of soda cups and French fry sleeves against backdrops of unhealthy people, including a diabetic man who is missing most of one leg. The ads, which began appearing in the subway system on Monday, warn that obesity and diabetes have become more common as the average size of food servings has risen.

Break‘fat’ club, New York Post, 1/8
A study led by Department of Health official Gretchen Van Wye compared kids who ate breakfast in class with kids in control schools where breakfast is served only in the cafeteria. It found that about one in five kids who ate in class were eating breakfast twice. “Special care should be taken to ensure that children are not inadvertently taking in excess calories by eating in multiple locations,” she writes in the research paper. Some of her colleagues fear that the controversial study could lay the groundwork for scrapping part or all of city’s free breakfast program.

By Danielle Pagano McGunagle,

When a child gets his or her acceptance letter for college, it is a proud day for the entire family. College means a hopeful future of limitless possibilities: a career, a comfortable life and the security of never having to worry about how to keep food on the table.

Food Bank For New York City’s latest research report, NYC Hunger Experience 2011: Support and Sacrifice, turns that conventional wisdom on its head.

The percentage of residents with a college degree who reported difficulty affording food increased from 24 to 30 percent between 2010 and 2011.

This year's report finds nearly 1 in 3 college graduates in New York City are struggling to afford food — and equal numbers are concerned they will need food assistance over the coming year.

In fact, even as New York City as a whole has stepped back from a crisis point at the height of the recession in 2008, when nearly half of New Yorkers were struggling to afford food, it is now college graduates and middle-income New Yorkers who are experiencing the biggest increases in difficulty affording food — and that should shock all of us.

We call this report “Sacrifice and Support” — why? Because those are the two main strategies New Yorkers are resorting to maintain their ability to afford food.

What's the “sacrifice”? Well, considerable numbers of New Yorkers are cutting back their food purchases — especially on the healthiest food.

What's the “support”? The safety net that's in place to prevent people from going hungry is capturing more and more people in their time of need.

If anything, however, this report helps show where our safety net is falling short — and where it can be strengthened.

Learn more…

Danielle Pagano McGunagle is the Director of Communications & Marketing at the Food Bank For New York City.

By Margarette Purvis,

I love the holiday season. For me, it always means longer time spent with my mom and more quiet time to reflect on the New Year. This year because of my recent move to the city I was excited to return to the South and find new things to add to my “to-do” list. I decided to hit up places that I’ve missed over the last three months. So I went to my favorite walking trail to take in the beautiful trees and etched mountain. You would think of all places, here is where I would find holiday enlightenment. Not so, I found it where you’d least expect. 

But before anyone tries to outfit me in bedazzled Birkenstocks...I should probably be clear. I only went to the trail ONCE. It’s the South and what you’ve heard is true: The food is ridiculously yummy! It should come as no surprise that much of my holiday “to-do” list was about what “to eat.” I received great joy from a tour of my favorite FOOD JOINTS. Because the Food Bank is a proud provider of healthful nutrition education services to a citywide network of charities and schools, I’ll spare you the details of my indulgences. Just know, that I went, I saw, I ATE.

It was at one of my final stops that my life was forever affected. This particular place not only has my favorite French fries, the owner is someone who I truly respect and he provides some of the best customer service around. It’s also a hot spot for youth from the community. While sitting there, three teen boys walked in. I noticed them because they arrived carrying empty cups (from the restaurant and the nearby Target) and parked themselves next to me and the soda fountain. When I saw them I smirked a little. My mind went back to being a teen at a local donut shop in Nashville. I remembered hanging with kids named Jeff and Stuart, who didn’t look too different from these boys, and the mischief we would get into after school.

Anyone looking at these boys probably thought they saw characters from an Abercrombie or J. Crew ad. They were scraggly haired, green- and brown-eyed All American teenagers. They were no different than any group you may find at any burger joint...except for one thing. I noticed that these boys never bought any food. They walked in with empty cups and proceeded to eat the free peanuts. They were missing the bravado of the boys I knew as a kid. They seemed too nervous to get the “free refills” as my childhood friend Peter named it. They ate so many peanuts that they kept my attention. Watching them made me think of my eleven-year-old godson, who as a growing athlete can put away so much food it boggles the mind. My godson is about three years younger than these boys, and he would NEVER be satisfied at 1pm with a bowl of peanuts. As I looked back at them, I heard one ask, “so what did you have for Christmas?” His friend, who looked no older than 13, said, “nothing…she didn’t have it.” I looked away from my BlackBerry and thought "Why haven’t they ordered something?"

As one of the boys caught me looking at them…they all decided to get up to leave. I watched as one placed his never filled cup in the garbage and almost looked away as the second boy joined him. And THAT’s WHEN I SAW IT: The second teen pretended to throw his cup away and instead reached in and GRABBED FOOD OUT OF the GARBAGE. I wasn’t the only person to see it. Across the room, another woman looked…stunned. I watched her grab her chest as we both stared at each other, blinking for a second. When I looked outside there were two of the boys, looking inside of the “rescued” bag and shoving the contents into their mouths as they hurriedly walked away.

I ran outside to get their attention and they nervously ran (without coats) between the cars as if they’d done something wrong. They had not, but I wasn’t sure if I had. Holiday haze or not, I know a simple fact: Millions of families rely on school meals to supplement their food needs and this was a REALLY LONG BREAK for families with little to no food. Hunger does not take a holiday and it does not discriminate. The needs of “growing boys” are the same in every household regardless of whether mom and dad can afford to meet them.

As I reflect on the New Year and the ideas and programming that I soon hope to share with our supporters and partners, I keep coming back to the notion of a “communal gift.” Whether you celebrated Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa there are lights involved. There was the light from the North Star, lights from the menorah and lights for Kwanzaa symbolizing direction for community actions. During my holiday break, I didn’t see a major light but I found ENLIGHTENMENT from three boys. Three hungry boys in a room filled with adults demonstrated how people can struggle in plain view. Three boys showed the leader of a Food Bank what the stigma around being an impoverished adult looks like in their children. These three boys did not “reveal” to me that hunger exists. I already know that. But these boys gave me a REMINDER of the URGENT NEED to help as many of us give the best gift to the neediest among us and that is our ATTENTION. Families are struggling all over this country. We can never say that we’re willing to ACT if we have not first trained ourselves to truly SEE. In 2012, I’m looking forward to launching new, dynamic programs to help as many New Yorkers SEE hunger for what it is and then CHANGE how many of our neighbors and friends experience it. We’ll keep the light on and hope you’ll keep an eye out and choose to join us!
 

By Triada Stampas,

This past Wednesday, Governor Andrew Cuomo delivered his second State of the State address. After a year when critical anti-hunger programs have been under threat at the national level, I was overjoyed to hear the governor highlight child hunger and speak out forcefully for expanding access to the food stamp program (SNAP) by removing barriers to participation and eliminating stigma — including ending the practice of finger-imaging.

In New York City, 76 percent of all households with children struggle to afford food.

“For all of our progress, there are still basic wrongs to right. There is never an excuse for letting any child in New York go to bed hungry. Statewide, 1 in 6 children live in homes without enough food on the table. Yet 30 percent of New Yorkers eligible for food stamps — over 1.4 million people — do not receive them, leaving over $1 billion in federal funds unclaimed every year.

“We must increase participation in the food stamp program, remove barriers to participation and eliminate the stigma associated with this program. And we must stop fingerprinting for food. No child should go hungry in the great State of New York and we will do all that we can to prevent it.”

In addition, Governor Cuomo called for a number of other initiatives that will help those we serve, including:

• improving food access in food deserts;
• foreclosure relief and tenant protection;
• setting up a health insurance exchange to provide more New Yorkers with insurance and lessen healthcare costs; and
• reducing (or, for some, eliminating) the state income tax burden on low-income New Yorkers.

It will take a lot of work to make all of this happen. But the fact that these issues all made it into this year’s address means that these are the items Governor Cuomo has pledged to prioritize and devote resources to seeing done.

We don’t see this happen every day, and we will be doing everything we can in the coming months and year to help make sure that true progress is made.

By Justin Crum,

With the New Year just a few days away, you have probably already spent some time, or told yourself you’re going to spend some time, thinking about your resolutions for 2012. One of the Food Bank’s central goals is to help build a healthier city through nutrition education — and within the CookShop team, we are resolving to inspire more New Yorkers to Change One Thing and build a healthier lifestyle. 

A campaign that encourages New Yorkers to improve their health by making small changes to their diet, Change One Thing can be a great model for your own resolutions. Rather than resolving to hit the gym four days a week or to kick fried foods once and for all — c’mon, who are you kidding? — why don’t you drink water instead of that daily soda, or pick up some fruit instead of that bag of chips at lunch?

To help give more ideas, we asked some of our CookShop students and members of the Food Bank network to tell us what they would change in the New Year….

	George, CookShop Classroom Student, PS180M "Instead of eating meat, I would eat carrots. Instead of drinking milk with fat in it, I would drink soy milk. Instead of drinking juice, I would drink water."
	Laura Smith, CookShop Classroom Parent Coordinator, PS 47X “I’d like to exchange my dinner roll with a new vegetable every night.”
	Russell, EATWISE peer educator, New Dorp High School “I’d like to drink water throughout the day and eat vegetables three times a day.”
	Marcia, Guest, Food Bank Community Kitchen & Food Pantry “In the new year I hope to get less meat and more vegetables. I want my whole family to participate. My husband is diabetic and I want to prevent my children from being diabetic too.”
	Margarette Purvis, President and CEO, Food Bank For New York City “Locally grown food is so important. So, in 2012 I'm going to take a stab at gardening. I think I'll start with herbs and tomatoes!”

 So how about YOU? What’s your Change One Thing resolution for the new year?