This week, on the heels of a deficit reduction proposal from President Obama comprised of a combination of spending cuts and taxes on high-income earners, new data was released showing that poverty continues to rise in New York City in the aftermath of the recession. With need especially high, the Food Bank For New York City urged Congress to protect the federal food assistance programs more. Meanwhile, New York’s junior Senator Kirsten Gillibrand introduced legislation to bring fresh regional produce to food deserts like the South Bronx, and school districts across the country are facing a federal mandate to increase school lunch prices.

Obama Announces Debt Plan Built on Taxes on Rich, Associated Press, 9/19
President Barack Obama called for $1.5 trillion in new taxes today, part of a total 10-year deficit reduction package totaling more than $3 trillion. He vowed to veto any deficit reduction package that cuts benefits to Medicare recipients but does not raise taxes on the wealthy and big corporations. The president's proposal would predominantly hit upper income taxpayers but would also reduce spending in mandatory benefit programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, by $580 billion. It also counts savings of $1 trillion over 10 years from the withdrawal of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.

City's Poverty Rate Jumps Past 20%, Crain’s New York Business, 9/22
New York City's poverty rate jumped to 20.1 percent in 2010 from 18.7 percent in 2009 and median family income plummeted 6 percent to $53,593 as the aftershocks of the Great Recession reverberated throughout the five boroughs.

Many Different Characters Represent the New Face of Poverty in New York City, NY Daily News, 9/23
Some have struggled to escape the world of poverty they were born into. Others found themselves asking for free food after losing six-figure jobs in Wall Street — but they all represent the new face of poverty in New York City.

Food Bank For New York City Urging Congress Not to Cut Food Assistance Programs, Queens Examiner, 9/20
As food insecurity is on the rise across New York State, the Food Bank for New York City is calling on Congress to protect the federal nutrition programs that help millions of New Yorkers each year.

Sen. Gillibrand: Bring Oases To Food Deserts, NY Daily News, Celeste Katz, 9/21
"New York is home to 520 farmers' markets," she said in a conference call from the nation's capital yesterday. "Connecting these families to them is just common sense." The junior senator's appeal was part of several initiatives drafted in the 2012 Farm Bill by the Senate Agriculture Committee, of which she is a member. Gillibrand said the bill is designed to help impoverished areas of the state, such as the Bronx, that have been classified as "food deserts.”

Public Schools Face the Rising Costs of Serving Lunch, NYT, Fernanda Santos, 9/19
The federal government is making school meals more nutritious this year, but also more expensive.
Under a little-noticed provision of the child nutrition bill signed by President Obama in December, which brought more fresh produce and less whole milk to cafeterias nationwide, school districts are required to start bringing their prices in line with what it costs to prepare the meals, eventually charging an average of $2.46 for the lunches they serve.