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.

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.

This week, local nonprofits continued to report that they are seeing unprecedented demand for services, including from people who until recently lived comfortable lives.  “There are so many needy New Yorkers who are totally hidden,” Food Bank President and CEO Margarette Purvis told Crain’s New York Business.  In Albany, the state government approved an overhaul to New York State’s income tax that will reduce the rate for millions of middle-class workers.   But Congress has yet to reach agreement about extending payroll tax cuts and unemployment benefits – two issues that could impact the household budgets of millions of Americans.  We also learned that a Twinkie has less sugar than some children’s breakfast cereals.

Number of needy New Yorkers growing at alarming rate, Crain’s New York Business, 12/4
The recession has technically been over for more than a year. But social services workers say the situation is getting worse for a growing segment of the city's population. In a city filled with the fabulously wealthy, there's a growing undercurrent of dire need. In fact, food pantries have so many new customers they can't feed them all.  Many of the people who were laid off during the recession were living on unemployment benefits or savings, which have since run out.

Bronx food pantries run by Muslim Women’s Initiative will close as funding vanishes, demand rises, Daily News, 12/8
The Muslim Women’s Initiative for Research and Development has been distributing halal groceries to needy Bronxites since 1997. The tough economy has shrunk donations at the same time that residents’ need is surging, says Executive Director Nurah Ama’tullah.  Triada Stampas, director of government relations and public education for The Food Bank for New York City, which supplies food to MWIRD, said the group is facing the same problem as many other pantries and soup kitchens citywide.  “Their operating expenses really became insupportable within their budget, which is a tragic situation, Stampas said.

Albany Tax Deal to Raise Rate for Highest Earners, New York Times, 12/6
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and legislative leaders announced on Tuesday that they had reached an agreement to overhaul New York State’s income tax, creating a higher tax bracket for the highest-income residents and reducing the tax rate for millions of middle-class residents.  The agreement drew praise from an unlikely combination of business groups, which applauded the governor for devoting himself to job creation, and labor unions, which said the new revenue would help ensure that Mr. Cuomo would follow through with his promise to increase education and health care spending in the budget next year.

Congress edges toward a compromise on spending, Washington Post, 12/11
The payroll tax fight will continue this week as the House votes on a GOP-authored proposal that would link the extension of the tax cut sought by Obama with Republican priorities, including a measure to speed the construction of the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline.  Before concluding work for the year, Congress must tackle other major issues as well, including figuring out how to avert a scheduled deep cut in reimbursement rates paid to doctors under Medicare and whether to extend benefits for the unemployed.

Bonbons For Breakfast? Most Kid Cereals Pack Enough Sugar To Be Dessert, NPR, 12/7
A new report by the Environmental Working Group finds that the vast majority of popular cereals marketed to kids — 56 out of the 84 EWG looked at — don't meet the voluntary guidelines proposed earlier this year by the federal Interagency Working Group on Food Marketed to Children.  The top offenders, including Honey Smacks, Apple Jacks, Froot Loops, and Quaker Cap'n Crunch, all contain more than 41 percent sugar (by weight). The guidelines, meanwhile, for ready-to-eat cereals recommend no more than 26 percent added sugar by weight.
 

Last week, the Super-committee failed to reach agreement on a deficit reduction plan, which will result in over one trillion dollars in federal budget cuts across-the-board, including an estimated five billion dollars out of the New York State budget over the next ten years. Although substantial components of the hunger safety net will be exempt, deep cuts in other areas are likely to increase the need for emergency food. With emergency food organizations already struggling to meet need this holiday season, Governor Cuomo announced $1 million in grants to New York State’s food banks and launched a state-wide initiative urging businesses to give directly to food banks during the holidays. The New York City Council held its annual oversight hearing on hunger in New York City, focusing on finger-imaging for food-stamp applicants, which only New York City and the state of Arizona require. And the Census Bureau released sobering statistics indicating one in five U.S. children now live in poverty.

For Deficit Panel, Failure Cuts Two Ways, The New York Times, 11/21
The latest Congressional failure to agree on a plan for balancing the government’s books could yield a surprising result: a sharp reduction in annual federal deficits, larger than anything contemplated by the special panel that reached its fruitless finale on Monday. But the absence of an agreement also threatens to significantly slow growth in an already ailing economy by raising taxes on almost everyone while reducing government spending on almost everything.

Soup Kitchens and Pantries Struggle to Feed Hungry New Yorkers, DNA Info, 11/21
Many soup kitchens and food pantries across the city have been struggling to meet expanding demands while their budgets are shrinking. They’re bracing for the possibility of more cuts on the horizon. The Food Bank for New York, which distributes food to a network of roughly 1,000 local programs citywide, said this summer saw several emergency food providers having to temporarily close their doors. The organization is worried that food assistance could be slashed even more by a special Congressional committee on deficit reduction, which is supposed to vote Wednesday on ways to cut $1.2 trillion from the federal government over 10 years.

NY launches food bank funding drive, Associated Press, 11/24
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is launching "Help Your Neighbor," a statewide initiative to urge businesses and New Yorkers to give directly to regional food banks this holiday season. Cuomo also says $1 million in grants will be given to eight food banks across the state and an additional $620,000 in grants for emergency food relief organizations in communities hit by recent flooding and storms. The "Help Your Neighbor" initiative encourages New Yorkers and businesses to donate resources to help restock and fill the shelves of food banks. As a result of bad weather this year, some New York farms have struggled to provide to food banks. Additionally, Cuomo says, some donors have scaled back their giving due to tough economic conditions.

The city defends a finger-imaging requirement for food-stamp applicants, Capital NY,11/22
The Bloomberg administration's practice of requiring food-stamp applicants to be fingerprinted isn't a common one. The only other jurisdiction in America that imposes the same requirement, at the moment, is the state of Arizona. The application process for food stamps In New York City isn't terribly simple to begin with. And the finger-imaging requirement is being imposed as the need for food stamps increases, with one in five New Yorkers, and one in three children, now living in poverty.

More than 1 in 5 U.S. children poor, Census says, Reuters, 11/18
The number of children in the United States considered poor rose by 1 million in 2010, the U.S. Census said on Thursday, with more than one in five of the youngest Americans now living in poverty. "Children who live in poverty, especially young children, are more likely than their peers to have cognitive and behavioral difficulties, to complete fewer years of education, and, as they grow up, to experience more years of unemployment," the Census said.

This week in New York City, the Food Bank For New York City released a poll revealing that one-fourth of households with a military veteran in our city are struggling to put food on the table while Congress deliberated over whether to pass legislation to help veterans find employment. Despite higher numbers of job openings, job competition remains fierce for veterans and non-veterans alike. While Mayor Bloomberg sent his recommendations to the deficit-cutting Super-committee in Congress, reports of partisan divisions among the members raise questions about whether they will be able to reach a deal.

Poll: Veterans Looking for Food Help, The Wall Street Journal, 11/10
About one in four New York City households with military veterans has trouble putting food on the table, according to the Food Bank For New York City's latest research report. Veterans in such households are eating less frequently and choosing to pay other living expenses — rent, utilities, medical care and transportation — over food, which they get more frequently from food pantries and via government assistance, according to the poll by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion.

Senate Acts on 2 Pieces of Proposal on Hiring, The New York Times, 11/7
The Senate on Monday cleared the way for a measure that would repeal a tax withholding program on government contractors and provide tax incentives for companies that hire veterans, making them the first pieces of President Obama’s jobs plan to gain some momentum in Congress. The Senate voted 94 to 1 to take up the bill to end a new tax withholding program on government contractors after the House easily passed the measure last month.

Job openings rose to three-year high in September, but competition for each job remains fierce, Associated Press, 11/8
Employers advertised more jobs in September than at any other point in the past three years. The increase suggests hiring could pick up in the next few months. Competition for jobs is fierce. And many employers aren’t rushing to fill some because they are worried about the strength of the economy. Still, most economists say the increase in openings is a reassuring sign. Nearly 3.4 million jobs were posted in September, the Labor Department said Tuesday. That’s the most since August 2008, one month before the financial crisis intensified.

Mayor Bloomberg Outlines Plan To Balance United States Budget, Associated Press, 11/8
Congress' deficit-fighting "supercommittee" must take bold action to balance the budget, and both parties must be willing to compromise to get it done, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Tuesday. "For too long, Washington has operated on the 'something for nothing' principle," Bloomberg said in speech in Washington. "Both parties have promised their constituents the world — and given them debt and a sluggish economy and anemic job growth." Bloomberg, a billionaire entrepreneur, said U.S. business leaders won't invest or hire workers until they know how Washington intends to grapple with the deficit.

Supercommittee members: panel shy of deficit compromise, Associated Press, 11/14
Despite prodding from President Barack Obama, members of Congress’ supercommittee concede no deal is in sight to meet their goal of $1.2 trillion or more in deficit savings over the next decade. Instead, with only 10 days remaining until a Nov. 23 deadline, the panel is divided along partisan lines and Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C. said Sunday the six committee members of his own party “have not coalesced around a plan.” Despite the difficulties, Clyburn and Republicans on the deficit panel all said they haven’t given up hope of a deal by the deadline.

This week, Food Bank CEO Margarette Purvis talked about our city's childhood obesity problem in the Huffington Post, census data showed a record high percentage of Americans are now living in poverty, and President Obama continues to strategize passing his jobs proposals — all while the deficit “supercommittee” in Washington attempts to resolve our nation’s budget deficit. Under the threat of federal funding cuts, local organizations like Food Bank network member Project Hospitality in Staten Island are already struggling to keep pantry shelves full for neighbors in need. One bright spot, however: nutrition education programs like the Food Bank’s CookShop are empowering low-income children and families in New York City to make healthy food choices.

Beyond the Grocery Store...Teaching Children Where Their Food Comes From, The Huffington Post, 11/1
It's no secret that New York City has a major problem with childhood obesity. On the national stage, Michelle Obama's Let's Move initiative, Rachael Ray's Yum-o! and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation are all shining a light on the nation's alarmingly high rates of childhood obesity while advocating for nutrition education as a way to empowering kids to make healthier choices. And right here in New York City, nutrition education programs like the Food Bank's CookShop and Hunger Solutions New York are taking the fight locally.

Poorest poor in US hits new record: 1 in 15 people, Associated Press, 11/3
The ranks of America's poorest poor have climbed to a record high — 1 in 15 people — spread widely across metropolitan areas as the housing bust pushed many inner-city poor into suburbs and other outlying places and shriveled jobs and income. New census data paint a stark portrait of the nation's haves and have-nots at a time when unemployment remains persistently high.

Deficit Committee Could Seek More Time, a Top Democrat Says, The New York Times, 11/2
A top House Democrat said Wednesday that a bipartisan committee seeking ways to slash the budget deficit could seek an extension if it was unable to meet its deadline, just three weeks away.
With no visible signs of progress, 6 of the 12 committee members have begun meeting privately in hopes of overcoming what appears to be the biggest obstacle to agreement: a deadlock over whether tax increases should be part of a deficit-reduction deal.

Obama, Top Democrats Meet to Plot Jobs Strategy, Reuters, 11/1
President Barack Obama will meet top Democrats from the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday to plot strategy on how to advance his jobs proposals that are stalled in Congress amid Republican resistance. The White House talks follow a series of unilateral steps by Obama over the past week aimed at seizing the initiative from his Republican foes and showing voters he is serious about tackling high unemployment and a sluggish economy.

The cupboard is bare at Staten Island's food pantries, Staten Island Live, 11/4
Indeed, there is a crisis at the Project Hospitality Food Pantry, at its main location on Bay Street and the 21 mobile food pantries in churches and other sites the not-for-profit serves in every part of the borough: Donations from food drives and private individuals that usually pour in at this time of year have virtually dried up. Add in cuts in the federal, state and city food assistance programs serving the hungry and the result is chilling insecurity for the borough's thousands of hungry families.

With New York City and Arizona now the only places in the country that require finger images from food stamp applicants, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Public Advocate Bill de Blasio once again called for an end to this practice. In Washington, Congress is deadlocked in debate over provisions of President Obama’s Jobs Act. Meanwhile, a raft of new statistics paints a grim picture for those struggling to make ends meet: incomes are unlikely to rise back to the levels of a decade ago until 2021; the job market continue to be weak; and food prices across the globe are likely to remain high.

Fingerprinting Those Seeking Food Stamps Is Denounced, New York Times, 10/11
Taking aim at a practice she called unnecessary, costly and punitive, the speaker of the City Council, Christine C. Quinn, is asking the Bloomberg administration to justify requiring applicants for food stamps to be electronically fingerprinted. New York City, where 1.8 million people receive food stamps, is one of only two jurisdictions in the country that require applicants to be fingerprinted.

Obama Moving Forward With Pieces of Jobs Act, Associated Press, 10/12
A day after Senate Republicans killed his $447 billion jobs bill, President Barack Obama said he isn't taking no for an answer. In his first, combative appearance since a united Senate GOP caucus filibustered the jobs plan to death, Obama promised to keep the pressure on Congress for his job initiatives. Obama and his Democratic allies promise to force additional votes on separate pieces of the measure, like infrastructure spending, jobless assistance and tax cuts for individuals and businesses.

Bleak News for Americans' Income, Wall Street Journal, 10/14
Americans' incomes have dropped since 2000 and they aren't expected to make up the lost ground before 2021, according to economists in the latest Wall Street Journal forecasting survey. From 2000 to 2010, median income in the U.S. declined 7% after adjusting for inflation, according to Census data. That marks the worst 10-year performance in records going back to 1967.

Number of people seeking unemployment benefits barely changed, reflecting weak job market, Associated Press, 10/13
The number of people applying for unemployment benefits fell slightly last week, a sign the job market isn’t getting much better. Applications ticked down by 1,000 to a seasonally adjusted 404,000, the Labor Department said Thursday.

World Food Prices Likely To Remain Volatile And High, Says UN, Associated Press, 10/10
Prices for rice, wheat and other key foods are expected to remain volatile and possibly increase. In an annual report on the state of food insecurity around the world, the U.N.'s three food agencies urged governments to make good on pledges to share information about farm forecasts and food stock levels to avoid the price swings that resulted in food riots in 2006-2008.

A new report this week confirms what those on the front lines of hunger relief see every day – that in this weak economy, more and more people are relying on food pantries on a regular basis. The economy is also hitting hard in cities, where services are being cut due to lower tax collections, driven by high employment and weak consumer spending. To start turning the economy around, President Obama proposed protections against hiring discrimination for the long-term unemployed, and investments in education for lasting economic strength. Meanwhile, in New York City, the number of schools receiving failing grades nearly doubled this year.

Report: Food pantries meant to give emergency aid become a monthly mainstay for many Americans, AP, 9/28
A report released Wednesday by Feeding America, a hunger-relief organization, finds that food banks that were originally created to serve as stop-gap emergency food providers are now taking a long-term, chronic role for Americans turning to them routinely to get enough to eat.

More Gloom Lies Ahead for Cities, Report Says, NYT, Michael Cooper, 9/27
 Nearly a third of the nation’s cities are laying off workers this year.  More than half have canceled or delayed infrastructure projects.  And two out of five have raised their fees.  The catalog of service cuts and fee increases comes as America’s cities are bracing for what they expect will be their fifth straight year of declining revenues, according to a survey of city finance officers to be released on Tuesday by the National League of Cities.

Obama Proposes Protecting Unemployed Against Hiring Bias, NYT, Robert Pear, 9/26
President Obama thinks he has found a way to pry open doors in the workplace for many of the unemployed, especially those who have been out of work for a long time. His jobs bill would prohibit employers from discriminating against job applicants because they are unemployed. Under the proposal, it would be “an unlawful employment practice” if a business with 15 or more employees refused to hire a person “because of the individual’s status as unemployed.”

Obama says it’s time to get serious about education to build a lasting economy with good jobs, AP, 9/23
President Barack Obama says changing education policy and spending billions to upgrade schools and keep teachers on the job is the right thing to do, not only for America’s schoolchildren but also for the country’s future economic vitality.

Number of NYC public schools hit with failing grades on city's annual school report cards doubles, NY Daily News, Kerry Burke, Ben Chapman and Rachel Monahan, 9/23
The number of public elementary and middle schools scoring low marks on the city's annual school report cards increased by nearly 100% this year. In all, 111 schools scored a D or F in the 2010-11 school year, up from 57 a year earlier. Bad grades - a D, F or three C's in a row - put schools in danger of being shut down. The city dropped a safety-net rule this year that had saved schools from falling more than two letter grades.
 

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.