| Stories from the National Hunger Hotline: Helping Those Who Serve |
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The
National Hunger Hotline (NHH), a service of WhyHunger's National Hunger
Clearinghouse, provides real-time referrals for people in need across
the U.S. to emergency food and assistance programs. Receiving an average
of 700 calls per month, the NHH is a portal to information, assistance,
and resources, ultimately empowering families and individuals to meet
their vital needs including fresh, healthy food. In Stories from the
Hotline, we share some of the experiences of callers and our efforts to
support them.
An
administrator from the National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People (NAACP) in Boston, MA recently called the National Hunger
Hotline after noticing a flyer inside a local community center. The
administrator was interested in starting a meal program that would
provide food for low-income children during their winter and spring
breaks. Students who are in need of food are guaranteed breakfast and
lunch through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and National
School Breakfast Program (NSBP), but these programs do not run when
school is not in session.
The
advocate was able to assist the caller by sending her the information
for the At-Risk Afterschool Meal Program run by the USDA and now offered
in Massachusetts. The program works to provide dinner and snacks to
children in need year round. The advocate also provided the number to
the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), which helps community-based
programs and public institutions provide summer meals, breakfast, lunch,
snack, and dinner for children who are under the age of 18. With these
two resources, the NAACP Administrator will be able to set up both
programs in her area to help with the hunger children face when school
is not in session.
The National Hunger Hotline 1-866-3 HUNGRY and 1-877-8 HAMBRE (1-866-348-6479 and 1-877-842-6273) refers people in need of emergency food assistance to food pantries, government programs, and model grassroots organizations that work to improve access to healthy, nutritious food, and build self-reliance. Help is available on Monday through Friday from 9am-6pm EST. Hablamos español. The Hotline is funded in part by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service.
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Education, Accessibility and Healthy Foods: Keys to giving infants a good nutritious start
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By India Rodgers, Program Assistant, National Hunger Clearinghouse
The National Hunger Hotline works to provide those in need with food
resources in their local area, with a focus on providing healthy
alternatives in the context of a highly processed, unhealthy food
supply. Over the past few months, advocates at the call center have
noticed an increase in calls requesting infant formula.
Infant
formula is one of the most difficult items to have donated at food
pantries, and most food banks have very limited supplies. Formula does
not have the same shelf life as other canned items and requires a
well-trained staff: nutritional content degrades and clumping can occur
after the "use by" date. In some cases, pantries may not even be aware
that there is a demand for formula or how to handle an infant food
drive.
At the
Orange County Food Bank in California, the Executive Director has also
seen an increase in the demand for infant formula. Due to budget
constraints, however, the food bank is not able to increase the amount
of formula available to clients, ultimately turning away 500 infants
yearly due to the shortage. Other institutions such as the Pierce County
Food Bank in Florida rely on mothers/caregivers to meet their infant
formula needs through the Women, Infant and Children's program (WIC), a
government nutrition program that is not always able to deliver on
demand. And while applications are being completed for WIC, there are
still children in need. Worse still are instances in which children are
not able to receive any benefits because their parents make as little as
three dollars over the limit.
This
article explores the underpinnings of the infant food system- from its
role in government nutrition programs, to alternatives including
breastfeeding and innovative programs that are providing education and
breaking down access barriers.
Who Uses Infant Formula
Makers of infant formula have specifically targeted women in lower
socio-economic classes; women who do not have the same access to
information, health care, and transportation by providing free gifts of
formula to new mothers at hospitals and clinics. Women may be too
trusting when a medical authority gives them a gift and encourages both
its use and health benefits. WIC currently distributes over half of the infant formula sold in the U.S. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that mothers on WIC are less likely to breastfeed.
The state of Rhode Island has become the first to prohibit this
practice of distributing free formula unless the mother has difficulties
with breastfeeding. As an alternative, there are educational courses at
local community centers and lactation counselors to guide women through
the process of breastfeeding. The public health commissioner stated
that free infant formula decreases breastfeeding and often uses
vulnerable women. In the scientific journal Pediatrics, a study
showed that even though most hospitals in America still use freebie
bags, hospitals that have removed the bags had better health outcomes
for the child.
Price of Formula
The
price of formula has steadily risen since 1980 and can cost a mother
almost 150 dollars a month. WIC is a service that provides low-income
pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and
infants as well as children up to age five who are found to be at
nutritional risk, access to supplemental foods, including formula.
Though on the surface this seems like it is helping to close the gap of
health in America, when it comes to the issue of infant formula, WIC
could be even more helpful if it partnered with lactation specialists
and encouraged its pregnant clients to breastfeed while focusing on
boosting their own health through proper nutrition to provide the best
start for their babies.
The Process
Anyone
who has gone through the process to apply for SNAP (formerly, known as
food stamps) knows that this is often a time consuming and arduous
process. Applying for WIC is no easier. Getting an appointment can take
many calls to the office. And once she has an appointment, a woman may
have to take off work to make the time slot provided, risking pay loss.
She will also be required to take the child to the physician and then
wait for the system to process the application and send the check. WIC
checks limit the items that can be purchased, come with a deadline, and
cannot be replaced if lost or stolen.
Additional Barriers (or: Conflicting Programs)
WIC's
services are restricted to individuals that live at or below 185
percent of the federal poverty level which is around $45,000 or less per
year for a family of four. Many food banks participate in the Commodity
Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), another federal food program that
services woman in need of infant formula. However, food bank clients may
find that they are not able to access CSFP while receiving WIC
benefits. And, as stated above, many food pantries face barriers to
offering infant formula, requiring a woman to call many clinics or
pantries in an attempt to feed her infant.
Conclusion
At its core, the system which makes infant formula readily available to low-income women is politically-charged.
Ensuring that women have access to proper education, tools, and
resources in order to make an informed decision that's in the best
interest of their children is critical. When industry pushes products on
individuals, freedom of choice is limited. Whether shortages at food
pantries, inefficiencies with WIC or the lack of popular education,
ensuring infants get the most nutritious start possible is an issue that
deserves immediate dialogue and resolution.
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| Capacity Building Guides |
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As
a result of research and interviews with Emergency Food Providers
across the country about unmet needs, the National Hunger Clearinghouse
will release two capacity building guides in late February. The first
is a guide to food sourcing, which inventories
exciting projects and strategies in sourcing that connect food pantries
with local farms and source higher quality animal protein. Emergency
food programs are an important part of the food system and have the
potential to help revitalize local and regional food economies while
better serving their customers. The guide will include model program
profiles, best practices, and additional resources.
The second guide will be a literature review on nutrition education
resources. It will include best practices, an annotated program guide,
other resources, and a gap analysis of existing programs.
Both of these guides will be available to Clearinghouse Connection subscribers and by emailing nhc@whyhunger.org
and will be used to promote further conversation among providers at
conferences and webinars. There are innovative programs out there and we
want to connect new audiences to those ideas and initiatives so they
can invigorate their own work.
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USDA Updates
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Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) Introductory Webinars!
USDA provides a free
or reduced-priced lunch to 22 million children during the school year.
But once school lets out for summer break, only about 2.5 million
children receive a meal (about 1 in 10). Children are at a higher risk
of going hungry during the summer months. There is work to be done to
help feed more kids nutritious meals during the summer and you can help.
The Summer Food
Service Program (SFSP) can help to fill the summer meal gap for
low-income children. Faith-based, community and private non-profit
organizations can make a difference in the lives of hungry children by
serving meals with SFSP, a federally funded program administered by
States that reimburses organizations for meals served to children during
the summer. Schools, churches, recreation centers, playgrounds, parks,
and camps can serve meals in neighborhoods with high percentages of
low-income families. These are safe and familiar locations where
children naturally congregate during the summer.
The USDA Food and
Nutrition Service is offering free webinar sessions on the Summer Food
Service Program, so you can learn more about the need, the program, and
how you can help. The sessions will review the Summer Food Service
Program, cover resources and tools available to help you get started,
highlight successful programs and outreach practices from around the
country, and will conclude with an open question and answer period with
USDA FNS staff.
To learn more about the SFSP, please register to participate in an upcoming free webinar session:
Tuesday, 1/24, 6:00pm - 7:00pm EST - Public Session Thursday, 2/2, 11:00am - 12:00pm EST - Public Session Thursday, 2/23, 3:00pm - 4:00pm EST - Public Session
Click here, to learn more about the Summer Food Service Program.
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My Plate Posters
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"Make Half Your Plate Fruits and Vegetables" posters are now available for free and by request to schools and child care centers participating in FNS programs. Anyone can download the poster for free by clicking here.
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How to Get Food Help
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How
To Get Food Help is a low literacy, clear language brochure targeted at
consumers who may be new to navigating social services and assistance
applications. The brochure clearly
explains all FNS programs that consumers apply to directly, and it gives
them basic information to identify which programs might be right for
them.
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Fuel Up to Play 60 Funding
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Fuel Up to Play 60 is school nutrition and
physical activity program founded by National Dairy Council and the
National Football League, and in partnership with the USDA. Up to $4,000
per year is available to any qualifying K-12 school enrolled in Fuel Up
to Play 60. The funding is to help schools create and sustain healthy
nutrition and physical activity improvements. Any U.S. school can enroll
in the free program and thus be eligible to apply for up to $4,000.
Applications are due February 1st. For more information, please visit: Fuel Up to Play 60.
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Just Food Conference 2012: Eat. Work. Grow the Movement (NY)
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Just Food is a
non-profit organization that connects communities and local farms with
the resources and support they need to make fresh, locally grown food
accessible to all New Yorkers. The Just Food Conference 2012: Eat. Work.
Grow The Movement will be held on February 24 and 25, 2012.
This Conference will feature a series of workshops along with an EXPO
and Good Food Jobs Fair. To view the schedule, please visit Just Food.
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National Hunger Free Communities Summit (DC)
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The Alliance to End Hunger will host its Second Annual National Hunger Free Communities Summit on Saturday, February 25, 2012 at the Capitol Hilton in Washington, D.C. This is a free event. To register, click here.
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National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference (DC)
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Registration is open for the National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference from February 26-28, 2012 at the Capital Hilton, Washington, D.C. The event is co-sponsored by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) and Feeding America, in cooperation with the National CACFP Forum.
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| Correction |
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In the November and
December 2010 issues, we stated that there was a rolling deadline for
WIC Mini-Grants through Cooking Matters. The deadline was December
31st, with all work to be completed by March 31st. Apologies for any
confusion.
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| Sharing Your Story |
Have
you had any recent successes in food sourcing at your food pantry that
you want to share? What challenges are you facing? Is there anything
that you want to learn more about?
We want to hear from you! Email us at nhc@whyhunger.
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