Taking Action on Child Nutrition Reauthorization

by Kimberley Chin, Director, Maryland Hunger Solutions

With Child Nutrition Reauthorization coming up, we need to impress upon Congress the importance of making hunger a top priority and simply providing meals to people who are hungry. In addition to talking about these nutrition programs with your community to make sure that everyone eligible participates, it is now also your duty to talk to those who make decisions and let them know how important it is to ensure that the people living in this country do not go to bed hungry.

Take action now: individuals can write letters to Maryland's Congressional representatives, and organizations can sign onto the Statement of Principles for Child Nutrition Reauthorization at the Food Research and Action Center's (FRAC) Web site.

Making Sure Maryland's Children Are Fed This Summer

by Kimberley Chin, Director, Maryland Hunger Solutions

We're in a recession, school is about to get out and a lot of children who depend on school meals will have to find another place for their meals. As a mother of three young boys, I know the fears and worries that families face as they try to pay for their housing, transportation, energy, childcare, credit card bills, and all the other bills that tend to come out of nowhere. My car recently broke down and now I have to pay an additional $800 - hmmm, where is THAT money coming from!

Add to that the worry of making sure your children have food on the table and it can all drive you to the edge. This is where I think that we all need to step up and let everyone in your community know about the federal nutrition programs - especially the summer meals programs.

If you work with children,
if you run a summer program,
if you are able to run a summer program,
it is your duty to make sure that your program uses the federal summer meals program to leverage your budget and serve meals to as many children as you can for as long as you can this summer.

If you work with children,
if you have children,
if you see children in your community,
it is your duty to make sure that they are connected to programs that provide meals in the summer.

Go to www.mdsummermeals.org to find out more about programs in your area.

USDA Listening Tour comes to Baltimore City

by Kimberley Chin, Director, Maryland Hunger Solutions

Yesterday the 3^rd Floor Auditorium of the Enoch Pratt Central Library in Baltimore, Maryland was filled with people listening and waiting to testify about the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization process. Yvette Jackson, Regional Administrator for the USDA Food and Nutrition Mid-Atlantic Region and her team listened attentively as approximately 50 people provided their thoughts and insights into the child nutrition and WIC programs.

It was fascinating to watch child care advocates, nutritionists, physicians, state directors, industry representatives, cafeteria service providers, parents, anti-hunger advocates and others speak so persuasively about the need to make these programs as accessible and healthy for all. Among some of the many issues that came up were the need for more nutrition education, greater reimbursements because of the high prices of foods, more investments in equipment to help schools better serve meals and getting more local foods in schools. There were also several industry groups, such as those for dairy, apples, potatoes, and processed meats that pled their cases during the testimony.

Remember, if you have something to say about the child nutrition and WIC programs, it is not too late. USDA is still taking written comments until October 15, 2008. For more information, visit the FRAC website at http://www.frac.org/html/federal_food_programs/cnreauthor/usda-fns_cnr-wic_comment_request.pdf

"Creativity and Collaboration" - a solution to obesity

by Sabina Payen, Maryland Hunger Solutions Summer Intern

Maryland Hunger Solutions was among the large group of health officials, legislators, community advocates and others who came together Tuesday to discuss the issues of obesity and nutrition in Maryland. The Healthy Active Maryland 2008 symposium on the challenges and solutions to addressing obesity was planned by the MD Healthy Eating and Active Lifestyle Coalition. The goal of the event was to empower Maryland partners to address challenges in obesity prevention efforts and to learn the practical programs, policies and solutions.

Ken Stanton, PhD, from the University of Baltimore was the keynote speaker. He made the point that "cheap food" or unhealthy food was a factor in obesity. The unhealthy stuff is the most affordable. I'll admit I live off the $3 meal of a burger, fries and soda instead of going to the market and buying healthy foods and preparing it myself.

Secretary Gloria Lawlah, Maryland Department Aging, one of the panel speakers, gave a moving and empowering speech on the how changes from the past to the present are factors in obesity. I'm too young to remember, but my father reminds me from time to time that he walked everywhere. There were few TVs and definitely no Internet or video games back then. So kids actually went outside to play or found more active things to do than sitting around all day eating. There were really no McDonald's or Burger Kings, so families actually ate home cooked meals everyday. This is very different from today's society of working families and single parent homes. Secretary Lawlah also explained that what we make a habit of now will grow with us into our old age.

The symposium was made up of several different round table discussions on the many issues and solutions to obesity, one of the speakers was Brenda Schwaab from the School and Community Nutrition Branch of the Maryland State Department of Education. Schwaab gave a very informative and interactive presentation on the policy and environment issues involved in implementing school breakfast programs and how to overcome them. She described how school breakfast can promote better eating habits in school age children.

Which brings me back to my title, "Creativity and Collaboration," two words Senator David C. Harrington, Maryland State Senate, District 47, mentioned in the closing remarks of his speech. Creativity and collaboration were his ideas for the solution to obesity. As he explained his take on it, it became clear to me that it was the solution to many issues that involve our youth. Creativity is the idea of restructuring how we do things, and collaboration is realizing that it’s not just a school system problem but a problem for all of us. We have to attack these issues from different angles now to get results in the future.

For more information on the symposium and the coalition visit: http://www.healthyactivemaryland.org.

Farm Bill Passes - and MD Hunger Solutions Is There!

by Kimberely Chin, Director, Maryland Hunger Solutions

This has been an incredibly exciting week. The Farm Bill passed in the House and the Senate with veto proof majorities in both!

With rising prices for food, fuel and housing, this is a great victory for everyone in this country who is just struggling to put food on the table.

The Farm Bill increases the minimum food stamp benefits; updates the food stamp asset rules; ties the asset limits to inflation; and allows families to continue to save for retirement and their children’s education without jeopardizing their eligibility for the program.

This week, in support of the Farm Bill, I also had a wonderful opportunity to speak at a press conference on the Hill on Wednesday, May 14th. Click here for more pictures of the event. Congressional Majority Leader Steny Hoyer from Maryland organized the event with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus to highlight how the increased nutrition benefits in the Farm Bill will benefit their communities. I was honored to be invited by Majority Leader Hoyer to represent the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) as the only non-congressional speaker at the event. Click here to see a copy of my statement (pdf).

Photo courtesy of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus's photostream on Flickr.

Farm Bill Discussion Happening Now

With 9.5 percent, or almost 1 in 10 Maryland Households facing a constant threat of hunger, it is critical that Congress act on the Farm bill now! Maryland’s own Representative Sandy Rosenberg co-wrote a great Op-Ed in the Baltimore Sun discussing food stamps and the desperate need to pass a Farm bill right away. The current law was extended (once again) through April 25th, so Congress has one more week to act on the Farm Bill!

Washington Post Covers School Nutrition Finances

Kudos to the Washington Post for their article titled "Schools Get A Lesson in Lunch Line Economics." Maryland is mentioned a number of times. Gist of the story: school meal programs nationwide are feeling the pinch from the sluggish economy and having to make some financial decisions affecting cost and nutritional value of student meals.