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FRAC Applauds White House National Strategy
to Address Hunger and Its Root Causes
Statement attributed to Luis Guardia, president, Food Research & Action Center (FRAC)
WASHINGTON, September 27, 2022 â The Food Research & Action Center is pleased that the âNational Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health,â released today by the Biden-Harris administration, heeds the calls of anti-hunger organizations to build on the lessons learned from the pandemic, including bolstering federal nutrition programs, to effectively end hunger in the U.S. by 2030.
The strategy reflects some of the priorities FRAC laid out in its recommendations for the administration, which will be discussed at the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, taking place on September 28.
The last conference of its kind was held in 1969 and proved to be a monumental catalyst for change, advancing policies and legislation that greatly improved access and expansion to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and school meals.
More than 50 years later, the strategy released today recognizes that the federal nutrition programs remain among our nationâs most important, proven, and cost-effective public interventions. The COVID-19 pandemic has created unacceptable levels of food insecurity in America, disproportionately impacting Black, Latinx, and Native American households, and households with children. The dramatic spikes in hunger caused by the public health and economic fallout of the pandemic would be far worse if not for federal nutrition programs.
FRAC is pleased to see that the national strategy includes expanding access to SNAP, the nationâs first line of defense against hunger, to the formerly incarcerated and to college students. We also commend the administration for setting the stage to work with Congress to support granting territories the option to expand nutrition assistance through SNAP. Still, more must be done to expand equitable SNAP access and make SNAP benefits more adequate.
The last two years have proved that offering school meals to all children at no charge is a game changer for students, families, and schools. FRAC has been working tirelessly with its network of advocates across the country in urging Congress to make this approach permanent. The strategy outlined today moves us closer to achieving that goal by providing a pathway to reach 9 million more children with free school meals by 2032. We will continue to work with the administration and Congress to move forward on Healthy School Meals for All as quickly as possible to ensure that every child has access to the nutrition they need to learn and thrive in school. Too many families find themselves struggling to provide their children with the nutrition they need during the summer when school meals are no longer in reach. We are encouraged to see the White House is committed to expanding the Summer EBT program to ensure families have the resources they need when school lets out.
WIC has played a key role in keeping hunger at bay for infants and young children and expectant or postpartum individuals. The Biden-Harris administration plans to work with the Department of Health and Human Services to help states identify individuals eligible for WIC, among other programs, and advance its WIC modernization strategy.
Indian Country has long faced ongoing challenges of food security, which only deepened during the pandemic. According to the national strategy, the administration will continue to expand the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations Self-Determination projects and partner with Tribal communities when creating enhancements to the food package. Additionally, the Biden-Harris administration aims to expand the number of Indigenous and traditional foods in the Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs.
As effective as the nutrition programs are, they alone cannot end hunger, which is why we applaud the administrationâs efforts to tackle the root causes of hunger. These include working with Congress to permanently expand the fully refundable Child Tax Credit, which kept nearly 4 million children out of poverty and lowered the number of households reporting not having enough to eat by 26 percent last year, and the Earned Income Tax Credit, which helped low-to-moderate-income workers and families get a tax break, as well as needed Congressional investments in affordable housing and child care.
The pandemic has been dubbed the most unequal in modern history with job losses from the pandemic overwhelmingly affecting low-wage, minority workers most. When people do not earn enough to cover basic needs, families must choose between paying for food, rent, transportation, or medical care. To address this challenge, the Biden-Harris administration says it plans to continue working with Congress to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. The strategy also includes improving transportation options to improve food access.
The strategy is a big step in the right direction, and I look forward to being in attendance at the conference alongside FRAC Board Member Kofi D. Essel, MD, MPH, FAAP, a pediatrician at Children's National Hospital, who will be speaking at the event. Iâm also looking forward to hearing from people with lived and living experience with hunger and poverty â their voices are critical to shaping effective, equitable, and meaningful policy.
Ensuring that no one in this country goes hungry is foundational to health, education, well-being, national security, economic priorities, and a more equitable America.
FRAC stands ready to work with the administration, Congress, and a wide array of diverse stakeholders that include various federal, state, local, and Tribal leaders and community officers, members of the anti-hunger, health, and private sector, and people with lived expertise of hunger.
Together, we can end hunger in America by 2030. Hungry people canât wait.
NRC Food Pantry is ClOSED this Week
9/13-9/14 /22 Call 211 to find a pantry
Genesee County Farmers Market
Bank Street at, Alva Pl, Batavia, NY 14020
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 9am to 4pm
June 3rd to October 28th
SNAP and Double Up $20.00 a day
Corfu Farmers Market
63 Alleghany Rd. Corfu, NY 14036
Mondays 4pm to 7 pm
July 11th to Sept. 26th
Snap, farmer stand only, no vendors
LeRoy Farmers Market
Trigon Park
Saturday 9am to 12:30pm
June to October
Snap
Health and Wellness Survey The Erie County Department of Health (ECDOH) Office of Health Equity has developed a Health and Wellness Survey for Erie County residents. Responses will inform the departmentâs work to address health disparities. Participants who complete the survey will be eligible for a drawing of a $100 Target gift card. Recipients will be chosen after the survey closes on December 31, 2022.
https://www3.erie.gov/health/form/erie-county-health-equity-and-we
National farmers market week! What is your favorite farmers market and why?ďżźďżź
LeRoy Farmers Market
Trigon Park
Saturday 9am to 12:30pm
June to October
Snap
Corfu Farmers Market
63 Alleghany Rd. Corfu, NY 14036
Mondays 4pm to 7 pm
July 11th to Sept. 26th
Snap, farmer stand only, no vendors
Genesee County Farmers Market
Bank Street at, Alva Pl, Batavia, NY 14020
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 9am to 4pm
June 3rd to October 28th
SNAP and Double Up $20.00 a day
Hunger Free America - Benefits Specialist
Will work in Buffalo, NY with Food For All
*This is a full-time position, expected to last until 7/31/23. The Benefits Specialist will be
employed with Hunger Free America but will work under the day-to-day supervision of
Food For All in Buffalo, NY. The work will take place primarily from Food For Allâs office
and community partner locations, with a possibility of some remote work from home.
Note: this position requires proof of up-to-date COVID-19 vaccination including booster
shot within the CDC-recommended timeframe.
Hunger Free America (HFA) strives to build a nonpartisan, grassroots movement to enact the
policies and programs needed to end hunger and ensure that everyone has sufficient access to
nutritious food.
Food For All envisions communities where all people have access to nutritious, safe, and
culturally appropriate foods that are produced in ways that are environmentally sound, socially
just, and available through local non-emergency sources.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) is the
largest and most effective of our nationâs public anti-hunger programs. The receipt of SNAP for
those eligible individuals and families contributes to improved nutrition and reduces the financial
strain of trying to pay for other household expenses on a limited budget.
The NYS Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children
(WIC) provides nutrition counseling, health education and nutritious foods to eligible women,
infants and children. WIC ensures the health and well-being of income-eligible families with
young children and provides individually tailored food prescriptions that meet strict nutrition
requirements.
Hunger Free America was recently awarded a New York State Community Development Block
Grant (CDBG) through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The
projects selected for the award are meant to assist in the recovery of New York State
communities by improving the resiliency of infrastructure and programs serving its residents.
HFAâs and Food For Allâs project will focus on connecting eligible households with the SNAP
and WIC programs in high-need communities in the city of Buffalo.
Job Description:
⢠Assist in determining the eligibility of potential SNAP and WIC participants in
accordance with State and Federal guidelines.
⢠Conduct outreach efforts to connect with low-income individuals, community agencies,
and the general public.
⢠Establish and strengthen existing collaborations with community providers, explain
program services, and solicit referrals.
⢠Achieve program targets and assist in supporting all reporting requirements.
⢠Attend required trainings / webinars.
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