Can you live on $4 a day for food? Take the SNAP Challenge

Can you live on $4.00 a day for food? Be honest with your answer.

That’s how much some of us spend on coffee or latte during the day. For more than 380,000 people right here in Connecticut, it’s not a question. It’s a reality.

In September, designated as Hunger Action Month, we’re asking our supporters to experience that reality for one week. Called the SNAP Challenge, participants are asked to live as if they are on food stamps, now known as the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Details of the challenge are included below.

Nearly 11 percent of people living in Connecticut depend on SNAP/food stamps to put food on their tables, according to the latest report from the Food Research and Action Center.

The SNAP program helps people and families buy food. Eligible people receive a monthly benefit that they can use to buy food, non-alcoholic beverages and food-producing seeds and plants.

For one week during Hunger Action Month, take the SNAP Challenge and see how you would do. Here’s what you need to know about the SNAP Challenge Each person may spend $4.00 per day, a typical daily allotment.

- You may not consume food and beverages that you had in your refrigerator or pantry (or garden) before your SNAP week begins.

- Your daily allowance is for any food and beverage you consume. That soda from the vending machine counts. Dinner at a restaurant counts. Fast food counts.

- No free food may be accepted during this time (that means no cookies from co-workers, nothing to eat at that breakfast meeting, etc.).

- With the exception of salt and pepper, you must purchase any condiments you need or want with your monetary allotment.

- Keep track of receipts on food spending and take note of your experiences throughout the week.

- You may visit local community soup kitchens or food pantries, but if you do, please make a financial contribution in an amount that at least covers the cost of the meal or food you receive so they can continue to serve people who are really in need. Your financial contribution to that program will not be subtracted from your SNAP allocation.

If you fail to make it through the whole week (which is possible), we’d like to hear what happened. Please submit your comments (and even your menus or recipes) for possible inclusion in this blog. Send e-mail to cfb@ctfoodbank.org.

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Connecticut Food Bank Wins Gold PRSA Mercury Award for 2009/2010 Annual Report

Connecticut Food Bank is the recipient of a 2011 Gold Mercury Award from the Connecticut Chapters of the Public Relations Society of America for its 2009/2010 Annual Report: Imagine. The award was presented in the Tactics Category, Annual Report, Not for Profit.

“The goal of the annual report is to increase awareness that people who struggle with hunger are not just statistics, but can be family, friends and neighbors,” said Janet Kniffin, Connecticut Food Bank’s chief development officer. “The publication helps the reader put themselves in the shoes of someone who has lost their ability to provide food for themselves or their family.”

Connecticut Food Bank’s annual report was designed by Caserta Design Company of Stratford, Connecticut, and included photos by Aaron Kotowski of New Haven.

PRSA’s Mercury Awards recognize outstanding creative and strategic work in the public relations, communications and marketing professions. The awards honor creative and strategic excellence and encourage outstanding performance in the field.

The awards competition includes the work of members from the Connecticut Valley, Southern Connecticut, Westchester/Fairfield chapters of the Public Relations Society of America.

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Connecticut Food Bank Recognizes National Nutrition Month

March is National Nutrition Month® and Connecticut Food Bank is recognizing the event in honor of the more than 50 million Americans who lack access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy life. Connecticut Food Bank provides food assistance to more than 300,000 people who are served by its 650 member programs in six of Connecticut’s eight counties. Last year it distributed 2.4 million pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables to those suffering from hunger.

“National Nutrition Month presents a wonderful opportunity for Connecticut Food Bank to educate and promote its nutritious food programs to the public,” said Nancy L. Carrington, Connecticut Food Bank’s president and CEO. “It also allows us to encourage more people to become involved in helping us promote healthy food choices at our local agencies and to the hungry individuals we serve every day.”

In September 2010, Connecticut Food Bank launched the operation of a Mobile Food Pantry that brings nutritious items such as fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grain goods and dairy products directly to individuals in need. The program is convenient for people in need who may not have the transportation or financial means to access resources for fresh, nutritious products. The Pantry makes monthly visits to neighborhoods in Bridgeport, Danbury, Middletown, New Haven, Plainfield, Torrington and Winsted.

In addition, Connecticut Food Bank operates a Kids’ BackPack Program that provides nutritious meals to children on weekends when they do not have access to school meals. The program currently serves 1,700 students from 65 schools in 15 school districts. Each Friday, the students discreetly receive two whole grain cereal products, two shelf-stable milks, two protein-based entrees, two healthy snacks, and two 100% juice boxes to take home.

National Nutrition Month® is an education and information campaign promoting nutrition, sponsored annually by the American Dietetic Association (ADA). The mission of the ADA “is to promote optimal nutrition and well-being for all people by advocating for its members.” ADA is the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals, including more than 67,000 members of mostly registered dieticians and dietetic technicians, registered.

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Nearly 15 Percent of Connecticut Households Surveyed Unable to Afford Enough Food New FRAC Report Highlights Data for First Half of 2010

Nearly 15 percent of Connecticut residents surveyed in the first half of 2010 said that in the prior 12 months there were times when they did not have enough money to buy the food they needed for themselves or their family. These survey results are according to the Food Research and Action Center’s series of analyses of survey data on food hardship collected by Gallup as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. This particular analysis looks at the most recent available food hardship rates by state, for the first half of 2010.

In the year-round survey that began in January 2008, 1,000 individuals per day were asked, “Have there been times in the past 12 months when you did not have enough money to buy food that you or your family needed?”

Additionally, the report compares results in the 12 month period from July 2008 through June 2009, to the 12 months from July 2009 through June 2010, and finds that food hardship in Connecticut decreased by less than one percent over that time period. These two, 12-month segments were selected to see if there was any significant change from the time of the heart of the recession to the first year of recovery.

“Although the food hardship rate in Connecticut has not increased, the number of families who continue to struggle to put food on the table remains very high at 1 in 7 surveyed,” said Connecticut Food Bank Chief Executive Officer Nancy L. Carrington. “It will be challenging, but in the New Year we must do all that we can to reduce these statistics which can represent your family, friends or neighbors who are affected by unemployment, underemployment, poverty and food hardship.”

The full report is available at http://www.frac.org

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Call to Action:

On December 9, the House of Representatives unanimously passed the Weekends Without Hunger Act (H.R. 5012), which Feeding America has been working to pass. This bill would support community efforts to feed low-income children during weekends and long school holidays. If the bill passes the Senate before Congress adjourns for the year, it would result in new opportunities for food banks to feed children on the weekends when they don’t have access to child nutrition programs. Help us urge the Senate to pass this important legislation.

Here’s how you can call your Senator:

Dial 877-698-8228 and enter your zip code to connect directly to your Senator’s office.
Deliver this simple message: Please bring the Weekends Without Hunger Act (HR 5012) to the floor and pass it this year!

Please take a moment to call your Senator today!

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Our Thanks

This past Thanksgiving Day, many of us sat around the dinner table surrounded by friends and families expressing our gratitude over heaping plates of food. Thousands of men, women and children who are struggling to survive in today’s economy were also able to share in the spirit of the holiday thanks to the generosity of their neighbors.

Scores of individuals, families, civic groups, schools, religious organizations and companies came forward in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving to help make Connecticut Food Bank’s “Thanksgiving for All” campaign a success. Together, we collected 24,516 turkeys and more than 360 tons of trimmings. With everyone’s help, we were able to provide nearly 779,503 meals for people in need of food assistance this holiday season.

The kindness demonstrated throughout our Thanksgiving campaign was not only awe-inspiring, but also a testament to what we can do when we work together as a community. As today’s recession continues to push more of our neighbors over the brink of financial security, we have to do more. Hunger is a year-round issue that doesn’t end on Thanksgiving weekend. You can help Connecticut families year round by making a donation at http://www.ctfoodbank.org/donate.

Since this current recession began, Connecticut saw one of the most significant increases in households grappling with food insecurity according to a federal report released days before Thanksgiving.

We can’t justify people living with hunger. We must do all we can to change this. And as we learned this past Thanksgiving, we have the ability and fortitude to feed thousands of individuals who were in danger of going without a holiday meal. Let’s carry that resolve beyond Thanksgiving and into the days and months that follow.

On behalf of Connecticut Food Bank and the 650 food-assistance programs we serve, thank you for your wonderful support this Thanksgiving and all year long.

Sincerely,

Nancy L. Carrington
Chief Executive Officer
Connecticut Food Bank

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Tell Congress Right Now to Help Hungry Kids

The child nutrition bill, which will be before the House on Wednesday, December 1, impacts over 41 million children in every community across the country, yet Congress is at risk of letting it slip away. While child nutrition may not command the megaphone like the tax debate, it should. Our children’s health is no small thing.

That’s because the cost of poor nutrition is staggering, and not just to the individual child. In 2005, the impact of our nation’s hunger problem was estimated at over $90 billion per year – $800 million in Connecticut alone. And the annual health care cost of obesity is estimated at $147 billion dollars a year.

Our leaders often remark that there is no greater investment that we can make than in our children. These numbers demonstrate that’s not just a feel-good saying. The child nutrition bill matters to our children, it matters for Connecticut and it should matter to Congress.

Please call or contact your Congressperson and ask him or her to help hungry kids. Call 877-698-8228 or visit http://www.congress.org to locate your Representative.

Congress must not miss this opportunity to invest in our children.

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Kudos to AARP Connecticut

AARP Connecticut announced this week that it was joining forces with End Hunger Connecticut!, Foodshare, Connecticut Association for Human Services (CAHS), and the Hispanic Health Council in a campaign to raise awareness among older adults and increase enrollment in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps.

The news was announced at an Oct. 27 press conference in Hartford.

“While most families are busy planning for festive holiday meals in the coming weeks, thousands of older adults are faced with the challenge of simply putting food on the table,” said AARP State Director Brenda Kelley. “More than 350,000 Connecticut residents receive help with their grocery bill each month and thousands more may be eligible, but are not receiving assistance. AARP and the AARP Foundation are committed to helping older adults find the assistance they need to put healthy, nutritious food on the table.”

According to the AARP news release, only 34 percent of eligible older adults receive food assistance in Connecticut—leaving millions of federal dollars untouched. The most common reason people do not receive SNAP benefits is that they don’t realize they may be eligible.

The campaign, which is part of a national anti-hunger effort being supported by the AARP Foundation, is utilizing a centralized toll-free phone number, 1-866-974-SNAP (7627), manned by trained volunteers, to assist people with eligibility screenings and enrollment applications.

For more information about AARP’s efforts, click here.

Posted by Gladys Alcedo, Communications Coordinator of Connecticut Food Bank

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Paper Plates To End Hunger

Master’s Manna Food Pantry and Soup Kitchen of Wallingford will be heading to Washington, D.C. on Nov. 8 to deliver Paper Plates to End Hunger to the White House. The delivery is part of the Empty Plates Empty Pockets Campaign that Master’s Manna has been conducting.

Since August, Master’s Manna has been asking the community to write anti-hunger messages on paper plates that will be delivered to the President.

If enough people can get together and write a message to the President regarding what people need to just keep food on the table maybe he would listen, said Cheryl Bedore, founder and director of Master’s Manna.

Master’s Manna operates a food pantry, clothes closet, soup kitchen and resource center, including a computer lab and dental/medical clinic. In 2009, 1,636 families came through the doors of Master’s Manna seeking help. Master’s Manna is a member program of Connecticut Food Bank.

In a time when people are losing jobs, facing cuts in hours where they work and losing benefits, it’s now time for our government to step up to the plate, according to Master’s Manna.

There’s still time to support the Empty Plates Empty Pockets Campaign. If you’re interested, please contact Master’s Manna as soon as possible.

You can make a big difference by stopping in at Master’s Manna and jotting down your anti-hunger message to the President on a paper plate. Or you can get your friends, family members, classmates and congregation to write messages to the White House and drop the paper plates at Master’s Manna, 46 North Plains Industrial Road, Wallingford, before Nov. 8.

Posted by Gladys Alcedo, Communications Coordinator of Connecticut Food Bank

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More Children in Connecticut Are Hungry

One child in six doesn’t have enough to eat in Connecticut, according to a report released by Feeding America, the national network of food banks.

The report, titled Child Food Insecurity in the United States: 2006-2008, listed Connecticut among the Top 10 states with the highest increase in the rate of children under 18 who are food insecure.

Connecticut’s numbers jumped 2.9 percent from the previously reported study released last year. Connecticut is the only state in the Northeast to see such a substantial increase.

“That’s a Top 10 list that we don’t want to be part of and it shows that we need to do better for our children in Connecticut,” said Nancy L. Carrington, Chief Executive Officer of Connecticut Food Bank. “We at Connecticut Food Bank are trying to do as much as we can to be part of the solution through our child nutrition programs.”

Connecticut Food Bank expanded its Kids’ BackPack Program in the past school year and has plans to reach more children in this school year.

Click here to view an Oct. 9 feature on the program by Crossroads Magazine. Fast forward to 14:08 to see the program in action at the Macdonough Elementary School in Middletown. The segment only takes about five minutes, but worth viewing to learn how we are fighting child hunger in our communities.

Posted by Gladys Alcedo, Communications Coordinator of Connecticut Food Bank

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