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What's New
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October 1, 2008 - FRAC Press Release
“New” Program Helps Struggling Households Put Food on the Table - Electronic Card Allows Individuals to Buy Nutritious Food at Local Stores
Millions of Americans struggling against hunger will benefit from the new Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program, which was unveiled today. SNAP provides struggling low-income households with monthly benefits that they can use to purchase food at their local grocery stores. Click here for more...
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September 26, 2008 - FRAC ALERT: Food Stamp Boost and Other Key Benefits Included in Senate and House Economic Recovery Legislation: Your Calls Needed Today
Call your Members of Congress today (1-800-473-6711), especially your Senators, and urge them to pass economic recovery legislation before they adjourn that particularly includes a much needed temporary boost in food stamp benefits and other economic recovery investments that will help hard-hit, low-income families.
Click here for details... (pdf)
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September 23, 2008 - Updated FRAC Facts on the Impact of Rising Food Costs and the Thrifty Food Plan highlights the latest USDA numbers showing the cost of the thrifty food plan rose by 10.5 percent from August 2007 to August 2008.
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September 17, 2008 - Food costs rose by 7.5 percent from August 2007 to August 2008, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Click here for FRAC's updated fact sheet on rising food costs and the impact on low-income Americans.
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September 12, 2008 - New Online: Statement of the Food Research and Action Center on the 2009 Reauthorization of the Child Nutrition and WIC Programs (CNR) (pdf), delivered at the final USDA CNR Listening Session, Chicago, Illinois, 9/10/08.
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September 10, 2008 - June 2008 Food Stamp Participation Numbers Now Online
Food stamp participation in June 2008 climbed by two million people over the previous June. Weak economy and food inflation hit struggling households hard. While almost 7 million more got food stamps than in June 2003, many eligible people were still missed.
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September 9, 2008 - FRAC Press Release:
Reports Show Federal Commodity Food Program Should Do More to Improve Nutritional Quality of School Meals. Federal government provides $1 billion in commodity foods, schools order mostly high-fat foods. Click here for more...
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September 9, 2008 - Latest Food-Related Hurricane Relief Information - High need driving many to apply for disaster food stamps.
Click here for the latest information from Louisiana news outlets.
Application and eligibility information available at Hurricane 2008 Information Center/Disaster Food Stamp page on the Louisiana Department of Social Services Web site.
Visit FRAC's Disaster Food Resources page for information on:
- Disaster Food Stamps in Louisiana and Mississippi.
- Provisions for food stamp recipients to receive early allocations.
- USDA's Hurricane Gustav evacuee policy on food stamps.
- Accessing infant formula and baby food in affected areas.
- Additional government food-related services in affected areas.
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September 5, 2008 - Steps for Improving Public Assistance Agency Voter Registration - A Requirement of the National Voter Registration Act (pdf)
Many states are failing to provide clients with voter registration applications, to assist clients with the application and to transmit completed voter registration applications to election officials for the clients. This memo, created with the help of Project Vote, gives three strategies for improving voter registration in state public assistance agencies. Click here for more... (pdf)
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September 4, 2008 - Low-Income Families Disproportionately Affected by Rising Food Costs, According to New Thrifty Food Numbers.
FRAC calls for a temporary increase in food stamp benefits to help struggling families cope with rising food costs. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) figures show that the cost of foods that determine the amount of food stamp benefits jumped 10 percent in just a year. Click here for more...
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August 26, 2008 - Number of Americans Living in Poverty Increased in 2007, Federal Poverty Numbers Show
12.5 percent of Americans – 37.3 million people – lived in poverty in 2007, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released today. This is an increase in the number of poor people from 2006, when 36.5 million Americans lived in poverty.
Statement by FRAC President Jim Weill (pdf) on the Census Bureau's numbers released today calls for a food stamp boost in the second stimulus package to ease struggle of families living in poverty.
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August 14, 2008 - Updated FRAC Facts on the Impact of Rising Food Costs on Low-Income Americans highlights the latest Consumer Price Index numbers showing the cost of food rose by 7.1 percent over the past twelve months, with some foods (cheese, eggs, bread) experiencing a double-digit increase.
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August 6, 2008 - May 2008 Food Stamp Participation Numbers Now Online. May Participation Sets Another Record High. Weak Economy and Food Inflation Hit Struggling Households Hard. Almost 7 Million More Got Food Stamps than in May 2003, Many Eligible People Were Still Missed.
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August 2008 - Congress is in recess for the month of August - Find out what actions you can take to keep nutrition advocacy moving. Visit FRAC's Recess '08 page.
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July 30, 2008 - Now Online: Hunger Doesn't Take a Vacation (pdf)
The Summer Nutrition Programs continue to fall short in reaching eligible low-income children. Fewer than one of out every five eligible children participated in July 2007, according to Hunger Doesn't Take a Vacation, a Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) analysis. Click here for FRAC's news release (pdf), featuring highlights from the report.
Now is an ideal time to schedule a site visit with your elected officials. Reps. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.), George Miller (D-Calif.) and Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (R-Calif.) sent a "Dear Colleague" letter (click here to see the letter) to their fellow members of Congress urging them to visit summer sites and experience the program first-hand. To assist you in organizing a site visit, FRAC has developed a step-by-step guide (click here to download).
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July 25, 2008 - New Update: FRAC Fact Sheet on Rising Food Costs and the Thrifty Food Plan (pdf).
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July 17, 2008 - New Online: Updated FRAC Fact Sheet on The Impact of Rising Food Costs on Low-Income Americans
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July 15, 2008 - April 2008 Food Stamp Participation Numbers Now Online - Food Stamp Participation in April Hits Record Highs - Weak Economy and Food Inflation Hit Struggling Households Hard .
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July 7, 2008 - USDA issues updated income guidelines and reimbursement rates for child nutrition programs (school meals, afterschool and summer food programs, day care nutrition programs). The rates are in effect July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009. Follow these links for the Federal Register notices on:
(Documents are in PDF format.)
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July 1, 2008 - UPDATE JULY 15, 2008: Child Tax Credit - Over 1100 groups signed the Child Tax Credit letter calling for expanding eligibility.
Read FRAC's analysis and background on the Child Tax Credit (pdf).
Click here to read the letter and view the list of organizations that signed on.
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June 30, 2008 - The Hunger Champions nomination period has been extended - Entries must be received by July 25, 2008. Click here for the nomination form (pdf). For more information, visit the USDA/FNS Web page.
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June 27, 2008 - Disaster Assistance:
USDA reports that as of June 26th its Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) had approved the Disaster Food Stamp Program (DFSP) for a total of 126 counties in IN, IA, NE and WI. As of June 24th, over $2.6 million in DFSP benefits and supplements had been provided to nearly 7,000 new and more than 3,000 ongoing households. FNS also has authorized state agencies to waive certain Summer Food Service Program rules in disaster areas or where significant numbers of disaster victims are being housed.
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June 25, 2008 - Disaster Assistance: USDA updates information on disaster food assistance for states with counties affected by recent storms and flooding. For more information, visit FRAC's Disaster Food Resources section. For background on disaster nutrition resources, see the FRAC Advocate's Guide to the Disaster Food Stamp Program.
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June 11, 2008 - 1.5 Million More People on Food Stamps in March 2008 than in March 2007
New data from the federal government documenting a very large jump in food stamp caseloads and the largest monthly increase in the jobless rate since 1986 underscore the need for action to boost the economy and cushion the blow on hard-hit families, according to the Food Research and Action Center. Click here for more...
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May 29, 2008 - Media Release: Rising Food Costs Bearing Down Even Harder on Low-Income Shoppers
Increase in the Cost of the Thrifty Food Plan Rising Faster than the Overall Cost of Food
While the cost of food in the general Consumer Price Index rose by 5.1 percent from April 2007 to April 2008, the cost of the Thrifty Food Plan (the mix of food items on which low-income people rely) rose even faster. Over the same time period, the cost of the Thrifty Food Plan rose by 7.2 percent. Click here for more...
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May 8, 2008 - Now Online - February 2008 Food Stamp participation numbers.
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May 5, 2008 - Comment on "Applying for Free and Reduced Price Meals in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program and for Benefits in the Special Milk Program and Technical Amendments (RIN 0584-A) USDA continues to implement rules and regulations from the 2004 Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act. Please join us in responding to a recent Interim Final Rule from USDA to advocate for stronger federal policy on School Meal Applications, and insure that our most vulnerable children have access to nutritious meals at school each day.
Comments are due by May 12, 2008.
Click here for model comments for you to submit. Please note that we have left placeholders in the first paragraph of the comments for you to insert your organization's name and a brief discussion of your work. Do not hit submit until you have modified that content.
If you have any questions, please contact Madeleine Levin at mlevin@frac.org or 202-986-2200 x3004.
We hope you will act very soon - and remember: comment letters are due to USDA by May 12.
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April 25, 2008 - FRAC Facts: Rising Food Costs and the Thrifty Food Plan (pdf)
While the cost of food rose by 4.7 percent from March 2007 to March 2008, the cost of the Thrifty Food Plan (the mix of food items on which low-income people rely) rose even faster. Over the same time period, the cost of the Thrifty Food Plan rose by 5.6 percent. This increase in the Thrifty Food Plan is a more accurate indicator of how low-income households are suffering from rising food costs. Click here for the March 2008 fact sheet (pdf).
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April 17, 2008 - New Online: FRAC President Jim Weill's presentation to at the House Hunger Caucus Briefing: The Impact of Rising Food Prices on Hunger in America (pdf)
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April 4, 2008 - FRAC Facts: The Impact of Rising Food Costs on Low-Income Americans (pdf)
All Americans are starting to feel the pinch of food costs that suddenly have begun rising more rapidly, on
top of rising energy, housing, and health costs. The higher cost of food is falling especially hard on low-income
families. This fact sheet details current statistics and news quotes on how widespread the problems are, and provides supporting information to strengthen nutrition program supports in federal nutrition programs.
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January 24, 2008 - Statement by Jim Weill, President of the Food Research and Action Center:
A Food Stamp Boost Is a Quick, Effective Way to Stimulate the Economy
The stimulus package announced today has the advantage of tax rebates that reach many – albeit far from all – of the lowest income families. But in other essential respects it falls short of what the nation needs both as a stimulus and as a support for those among us struggling with rapidly rising costs for food, energy, and housing.
In particular, we note the absence of a temporary boost in food stamp benefits and a temporary unemployment insurance extension, even though economists from a range of political perspectives agree that those are the two measures with the quickest and most cost-effective impact.
Enacting a temporary raise in food stamp allotments would strengthen the package, get money out quickly to be spent in local grocery stores across the country, and generate in local communities nearly twice as much economic activity as the investment would cost.
We and others who care about both the economy and low-income people in this country will be working in the days ahead to remedy those flaws in the package.
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