COMMUNITY FOOD SECURITY RESOURCE KIT How to Find Money, Technical Assistance, and Other Help to Fight Hunger and Strengthen Local Food Systems July 2000 Table of Contents Welcome From the Secretary of Agriculture ..................................................................... 4 How to Use This Resource Kit ............................................................................................5 Brief Background on the USDA Community Food Security Initiative ........................... 6 Chapter 1: Local Infrastructure ....................................................................................... 7 Community Food Project Grants ................................................... Community Food and Nutrition Program .............................. Rural Community Facilities Grants and Loans ................................................... Food Policy Councils, Networks, or Coalitions .................................................... Mickey Leland/Bill Emerson Hunger Fellows Program ............................................................. National Hunger Clearinghouse of Best Practices................................................... Corporation for National Service Chapter 2: Economic and Job Security Empowerment Zones/Enterprise Communities Community Kitchens Food Stamp Employment and Training Program Job Access and Reverse Commute Program The Small Business Welfare to Work Initiative Welfare-to-Work Grants: Department of Labor Rural Business Opportunity Grants (RBOG) Rural Business Enterprise Grants (RBEG) Intermediary Relending Loan Program (IRP) Share Our Strength's Operation Frontline Family Economics Program/Cooperative Extension System Asset Development: Individual Development Accounts (IDA's) Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) EXTENSION SYSTEM: Welfare-to-Work Support Sources Department of Veterans' Affairs Homeless Programs Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) Chapter 3: Federal Nutrition Safety Net Food Stamp Program (FSP) WIC: The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children WIC Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) National School Lunch Program (SLP) School Breakfast Program (SBP) National Food Service Management Institute Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) Nutrition Program for the Elderly (NPE) Afterschool Care Snacks for At Risk Children Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) Chapter 4: Food Recovery and Donations Food Banks and America's Second Harvest Food Rescue From the Wholesaler to the Hungry Society of St. Andrew USDA Food Recovery and Gleaning Initiative Kids Cafes Chapter 5: Food Production and Marketing Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program (FSMIP) Loans for Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Small Farm Program Farmer Direct Marketing Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Farmers' Markets Community Gardens Food Cooperatives Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Program Self-Help and Resource Exchange (SHARE) Program Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) Chapter 6: Education and Awareness Team Nutrition USDA Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program (FSNEP) Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) Dietary Guidelines for Americans Food Guide Pyramid Interactive Healthy Eating Index Food Safety Education Chapter 7: Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation Food and Nutrition Assistance Research Program (FANRP) Federal Food Security Measurement Project (FFSMP) Food Security Assessment, Executive Summary Community Food Security Assessment ToolKit Selected Research Studies Funded by the Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Program National Nutrition Safety Net: Tools for Community Food Security Guide to Measure Household Food Security (Revised Edition) Thrifty Food Plan National Agricultural Library and the Food and Nutrition Information Center Appendices Appendix A: USDA State Community Food Security Liaisons and Gleaning Coordinators Appendix B: USDA Food and Nutrition Service Regional Offices Appendix C: Resources, Listed by Types of Entities Eligible Welcome Even though the United States is the richest and most powerful Nation in the world, far too many Americans---and particularly, children--are going hungry. In 1998, about 36 million Americans--- including 14 million children---lived in households that suffered from either hunger or food insecurity. About 10 million of these individuals---of whom 3.4 million were children-- lived in households that suffered directly from hunger, in which family members sometimes went without food because they couldn't afford to obtain it. Neither the Federal government nor communities can, on their own, solve the large and complex problem of hunger. For far too long, many government programs have worked in isolation from communities; likewise, community-led efforts frequently have been disconnected from government resources that can help improve their programs. That is why I have created the USDA Community Food Security Initiative. Through the Initiative, the Federal government is energetically forging innovative partnerships with nonprofit groups, private businesses, and individual citizens, as well as with state, local, and tribal governments, in order to help solve the problems of food insecurity and hunger. The Initiative---like the overall Community Food Security movement -- broadly addresses seven action areas: local infrastructure, economic and job security, the Federal nutrition assistance safety net, food recovery and gleaning, local food production and marketing, education and awareness, and research and monitoring. For each of these action areas, there are concrete ways the government can help communities. That's what this tool kit is all about -- helping people working at the grass-roots level to obtain the resources they need to end hunger and food insecurity. This guide will help you find funds, technical assistance, and other help for community food security-related activities from a wide variety of sources. It is one concrete way USDA is aiming to strengthen comprehensive community-based solutions, as well as improve the utilization and effectiveness of key Federal nutrition programs like the Food Stamp Program and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC.) The kit is designed to provide state, local, and tribal governments, as well as local nonprofit organizations, the assistance needed to initiate, strengthen, or expand many programs currently focused at achieving community food security. Although the kit does not provide the one and only solution to hunger and poverty, we hope by offering many different assistance possibilities, USDA can provide both a solution and a partnership that will fit the unique needs and resources of your community. We look forward to working with you on this vital effort. Sincerely, Dan Glickman Secretary of Agriculture How to Use This Resource Kit Time after time, grass-roots community food security and anti-hunger projects ask one basic series of questions: "How can we obtain assistance from the government, or from other sources, to help more people? How can we get money? How can we get technical assistance? What other types of help can we get?" This guide is an attempt to answer those questions. The USDA Community Food Security Initiative (CFSI) presents this Resource Kit "as a one-stop shop" for assistance for community-centered food security activities. We believe that creating the Resource Kit is a necessary step by the Federal government to enable each community to more effectively access and utilize new and existing USDA and other community food security-related programs. It has been designed to allow community organizations, including state, local, and tribal governments; non-profits, faith-based groups: state and community food policy councils; schools; the private sector etc.; to strengthen existing, or initiate new, efforts at the grass-roots level to reduce hunger and strengthen local food systems. To make the guide more user friendly to the general public unfamiliar with the intricacies of the Federal government, the guide is not sub-divided in the usual governmental manner, i.e., by the government agency, then sub-branch administering each program; rather, the guide is organized by chapters for each of the seven community food security action areas: 1) Local infrastructure (including Community Food Project grants and food policy councils) 2) Economic and job security (including assets development, job training, and economic development) 3) The Federal nutrition assistance safety net (including food stamps, WIC, and school meals) 4) Food recovery and donations (including gleaning, perishable food rescue, and food banking) 5) Local food production and marketing (including farmers' markets and community gardens) 6) Education and awareness (including general public awareness and food safety and nutrition education) 7) Research, monitoring, and evaluation (including projects that help adapt national research tools for local use) Each of the seven action area chapters begins with a short statement summarizing why that action area is important. In addition, each program/resource listing has the following information: Why This Resource Is Useful (A 1-sentence summary to help you quickly determine the general nature of a funding source or technical assistance mechanism) Eligibility (A very brief description of whether the resource is for individuals, families, nonprofit groups, or government agencies, as well as other key eligibility requirements). To make this guide most useful, all programs have one or more of the following easy symbols identifying which types of people or entities can utilize each resource: People (including individuals or households) Nonprofit organizations (including community action agencies and hunger groups) Businesses (including for-profit affiliates of nonprofit groups) Government agencies (including state and local governments and school districts) Tribes (including any sub-entities of tribal governments) Higher education (including colleges and universities) Any interested party (any citizen, group, or agency can use the resource) Program Description (a short description of what the program does and what kinds of entities are eligible, as well as any matching funds required) Best Practices (a few examples of effective ways in which the resource is being used) Deadlines (date or dates during which funding or other assistance is given) Contacts (organization or office from which you can get applications and more information--whenever possible, e-mail addresses and web sites will be listed) We strongly suggest that, before applying for assistance under a particular program, you not only read the summary information in this kit, but that you obtain more detailed information from the offices or entities most involved with that particular resource. Many of the programs in this guide have narrow guidelines set by law, so you certainly do not want to waste time and energy applying for help when your project is clearly not eligible. However, do keep looking. As the kit demonstrates, just about any sort of legitimate anti-hunger or food security project could receive help from one or more of the listed resources. If you have general questions beyond the scope of just one resource, please feel free to contact the USDA Community Food Security Initiative by contacting your State Community Food Security Liaison (list of liaisons in appendix A or at www.reeusda.gov/food_security/liaisons.htm ) or by contacting our national staff at (202) 720-5746 or joel.berg@usda.gov. Also, you can use these contacts to obtain updated information on the resources referenced in this kit. Obtaining knowledge of the vast array of community food security-related resources is the first step to full access and implementation of broad community-based responses. The Resource Kit will allow communities already working to end hunger and poverty to strive to achieve comprehensive community food security, as well as enable those who are starting new programs to more adequately address the root causes of community hunger and poverty. {INSERT STANDARD ONE PAGE HAND-OUT ON THE USDA COMMUNITY FOOD SECURITY INITIATIVE} ______________________________________________ Chapter 1: Local Infrastructure--Creating new and enhancing existing local infrastructures to reduce hunger and food insecurity. Summary Developing local infrastructure is a key aspect of all community food security activities. A strong, developed local infrastructure must be either constructed or supported by innovative partnerships with all levels of government, the private sector, and anti-hunger and anti-poverty nonprofits. With this goal in mind, the programs included in this chapter have allowed, and will continue to allow, communities to increase food security by coordinating the efforts of the whole food system to create and support the improved self-reliance of all community members. Infrastructure includes both physical and human capital, coordinated in an efficient manner. The bottom line is that organizations need both the equipment and the people to get the job done. The construction of a comprehensive local infrastructure aimed at eliminating food insecurity could include utilizing rural community facilities loans, food policy councils, community food project grants, and other tangible community-based efforts to improve nutrition and increase community and individual empowerment. It could also include adopting new methods after studying a national database of best practices to learn what works. Community Food Project Grants Why This Resource Is Useful: The Community Food Projects program provides one-time grants to nonprofit organizations to undertake comprehensive, multi-pronged responses to local food, farm, and nutrition issues. Eligibility: Nonprofit organizations. Only nonprofit groups can receive these grants. Description: These grants are designed to increase food security in communities by coordinating the efforts of the whole food system, to assess the strengths, establish linkages, and create systems which will improve the self-reliance of community members. This form of self-sufficiency will be achieved by increasing each individual community's access to fresher, more nutritious food supplies and by promoting comprehensive responses to local food, farm, and nutrition issues. Activities include growing, processing, and marketing food, as well as improving the nutrition safety net, aiding food recovery and gleaning, and supporting nutrition education. Grant awards are funded from $10,000 to $250,000 with an annual total of $2.5 million, and require a dollar­for-dollar match in non-Federal funds (in-kind is allowable). Grants are from 1 to 3 years in duration. Best Practices (more detailed best practices can be found at the program web site:) The Tohono O'odham Community Food System, Tohono O'odham Community Action, Sells, Az--$80,000. Program goals include the development and expansion of community gardens, organization of a desert food collection program, redevelopment of traditional food-based farming practices, development of direct-to-customer and wholesale markets for traditional Tohono O'odham foods, initiation of culturally sensitive nutrition education programs, and support for the development of agriculture-based micro-enterprise projects. Community Enterprise and Food Security Project--$145,000. San Francisco League of Urban Gardeners, San Francisco, CA. The San Francisco League of Urban Gardeners (SLUG) has built crop-scale urban gardens on abandoned lots adjacent to public housing developments, and runs youth job-training and employment programs at each of the sites. The Topeka Common Ground Project--$115,000. Kansas Rural Center, Inc., Whiting, KS. Joint activities will promote sustainable farming practices, economic interdependency, youth leadership, community gardening, and agricultural entrepreneurship. Deadlines: Grants applications are accepted during one application period per year, usually in late spring. Check with contacts below for update. Contact: Elizabeth Tuckermanty, Community Food Projects Coordinator U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, Stop 2241, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-2241 Phone: (202) 205-0241; Web site: www.reeusda.gov./crgam/cfp/community.htm Community Food and Nutrition Program Why This Resource Is Important: This program provides funds to coordinate private and public food assistance resources, assist low-income communities to identify potential sponsors of child nutrition programs, initiate such programs in under-served or unserved areas, and develop innovative approaches at the state and local level to meet the nutrition needs of low-income individuals. Eligibility: Nonprofit organizations, Government agencies, Tribes. States, public agencies, and public and private nonprofit agencies/organizations, including Community Action Agencies, as well as state and local anti-hunger groups, are eligible to receive funds on a competitive basis for community-based, local, and statewide programs. Description: Projects funded under this program should: Provide nutrition benefits, including those which prevent disease, to targeted low-income families Inform eligible low-income individuals and families of other nutritional services available to them Carry out targeted communications/social marketing to improve dietary behavior and increase nutrition program participation among eligible low-income populations Coordinate private and public food assistance resources Provide assistance to low-income communities in identifying potential sponsors of child nutrition programs and initiating such programs in unserved or under-served areas Develop innovative approaches at the state and local level to meet the nutrition needs of low-income individuals Best Practices: In Santa Barbara, CA, the County Community Action Commission turned an abandoned kitchen at a former mental hospital into a food production facility that daily provides over 1,000 meals for the agency's elderly, child development, and Head Start programs. Leveraging school breakfast start-up funds approved by the legislature to supplement Community Food and Nutrition Program, the Ohio Hunger Task Force was instrumental in bringing 77 new schools into the breakfast program in 1 year, as well as in easing paperwork for low-income households by advancing direct certification. City Harvest, a New York City program, translated $50,000 in CFNP support into an additional 394,000 pounds of prepared food, which was picked up nightly and provided to more than 200 emergency feeding programs, including 60 new ones recruited during the grant year. Deadlines: Deadlines vary by year; check Web site or office below. Contacts: Cathy Rivers Department of Health and Human Services Administration For Children and Families Office of Community Service; 5th Floor West 370 L'enfant Promenade S.W. Washington, D.C. 20447 (202) 401-5252 www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/ocs/kits1.htm Rural Community Facilities Grants and Loans Why This Resource Is Useful: This program provides Federal small grants and larger loans to help rural government agencies and nonprofit groups pay for a wide variety of infrastructure upgrades, including infrastructure related to community food security, food banking, and food recovery. Eligibility: Nonprofit organizations, Government agencies, Tribes. Public entities (such as municipalities, counties, and special-purpose districts ), nonprofit groups, and Indian Tribes in rural areas and towns with a population of 50,000 or less are eligible for these grants for facilities. Description: A small amount of grant funds­and a significantly larger amount of loan funds­are available to construct, enlarge, extend, or otherwise improve community facilities providing essential services in rural areas and towns. Grant funds are usually used to leverage larger loans; however, a limited number of stand-alone grants are now set aside specifically for community food security-related activities. Funds may be used for facilities used in health care, public safety, and public services. Funds may also be used for necessary equipment for the operation of these facilities, and to pay other necessary costs connected with them. The program may also fund other types of community facilities that provide essential services to rural residents; and may pay necessary costs connected with such facilities. The maximum term on all loans is 40 years. The Rural Community Facilities Grant Program is typically used to fund projects under special initiatives, such as Native American community development efforts; child care centers linked with the Federal government's Welfare-to-Work initiative; federally designated Enterprise and Champion Communities, the Community Food Security Initiative, and the Northwest Economic Adjustment Initiative area. In most cases, grantees are able to leverage Community Facility funds with private and state dollars to enable completion of more construction than might otherwise have been possible. Best Practices: The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts has received funding to modernize its warehousing capacity. Deadlines: Funds are awarded throughout the year, but often run out quickly. The best time to apply is usually in the beginning of the Federal fiscal year, which starts every October 1. Contacts: Applications are handled in each state by the rural community facilities staff, housed in the state office of the USDA Rural Housing Service. The office in your state can be located on the Internet at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/recd_map.html or by calling (202) 720-1500 or (202) 720-1490. More information on Community Facilities Grants and Loans is available at: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rhs/Nonprofit/np_splash.htm Food Policy Councils, Networks, or Coalitions Why This Resource Is Useful: Typically organized by state or local governments or by a coalition of nonprofit groups, food policy councils, networks, or coalitions create a coordinating framework to bring togther diverse entities in order to build the community-based infrastructure needed for food security. Eligibility: Any interested party, Government agencies. Community Food Security (CFS) Networks and Coalitions can be formed by any group of concerned citizens, but Food Policy Councils must have the involvement of at least one government agency. Description: While there is no large pool of federal money for such efforts, all three of the types of entities described below could potentially receive limited start-up funding from the Community Food Projects Grant Program. CFS NETWORKS: Networks typically bring together representatives from a wide range of food-and agriculture-related fields for information sharing, policy advocacy, and catalyzing new collaborative projects. Networks may be loosely organized, often beginning under the umbrella of an established agency; they often have a steering committee, a coordinator, and member organizations. CFS COALITIONS: A CFS coalition is a more formally organized network. It is a defined entity like an organization, rather than an informal network. A CFS coalition may itself become a nonprofit entity if its objective is to become an enduring and independent collaboration. Coalitions typically undertake more structured and well-organized activities than networks. FOOD POLICY COUNCILS: Food Policy Councils (FPC's) can be constituted at the city, county, or state level. FPCs are generally composed of representatives from a variety of food- and agriculture-related fields in the private and public sectors. An FPC differs from a network or coalition in that it is typically sanctioned by either city or county government, and its members may be appointed by officials such as the mayor, city council president, county executive, or governor. Best Practices: Food Policy Councils have operated or currently operate in the following cities: Toronto and Edmonton (Canada), Pittsburgh (PA), Syracuse/Onandaga County (NY), Philadelphia (PA), Hartford (CT), St. Paul (MN), Knoxville (TN), Austin (TX), and Los Angeles (CA). Deadlines: Councils, coalitions, or networks can be formed any time during the year, but if they seek funds from a local government agency, it is helpful for their start-up to coincide with the start of the governmental fiscal year. Contact: Community Food Security Coalition, P.O. Box 209, Venice, California 90294 Phone: (310) 822-5410; Web site: www.foodsecurity.org Mickey Leland /Bill Emerson Hunger Fellows Program Why This Resource Is Useful: The Mickey Leland/Bill Emerson Hunger Fellows Program is a year-long fellowship that trains emerging leaders in the fight against hunger, giving them experience by placing them for 6 months in a local field and 6 months in a Washington, DC-based policy position. Eligibility: People, Nonprofit organizations. Currently, there are 20 slots for individuals to serve as Fellows; thus, the number of organizations at the local and national level who can receive Fellows is also limited to 20. Individuals selected to serve in the program generally have at least a bachelor's degree and a demonstrated commitment to fighting hunger. Local and national anti-hunger and anti-poverty organizations that are 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply to receive a placement of Fellows. Description: The program, a part of the overall AmeriCorps/VISTA program, provides 20 young leaders with a broad understanding of the problem of hunger, the skills necessary to contribute to a solution, and the personal experience that puts faces and names to these issues. Leland/Emerson Fellows begin their year in mid-August, and spend the first 6 months of the program working in grass-roots organizations at sites throughout the country learning about hunger and poverty through hands-on experiences. The following 6 months are spent in Washington, D.C., at national nonprofit organizations working on hunger and poverty policy. To further Fellows' professional and leadership skills during the program, professional development days are held every Friday during the Fellows' 6 months in Washington, D.C. Two intensive 10-day training sessions are held in Washington, D.C., during August and February to help the Fellows prepare for and reflect upon their work and experiences. Mickey Leland/Bill Emerson Hunger Fellows receive a living allowance that averages $8,000 for the year (designed to experience living at the poverty level), health insurance, and an education award of $4,725 for use toward further education or repayment of student loans. Housing is provided in the host community during the 6-month field placement, and assistance in locating housing in Washington, D.C., is offered for the policy placement segment of the program. Program travel expenses are provided as well. Begun in partnership with VISTA in 1994, the Mickey Leland/Bill Emerson Hunger Fellows Program is a project of the Congressional Hunger Center, founded by Congressman Tony P. Hall after Congress voted to abolish its own House Select Committee on Hunger. Fellows are chosen each year to honor the work of former U.S. Representative Mickey Leland, who perished in an air crash while visiting hunger-stricken areas in Africa in 1989, and Bill Emerson, U.S. Representative from Missouri, who worked tirelessly for the hungry, and who died in 1996. Best Practices: Because the program has a great deal of flexibility, Fellows have helped create, expand, or improve a wide variety of anti-hunger and community food security-related projects. Deadlines: Prospective Fellows must apply each year by end of January; organizations seeking a field placement must apply by April; organizations seeking a Washington, DC-based policy placement must apply by late November. Contact: Congressional Hunger Center, 229 ½ Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20003, (202) 547-7022 ext.16, fax (202) 547-7575; E-mail: nohungr@aol.com Web site: http://www.hungercenter.org/ National Hunger Clearinghouse of Best Practices Why This Resource Is Useful: The National Hunger Clearinghouse offers a wealth of relevant best practices. Before undertaking any significant new activity, it is critical to learn if such activities are already carried out elsewhere and, if so, what their most and least successful techniques have been. Eligibility: Any interested party. Any organization, agency, or concerned citizen can use the Clearinghouse. Description: The National Hunger Clearinghouse is a program of World Hunger Year under contract with USDA. They operate the gleaning and food rescue hotline "1-800-GLEAN-IT." The database contains information on gleaning and food recovery groups as well as organizations covering many other facets of the anti-hunger and anti-poverty fields: hunger, nutrition, agriculture, food security, sustainable agriculture, community development, micro-credit, and job training. World Hunger Year works closely with USDA on highlighting and replicating "model programs" that focus on self-reliance. The Clearinghouse encourages donations and volunteering by making referrals to organizations throughout the United States. Best Practices: World Hunger Year has produced a detailed series of "replication guides" for some of the Nation's most innovative and effective anti-hunger, community food security, and anti-poverty programs. These guides, available through the Clearinghouse, can help others replicate existing best practices and adapt them to local conditions. Deadlines: The Clearinghouse can be accessed throughout the year. Contacts: The National Hunger Clearinghouse - World Hunger Year 505 Eighth Avenue, 21st Floor New York, NY 10018-6582 1-800-GLEAN-IT, ext.151; (212) 629-8850 fax (212) 465-9274 Elise Hubert, Information Coordinator E-mail: NHCatWHY@aol.com The Corporation for National Service Why This Resource Is Useful: The Corporation for National Service (CNS) matches talented, motivated people with opportunities to serve their community and the Nation. Eligibility: People, Nonprofit Organizations, Businesses, Schools, Higher Education, Tribes. Over 1 million people each year participate as members and volunteers in CNS's three programs (see below). Thousands of organizations--both local and national--sponsor programs. The program sponsor is the organization that manages the project, selects and supervises national service participants, organizes the service opportunities, and provides the budgeting and evaluation of the program. Description: There are three main programs of the Corporation for National Service. AmeriCorps--AmeriCorps engages more than 40,000 Americans in intensive, results-driven service. After their term of service, AmeriCorps members receive education awards that help finance college or pay back student loans. Learn & Serve America--With the help of Learn & Serve America, over 1 million children participate in service-learning activities in their schools and communities. National Senior Service Corps--Through the Senior Corps, nearly half a million Americans age 55 and older share their time and talents to help solve local problems. While the million-plus national service participants serve in all 50 states, Tribes, and U.S. territories, the programs themselves are designed and driven locally. Local communities know their problems best and are most capable of inventing innovative and entrepreneurial solutions. The national service network offers opportunities to replicate good ideas and to expand programs that are working. Best Practices: National service participants engage in such activities as tutoring, immunizing children against preventable diseases, organizing neighborhood watches, providing services for people with disabilities and homebound elderly, building homes for low-income families, assisting with disaster relief, cleaning streams and building trails--among many other services. A new and growing component focuses on bridging the Digital Divide, the gap between computer-proficient children and those who have not been introduced to computers. In addition, members recruit volunteers to work alongside them in their efforts to meet critical community needs. Deadlines: Deadlines for programs vary; contact CNS for details. Contact: Corporation for National Service 1201 New York Avenue Washington, D. C. 20525 Phone: (202) 606-5000 webmaster@cns.gov Wesite: http://www.cns.gov/ _____________________________________________ Chapter 2: Economic and Job Security­increasing economic and job security by helping low-income people attain living-wage jobs and self-sufficiency, while increasing community-based economic development in rural, urban, and suburban areas. Summary Economic and job security activities and initiatives help low-income people obtain good jobs and build self-sufficiency. They are based on the understanding that the single best way for a household to overcome food insecurity is for one or more adults in the household to obtain and maintain a job at good wages. USDA economic and job security activities provide assistance to communities, nonprofit groups, businesses, and families throughout the United States--with particular emphasis on rural communities ­ to expand local economic development in a sustainable way; create living-wage jobs; provide job training, placement, and retention aid; and help families develop assets, and to wisely save and invest funds. Economic independence is the central foundation for providing the support and security that are needed for ensuring community food security. Empowerment Zones / Enterprise Communities Why This Resource Is Useful: Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities are designed to create jobs and business opportunities in economically distressed areas. In those areas already designated EC/EZs, businesses can receive tax incentives, and special funds may be available for community-based organizations. Eligibility: Businesses, Government agencies,Tribes. Only geographical entities -- such as rural municipalities, multi-county rural regions, cities, and urban neighborhoods -- can become Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities. However, businesses moving into or creating new projects in EZ/ECs may be eligible for tax incentives. Internal Revenue Service form 954 is the authorizing document for those seeking these tax incentives. Description: The program is currently administered by the USDA in rural areas and by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in urban areas. Empowerment Zones are larger geographical entities and thus receive a larger package of government benefits than Enterprise Communities. EC/EZs have, to date, been designated in two rounds. Round I included 72 urban and 33 rural communities as EZ/EC Communities, which are currently receiving more than $1.5 billion in performance grants and more than $2.5 billion in tax incentives. 20 Round II EZs received $3.8 billion in Federal grants. The EZ/EC Initiative is unique with respect to previous urban/rural revitalization efforts because it is focused on community decision-making. Residents decide the scope of the project in their own neighborhoods, not Federal officials in Washington. Thus, all zones and communities have the flexibility to build community food security-related activities into their strategic plans if they choose to do so. The EZ/EC designations are based on strategic plans developed by local leaders, organizations, state officials, and the private sector. Each EZ/EC designation implies special consideration for various Federal programs and other assistance including social service block grants, new tax-exempt facility bonds, tax incentives for employment, and other special considerations for Federal programs. Best Practice: The Enterprise Community created the Northeast Delta Louisiana Public Market, which aids farmers, most of whom are African American, from several nearby counties. USDA funding will place the market in a permanent facility. Excess food at the end of each market day is being recovered and given to a local anti-hunger organization and participating farmers also organize field gleaning projects. The farmers are part of a small farmer cooperative. Deadlines: Contact the national offices listed below for more information on deadlines for particular resources. Contacts: Rural: http://www.ezec.gov USDA, Rural Development, Office of Community Development, 300 7th St., SW, Washington, DC, 20024, Phone: (202) 619-7980, Fax: (202) 401-7420. Urban: www.hud.gov/cpd/ezec/ezeclist.html United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Community Planning and Development, 451 7th St., SW, Washington DC 20410, Room 7130 Phone: 202-708-6339, or (toll-free) 1-800-998-9999. Community Kitchens Why This Resource Is Useful: Community Kitchens help train low-income individuals for jobs in the food service industry while recovering excess prepared food for distribution to the hungry. Eligibility: Nonprofit organizations, Schools. Non-profit groups or schools with access to commercial food preparation facilities, as well as ties to efforts that rescue perishable food, can create Community Kitchen programs. Description: Community Kitchen programs create valuable partnerships aimed at eliminating hunger by actively linking social service providers, nonprofits, local government, and the private sector to empower low-income individuals. The Community Kitchen Program is based on the idea that food can be used as a powerful tool to fight hunger, as well as its root causes. The Community Kitchen concept was pioneered by DC Central Kitchen and has been expanded with the collaboration of Foodchain, the National Food Rescue Network, which makes private sector-funded grants available for Community Kitchen start-up and planning. The Community Kitchen programs combine job training and food recycling to feed the hungry with training for low-income individuals in the culinary arts or the food industry. Community Kitchens secure donated foods from local donors and then return donations to a "central hub" kitchen. At this point men and women enrolled in the culinary arts program convert the food donations into meals. The meals produced at the Kitchen are then distributed to target sites in the community, including homeless shelters, children's after-school programs, drug rehabilitation clinics, adult feeding programs, and other programs. Best Practices: Community Kitchen program graduates gain valuable marketable skills and often gain employment at the same businesses that donate food to the Community Kitchen. One great example of the integrated response of Community Kitchen programs can be seen in Richmond, VA. The Central Virginia Food Bank combines the local food bank, the Urban League of Richmond, Sargent Community College, and the local American Culinary Federation chapter, to fully address the complexities of overcoming hunger and poverty in the Richmond area. Many of the graduates of this program have found employment within the local food industry. Deadlines: Foodchain grant applications are usually due in the late spring. Please contact the organizations indicated below for current information. Contacts: DC Central Kitchen America's Second Harvest 425 2nd St., N.W. 116 South Michigan Avenue, Suite 4 Washington, DC 20001 Chicago, Illinois 60603 (202) 234-0707 Phone: (312) 263-2303 x116 http://www.dccentralkitchen.org/ Web site: www.secondharvest.org The Food Stamp Employment and Training Program Why This Resource Is Useful: Low-income individuals eligible to receive food stamps have the opportunity to receive education, job-training, and work experience. Eligibility: Government agencies, Nonprofit organizations. States receive the funding directly but have the ability to provide funding to contractors, nonprofit groups, or local government agencies to carry out employment and training activities. Description: Since 1987 states have participated in the Food Stamp Employment and Training (E&T) Program to provide able-bodied food stamp recipients meaningful work-related activities that lead to employment and a decreased dependence on food stamps. The Federal government allocates to states a 100 percent Federal E&T grant each fiscal year to administer their E&T programs. States can choose which E&T program components they offer. E&T components may include: job search training and support; independent job search; workfare; educational programs to improve employability; work experience or training; and self-employment training. The agency in each state that operates the Food Stamp Program is also responsible for administering the E&T Program. The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 instituted a 3-month food stamp participation limit for able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs). Unless they are exempted by state agencies under authority of the Food Stamp Act, or unless they live in a area in which the participation limit has been waived because of high unemployment or a lack of jobs, ABAWDs must work; participate for 20 hours a week in a qualifying education, training, or work program; or participate in workfare to receive food stamps for more than 3 months in a 36­month period. In response to Administration concerns about the effect of the 3­month participation limit on ABAWDS, the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA) authorized substantial additional Federal funding to create qualifying work, education, and training opportunities for ABAWDS. Best Practices: Illinois contracts with public and private nonprofit organizations and agencies in Chicago (and with its Workforce Development System outside the city) to provide slots in its workfare program, called "Illinois works." Also in Illinois, under the Volunteer Community Work Program, approximately 6,300 ABAWDs monthly will preform work for public and/or private nonprofit organizations at a rate equal to the ABAWD's monthly food stamp allotment divided by the minimum wage, up to a maximum of 20 hours per month. South Dakota's ABAWD workforce component, "Community Service," operates in 20 counties via a partnership between the South Dakota Departments of Social Services and Labor. Washington has a workfare component for ABAWDs that consists of 30 days of job search, followed by placement in an approved public or nonprofit worksite if the job search is unsuccessful. The six regions within Washington's Department of Social Services either contract for workfare site development and monitoring with a variety of community organizations, or hire staff as workfare coordinators. Deadlines: States submit a plan every 2 years. Contacts: Contact your States' Department of Social Services. The phone number may be listed under Health and Human Services. Job Access and Reverse Commute Program Why This Resource Is Useful: It provides funding for communities to solve transportation problems. Eligibility: Nonprofit organizations, Government agencies. Local government agencies and private non-profit organizations eligible for discretionary grants for operating and capital expenses for Jobs Access transportation service. Description: The Job Access and Reverse Commute Program has two major goals: (1) to provide transportation services in urban, suburban, and rural areas to help welfare recipients and low-income individuals access employment opportunities; and (2) to increase collaboration among the transportation providers, human service agencies, employers, metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), states, and affected communities and individuals. . Job Access projects are targeted at developing new or expanded transportation services such as shuttles, vanpools, new bus routes, connector services to mass transit, and guaranteed ride home programs for welfare recipients and low income persons. The Job Access and Reverse Commute Program funds promotion of employer-provided transportation, use of transit for non traditional purposes, and transit voucher programs. Grants are awarded based on the percentage of population that are welfare recipients, the demonstrated need for additional services, the level of current coordination with and the use of existing transportation providers, the use of innovative approaches, and the presence of a regional plan and long term financing strategy. Funding for Job Access grants is authorized at $150 million annually. Of this amount, $50 million was guaranteed in fiscal year (FY) 1999. The guaranteed portion increases by $25 million a year, reaching the full authorized $150 million in FY 2003. In FY 1999, $75 million was available for the Job Access and Reverse Commute grant program. A 50 percent non-DOT match was required. Other Federal funds that are eligible to be expended for transportation can be used as part of the match. Applicants should submit projects that can be implemented quickly. This announcement is available on the Internet on the U.S. Department of Transportation's FTA website at http://www.fta.dot.gov/wtw Best Practice: FTA encourages grantees to consider how technology innovation may assist in meeting the mobility needs of Job Access & Reverse Commute (JARC) recipients. FTA is offering grantees an alternative mechanism to help speed up the process of deploying such promising new technologies through the Joint Partnership Program for the Deployment of Innovation (JPP). Deadlines: The application deadline changes yearly, so it is important to check the Web site or office listed below. Contact: For general information or to view the FY 1999 projects; see FTA's Web site at: http://www.fta.dot.gov/wtw United States Department of Transportation Doug Birnie, Federal Transit Administration, Room 6423, 400 7th Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20590, Phone (202) 366-1666 FAX (202) 366-3765 Welfare-to-Work Grants: U.S. Department of Labor Why This Resource Is Useful: Welfare-to-work grants help recipients of the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) (formerly the AFDC welfare program) through job creation and training, education, and other related programs. Eligibility: Nonprofit organizations, Businesses, Government agencies, Tribes Competitive grants may be awarded to local governments, Private Industry Councils, Tribes, and private entities (such as community development corporations and community-based organizations, community action agencies, and other private organizations) who apply in conjunction with a Private Industry Council or local government. The Secretary of Labor will give special consideration to cities with large concentrations of poverty as well as to rural areas. Description: The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 authorized the U.S. Department of Labor to provide Welfare-to-Work Grants to States and local communities to create additional job opportunities for the hardest-to-employ recipients of TANF. The grants may be used to help move eligible individuals into long-term unsubsidized jobs using strategies like: job creation through short-term public or private sector wage subsidies; on-the-job training; contracts with public or private providers of job readiness, job placement, and post-employment services; job vouchers for similar services; community service or work experience; or job retention and supportive services (if such services are not otherwise available). The grants totaled $3 billion: $1.5 billion to be awarded in fiscal year 1998 and $1.5 billion in fiscal year 1999. There will be two kinds of grants: (1) Formula Grants to States and (2) Competitive Grants to local communities. A small amount of the total grant money is also to be set aside for special purposes: 1 percent for Indian tribes; 0.8 percent for evaluation; and $100 million for performance bonuses to successful States. Best Practices: Assistance can be provided to individuals who have reached the 60-month TANF time limit. Such assistance does not count toward the 60-month limit unless it is cash assistance provided directly or through wage subsidies. In those cases, the months do count toward the 60-month limit. Deadlines: Once a year, States submit a 2-year plan. The one they submitted this year expires in 2001. Contacts: US Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration 200 Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20210 Dennis Lieberman-Phone: 202-219-0181 ext. 132, http://wtw.doleta.gov/resources/fact-grants.htm List of the Department of Labor welfare-to-work offices: http://wtw.doleta.gov/resources/regcon.htm Rural Business Opportunity Grants (RBOG) Why This Tool Is Useful: These grants support community planning, technical assistance, and training for rural businesses and can be used to support food-related micro-enterprise or job creation activities targeted at food-insecure individuals. Eligibility: Nonprofit organizations, Businesses, Government agencies, Tribes. Public bodies, nonprofit organizations, Native American tribes, and cooperatives can receive funds through this program. Applicants must be located in rural areas. Description: The Rural Business Opportunity Grants program (RBOG) was created by the 1996 Farm Bill to assist in the economic development of rural areas by providing grants for business and community development. Grant funds may be used for the following purposes: to identify and analyze business opportunities, including export markets, that will use local natural and human resources; identify, train, and provide technical assistance to existing or prospective rural entrepreneurs and managers; establish business support centers and otherwise assist in the creation of new rural businesses; conduct local community or multi-county economic development planning; establish centers for training, technology, and trade that will provide training to rural businesses in the utilization of interactive communications technologies to develop international trade opportunities and markets; conduct leadership development training of existing or prospective rural entrepreneurs and managers; and pay reasonable fees and charges for professional services necessary to conduct the technical assistance, training, or planning functions. The program can fund any such activities for food-related enterprises. For FY2000 there is approximately $3 million available. Deadlines: There are two rounds of funding at the national level. Please contact your state Rural Business Cooperative Service office for more information. Contacts: Applications are handled in each state through the USDA Rural Business Cooperative Service. The RBS office in your state can be located on the Internet at: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/recd_map.html For national information about the overall program, contact: U.S. Department of Agriculture Wayne Stansbery Rural Business-Cooperative Service, Specialty Lenders Division 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Stop 1521, Washington DC 20250 Phone: (202) 720-1400; E-mail: wstansbe@rus.usda.gov Rural Business Enterprise Grants (RBEG) Why This Resource Is Useful: The RBEG program assists small and emerging businesses in rural areas outside the boundary of a city of 50,000 or more and in their immediately adjacent urbanized or urbanizing areas. Eligibility: Nonprofit organizations, Government agencies, Tribes. Eligible recipients for this grant are public bodies, private nonprofit operations, and federally recognized Indian tribal groups. Public bodies include incorporated towns and villages, boroughs, townships, counties, states, authorities, districts, and Native American Tribes on Federal and state reservations, and other federally recognized Indian tribal groups in rural areas. Description: The purpose of the Rural Business Enterprise Grants (RBEG) program is to finance and facilitate the development of small and emerging private business enterprises located in rural areas through grants to public bodies, nonprofits, and federally recognized Indian Tribal groups. This includes starting and operating revolving loan funds, business incubators, and industrial parks. Costs that may be paid from grant funds include the acquisition and development of land; fees for professional services; technical assistance and training associated with technical assistance; startup operating costs and working capital, providing financial assistance to a third party; production of television programs to provide information to rural residents; and creating, expanding, and operating rural distance learning networks. Best Practices: In Vermont, the Economic Development Council and the University of Vermont each received a grant of $250,000 to fund community kitchen/incubator facilities for use by small and emerging food processing businesses in developing and testing new uses of their products, packaging/canning, and distribution activities. Deadlines: Deadlines vary from state to state. Please contact your state office for more information. Contacts: Applications are handled in each state through the USDA Rural Business-Cooperative Service. The office in your state can be located on the Internet at: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/recd_map.html For national information about the overall program, contact: Carole Boyko or Amy Cavanaugh USDA, Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS), Special Lenders Division Room 5404 South Building, Stop 1521, Washington, DC 20250 Phone: (202) 720-1400; Web site: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/busp/bprogs.htm Intermediary Relending Loan Program (IRP) Why This Resource Is Useful: Loans for establishing revolving loan funds to provide financing for rural businesses and community development. Eligibility: Nonprofit organizations, Businesses, People, Government agencies, Tribes. Nonprofit corporations, public agencies, Native American Tribes, and cooperatives are eligible to receive IRP funds as intermediaries. Intermediaries must have adequate legal authority and a proven record of successfully assisting rural businesses and industries. The ultimate recipients of loans from IRP revolving loan funds can be for-profit organizations, individuals, and public and private nonprofit organizations, and must be located in unincorporated areas or in cities with populations under 25,000. Description: The Intermediary Relending Loan Program (IRP) provides direct loans at 1 percent interest to intermediaries for establishing revolving loan funds for small businesses and community development projects in rural areas. Intermediaries are nonprofit organizations or public agencies that re-lend money through loan pools to ultimate recipients, who are businesses, individuals and others. The USDA state offices of Rural Development generally are delegated loan approval authority on a case-by-case basis. Applications are considered in a quarterly national competition. Loans to intermediaries range from $100,000 to $2 million. Intermediaries receive a 30-year loan with a fixed annual interest rate of 1 percent. Funding available for fiscal year 1997 was $37 million. Factors considered in judging applications from intermediaries include: financial condition, assurance of repayment ability, equity, collateral, experience and record of managing a loan program or providing other assistance to rural businesses, ability to leverage with funds from other sources, extent assistance would flow to low-income persons. Best Practices: As part of the Pacific Northwest Economic Adjustment Initiative, an IRP loan of $1.5 million supplemented an existing revolving loan fund for relending to small businesses in rural Jackson and Josephine Counties in Oregon. Businesses that create or retain permanent jobs involving skills related to manufacturing, industrial production, and wood products are given preference. Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development, Inc., the intermediary, estimates that by targeting a maximum of $20,000 per full-time-equivalent job created or saved, the IRP loan will create or save at least 50 jobs in the fund's first round of loans in these communities. Deadlines: Please contact your state office for deadlines. Contacts: Applications are handled in each state through the USDA Rural Business Cooperative Service. To locate your state office, go to: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/recd_map.html For national information about the overall program, contact: Wayne Stansbery Rural Business-Cooperative Service, Specialty Lenders Division 1400 Independence Ave. SW Washington DC 20250-1521, Phone: (202) 720-1400 E-Mail: wstansbe@rus.usda.gov Website: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/busp/bprogs.htm Share Our Strength's Operation Frontline Why This Resource is Useful: Teaches low income individuals about nutrition, healthy cooking, and food budgeting.. Eligibility: People, Nonprofits, Government Agencies Low-income individuals and families can enroll in Operation Frontline classes; partnerships with non-profits and government agencies can increase efficiency of costs and resources. Description: Operation Frontline classes are designed to help people cook more nutritious and economical meals for themselves and their families. Each class focuses on a different theme, such as following the food guide pyramid, shopping effectively or cooking nutritious meals. Taught by professionally trained volunteer chefs, nutritionists and financial planners, classes meet once a week for six weeks, and run 2 hours in length. The classes are taught at family support centers, HeadStart agencies, health clinics, and other non-profit community organizations, and compliment the programs offered by the agencies to their clients. Share Our Strength provides partner agencies with a proven turn-key program, and a national office which ensures development and maintenance at both the local and national levels. The following classes are currently being offered in Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Washington DC: Eating Right -For Low Income Families Kids Up Front -For At-Risk Children 8-12 Eating Well -For People With HIV and AIDS Side By Side -For Parents and Children Together Your Money, Your Choices -Financial Planning Best Practices: Share our Strength and Head Start have engaged in a pilot project entitiled the SOS/Head Start Partnership to Promote Healthy Eating. More than 80 Operation Frontline classes have been held in Head Start centers across the country, with a goal of building the Eating Right adult curriculum into Head Start's outreach efforts to parents. Operation Frontline has had several successful partnerships with USDA including: CSREES: EFNEP agents have taught classes in 8 states. In Seattle, EFNEP agents talk to participants about how they can access and derive the most benefits from the Food Stamp program. WIC: Classes have been held at WIC centers in 4 states and the District of Columbia. In Chicago, Operation Frontline partners with Near North Health Service Corporation, a WIC grantee agency which provides healthcare and support services to underserved low income communities. Team Nutrition: The Rhode Island Team Nutrition Institute provided funding to develop the curriculum for Side by Side, a four-week program that brings parents and children into the kitchen to learn about healthy eating. Deadlines: None. Classes are run all year round. Contact: Kristen Curran, Operation Frontline Manager kcurran@strength.org Share Our Strength; 733 15th Street, NW; Washington, DC 20005 (202) 393-2925 (phone); (202) 347-5868 (fax) http://www.strength.org Family Economics Program/Cooperative Extension System Why This Resource Is Useful: This program provides consumer education; teaches personal financial management skills to youth, limited-resource families, and young families; and promotes comprehensive financial planning throughout the life cycle. Some county Extension offices also help families in financial crises through one-on-one consultation. Eligibility: People. Program Description: Cooperative, State Research Education and Extension Service links the teaching, research, and extension activities of 103 land-grant universities and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to improve the quality of life for all Americans. Research conducted largely through the land-grant universities is delivered to people via the Cooperative Extension System (CES). CES is a public-funded, non-formal educational system that extends research-based information to nearly 3,150 county offices. Its mission is to "help people improve their lives and communities through learning partnerships that put knowledge to work." Among CES's key objectives is improving the consumer skills of our Nation's individuals and families. The Family Economics (FE) Team of the CSREES Economic and Community Systems Unit provides leadership to state, regional, and county-level educators who deliver basic consumer education; teach personal financial management skills to youth, limited-resource families, and young families; and promote comprehensive financial planning throughout the life cycle. Some county Extension offices also help families in financial crises through one-on-one consultation. Issues receiving increased attention are basic life skills leading to job retention for welfare-to-work individuals, saving for retirement, personal finance education for youth and employees, and electronic benefits transfer for the "unbanked." Deadlines: There are no deadlines for these services. Contacts: All state-level Cooperative Extension offices are listed at the following Web site: http://www.pwd.reeusda.gov/pwd/pcontactlist.asp Or contact the national coordinating office at: Dr. Jane Schuchardt, National Program Leader, Family Economics USDA CSREES Family Economics Team1400 Independence Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20250-2217 Phone: (202) 720-5119; E-mail: jschuchardt@reeusda.gov Asset Development: Individual Development Accounts (IDA's) Why This Resource Is Useful: IDA's work to create economic independence and mobility for low-income individuals. Eligibility: Nonprofit organizations, Government agencies, Tribes. One or more not-for-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations; or a state or local government agency or tribal government, may submit an application jointly with a not-for-profit organization. The Assets for Independence Act provides for a matching requirement of 1:1 private and public (non-Federal) funds to Federal dollars issued under each grant. The maximum Federal grant is $500,000 for a five year project with up to 7.5 percent of grant funds available for project administration and support services. Funds are available on a competitive basis. Description: Assets for Independence AFIA, under Title IV of the Community Opportunity Accountability, and Training and Education Services Act of 1998, establishes the Assets for Independence Demonstration Program (IDA Program). This legislation supports the work that States and community-based organizations are doing in support of IDA's and other asset-based development strategies. IDA's are dedicated savings accounts that can be used by eligible participants for purchasing a first home, paying for post-secondary education, or capitalizing a business. These IDA's are comprised of participant savings from earned income and are matched by deposits of up to $8 dollars for each dollar saved. These investments have the potential to bring a new level of economic and personal security to families and communities. The intent of the demonstration is to encourage participants to develop and reinforce strong habits for saving money. Best Practice: The Community Action Project of Tulsa County (CAPTC) is a comprehensive anti-poverty agency in Tulsa, Oklahoma. CAPTC's mission is to help individuals and families in economic need achieve self-sufficiency through emergency aid, medical care, housing, community development, education, and advocacy in an atmosphere of respect. The target population includes individuals with income below 150 percent of the Federal poverty line. Participants must deposit between $10 and $62.50 each month. In addition, participants may make a larger deposit from their Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) rebate annually. Once participants open their accounts, they are required to attend three Economic & Financial Literacy meetings over the course of 4 months at Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension Service. Additionally, participants saving for home purchase or business start-up are required to attend sessions specifically addressing these topics. Contact for information: Jennifer Robey, CAPTC, 125 N. Greenwood, 3rd Floor, Tulsa, OK 74120. Deadlines: Please consult the contact below for deadlines. Contacts: Dick Saul, Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Community Services 200 Independence Ave, SW, Washington, DC 20201, Phone: (202) 401-9341 Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED) 777 North Capital Street, NE, Ste. 410, Washington, DC 20002 Phone: (202) 408-9788; Fax: (202) 408-9793; E-mail: cfed@cfed.org; Web site: http://www.cfed.org/ Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Why This Resource Is Useful: The EITC provides a cash benefit tax relief and a work incentive to low-income working families. Eligibility: People. To qualify for EITC, the participant must meet basic income requirements which include (1) with no qualifying child: income of $10,030 or less per year; (2) with one qualifying child: income of $26,473 or less per year; (3) with more than one qualifying child: income of $30,095 or less per year; (4) file a joint return if you are married; (5) age of 25-65 and not be counted as a dependent of someone else; (6) have resided in the United States for at least half of the year; (7) have a Social Security number issued by the Social Security Administration. Description: The Earned Income Task Credit (EITC) was enacted in 1975 provide the Nation's low-income working families with tax relief and an incentive to work. The EITC can provide a cash benefit, even to families whose incomes are so low that they do not owe taxes. As of 1996, the EITC could provide as much as $3,500 to working families with income below $28,000. To receive the credit, workers submit a "Schedule EIC" at the time they file their taxes. Employees may receive benefits as a supplement to their regular paychecks through the "advance payment" program. Federal law mandates that all employers notify their employees about EITC and offer them the option to receive credit through their paychecks. One can receive the EITC in one payment at the end of the year when the participant files his or her taxes, or one may receive partial credit throughout the year directly through the participant's paycheck. Currently, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has an EITC training schedule and educational packet. Best Practices: County Extension offices can inform people of programs ongoing in the county to assist with EITC applications. Deadlines: Applications for the EITC must be filed along with the applicant's Federal tax return each year. Contacts: U.S. Department of the Treasury, 1500 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20220 Phone: (202) 622-1100 Web site: http://www.irs.gov/prod/ind_info/eitc4.html The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities 820 1st St., NE, Suite 510, Washington, DC 20002, Phone: (202) 408-1080  All state-level Cooperative Extension offices are listed at the following Web site: http://www.pwd.reeusda.gov/pwd/pcontactlist.asp Or contact the national coordinating office at: CSREES Family Economics Team Dr. Jane Schuchardt, National Program Leader, Family Economics (202) 720-5119 Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service United States Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Ave., SW. ,Washington, DC 20250-2217 email: jschuchardt@reeusda.gov Extension System Welfare-to-Work Support Services Why This Resource Is Useful: The Extension System is a Federal, state and county partnership that offers education to help people improve their lives. States and counties determine their own programs. Welfare-to-work programs through Extension vary according to the needs of their communities. It is important to contact county and state Extension professionals when looking for welfare-to-work educational opportunities. Eligibility: People Description: CSREES links the teaching, research, and extension activities of 103 land-grant universities and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to improve the quality of life for all Americans. Research conducted largely through the land-grant universities is delivered to people via the Cooperative Extension System (CES). CES is a public-funded, non-formal educational system that extends research-based information to nearly 3,150 county offices. Its mission is to "help people improve their lives and communities through learning partnerships that put knowledge to work." Among CES's key objectives is improving the consumer skills of our Nation's individuals and families. Best Practices: Extension offers many and varied opportunities in education and training to improve individuals' ability to move into the work force and leave welfare. Contacts: Local county-level offices are usually listed in the phone book under the county's name. All state-level Cooperative Extension offices are listed at the following Web site: http://www.pwd.reeusda.gov/pwd/pcontactlist.asp For more information, contact: University of Maryland, Department of Family Studies Bonnie Braun, Ph.D., CFCS Extension Family Life Specialist 1204 Marie Mount Hall College Park, Maryland 20742-7515 (301) 405-3581 (301) 314-9161 (fax) BB157@umail.umd.edu Or contact the national coordinating office at: CSREES Family 4H and NutritionCooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service United States Department of Agriculture 1400 Independence Ave., SW Washington, DC 20250-2225 (202) 720-2908. Department of Veterans' Affairs Homeless Programs Why This Resource Is Useful: Veterans Affairs provides assistance to homeless veterans and their dependents. Assistance includes medical care and economic benefits. Funds are available to organizations that provide transitional housing and other support services if 75 percent or more of their clients are homeless veterans. Eligibility: Nonprofit organizations, People, Government agencies. Eligibility varies. Please contact the homeless coordinator at your nearest VA medical center or VA Regional Benefits Office. Description: VA is the only Federal agency that provides substantial hands-on assistance directly to homeless people. Limited to homeless veterans and their dependents, VA's program is the largest integrated network of homeless programs in the country. These programs include aggressive outreach to homeless veterans; clinical assessments and referral for medical treatment for both physical and psychiatric disorders, including substance abuse. Following are a few of VA's programs that provide assistance to service providers: Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program. Provides grants and per diem payments to assist public and nonprofit organizations in establishing and operating new supportive housing and supportive service centers for homeless veterans. Grant funds may also be used to assist organizations in purchasing vans to conduct outreach or provide transportation for homeless veterans. Since FY1994, VA has awarded 127 grants under this program, totaling more than $26 million. Project CHALENG (Community Homelessness Assessment, Local Education, and Networking Groups) for Veterans. This nationwide initiative links the VA with other Federal, state, local, and nonprofit organizations to assess the needs of homeless veterans, develop action plans to meet needs, and develop directories of local community resources for use by homeless veterans. Acquired Property Sales for Homeless Providers Program. Homeless service providers may purchase at a discount of 20 to 50 percent properties that the VA has obtained through foreclosure of VA-insured mortgages. To date, 116 properties have been sold, and 58 have been leased to nonprofit organizations to provide housing for the homeless. HUD-VA Supported Housing Program. Provides permanent housing and ongoing case management services for harder-to-serve homeless veterans. VA's Supported Housing Program. VA staff work with private landlords, public housing authorities, and nonprofit organizations to find creative housing arrangements. Stand Downs. Provide a safe haven of 1 to 3 days for homeless veterans and a variety of services, including a way for community-based homeless providers to reach more homeless. Contacts: Homeless Veterans Programs Office (Room 075D) Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW, Washington, DC Phone (202) 273-5764; Fax (202) 273-9472; E-mail: homelessvets@mail.va.gov Website: http://www.va.gov/health/homeless/AssistProg.htm Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) Why This Resource Is Useful: This program provides metropolitan cities and urban counties (called "entitlement communities") with annual direct grants that they can use to revitalize neighborhoods, expand affordable housing and economic opportunities, and/or improve community facilities and services. Eligibility: Government Agencies, Non-profits, Businesses, People. Recipients of CDBG entitlement funds include local governments with 50,000 or more residents, other local governments designated as central cities of metropolitan areas, and urban counties with populations of at least 200,000 (excluding the population of entitled cities). Local governments may carry out all activities themselves or award some or all of the funds to private or public nonprofit organizations as well as for-profit entities. A separate component of CDBG--the State CDBG Program--provides program funds to the states, which they allocate among localities that do not qualify as entitlement communities. Description: Since 1974, CDBG's have been the backbone of improvement efforts in many communities, providing a flexible source of annual grant funds for local governments nationwide--funds that they, with the participation of local citizens, can devote to the activities that best serve their own particular development priorities, provided that these projects either (1) benefit low- and moderate-income persons; (2) prevent or eliminate slums or blight; or (3) meet other urgent community development needs. The CDBG Entitlement Communities program provides assistance to almost 1000 of the largest localities in the country. Grantees may use CDBG funds for activities that include (but are not limited to): Acquiring real property for public purposes; reconstructing or rehabilitating housing and other property; building public facilities; helping people prepare for and obtain employment through education and job training; assisting for-profit businesses for special economic development activities; providing public services for youths, seniors, or the disabled; carrying out crime reduction; assisting low-income homebuyers; enforcing local building codes; paying for planning and administrative expenses, such as costs related to developing a Consolidated Plan and managing CDBG funds. Best Practices: Larger cities such as New York City and Boston allocate $500,000 and $800,000, respectively, in annual CDBG funds for community gardening efforts. Smaller cities like Yonkers, NY, and East Lansing, MI, allocate $25,000 and $7,000, respectively, to help support their community gardening programs. Deadlines: None. The program year can begin anytime from January 1 to October 1; consolidated plans are reviewed within 45 days after submission. Contact: The Office of Block Grant Assistance in HUD's Office of Community Planning and Development (CPD) administers the program. Contact: Entitlement Communities Division, Room 7282, 451 7th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20410, (202) 708-1577. http://www.hud.gov/cpd/cdbg.html For other program information, contact Community Connections (1-800-998-9999). Chapter 3: Federal Nutrition Safety Net--Strengthening the Federal nutrition assistance safety net by supporting the full and efficient use of programs such as food stamps, WIC, school meals, summer feeding, and TEFAP commodities. Summary Promoting food security for all American communities is a challenge that requires the combined efforts of individual citizens, the private sector, and the government at the local, state, and Federal levels. Federal nutrition assistance programs, such as the Food Stamp Program, Child Nutrition Programs, and Commodity Programs, are a vital part of this strategy. Working with our state partners, Federal nutrition programs represent a nutrition insurance safety net for millions of low-income Americans. The Federal nutrition safety net, in coordination with nonprofit food recovery and donation and local food production, provides the foundation for the most universal and comprehensive form of anti-hunger food assistance. One of every six Americans was served by the Department's nutrition assistance programs in FY 1998. This chapter provides basic briefings for federal and nonprofit programs relating to nutrition assistance and education, feeding programs, food recovery, donations, and gleaning for children, adults and the elderly. Food Stamp Program Why This Resource Is Useful: The Food Stamp Program supplements low-income households' ability to purchase nutritious food and is the foundation of USDA's nutrition safety net. Eligibility: People. The program is open to eligible households. Food stamp eligibility and allotments are based on household size and income, assets, and other factors. A household's gross monthly income cannot exceed 130 percent of the Federal poverty guidelines and its net income cannot can not exceed 100 percent of the guidelines. All undocumented immigrants and many legal immigrants are ineligible for food stamps benefits. A household is defined as a person, or a group of people living together, who are not necessarily related but who purchase and prepare food together. The allotment is based on he cost of the Thrifty Food Plan, a low-cost model diet plan. Description: The Food Stamp Program is the cornerstone of USDA's nutrition assistance programs. The program helps low-income households increase their food purchasing power and obtain a better diet. The current structure provides monthly coupons to eligible low-income families which are redeemable at retail food stores or through Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT). EBT allows a household to use a debit card rather than coupons and can enhance program integrity by creating an electronic record of food stamp transactions. The Food Stamp Program is targeted towards those most in need. Most participating households include children or an elderly member. Households may apply for benefits at local social service offices and will be asked to provide information about their financial circumstances. Once certified, most households will continue to receive food stamps for 6 months or more. The Food Stamp Program served an average of 17.7 million people in fiscal year 1999. Best Practices: States and local offices have instituted a number of practices to improve access to the Food Stamp Program. The practices are varied and generally designed to meet the needs of the population that a specific state or county serves. Some practices, however, may be implemented across most states and/or local offices, such as extended office hours to improve accessibility for the working poor, walk-in procedures to minimize the wait to see an eligibility worker, and drop boxes to help clients report changes. FNS is working with States to compile and share best practices. Deadlines: Food stamp benefits may be obtained at any time during the year. Contacts: The program is managed directly in each state by an agency of state government; a list of state food stamp hotlines can be found at: http://www.fns.usda.gov/fsp/MENU/CONTACTS/hotlines.htm National information can be obtained through the USDA Food and Nutrition Service: Food Stamp Program, FNS, 3101 Park Center Drive, Alexandria, VA 22302 For detailed program information: (703) 305-2026 For General Food Stamp Information: 1-800-221-5689: Web site: www.fns.usda.gov/fsp/ WIC: The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children Why This Resource Is Useful: The WIC Program provides nutritious food, nutrition education, and referrals to other healthcare and assistance programs to low-income mothers, as well as their infants and young children. Eligibility: People. To be eligible for WIC, an applicant must meet state residency requirements, meet an income standard below 185 percent of poverty (or be a member of a family in which certain members receive food stamps, Medicaid or TANF), and have been determined by a health professional to be at nutritional risk. Program Description: WIC is a grant program whose goal is to improve the health of low-income, at- risk pregnant, postpartum, and breast-feeding women, infants and children up to 5 years old, by providing supplemental foods, nutrition education, and access to health care. In most States, WIC participants receive vouchers that allow them to purchase a monthly food package specially designed to supplement their diets. The foods provided are high in protein, calcium, iron, and vitamins A and C. WIC foods include iron-fortified infant formula and infant cereal; iron-fortified adult cereal; vitamin C-rich fruit or vegetable juice; eggs, milk, and cheese; and peanut butter, dried beans, or peas. Special therapeutic formulas and foods are provided when prescribed by a physician for a specified medical condition. A few state agencies provide food directly to participants, but most states provide WIC vouchers that can be redeemed at authorized food stores for approved foods. WIC provides each state with a grant of funds to serve its WIC population. Because of the documented success of the WIC Program in improving the nutritional well-being of participants, it has expanded significantly. In FY 1999, WIC served about 7.3 million people each month. The appropriation for the WIC program in FY 2000 was $4.0 billion. Best Practice: The Cornerstone program of the Illinois Department of Human Services Division of Community Health and Prevention WIC Program is a management information system developed and implemented to facilitate the integration and delivery of maternal and child health services and to measure outcomes. Built on the need for an advanced system that could effectively monitor these aspects of the WIC Program, Cornerstone helps improve the operation of Family Case Management, Prenatal Care, Pediatric Primary Care, Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening, Diabetes Control, and Childhood Immunization programs. An additional module for tracking services for children with developmental disabilities is also being developed and will be implemented in the near future. Deadlines: None. Enrollment is all year round. Contacts: The program is managed directly in each state, territory, or Indian Tribal Organization by the health department or comparable entity of state, territorial, or tribal government. However, national information can be obtained through USDA's Food and Nutrition Service at the following address: Patricia N. Daniels, National Director, Supplemental Food Programs Division, Food and Nutrition Service-USDA, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 540, Alexandria, VA 22302 Phone: (703) 305-2746; Web site: http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/ WIC Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) Why This Resource Is Useful: The WIC FMNP provides coupons to low-income, at-risk women and children to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at farmers' markets to help improve their nutrition and to increase the income of small farmers. Eligibility: People. Women, children, and infants over 4 months old who participate in the WIC program are eligible for FMNP benefits. Farmers who are certified by participating states and Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs) and sell produce at farmers' markets are eligible to redeem the coupons. Description: The FMNP is affiliated with the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, popularly known as WIC, which is administered by USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). The program began as a 10-state demonstration project in 1989 and was established as regular program in 1992 by Congress. The FMNP has two goals: (1) to make locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables available to low-income, nutritionally at-risk women, infants and children; and (2) to expand awareness and use of farmers' markets and to support local farmers who use such markets. State departments of health or agriculture, other state agencies, ITOs, and territorial governments may apply to USDA for Federal funds to operate the FMNP. Federal funds support 70 percent of the total cost of the program. Matching funds must come from state, local, or private sources. A directory of FMNP contacts for each state can be found at http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/MENU/CONTACTS/farm/farm.HTM Best Practices: States may use their own funds to supplement Federal benefits or to provide coupons to non-WIC populations, such as the elderly or disabled. A number of states and ITOs develop nutrition education materials geared to produce consumption and many farmers' market vendors provide storage and handling instructions or recipes to help WIC participants effectively utilize unfamiliar fruits and vegetables. Deadlines: FMNP state plans are due to FNS regional offices by November 30 each year. There are no deadlines that apply directly to FMNP participants, but the program generally operates between the months of April and October, depending on the regional climate and growing season. Contacts: The program is directly managed in each state or Indian Tribal Organization by an agency of state or tribal government. However, national information can be obtained through the USDA Food and Nutrition Service: Supplemental Food Programs Division, Food and Nutrition Service-USDA, 3101 Park Center Drive, Alexandria, VA 22302 Phone: (703) 305-2730; http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/CONTENT/farmers/farm.htm National Director: Patrica N. Daniels, (703) 305-2746 The National Directory of Farmers' Markets, which includes information on WIC participation, can be obtained on the Web at www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets or by calling 800-384-8704. Also contact: National Association of Farmers' Market Nutrition Programs, 1001 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 901, Washington, DC 20036; phone: (202) 331-7950; fax: (202) 331-7933; E-mail: zw@nafmnp.org Website: http://www.nafmnp.org/ The National School Lunch Program Why This Resource Is Useful: The National School Lunch Program ensures that all American children receive a nutritious meal at school, each school day. It provides nutrition education in the classroom, and opportunities for children to practice the nutrition skills they learn. Eligibility: People. Any child, regardless of family income, can obtain a nutritious meal at a school participating in the National School Lunch Program. Children from families with incomes at or below 185 percent of the Federal poverty line are eligible for reduced-price meals. Children from families with income levels at or below 130 percent of the poverty level are eligible to receive free meals. Description: The school lunch program provides nutritionally balanced low-cost or free lunches to more than 27 million children each school day. More than 95,000 public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions participate. School districts and independent schools that choose to take part in the lunch program get cash subsidies and donated commodity foods from USDA for each meal they serve. In return, they must serve lunches that meet Federal nutrition standards, and they must offer free or reduced-price lunches to eligible children. Reimbursable lunches must meet the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and provide one-third of the Recommended Daily Allowances for protein, calcium, iron, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and calories. All meals are eligible for reimbursement; USDA pays the highest rate of reimbursement for meals served to children who qualify for free meal benefits. Best Practices: The school food service in Hawthorne, CA, goes the extra mile to make sure every student is provided the best nutritional choices. The school food service knows that all the hard work put into student taste panels, special events, and greater healthy food selections will not be effective if children do not believe that the quality of the meals offered is high. Marketing of school meals is a priority, and a key to the success of the Hawthorne School District's food service program. Participation has been rising as students indulge in healthy, great-tasting meals that reflect their own tastes and preferences. The school district has improved customer service and access with electronic points of sale and a family-centered enrollment process. Deadlines: School lunch benefits may be obtained at any time during the year. Contacts: The National School Lunch Program is administered by the education agency in most states. To locate the administering agency in your state, check: http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Contacts/StateDirectory.htm You can also obtain information about school lunches from the: Child Nutrition Division Food and Nutrition Service-USDA 3101 Park Center Drive Alexandria, Virginia 22302 (703) 305-2746 http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Lunch/Default.htm School Breakfast Program Why This Resource Is Useful: The School Breakfast Program gives children the nutritious start they need to learn and grow. Eligibility: People. Any child, regardless of family income, can obtain a nutritious breakfast at a school participating in the School Breakfast Program. Children from families with incomes at or below 185 percent of the Federal poverty level are eligible for reduced-price breakfasts. Children from families with incomes at or below 130 percent of the poverty level are eligible for free breakfasts. Description: At more than 68,000 schools, 6.9 million children start their day with breakfast at school through the School Breakfast Program. Children in public schools, nonprofit private schools, or residential child care institutions receive their meals free or at low cost because USDA provides cash reimbursements, and commodity foods, for every breakfast served. Breakfasts served at school must meet the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and provide one-fourth of the daily recommended levels for calories and key nutrients. Best Practices: In 1999, the State of Minnesota committed $6 million to "Fast Break to Learning"--a universal school breakfast program aimed at feeding breakfast to all elementary school children, at little or no charge, so that nutrition is fully integrated into the school day. A 3-year study of schools piloting the initiative showed dramatically sustained participation, significant improvement in behavior, fewer visits to the nurse's office, and higher test scores. Forty-one elementary schools now offer breakfast at school to every student. A state targeted breakfast grant (that requires a local match of $1 for every $3 in state aid) along with the USDA reimbursement, provide the funding. The initiative represents a true collaboration of local, state, and Federal resources. Deadlines: School breakfast benefits may be obtained at any time during the year. Contact: The School Breakfast Program is administered by the education agency in most states. To locate the administering agency in your state, check: http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Contacts/StateDirectory.htm You can also obtain information about school breakfast from: Les Johnson, Director of Food Distribution Division Child Nutrition Division Food and Nutrition Service-USDA 3101 Park Center Drive Alexandria, Virginia 22302 (703) 305-2680 Website: http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Breakfast/Default.htm National Food Service Management Institute Why This Resource Is Useful: This program assists Child Nutrition Program cooperators through technical assistance and training in food service management for school, child care, and summer feeding program meals. Eligibility: CNP Cooperators. NFSMI provides technical assistance and training to Child Nutrition Program cooperators through a grant agreement with the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). These cooperators include state agency personnel who administer the Child Nutrition Programs, school food authorities, and local school and district office personnel including National School Lunch (NSLP) and Breakfast Programs (SBP) staff and teachers. NFSMI also offers technical assistance and training opportunities for state and local staff administering the Child and Adult Care and Summer Food Service Programs. Program Description: Congress established the National Food Service Management Institute (NFSMI) in 1989 at the University of Mississippi in Oxford. The mission of NFSMI is to provide information and services that promote the continuous improvement of Child Nutrition Programs. The vision of NFSMI is to be a leader in providing education, research, and resources to promote excellence in the Child Nutrition Programs. The programs and services that NFSMI offers child nutrition cooperators are: Quality publications appropriate for child nutrition personnel at an affordable price; Applied research for development of effective child nutrition management practices; Workshops and seminars for training child nutrition personnel; National network of trainers; Training materials developed for states for resale; Education and training standards and materials; Free training and information teleconferences through Nutrition Satellite Network; Clearinghouse for information retrieval and dissemination (to include FNS-produced materials); Technical assistance through a toll-free help line. In addition to the appropriated grant funds, each year Congress appropriates funds for cooperative agreements between FNS and NFSMI. FNS and NFSMI collaborate as to how these funds can be best used to meet the needs of the Child Nutrition Program cooperators. In most instances, these funds are used to conduct training and develop resource materials. CNP Web site: http://fns1.usda.gov/cnd/ Contacts: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, Child Nutrition Division 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 1006 Alexandria, VA 22302, (703) 305-2746, www.fns.usda.gov NFSMI Web site: http://www.nfsmi.org/ Summer Food Service Program Why This Resource Is Useful: The Summer Food Service Program helps children get the nutrition they need to learn, play, and grow throughout the summer months and other periods when school is not in session. Eligibility: People. Children and teenagers, 18 years and younger, may receive free meals and snacks at approved sites in low-income areas. Meals and snacks are also available to persons with disabilities, over age 18, who participate in eligible educational programs. At most sites, children receive either one or two reimbursable meals each day. Camps and sites that primarily serve migrant children may serve up to three meals to each child, each day. Description: The Summer Food Service Program was created to ensure that children in lower-income areas could continue to receive nutritious meals during long school vacations, when they do not have access to lunch or breakfast at school. However, in many communities, the program is unavailable or underutilized. Although nearly 14 million children depend on nutritious free and reduced-price meals at school for 9 months out of the year, only about 2.3 million receive summer meals. Schools, public agencies, and private nonprofit organizations that sponsor the program receive payments from USDA for serving healthy meals and snacks to children at approved sites in low-income areas. All sponsors receive training before starting the program to learn how to plan, operate, and monitor a successful food service program. Best Practices: The City of Sacramento, CA, and the nonprofit Sacramento Hunger Commission demonstrate how public-private partnerships can work together so that more children have access to nutritious summer meals. During its first 10 years as a program sponsor, the City of Sacramento saw modest increases in participation. In 1993 the city government launched a partnership with the Sacramento Hunger Commission. Since then, the number of lunches served has increased from less than 129,000 to more than 310,000 in 1998, and the average daily participation has grown 144 percent. More and more residents and community agencies--like the county recreation departments, Boys and Girls Clubs, Head Start, Healthy Start, and Police Athletic Leagues--have been contributing their time and resources to promote and expand the Summer Food Service Program. Deadlines: Potential sponsors must apply annually. Applications must be submitted by June 15, or even earlier if required by the administering agency. Contacts: The Summer Food Service Program is administered by the education agency in most states. In some States, the health or social service department or an FNS regional office may be designated. To locate the administering agency in your state, check: http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Summer/Contacts/StateAgencies.htm You can also obtain information about summer meals from: Child Nutrition Programs Division, Food and Nutrition Service-USDA, 3101 Park Center Drive, Alexandria, Virginia 22302, (703) 305-2680 Les Johnson, Director of Food Distribution Division http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Summer/AboutSFSP/Default.htm Nutrition Program for the Elderly Why This Resource Is Useful: The Nutrition Program for the Elderly (NPE) provides nutrition assistance to the elderly. Eligibility: People. Age is the only factor used in determining eligibility. People age 60 or older and their spouses, regardless of age, are eligible for NPE benefits. There is no income requirement to receive meals. Description: The Nutrition Program for the Elderly (NPE) provides elderly persons with nutritious meals through Meals-on-Wheels programs or in senior citizen centers and similar settings. The NPE is administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and receives about a quarter of its total financial support and commodity foods from USDA under provisions of the Older Americans Act of 1965. USDA provided reimbursement for more than 21 million meals a month in FY 1999. Congress appropriated $140 million to USDA for NPE in 2000. Each recipient can contribute as much as he or she wants towards the cost of the meal, but meals are free to those who cannot make any contribution. Under NPE, USDA provides cash reimbursements and/or commodity foods to organizations that provide meals through DHHS programs. Meals served must meet a specific percentage of the Recommended Dietary Allowances in order to qualify for cash or commodity assistance. Deadlines: None Contacts: The program is directly managed in each state by an agency of state government. However, national information can be obtained through the USDA Food and Nutrition Service: Food Distribution Division Food and Nutrition Service-USDA 3101 Park Center Drive Alexandria, VA 22302 (703) 305-2680 Department of Health and Human Services - Administration on Aging 200 Independence Ave, SW; Washington, DC 20210, (202) 619-2005 or 1-800-696-6775 http://www.fns.usda.gov/fdd/MENU/APPLICANTS/ELDERLY/npehom.htm Afterschool Care Snacks for At-Risk Children Why This Resource Is Useful: After-school snacks give children a nutritional boost and draw them into supervised activities that are safe, fun, and filled with learning opportunities. Eligibility: People. School-aged children through age 18, who participate in programs that provide structured educational or enrichment activities after the end of their school day, are eligible for afterschool care snacks. Description: Nutritious snacks for children in afterschool care programs are available to school districts in the National School Lunch Program, and to public or private nonprofit community organizations through the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Afterschool care programs must provide educational or enrichment activities for school-age children in a structured, supervised environment. USDA payments for snacks are targeted at school districts and organizations that sponsor afterschool care programs in low-income areas. Best Practices: Project Hope makes afterschool time at Desert Horizon Elementary School meaningful, rewarding, and fun for each child. The program, for school-age children in kindergarten through eighth grade in Phoenix, AZ, focuses on each child's sense of self-value, confidence, and respect for others. The snack program provides food at a time when most children are hungry and have no where else to go for a healthy snack. Snacks are served family-style to provide a homelike atmosphere. Frequently, teachers help children make their own snacks, conduct taste tests, and hold discussions about where food comes from and the benefits of the nutrients found in the snacks. Deadlines: Afterschool care snack benefits may be obtained at any time during the school year. Contacts: Afterschool care snacks are available through the CACFP administering agency and the state agency that administers the National School Lunch Program. To locate the administering agency in your state, check: http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Contacts/StateDirectory.htm. You can also obtain information about afterschool care snacks from the: Child Nutrition Division Food and Nutrition Service-USDA 3101 Park Center Drive Alexandria, Virginia 22302 (703) 305-2680 Les Johnson, Director of Food Distribution Division http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Afterschool/default.htm Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Why This Resource Is Useful: CACFP provides nutritious meals and snacks to children and adults, and plays a vital role in improving the quality and affordability of day care. Homeless children living in shelters can also receive CACFP meals. Eligibility: People. Children age 12 and younger are eligible to receive up to two meals and one snack each day at a day care home or center through CACFP. Children who reside in homeless shelters may receive up to three meals each day. Migrant children age 15 and younger, and persons with disabilities regardless of their age, are also eligible for CACFP. Children through age 18 who participate in afterschool care programs in low-income areas are eligible for one snack each day. Adult participants must be functionally impaired or age 60 or older, and enrolled in an adult care center where they may receive up to two CACFP meals and one reimbursable snack each day. Description: CACFP benefits children and adults with nutritious meals and snacks and, with the licensing or approval required to participate in the program, better quality day care. Public or private nonprofit centers, Head Start programs, family day care homes, and some for-profit centers and homeless shelters get cash subsidies and donated commodity foods from USDA for serving meals and snacks that meet Federal guidelines. The meal reimbursements enable day care facilities to keep their fees lower, thus helping to make day care more affordable for many low-income families. USDA provides different levels of reimbursement for center and home-based day care. Meals served to children and adults from families with incomes at or below 185 percent of the Federal poverty level are reimbursed at higher payment rates. Higher payments are also paid to day care homes in low-income areas and to low-income day care home providers. Best Practices: Child nutrition programs like CACFP are one way we promise our children that we will work for their improved health and better future. CACFP combines resources, training, and accountability to support quality child care in almost a quarter of a million licensed and approved child care centers and family day care homes. With the incentives created by welfare reform for families to move from welfare to work, we have made a strong commitment to improve child care in America so that it serves the whole child and reaches all children, particularly low-income children. Through CACFP, 2.5 million children and 58,000 adults receive nutritious meals and snacks, each day, as part of their day care. Deadlines: CACFP benefits may be obtained at any time during the year. Contacts: CACFP is administered by the state education agency in most states. To locate the administering agency in your state, check: http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/care/Contacts/StateDirectory.htm. You can also obtain information about CACFP from: Child Nutrition Programs Division; Food and Nutrition Service-USDA; 3101 Park Center Drive; Alexandria, Virginia 22302; Stan Garnett, Director of Child Nutrition Division; (703) 305-2590 http://fns1.usda.gov/cnd/Care/CACFP/cacfphome.htm The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) Why This Resource Is Useful: TEFAP allows anti-hunger organizations like food banks to provide nutritious food to low-income individuals and families. Eligibility: People. Each State sets its own income limits for household eligibility to receive TEFAP food for home use. Description: The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) provides food assistance to needy Americans through the distribution of USDA commodities. Under TEFAP, commodity foods are made available by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to states for distribution to organizations that provide them to low-income households for consumption, and to organizations that use them in congregate meal service for the needy, including the homeless. States provide the food to local agencies that they have selected. TEFAP first began in 1981 when there were large amounts of surplus commodities available for distribution. In response to the decrease in the amount of surplus commodities, the 1988 Hunger Prevention Act required the Secretary of Agriculture not only to distribute surplus foods, but also to purchase additional food for further distribution to needy households. Congress appropriated $98 million for the purchase of TEFAP commodities and $45 million in administration and distribution funding for fiscal year 2000. Best Practice: TEFAP has provided billions of pounds of food since its beginning. More than 1 billion pounds, valued at $846 million, was distributed at the program's height in 1987. In 1999, more than 361 million pounds of food, worth more than $225 million, was distributed. Deadlines: None Contact: The program is directly managed in each state by an agency of state government. However, national information can be obtained through the USDA Food and Nutrition Service(FNS): Les Johnson, Director USDA, Food Distribution Division, Food and Nutrition Service 3101 Park Center Drive, Alexandria, VA 22302, Phone: (703) 305-2680; Website: http://www.fns.usda.gov/fdd/MENU/APPLICANTS/EMERGENCY/efaphom.htm For more information, please request the state TEFAP distributing agency directory from FNS. Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) Why This Resource Is Useful: This program provides nutritious food supplements/assistance for many Tribal groups struggling to eliminate hunger. Eligibility: People, Tribes. To participate in FDPIR, the household must meet Federal income requirements, have assets within specified limits, and be located near or on an Indian reservation. Description: This program provides commodity foods to low-income households, including the elderly, living on Indian reservations, and to Native American families residing in designated areas near reservations. Each participating household receives a monthly food package that weights 50-75 pounds and contains a wide variety of foods. Many Native Americans participate in the FDPIR as an alternative to the Food Stamp Program, usually because they do not have easy access to food stores. An average of nearly 120,000 Native Americans received food through FDPIR each month in 1997. The program is administered at the Federal level by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service in cooperation with 98 Indian Tribal Organizations and 6 state agencies. USDA donates a variety of commodities to help participants maintain a balanced diet. These commodities include canned meats and fish products; vegetables, fruits and juices; dried beans; peanuts/peanut butter; milk, butter and cheese; pasta, flour and grains; corn syrup, vegetable oil, and shortening. Best Practices: The Mountain Plains Region Advisory Committee, composed of directors and staff from six Tribes in the region, created of a series of seven videotapes, made in cooperation with the media director at Salish Kootenai College on the Flathead Reservation in Montana. The videos feature instruction on proper handling, storage, and use of commodities as well as presenting an effective cooking demonstration. Designed to be shown in the waiting areas of commodity warehouses, the videos have proven to be so popular that program participants are bringing family members with them just for a viewing when picking up commodities. In addition, other facilities, such as diabetes clinics, have expressed an interest in having the videos shown in their waiting areas. This was an important first step in developing a professional partnership with other health organizations on the reservations. Deadlines: Applications are accepted year-round. Contacts: The program is directly managed in each state by an agency of state government. However, national information can be obtained through the USDA Food and Nutrition Service: Les Johnson, Director USDA, Food Distribution Division, Food and Nutrition Service 3101 Park Center Drive Alexandria, VA 22302, Phone: (703) 305-2680; Web site: http://www.fns.usda.gov/fdd/MENU/SCHOOLS/INDIAN/fdpirhom.htm Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) Why This Resource Is Useful: The CSFP provides nutritious foods to low-income pregnant and breastfeeding women, postpartum new mothers, infants, children, and the elderly. Eligibility: People. Women, infants, children, and the elderly must reside in one of the eligible states or on one of the Indian reservations that participate in CSFP. Women, infants, and children must meet income eligibility requirements established by the state, while elderly persons must have income at or below 130 percent of the Federal poverty income guidelines. States may also establish local residency requirements based on designated service areas. States may also require that participants be at nutritional risk. Risk assessment can be based on a variety of measures, including height and weight measurements and blood tests. Examples of nutritional risk conditions include anemia and inappropriate weight for height. Description: Along with nutrition education information, participants receive monthly food packages targeted to the nutritional needs of their specific group, such as pregnant or postpartum women, infants, children, or the elderly. Food packages include a variety of foods such as infant formula and cereal, nonfat dry and evaporated milk, juice, farina, oats, ready-to-eat cereal, rice, pasta, egg mix, peanut butter, dry beans or peas, canned meat or poultry or tuna, and canned fruits and vegetables. Congress appropriated $88.3 million for CSFP in fiscal year 2000. For FY 1999, the appropriation was $86 million. More than 380,000 people each month participated in the program in FY 1999, including more than 269,000 elderly people and more than 112,000 women, infants, and children. Deadlines: State agencies must submit a state plan, or state plan amendments, by August 15 to be able to participate in the following fiscal year. Contacts: The program is administered by state agencies such as departments of health, social services, education, or agriculture. State agencies store the food and distribute it to public and nonprofit private local agencies. However, national information can be obtained through the USDA Food and Nutrition Service: Food Distribution Division Food and Nutrition Service-USDA 3101 Park Center Drive Alexandria, VA 22302 (703) 305-2680 http://www.fns.usda.gov/fdd/MENU/APPLICANTS/SUPPLEMENTAL/csfphom.htm For more information, please ask the Food and Nutrition Service for the state CSFP distributing agency directory. _____________________________________________ Chapter 4: Food Recovery and Donations-- Bolstering supplemental food provided by nonprofit groups by aiding food recovery, gleaning, and food donation programs. Summary Although the level of food security provided by the Federal nutrition safety net may be adequate to provide the foundation for community food security, the nonprofit sector in recent years has developed a very structured food assistance system which includes food recovery, gleaning, food donations, and other forms of nutrition assistance. The organizations that comprise this aspect of community food assistance include food banks, shelters, food pantries, religious organizations, brown bag clubs, and many other community-based grass-roots anti-hunger efforts. These organizations provide millions of pounds of supplemental food at the local level for our Nation's poor and hungry. Recently, many of these organizations have reported an increase in the demand for food by the working poor and many low-income families dealing with the complex realities of welfare reform. Nonperishable, Processed Food Collection: Food Banks Why This Resource Is Useful: Food Banks across America distribute food both to organizations which feed the hungry, and directly to those in need. Eligibility: Nonprofit organizations, Local charitable hunger-relief agencies, including food pantries, soup kitchens, women's shelters, Kids' Cafes, and other organizations that provide emergency food assistance. Description: Most Food Banks are members of America's Second Harvest, the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Founded in 1979, Second Harvest's mission is to feed hungry people by soliciting and distributing food and grocery products through a nationwide network of certified affiliate food banks, and to educate the public about the nature of hunger in America. The Second Harvest Foodchain network of over 300 regional food banks serves all 50 states and Puerto Rico by distributing food and grocery products to approximately 50,000 local charitable hunger-relief agencies. Last year, Second Harvest distributed 1 billion pounds of food and grocery products, providing emergency food assistance to more than 26 million hungry Americans, including 8 million children and 4 million seniors. Best Practices: Kids' Café. In 1989, Second Harvest Food Bank of Coastal Georgia opened the first soup kitchen in the nation exclusively for children. Four years later, Second Harvest officially launched a national program called Kids' Café. Kids' Café is now the Nation's largest charitable meal service of its kind. Second Harvest food banks operate nearly 200 Kids' Cafes in more than 50 U.S. cities. Each Kids' Café also provides valuable training in nutrition, and more than 70 percent of Kids' Cafes provide tutoring and homework assistance. Community Garden Program ­ South Plains Food Bank, Lubbock, Texas. Lubbock Green is a community garden program targeted at women which provides land, tools, water, seeds, and education for clients to grow fresh food to feed their families. A new component, the Market Garden, was established in 1997 to help low-income families to grow enough food to feed their families and still have enough excess to market. Deadlines: These services can generally be accessed throughout the year, although local affiliated programs may have their own yearly or monthly deadlines for select services. Contacts: Locations of local food banks are listed in appendix B of the Citizens' Guide to Food Recovery available at the Web site: http://www.fns.usda.gov/fns/MENU/gleaning/SUPPORT/CitzGuide/CONTENT.HTM America's Second Harvest, 116 South Michigan Avenue, Suite 4, Chicago, Illinois 60603 Phone: (312) 263-2303 x116; Web site: www.secondharvest.org Perishable and Prepared Food-Rescue Why This Resource Is Useful: This organization assists those involved in or wishing to begin perishable and prepared food rescue programs or donations, and matches donors to member programs that will use the gleaned or rescued food. Eligibility: Any interested party Description: Foodchain was previously the largest food-rescue operation in the country. In April 2000, Foodchain merged with America's Second Harvest; the organization now includes over 300 member programs in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. A network of prepared and perishable food rescue programs, Foodchain opened its doors in November 1992 with a staff of one. Membership requires organizations to comply with the network's food safety and donation guidelines. In 1997, Foodchain programs distributed more than 150 million pounds of food to 12,000 agencies. The organization provides technical assistance and marketing support, and matches donors to member programs. Generally, member programs operate in one of three ways: (1) Facilitating foodservice operations directly donating food to nonprofit groups; (2) physically picking up and distributing food to feeding sites; and (3) picking up and re-processing food centrally before re-distributing it. America's Second Harvest is also playing a leading national role in expanding its "Community Kitchens" Initiative , which trains the unemployed in professional kitchen skills while they re-prepare donated food into balanced meals. (Please see the Community Kitchens entry in Chapter 2 for more information.) Deadlines: These services can generally be accessed throughout the year, although local affiliated programs may have their own yearly or monthly deadlines for select services. Contact: Locations of local America's Second Harvest/Foodchain affiliate programs and other food rescue programs are listed in appendix B of the Citizens' Guide to Food Recovery available at the Web site: http://www.fns.usda.gov/fns/MENU/gleaning/SUPPORT/CitzGuide/CONTENT.HTM National Contact: America's Second Harvest, 116 South Michigan Avenue Suite 4, Chicago, Illinois 60603 Phone: (312) 263-2303 x116; Web site: www.secondharvest.org Perishable Produce Rescue or Salvage: From the Wholesaler to the Hungry Why This Resource Is Useful: From the Wholesaler to the Hungry helps cities establish programs to direct large donations of fresh fruits and vegetables to community agencies. Eligibility: Nonprofit organizations. Any U.S.-based nonprofit food distribution program that, (1) distributes food to agencies (not individuals); (2) has IRS 501(c)(3) certification; (3) makes food available to a broad spectrum of community agencies without regard to the agencies' functions or membership in terms of religious, ethnic, racial, age, or gender characteristics. Any program that serves individuals directly is not eligible. Description: In 1987, Mickey Weiss, a retired produce wholesaler, was visiting his son at the Los Angeles Wholesale Market. He watched as a forklift hoisted 200 flats of ripe, red raspberries, raspberries that had not been sold that day, and crushed them into a dumpster! Weiss' retirement didn't last long. Working out of donated office space at the market, he enlisted student volunteers to call community kitchens, while he persuaded friends in the produce business to "put good food to good use." To make his dream a reality, he formed a team that included the Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market and the Los Angeles County Department of Agriculture. Today, Mickey Weiss' Charitable Distribution Facility distributes more than 2 million pounds of produce a month to emergency feeding programs throughout southern California. In 1991, Susan Evans and Peter Clarke joined forces with Weiss. Wanting to replicate his concept nationwide, they designed a systematic consultation process to help cities begin their own fresh produce operations. They offer free technical advice and have helped launch 86 programs across the country. Deadlines: These services are accessible throughout the year. There are no deadlines. National Contact: Peter Clarke and Susan Evans, From the Wholesaler to the Hungry, Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, University of Southern California School of Medicine, 1540 Alcazar Street, CHP 208, Los Angeles, CA 90089-9008, (323) 442-2613, fax (310) 395-4078. Locations of local affiliate programs are listed in appendix B of the Citizens' Guide to Food Recovery available at the Web site: http://www.fns.usda.gov/fns/MENU/gleaning/SUPPORT/CitzGuide/CONTENT.HTM Field Gleaning: Society of St. Andrew Why This Resource Is Useful: The Society of St. Andrew takes excess produce from farmers or packers; this food is given to food banks, soup kitchens, and food pantries free of charge. Eligibility: Nonprofit Organizations Description: The Society of St. Andrew, which is the Nation's leading field gleaning organization, rescues over 20 million pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables yearly that would normally be discarded. The produce is taken as a charitable donation at growers' packing and grading sheds or gleaned directly from farmers' fields. Produce is delivered to food banks, soup kitchens, and food pantries free of charge through the national Potato Project program and local gleaning networks. Since 1979, the Society has gleaned 200 million pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables that were then distributed to feeding agencies throughout the United States. The Society has offices in Virginia, North Carolina, Mississippi, Texas, and Florida. (See appendix B.) Deadlines: These services can generally be accessed throughout the year, although local affiliated programs may have their own yearly or monthly deadlines for select services. Contact: Locations of local Foodchain affiliate programs are listed in appendix B of the Citizens' Guide to Food Recovery available at the Web site: http://www.fns.usda.gov/fns/MENU/gleaning/SUPPORT/CitzGuide/CONTENT.HTM National contact: Society of St. Andrew, 3383 Sweet Hollow Road, Big Island, Virginia, 24526, Phone: (800) 333-4597. USDA Food Recovery and Gleaning Initiative Description: USDA has made food recovery and gleaning a top priority. The Department is seeking to encourage, energize, and provide technical assistance to existing and new private, nonprofit, and corporate food recovery and gleaning efforts. Under this initiative, the Department co-sponsored, along with national nonprofit groups, the first-ever National Summit on Food Recovery and Gleaning. This conference set a national goal of increasing by 33 percent the amount of food recovered and gleaned by the year 2000 (over the 1998 base-line of 1.5 billion pounds)-- an additional 500 million pounds of food a year--enough to provide about 450,000 people with the equivalent of three additional meals a day. USDA also provided guidance to state agencies that administer The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) on how they can use TEFAP administrative funds to support the processing, transportation, and packaging of foods donated through food recovery and gleaning projects. Since the program's inception, USDA has sponsored or facilitated field gleaning projects in 29 states; these projects collected and distributed over 2 million pounds of fresh produce. There are four main grant and fund providers under this program. Each is listed below. Contacts: 1. National Hunger Clearinghouse: World Hunger Year--The National Hunger Clearinghouse is a program of World Hunger Year under contract with USDA. Its major emphases are gleaning and food recovery and answering the USDA Food Recovery Hotline: "1-800-GLEAN-IT"; however, the mission is much broader, providing information about numerous efforts to fight hunger across America. Included is information on hunger, nutrition, food security, sustainable agriculture, model anti-poverty programs promoting self-reliance, and volunteer opportunities. The Clearinghouse database already has thousands of organizations listed, from soup kitchens to restaurants. Contact: the National Hunger Clearinghouse, World Hunger Year, 505 Eight Avenue, 21st Floor, New York, NY 10018, 1-800-GLEAN-IT, or (212) 629-8850, ext. 151; fax (212) 496-9274. E-mail: NHCatWHY@aol.com 2. USDA Farm Service Agency--Each state office of the Farm Service Agency has appointed one staff member to coordinate field gleaning activities state-wide and to help food recovery and gleaning groups connect with farmers, ranchers, and orchard owners. Contact: your state coordinator (see appendix A, link to www.ree.usda.gov/food-security/foodshp.htm , or call the national coordinator: Sue Rourk King, (816) 926-6189, fax (816) 926-6189). 3. Cooperative Extension Service (CES) --This system is composed of USDA-affiliated programs at the land-grant universities in each state. CES helps diverse agencies and community- based groups work together to establish local hunger programs, promote food safety and proper nutrition, and aid food recovery and gleaning programs. Contact: List of state or local coordinators at http://www.pwd.reeusda.gov/pwd/pcontactlist.asp 4. USDA Community Food Security Initiative - This initiative provides Federal support to grassroots community food security efforts, including food recovery and gleaning activities. This initiative can provide information on all resources of the Federal government, including USDA, that can be used for food recovery and gleaning activities. Contact: Joel Berg, (202) 720-5746 or Joel.Berg@.usda.gov. http://www.reeusda.gov/food_security/foodshp.htm Kids Cafes Why this Resource Is Useful: Children who might not have enough to eat at home can receive a nutritious meal, afterschool supervision, and educational assistance all in a safe and friendly atmosphere. Eligibility: Any Interested Party. There are children in need in virtually every community in America. Description: Kids Cafe, a program of America's Second Harvest, is the Nation's largest charitable meal service and nutrition education program exclusively for needy children. The program helps to alleviate the problem of childhood hunger by providing safe havens where kids can go to get a square meal. Kids Cafes serve children of all ages and are located in places where they naturally congregate after school, such as Boys & Girls Clubs, religious institutions, and community recreation centers. By example and education focusing on wholesome meals, the goal of Kids Café is to feed and educate today's needy children to better enable them to become self-sufficient adults of the future. Currently, nearly 200 Kids Cafe sites are operating through the efforts of 55 America's Second Harvest food banks in 21 states. To expand the reach of the Kids Cafe program, ConAgra's Feeding Children Better program has become the national sponsor and is committed to opening 75-100 new Kids Cafe sites over the next 3 years. Best Practice: San Francisco's first Kids Café, located in the Bayview Hunters Point Community Center, serves a neighborhood that has one of the highest rates of childhood poverty in the city. By opening the Cafe in the community center, the San Francisco Food Bank is able to add an essential service to an already vital and unique program. The Kids Cafe not only provides nearly 100 kids with a well-balanced evening meal, but also offers the opportunity for kids to learn about cooking, nutrition, and food safety. The Bayview Hunters Point Community Center provides children with afterschool programming in science and technology, art, dance, ceramics, and academic tutoring. Now, the kids who visit the center can also sign up to be amateur chefs, helping to prepare and serve meals. Deadlines: Kids Cafes can be established any time of year, contact your closest America's Second Harvest Food Bank to generate interest and establish the best time for your community. Contacts: For information about local Kids Cafes, contact an America's Second Harvest Food Bank in your area. A listing of food banks is available online at http://www.secondharvest.org/foodbanks/foodbanks.html National Office: America's Second Harvest 116 S. Michigan Ave., #4 Chicago, IL 60603 ph: (312) 263-2303 Mary Joe Schnell, Program Director (ext. 164) http://www.secondharvest.org/ __________________________________________ Chapter 5: Community Food Production and Marketing --Improving community food production and marketing by aiding projects that grow, process and distribute food locally. Summary USDA community food production and marketing activities assist projects that grow, process, and distribute food locally. As is often the case in food-insecure communities, few community residents have the skills, orientation, or tools needed to produce their own food and many must travel significant distances ­ often without the help of appropriate transportation -- to purchase the freshest foods at the lowest prices. USDA community food production and marketing efforts often play critical roles in improving community food security by linking low-income individuals and families with low-cost food resources. Such activities also can allow even the lowest-income families to produce and utilize nutritious, affordable food. {Note: The WIC Farmers' Market Nutrition Program -- the largest single program directing aiding farmers' markets, is listed in this guide under: "Chapter 3: Federal Nutrition Safety Net"} Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program (FSMIP) Why This Resource Is Important: Money is available to help state agencies market agricultural products. Eligibility: State agencies. Description: The USDA's FSMIP provides matching funds, on a competetive basis, to state departments of Agriculture or similar state agencies to conduct studies or develop innovative approaches related to the marketing of agricultural products. Federal funds in the amount of $1.2 million have been provided for this program in the Department of Agriculture budget in recent years. FSMIP funds can be requested for a wide range of research and service work aimed at improving the marketing system or identifying new market opportunities for food and other agricultural projects. States are especially encouraged to develop projects that will benefit small, limited-resource farmers, including projects involving partnership arrangements with producer groups and community-based organizations interested in pursuing local or regional food-system strategies. Funding is not authorized for advertising or promotion. Nor is FSMIP designed to support long-term, basic research or, with limited exceptions, to purchase equipment or facilities. Best Practices: New York--$42,500 was awarded in 1999 to assist small farms in central New York in marketing specialty meat and poultry products, including the establishment of a producers' marketing association. California--$50,000 was awarded in 1998 to identify alternative market opportunities for wild salmon and to develop innovative marketing strategies for small, independent fishermen and dockside seafood buyers. Montana--$90,000 was awarded over a two-year period to investigate the market potential for flour and products made from Indian Ricegrass, to provide the Great Plains region with a new, high-value grain crop. Deadlines: Funds are allocated on the basis of two rounds of competition annually, with approximately one-half of the FSMIP appropriation involved in each round. While submission deadlines vary from year to year, proposals generally must be received by late January for consideration during the first round of fund allocations and by early May. Successful applicants can expect to have project approvals in place by May 15 for first-round applications and by September 1 for second-round allotments. Contacts: Lists of past projects and funding, and other information can be viewed on the Internet at www.ams.usda.gov/tmd/fsmip.htm For more information, contact: Larry V. Summers, FSMIP Staff Officer Transportation and Marketing Programs Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA P. O. Box 96456, Room 4006-S, Washington, D.C. 20090-6456 Phone: (202) 720-2704 Fax: (202) 690-4948 E-mail: Larry.Summers@usda.govor fsmip@usda.gov Loans for Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Why This Resource Is Useful: The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) provides direct and guaranteed loans to beginning farmers and ranchers who are unable to obtain financing from commercial credit sources. Eligibility: People. A beginning farmer or rancher is an individual or entity who (1) has not operated a farm or ranch for more than 10 years; (2) meets the loan eligibility requirements of the program to which he/she is applying; (3) substantially participates in the operation; and, (4) for farm ownership (FO) loan purposes, does not own a farm greater than 25 percent of the average-size farm in the county. (Note: all applicants for direct FO loans must have operated a farm for at least 3 years.) If the applicant is a business entity, all members must be related by blood or marriage, and all stockholders in a corporation must be eligible beginning farmers. Maximum Loan Amounts: -Direct FO or operating loan (OL): $200,000 -Guaranteed FO or OL: $700,000 Description: FSA has a special downpayment FO loan program to assist beginning farmers and ranchers to purchase a farm or ranch not valued at over $250,000. This program also provides a means for retiring farmers to transfer their land to a future generation of farmers and ranchers. The applicant must make a cash downpayment of 10 percent. Up to 30 percent may be provided by FSA in the form of a 10-year, 4 percent fixed-rate loan. The remaining balance may be obtained from a commercial lender or private party. FSA can provide up to a 95 percent guarantee if financing is obtained from a commercial lender. Applicants unable to qualify for a guaranteed loan may be eligible for a direct loan from FSA, which also provides borrowers with supervision and credit counseling. A Joint Financing Plan is available for beginning farmers or ranchers and other applicants. In this program, FSA lends up to 50 percent of the amount financed, and another lender provides 50 percent or more. FSA will charge a reduced interest rate on the loan. FSA conducts Sales of Inventory Farmland. FSA advertises acquired farm property within 15 days of acquisition. Eligible beginning farmers and ranchers are given first priority to purchase these properties at the appraised market value for the first 75 days after acquisition. If more than one eligible beginning farmer or rancher offers to purchase the property, the buyer is chosen randomly. Contacts: Applications for direct loan assistance may be made at the FSA county office serving the county where the operation is located. Local FSA offices are listed in the telephone directory under U.S. Government, Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency. For guaranteed loans, applicants must apply to a commercial lender who participates in the Guaranteed Loan Program. Local FSA offices have lists of participating lenders. Information on FSA beginning farmer loans and grants is available from: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency, Washington, DC 20250 http://www.fsa.usda.gov/dafl/flphome.htm State FSA offices can be found at http://www.fsa.usda.gov/edso/ Small Farm Program Why This Resource Is Useful: The USDA Small Farm Program provides information and support to the small farm community. Eligibility: People. Description: The goal of the Small Farm Program is to improve the income levels and the economic viability of the small farm enterprises through partnerships with the Land Grant System, public, and private sectors by encouraging research, extension, and education programs to meet the specific needs of small farmers. Through newsletters, publications, conferences, and other methods of information distribution, the Small Farm Program can increase and spread the knowledge needed to help small farms survive and prosper. Best Practices: The Small Farms Program has several publications available, including: -Getting Started in Farming on a Small Scale (USDA publication) -Overview of Small Farm Programs at the Land Grant Colleges and Universities -Directory of State Small Farm Program Coordinators -Small Farm Digest (USDA newsletter) -Proceedings of the National Small Farm Conference (1996) -Getting Help for Your Small Farm from USDA (USDA brochure on Small Farm Program) Factsheets on: Aquaculture, Asparagus, Beekeeping, Blueberries, Brambles, American Ginseng, Specialty Corn, Angora Goats, Cashmere Goats, Dairy and Meat Goats, Dessert Vines, Specialty Flowers, Foliage Plants, Earthworm Production, Exotic Fruits, Herbs, Exotic Livestock, Mushrooms, Shiitake Mushrooms, Specialty Mushrooms, Northern Nuts, Organic Farming, Peppers, Specialty Potatoes, Poultry, Pumpkins, Sheep, Strawberries, Specialty Vegetables, Wildflowers, and Woodlots. Publications can be downloaded off the Web, or requested by mail or e-mail. The Small Farms Resource Guide is available at http://www.reeusda.gov/agsys/smallfarm/guide.htm or by calling (202) 401-4385; Contact: Small Farm Toll-free Number: 1-800-583-3071 Website: http://www.reeusda.gov/agsys/smallfarm/ E-mail:smallfarm@reeusda.gov For any questions concerning the Small Farm Program, please write or call: Denis Ebodaghe National Program Leader - Small Farms USDA-CSREES, Stop 2220; Washington, DC 20250-2220 Phone: (202) 205-0467 Fax: (202) 401-5179 E-mail: debodaghe@reeusda.gov Farmer Direct Marketing Why This Resource Is Useful: Direct marketing helps small farmers develop new ways to market their products, including direct selling to restaurants and institutions, agri-tourism, pick-your-own farms, and farmers' markets. Eligibility: People. Small and medium-size farmers, especially minorities, should be aware of direct marketing options and may be eligible for assistance. Description: Direct marketing continues to grow in the U.S. as a method for small and medium-sized producers to increase their profits. All forms of direct marketing: farmers' markets, public markets, roadside stands, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), and pick-your-own operations are becoming increasingly popular with consumers who seek fresh and healthy agricultural products. The goal of the Wholesale and Alternative Markets program (W&AM) is to promote regional economic development and improve market access for the small to medium-size farmer, thus enhancing the overall effectiveness of the food marketing system and providing better-quality products to the consumer at reasonable cost.  The program focuses on wholesale, farmers', assembly, and public markets. W&AM plans and designs facilities, processes, and methods in cooperation with state and local governments, universities, farmer groups, and other segments of the U.S. food industry. Best Practice: Thomasville, GA., Regional Market Facility Study - This study was conducted in cooperation with the Georgia Department of Agriculture to evaluate the feasibility of upgrading the present market or building a new facility for the collection and assembly of produce grown in southern Georgia. This auction market provides access to the mass market for small- and medium-sized farmers in 67 counties in Florida, Alabama, and Georgia. Contacts: For general Information: See the USDA AMS Web page at http://www.ams.usda.gov/directmarketing or call 1-800-384-8704 For more information about direct marketing programs at USDA, please contact: Errol Bragg, Agricultural Marketing Specialist or Velma Lakins, Agriculture Information Specialist Wholesale and Alternative Markets-USDA P .O. Box 96456 Room 2649-S, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington DC 20090-6456 Phone: (202) 720-8317, Fax: (202) 690-0031, E-mail: Errol.Bragg@usda.gov Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Why This Resource Is Important: By joining a CSA farm, one can support local farmers while receiving delicious, healthy and fresh produce all season long. Eligibility: People. Description: In its most basic form the CSA farm produces vegetables for a group of subscribers who pay in advance to become farm members, and then receive a share of the harvest. Typically the farm members receive their share once a week, sometimes coming to the farm to pick up their share; other farms deliver to a central point. A "share" is usually enough to feed a family of four meat eaters, or two people on a vegetarian diet. Sometimes "half shares" are available. The price of a share for a season varies widely; depending on each farm's costs of operation, total months of distribution, variety of crops available and productivity of the soil. Many CSA farmers encourage members to get involved, so that subscribers can work alongside their farmer to learn more about how he or she grows food. For farmers, CSA offers a fair, steady source of income and a chance to talk directly with their customers. Most CSAs offer a diversity of vegetables, fruits, and herbs in season. Some provide a full array of farm produce including shares in flowers, eggs, meat, milk, honey, baked goods, and even firewood. Some farms offer a single commodity, or team up with others so that members receive goods on a more nearly year-round basis. Some are dedicated to serving particular community needs, such as helping to enfranchise homeless persons. Each CSA is structured to meet the needs of the participants, so many variations exist, including the level of financial commitment and active participation by the shareholders; financing, land ownership, and legal form of the farm operation; and details of payment plans and food distribution systems. Understanding the challenges facing family farmers in their own community makes people true partners in the local food system. By direct sales to community members, who have provided the farmer with working capital in advance, growers receive better prices for their crops, gain some financial security, and are relieved of much of the burden of marketing. Deadlines: CSA seasons occur at the same time as harvest seasons, so due dates for joining CSA's will depend on the climate of your region. Contacts: To find out more about Community Supported Agriculture, including how to find and join a CSA near you, go to: http://www.reeusda.gov/csa.html or contact: Robyn Van En Center Wilson College Center for Sustainable Living 1015 Philadelphia Ave Chambersburg, PA 17201 phone 717-261-2880; fax 717-264-1578 e-mail jayneshord@usa.net http://www.csacenter.org Farmers' Markets Why this Resource Is Useful: Farmers' Markets provide fresh produce to often under-served low-income communities and economic benefits to small farmers. Eligibility: Any Interested Party. Description: Setting up or participating in a farmers' market is easy (see page on Direct Farmer Marketing for possible USDA assistance), and the advantages are numerous; farmers gain direct access to markets to increase farm income, consumers gain access to food. Through a well-placed farmers' market, urban communities where fresh, nutritious foods are scarce can gain easy access to locally grown, farm-fresh produce. Farmers' markets also help to promote nutrition education, wholesome eating habits, and better food preparation, as well as boosting the community's economy. Sales at farmers' markets will total $1 billion this year, with most of the money going directly to small family farmers. USDA works closely with state departments of agriculture encouraging the increased development of farmers' markets to assist the small grower. Particular emphasis is placed on minority farmers and providing access to fresh fruits and vegetables to the urban, under-served consumer. One way USDA is accomplishing these goals is through the USDA-operated farmers' market, which is held weekly at department headquarters. Best Practice: As an alternative to conventional market entrance fees, USDA requires vendors selling at USDA-sponsored farmers' markets in Washington D.C., to participate in a food gleaning program. This strategy works effectively through a partnership with the DC Central Kitchen to collect all food donated by farmers at the close of each market day. In 1998, gleaning operations at USDA-sponsored farmers' markets in Washington, DC, facilitated the donation of more than 16,000 pounds of food to DC Central Kitchen. In the brochure How to Establish a Farmers' Market on Federal Property, USDA discusses ways to combine farmers' markets and gleaning initiatives. Contacts: USDA-Sponsored Farmers' Markets Jennifer-Claire Klotz Wholesale and Alternative Markets-USDA P.O. Box 96456 Room 2644-S, 1400 Independence Ave., Washington DC 20090-6456 Phone: (202) 690-4077; Fax: (202) 690-0031, E-mail: claire.klotz@usda.gov Information on farmers' markets, including the National Directory of Farmers' Markets, can be obtained on the Web at www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets or by calling (800) 384-8704. Community Gardens Why This Resource Is Useful: Community gardens provide fresh produce, local production and marketing, and community development for all forms of community, but especially for low-income communities. Eligibility: Any interested party Description: A community garden is any shared space where people come together to grow vegetables, flowers, or any plants. Through community gardening, individuals can produce fresh vegetables, beautify their neighborhoods, and make changes in their own communities in tangible, effective ways. Community gardens have a long history of success in all sorts of areas, even in the most dense cities. Whether planting a few seeds in a window box, or organizing the transformation of a trash-filled vacant lot into a space for an entire neighborhood to grow food, community gardening can be a worthwhile and plausible project for anyone. The most direct benefit of community gardening is the production of fresh, nutritious produce; however, many gardens become centers for education, food assistance programs, local marketing, and small business development. Community gardens often come in three forms: Public Community Gardens, School Gardens, and Special-Use Gardens. Unlike public community Gardens which utilize a common public plot divided up among community residents on a first-come, first-serve basis, Special-use gardens are created for a specific group of users and access is not necessarily open to all community members. Examples of special-use gardens include gardens in senior or community centers, AIDS housing facilities, public housing developments etc. If you want to start or expand a community or school garden, USDA and your state Cooperative Extension System Master Gardener programs can help you find a garden location, test the soil, select plants, and provide training on how to engage volunteers. USDA can also integrate your garden into other programs and connect you to sources for funding, seeds, and other resources. Best Practices: New Haven, Connecticut Livable Cities Initiative - USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is working with Urban Solutions, a nonprofit environmental group that employs 60-70 inner city youths during the summer months to clean up neighborhoods and develop the vacant lots that resulted from the destruction of condemned buildings as part of the New Haven Livable Cities Initiative. Contacts: To obtain help with gardening, call (202) 720-2593 http://gardening.usda.gov/ The USDA has appointed a Community Gardening Coordinator for every state. To find your states coordinator, go to www.reeusda.gov/food_security/foodshp.htm or contact Joel Berg at 202-720-5746; joel.berg@usda.gov Additional Contact: American Community Gardening Association (ACGA) 100 N. 20th St., 5th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103-1495 Phone: (215) 988-8785 Web site: www.communitygarden.org National Arboritium: 202-245-2726 Food Cooperatives: Financial and Technical Assistance to Farmer Cooperatives Why This Resource Is Useful: Food cooperatives provide opportunities for community food production and marketing. Eligibility: People, Nonprofits. Farmer cooperatives, groups of farmers interested in forming cooperatives, and nonprofit corporations and institutions of higher education that assist existing cooperatives and the development of new ones. Description: The Rural Business - Cooperative Service (RBS) agency of USDA Rural Development provides technical assistance, seed money, and information to food-related farmer cooperatives nationwide for a variety of purposes. This program has provided aid to producers interested in organizing farmers' markets on a cooperative basis, and has provided technical assistance to existing farmers' markets on economic issues. Best Practices: RBS provided $155,000 in grants and loans to the Smith Island Crab Meat Cooperative Inc., in Tylerton, MD, to purchase a state-of-the-art facility and equipment to meet state seafood processing requirements. The funding was used to purchase a building, stainless steel tables and counter tops, ice machines, cement floors, scrubable walls and ceilings, and proper storage facilities where 15 people process fresh seafood that is sold locally. RBS provided a $40,000 loan to a group of potato farmers based in Presque Isle, ME, to found a cooperative to sell potatoes in local and regional markets. The Maine Specialty Potato Farmers' Cooperative markets a number of different varieties of potatoes in the state and along the east coast, and also by mail though its "Potato of the Month Club." RBS provided a $75,000 grant to a meat production and shipping cooperative on the "Big Island" of Hawaii to expand its operations into specialty meat products production. The Hawaii Cattle Producers Cooperative Association was able to open a wholly owned subsidiary that offered its members value-added processing of meat products that were generally not exported to market. The Kona Specialty Meats company creates meat products such as sausage and beef jerky that is sold through a retail chain on the island. Deadlines: Vary depending on the type of loan or grant program. There is no deadline for non-monetary, technical assistance. Contacts: For the nearest Rural Development office, go to http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/coops/csdir.htm or look in the phone book under "U.S. Government Listings-U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development." Or contact: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Rural Business - Cooperative Service, 1400 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, DC 20250-3201; phone: (202) 690-4730. Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Program Why This Resource Is Useful: SARE provides grants to improve the environmental and economic sustainability of farming and ranching. Eligibility: Any interested party. Universities, nonprofit organizations, government agency staff, and agricultural producers are eligible for SARE grants. Proposal guidelines for each of the grants programs are available from the regional SARE offices or the national program office. Description: The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program provides grants to increase knowledge about practices that are economically viable, environmentally sound, and socially responsible, and to help farmers and ranchers adopt those practices. Extensive information is available on the SARE Web site at http://www.sare.org/ SARE's regional offices administer three grant programs. Two of SARE's grant programs, Producer Grants and Research and Education Grants, may be used for on-farm research to explore diversification and marketing opportunities. SARE Research and Education Grants generally ranging from $30,000 to $200,000 fund projects that usually involve scientists, producers, and others in an interdisciplinary approach. Typically $1.2 to $1.4 million is available for each region. SARE Producer Grants are for producers wanting to test an idea. Many producer projects involve on-farm trials with crops or livestock, but some have focused on marketing or educational activities. Usually, $150,000 to $200,000 is available for each region. SARE Professional Development Grants are used for a variety of professional development activities to spread the knowledge about sustainable concepts and practices gained from SARE projects, ranging from conducting workshops to creating educational videos to hosting on-farm training sessions for extension workers and conservation professionals. Successful proposals have ranged from $10,000 to $100,000 and from single- state to multi-state projects. Typically, $300,000 to $400,000 is available for each region for grants. Best Practice: Producing and Processing Sweet Sorghum in the Upper Midwest: A Wisconsin farmer who raised crops and livestock on 170 acres decided to scale back to grow high-value crops on fewer acres. As part of his new approach, this producer-grant recipient learned how to successfully grow sweet sorghum in Wisconsin's short growing season. The producer now sells sorghum syrup, as well as pumpkins, sweet corn, and broom corn for handmade brooms at local farmers' markets. Deadlines: All grant programs have only one application period per year. However, each grant has its own application, deadline, and focus. Each region solicits proposals and awards grants. Contacts: Jill S. Auburn, SARE Director, USDA-CSREES, Stop 2223, 1400 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-2223; (202) 720-5203; (202) 720-6071 (fax), jauburn@reeusda.gov For more info and your region's SARE contact: http://www.sare.org/ The Self Help and Resource Exchange (SHARE) Program and Food Co-ops Why This Resource Is Useful: SHARE and Food co-ops provide healthy food at reduced rates, while fostering cooperation among community residents. Food co-ops can also generate extra income for members. Eligibility: People, Nonprofits. Examples of the types of organizations sponsoring SHARE include: Community action agencies, food banks, social service providers, and religious organizations. SHARE participants are those willing to help themselves and their communities. More than half of SHARE's participants fall within 150 percent of the Federal poverty guidelines and live on fixed incomes. Anyone can join a food co-op; some food co-ops require members to volunteer a minimal number of hours per week or month. Description: By donating just 2 hours a month to a community enhancing activity, SHARE participants save 50 percent on a monthly food package ($14 for $30 worth of meat, fresh fruit, vegetables and staples such as pasta, rice and beans). SHARE participants decide how to complete the volunteer service. Coaching Little League, volunteering at a hospital, rehabilitating a playground, volunteering at the SHARE warehouse or a host site -- these are just a few examples of the ways SHARE participants choose to make a difference in their communities. Food packages are distributed through a network of 18 regional U.S. affiliates and 5,415 community-based organizations (SHARE host sites) comprised of churches, schools, senior centers, and other civic groups and organizations. Active in 22 states, SHARE affiliates work with these and other social organizations to distribute this low-cost food. Each month, more than 250,000 U.S. families help their communities and take advantage of significant savings on food through SHARE. Food co-ops are retail stores, owned by a group of members who adhere to a set of cooperative principles. Food co-ops are open for anyone to join, and membership allows you to assist in the decision making process, determining what functions the co-op can serve. Profit from the store accrues back to the members. An efficient food co-op can: Provide wholesome food at the lowest possible prices; Promote an environmentally sound, economically viable, and socially just food production and distribution system; Educate its members and its community about food, nutrition, and the socio-economics of food production and distribution; Educate its members and its community about co-operative values. Best Practices: Contact: To find the SHARE office nearest to you, call (888)742-7372. Web site:. http://www.worldshare.org/join/Affiliates.html For a directory of food co-ops in the U.S. and Canada, go to http://www.prairienet.org/co-op/directory/index.html ______________________________________________ Chapter 6: Education and Awareness--Boosting education and awareness by increasing efforts to inform the public about nutrition, food safety, and community food security. Summary USDA engages in a wide variety of education and awareness activities aimed at increasing public knowledge about nutrition, food safety, and community food security. Public education activities have been an intrinsic function of the Department since its founding by Abraham Lincoln in 1862. In reference to community food security, these activities help give Americans the tools to make wise choices ­ and take appropriation actions --- to improve the nutritious levels of their diet, the safety of their food, and the structures in their community to combat hunger. Team Nutrition Why This Resource Is Useful Team Nutrition involves schools, parents, and the community in efforts to continuously improve school meals and to promote the health and education of children. Eligibility: All schools participating in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs are eligible to enroll as Team Nutrition Schools. All children in these schools as well as the surrounding community are eligible to benefit from the nutrition education information provided to and through the school. Program Description: Team Nutrition uses three strategies to change behavior: Training and Technical Assistance focuses on four behavior outcomes for school and child care food service professionals: (1) planning and preparing healthy meals that appeal to ethnic and cultural taste preferences in all Child Nutrition Programs; (2) linking meals programs to other educational activities, such as learning in the classroom and developmental progress in child care; (3) providing nutrition expertise and awareness to the school or child care community; and (4) using sound business practices to assure the continued availability of healthy meals and the financial viability and accountability of school meal programs. Nutrition Education promotes comprehensive, behavior-based messages and education to enable children to make healthy eating and physical activity choices. Social cognitive theory is the foundation for efforts to help children understand how eating and physical activity affect the way they grow, learn, play and feel today as well as the relationship of their choices to lifelong health. School and Community Support focuses on agencies and organizations that actively support Team Nutrition goals and on decision makers within school systems such as school administrators, principals, teachers, and boards of education who can help create a healthy school environment for children. Contacts: U.S. Department of Agriculture Child Nutrition Division Food and Nutrition Service 3101 Park Center Drive Alexandria, VA 22302 (704) 305-2590 website: www.fns.usda.gov/tn or contact: Les Johnson, Director of Food Distribution Division, 703-305-2680 USDA Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program (FSNEP) Why This Resource Is Useful: Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program develops programs which educate food stamp recipients about how to use their food stamps wisely to build healthy and economical diets. Eligibility: FSP state agencies. Description: The FSP works to fulfill USDA's and the Community Food Security Initiative's goal of reducing hunger and food insecurity in partnership with cooperating organizations by providing assistance in purchasing food and building a healthy diet, and a healthy future. State agencies may enhance their FSP by creating state plans for nutrition education to further empower recipients with information, education, and skills to improve diets and health through community-based FSP nutrition education programs. Forty-six state agencies offer a program of nutrition education to FSP recipients. USDA reimburses states for half of their FSP nutrition education expenditures. FSP nutrition education projects aim at encouraging states to provide nutrition messages that focus on reinforcing the link between food security and a healthy diet by providing nutrition education and material to a large number of households. The ultimate goal is to enhance food and nutrition security for low-income families. State agencies with FSP nutrition education projects cover five Core elements which include: Food Security, Food Safety, Shopping Behaviors/Food Resource Management, Dietary Quality, and System and Environmental Change. Total Federal expenditures for FSP nutrition education funding in 1999 were $74 million. Fiscal year 2000 nutrition education expenditure is projected at $96 million. For more information on funding and eligibility, please contact USDA. Best Practices: State agencies use a variety of approaches, the most effective of which are those that not only increase knowledge, but also change diets. One currently successful method used by states is social marketing, in which nutrition messages are delivered to audiences in the context of their cultural orientation and values. Deadlines: State agencies submit state plans by August 15 for the coming fiscal year. Contacts: The program is managed directly in each state by the state human or social services agency. National information can be obtained through the USDA Food and Nutrition Service. U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service Food Stamp Program 3101 Park Center Drive Alexandria, VA (703) 305-2026 For General Food Stamp Information: 1(800) 221-5689 The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) Why This Resource Is Useful: EFNEP programs teach individuals to make choices in their everyday lives which can make their families and communities more food secure. Eligibility: People. Program: The Cooperative Extension System's Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) currently operates in all 50 states and in American Samoa, Guam, Micronesia, Northern Marianas, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. It is designed to assist people with limited resources to eat nutritionally sound diets, and to contribute to their personal development and the improvement of the total family diet and nutritional well-being. Through an experiential learning process, adult program participants learn how to make food choices to improve the nutritional quality of the meals they serve their families. They increase their ability to select and buy food that meets the nutritional needs of their family. They gain new skills in food production, preparation, storage, safety and sanitation, and they learn to better manage their food budgets and related resources such as food stamps. The delivery of EFNEP youth programs takes on various forms. EFNEP provides nutrition education at schools as an enrichment of the curriculum, in afterschool care programs, through 4-H EFNEP clubs, day camps, residential camps, community centers, neighborhood groups, and home gardening workshops. In addition to lessons on nutrition, food preparation and food safety, youth topics may also include fitness, avoidance of substance abuse, and other health-related topics. Best Practices: In Idaho, the new Welfare Reform Act has many welfare recipients scared and confused about how they are going to manage without welfare payments for themselves and their families. Amy is one of those people. She is just 21 with two children to support. Amy was having a hard time balancing work with the needs of her young family. An EFNEP Assistant met Amy while she was recruiting at the Women's, Infants, and Children (WIC) program for EFNEP. Amy told her how scared she was and how little time and energy she had to fix healthy meals and snacks for her children. The Program Assistant signed Amy on with EFNEP. She then learned during her EFNEP lessons about menu planning and grocery shopping. She also learned how to manage her time and money and plan ahead for special occasions. She had some hands-on experiences to learn how to make quick and easy meals and to plan all of her expenses. Deadlines: There aren't deadlines to meet, but guidelines to follow. To find out about the EFNEP program in your state, contact your county or state extension service. Contacts: Call your local county extension service listed in your local phone book. http://www.reeusda.gov/4h/efnep/annual.htm#annual USDA, CSREES, 14th and Independence SW, Washington, DC 20250, Wells Willis, National Program Director, (202) 720-8067 Dietary Guidelines for Americans Why is This Resource Useful? The Dietary Guidelines for Americans translate science into advice for healthy Americans age two years and over about making food choices that promote health and prevent disease. Eligibility: Any interested party. Any interested nutrition educator, health care practitioner, or individual can access this information. Description: The Dietary Guidelines for Americans are food-based recommendations aimed at the general public. They form the basis for Federal nutrition policy that affects nutrition guidance for the public as well as nutrition assistance programs. The guidelines are mandated by the Congress and are updated every five years to include the most recent scientific and medical knowledge. The next guidelines will be available in the summer of 2000. Dietary Guidelines for Americans can be downloaded off the Web: http://www.usda.gov/cnpp/dietary_guidelines.htm Contacts: U.S. Department of Agriculture Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion 1120 20th St. NW Washington, DC 20036 (202) 418-2312 The Food Guide Pyramid Why is This Resource Useful? The Food Guide Pyramid is an educational tool that translates the Dietary Guidelines for Americans into the kinds and amounts of food to eat each day. Eligibility: Any interested party. Any interested nutrition educator, health care practitioner, or individual can access this information. Description: The Food Guide Pyramid teaches the public about the total diet. It illustrates eating a variety of foods from the major food groups, it recommends moderation of fats and added sugar and suggests proportionality, which is eating more food from the food groups at the bottom of the pyramid and progressively fewer foods as one goes up the pyramid. The Food Guide Pyramid was also adapted for young children two to six years of age. The Food Guide Pyramid can be downloaded and ordered at: http://www.usda.gov/cnpp/pyramid2.htm Contacts: U.S. Department of Agriculture Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion 1120 20th St. NW Washington, DC 20036 (202) 418-2312 Interactive Healthy Eating Index Why is This Resource Useful? On the World Wide Web, people can learn how healthy their eating habits are, in terms of current dietary guidance, and what could be improved. As such, this application is an effective teaching tool. It benefits users by increasing awareness of diet quality; thereby promoting healthy eating behaviors. Eligibility: Any interested party. Any interested nutrition educator, health care practitioner, or individual can access this information. Description: The Interactive Healthy Eating Index (IHEI) is an on-line dietary intake assessment tool that allows a consumer to evaluate his or her diet quality. The IHEI is based on the 10 components of USDA's Healthy Eating Index (HEI), each representing a different aspect of a healthy diet for Americans, 2 years and older as defined by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and USDA's Food Guide Pyramid. The IHEI system processes user information on age, gender and dietary intakes and calculates an overall HEI score, its 10 component scores and intakes of 24 nutrients and dietary components. This system provides a summary output of the HEI score and its 10 component scores, compares the user's overall HEI to that of other Americans of similar age and gender, and links to dietary advice based on Federal dietary guidance. The estimated release date for the IHEI is April 2000. The Interactive Healthy Eating Index can be found at http://63.73.158.75/ Contacts: U.S. Department of Agriculture Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion 1120 20th St. NW Washington, DC 20036 Shirley Gerrior Peter Basiotis (202) 418-2312 Food Safety Education Why This Resource Is Useful: Food safety education is a key aspect of safe food recovery, gleaning and food assistance. Eligibility: People, Nonprofit organizations, Businesses. Description: Education on Meat and Poultry Safety USDA conducts a wide variety of activities to help the American public understand how to properly purchase, handle, store, prepare, and cook meat and poultry in order to ensure its safety. USDA also sponsors a toll-free meat and poultry hotline (1-800-535-4555) and participates with HHS in the "Fight BAC" food safety education campaign.( http://www.fightbac.org ). Food Safety and Quality National Initiative This program focuses on reducing the incidence of food-borne illness through improving safe food handling practices, improving processes that safeguard the food supply, and improving the understanding of food-related risks. Competitive grants are awarded annually to support the development of food safety education programs that provide education and training in safe food selection and preparation, food sanitation and storage, food preservation (canning, drying, freezing), safe food handling, seafood safety, aquaculture, pesticide residues in foods, biotechnology, and food irradiation and also address the use of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point concepts in assuring the safety of the food supply. Approximately $20 million has been spent on this program since 1991. Additional information for consumers, educators and producers can be found at http://www.foodsafety.gov Food safety information targeted to senior citizens can also be found at http://www.foodsafety.gov/~fsg/fsgsr.html. Contacts: U.S. Department of Agriculture FSIS Food Safety Education 1400 Independence Ave. SW Washington, DC 20250 (202) 720-7943 www.fsis.usda.gov ____________________________________________ Chapter 7: Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation --- Improving research, monitoring, and evaluation efforts to help communities assess and strengthen food security. Summary: USDA's research, monitoring, and evaluation efforts are spread across a number of USDA agencies. The Department's Research, Education, and Economics (REE) mission area, is assigned Federal leadership responsibility for the creation and dissemination of knowledge spanning the biological, physical, and social sciences related to agricultural research, economic analysis, statistics, Extension, and higher education. Four key USDA agencies, implement the Department's research, education, and economics mission, Agricultural Research Service (ARS), including the National Agricultural Library; Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES); Economic Research Service (ERS); National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). The Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services (FCNS) mission area, including the Food and Nutrition Service and Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, also carryout significant research, monitoring, and evaluation activities. Food and Nutrition Assistance Research Program Why Is This Resource Useful? The Food and Nutrition Research Program (FANRP) at USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS) addresses the research needs of the Nation's food assistance and nutrition programs. FANRP research analyzes the benefits of improved diets and food choices, the factors that influence diet and nutrition, and the outcomes of policies and programs aimed at improving the nutrition, well-being, and food security of Americans. Eligibility: Any interested party. Description: FANRP fully funds a portfolio of extramural research topics designed to meet the critical information needs of program managers, policy officials, the research community, and the public at large. FANRP also conducts intramural research at ERS. Through partnerships with other agencies and organizations, FANRP enhances national survey maintenance and development. FANRP conducts legislatively mandated studies. FANRP also contributes to basic science that relates to program implementation and evaluations. To meet the programmatic needs of the Department and to promote research from a broad arena, FANRP uses a variety of funding mechanisms. The extramural research program is publicly announced and competitively awarded through the use of peer review panels. Contracts are used when a very specific product is required, such as compliance with a Congressional mandate. The Competitive Grants and Cooperative Agreements Program is used when the intent is to stimulate new and innovative research or to undertake projects conducted jointly with ERS researchers. The Small Grants Program funds grant competitions at five administering institutions, each of which focuses on a particular facet of food assistance, such as diet and health outcomes, relationships to poverty and well-being, rural issues, and special at-risk population groups. Deadlines: Deadlines for submitting proposals are typically in mid-May. Check the FANRP Web site at www.ers.usda.gov/briefing/foodasst for up-to-date information. Contacts: FANRP Office, USDA Economic Research Service,1800 M Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036 Phone: (202) 694-5405, E-mail: fanrp@ers.usda.gov, Web site: www.ers.usda.gov/briefing/foodasst Federal Food Security Measurement Project Why Is This Resource Useful? This instrument is specifically designed to measure the prevalence of household food insecurity and hunger in the United States. Eligibility: Any interested party. Any interested researcher, nonprofit group, government agency, or individual can implement the Food Security Measure at a local level. Information is available at the ERS Domestic Food Security and Hunger Web site: www.ers.usda.gov/briefing/foodsecurity. Description: Data to measure household food security are collected annually in the Current Population Survey (CPS) Food Security Supplement, a questionnaire administered by the Census Bureau to nearly 45,000 nationally representative households. The supplement contains questions about a wide range of perceptions and behaviors that have been reported by households known to have difficulty meeting their food needs. Taken together, a set of 18 key questions characterize households as food secure, food insecure without hunger, food insecure with moderate hunger, and food insecure with severe hunger. The measure looks only at food insecurity and hunger related to financial constraints. Nationally representative data were collected using supplements to the Current Population Survey (CPS) from 1995 through 1999. Annual CPS supplements are planned for 2000 and beyond. The survey module is also planned for implementation in USDA's Continuing Survey of Food Intake by Individuals (CSFII), the National Center for Health Statistics' National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), and other national, state, and local surveys. The Federal measure questions have been added to several Federal and State surveys including the fourth National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES 4), Survey of Program Dynamics, Continuing Survey of Food Intake by Individuals (CSFII), and the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study. A newly updated Guide to Measuring Household Food Security--2000: Revised Edition of the Guide to Implementing the Core Food Security Module (1997) will be available on the Web site (www.ers.usda.gov/briefing/foodsecurity) in early 2000. Deadlines: It is anticipated that the food security supplement data will be collected annually alternating between April and September. Contacts: Mark Nord, USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) Phone: (202) 694-5433; Fax: (202) 694-5642; E-mail: marknord@ers.usda.gov Web site: www.ers.usda.gov/briefing/foodsecurity Community Food Security Assessment Toolkit Why This Resource Is Useful: The goal of the Toolkit is to provide communities with the necessary tools not only to measure food security at the household level, but also to assess each of the key social, economic, and institutional components of a food-secure community. Eligibility: Any interested party. The toolkit will be available to any interested researcher, nonprofit group, government agency, or individual. Description: The Community Food Security Assessment Toolkit will be a standardized set of measurement tools that local communities can use to assess various components of community food security, including the availability of and participation in USDA food assistance programs, community food systems, food access, and supplemental/emergency feeding infrastructures. The key components of the toolkit will include instruments and techniques for collecting and analyzing data. Deadlines: There are no deadlines for using or obtaining the toolkit. ERS estimates that the Toolkit will be available for distribution in mid-2000. Contacts: Linda Kantor, USDA Economic Research Service Phone: (202) 694-5456; Fax: (202) 694-5688; E-mail: lkantor@ers.usda.gov Margaret Andrews, USDA Economic Research Service Phone: (202) 694-5441; E-mail: mandrews@ers.usda.gov Web site: www.ers.usda.gov Selected Research Studies Funded by the Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Program Why This Resource Is Useful: The Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Program (FANRP) at USDA's Economic Research Service addresses food assistance and nutrition issues that relate to community food security. The forthcoming results of these studies will be of interest to researchers and to program officials at the Federal, state, and local levels. Eligibility: Any interested party. Any interested researcher, nonprofit group, government agency, or individual can access this information. Description: Studies in progress that may be of particular interest include: Food Stamp Program Caseload Decline Program Access and Declining Food Stamp Participation What Explains Changes in Food Stamp Program Caseloads? The Effects of Welfare Implementation on Food Stamp Caseloads Causes and Consequences of Food Insufficiency After Welfare Reform Welfare Reform Expanded Study of Welfare Reform on Immigrants Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)-Leavers' Use of Food Stamps Studies of Households Who Leave the Food Stamp Program Study of the Emergency Food Assistance System: Provider and Recipient Characteristics Better Serving the Working Poor Improving Access to Food Stamps for Low-Income Working Households Restructuring Food Stamps to Help Working Families Food Security Measurement and Research Measuring Food Security: Current Population Survey Supplements Community Food Security Assessment Toolkit Hunger: Its Risk and Impact in Poor, Female-Headed Households with Children Nutrition and Health Food Security and Health Outcomes in the California Health Interview Survey Nutrition and Health Outcomes of USDA Food and Nutrition Assistance Programs Deadline: Expected completion dates vary by study. For up-to-date information see the FANRP web site at www.ers.usda.gov/briefing/foodasst Contact: FANRP Office, USDA Economic Research Service Phone: (202) 694-5405; Fax: (202)-694-5667; E-mail: fanrp@ers.usda.gov National Nutrition Safety Net: Tools for Community Food Security Why This Resource Is Useful: The National Nutrition Safety Net: Tools for Community Food Security will help communities assess how well they use USDA's nutrition assistance programs, spot potential barriers to the food security of community members, and take action to improve program performance. Eligibility: Any Interested party. All community members--program providers, service organizations, public officials, anti-hunger coalitions, concerned citizens, and program participants--can use this tool kit to identify and fulfill the potential of USDA's nutrition assistance programs. Description: Each year, the Federal government invests billions of dollars in nutrition assistance for children and other low-income people. The success of this investment depends substantially on local offices and program providers across the country. USDA has recently produced a new guide to help communities improve access to all of its nutrition assistance programs. This guide includes specific guidance on how to improve program access for many under-served groups such as immigrants, working families, the homeless, and senior citizens. The tool kit contains a set of checklists that communities can use to assess their use of one, two or all of USDA's nutrition assistance programs. These checklists will help users spot potential barriers to participation that may cause eligible people to miss out on benefits--and from which the whole community would benefit. Many of these people are from groups that are traditionally under-served such as immigrants, working families, the homeless, and elderly citizens. The checklist highlights a variety of ways to strengthen programs in communities. The tool kit also points to sources for more information on community food security and provides a means to provide community feedback on the guide (toolkit@fns.usda.gov). Deadlines: None. Contact: Guides will be available publicly in mid-2000. Copies can be obtained at http://www.fns.usda.gov/fns, by calling (703) 305-2134, or by writing to Food Security Tool Kit, Office of Analysis, Nutrition and Evaluation, Food and Nutrition Service, 3101 Park Center Drive, Alexandria, VA 22302-1594. Guide to Measuring Household Food Security (Revised Edition) Why This Resource Is Useful: It provides the necessary tool for people who want to measure the severity and extent of food insecurity and hunger within their community, local region, or state. Eligibility: Any Interested party. This "how-to" guide and the core set of food security questions is available to any interested researcher, nonprofit group, government agency, or individual. Description: This guidebook thoroughly describes the measurement tools developed by a federal interagency working group, drawing on substantial private-sector expertise. The measurement method is designed to be practical and useful for many applications by State and community groups throughout the country. The Guide to Measuring Household Food Security provides "hands-on" descriptions of all the necessary steps in using the core set of food security questions, coding the data collected for analysis, dealing with missing items, scaling the data using standard methods, and determining the severity and prevalence of food insecurity and hunger within the population surveyed. Since survey results obtained in this way are based on the same methods used for the annual national estimates reported by USDA, local results can be readily compared to the national figures. Deadlines:None. Contact: Copies can be obtained at www.ers.usda.gov/briefing/foodsecurity, by calling (703) 305-2134, or by writing to Office of Analysis, Nutrition and Evaluation, Food and Nutrition Service, 3101 Park Center Drive, Alexandria, VA 22302-1594. Gary Bickel, Food and Nutrition Service, (703) 305-2125 Thrifty Food Plan Why This Resource Is Useful: The Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) is used as the basis for food stamp allotments. Eligibility: Any interested party. Any interested researcher, nonprofit group, government agency, or individual can access this information. Description: The TFP serves as a national standard for a nutritious diet at a minimal cost and is used as the basis for food stamp allotments. It reflects current dietary recommendations, food consumption patterns, food composition data, and food prices. The TFP market baskets specify the type and quantity of foods that people could consume at home to obtain a nutritious diet at a minimal cost. There are 12 market baskets for 12 specific age-gender groups: Children ages: 1 year, 2 years, 3-5 years, 6-8 years, and 9-11 years, males ages: 12-14 years, 15-19 years, 20-50 years, and 51 years and over, and females ages: 12-19 years, 20-50 years, and 51 years and over. To help implement the TFP, the market basket for a family of four was converted into menus and recipes that may be used by food stamp recipients or households with a limited food budget. Contacts: U.S. Department of Agriculture Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion 1120 20th St. NW Washington, DC 20036 (202) 418-2312 Contact: Peter Basiotis National Agricultural Library Why Is This Resource Useful? The National Agricultural Library (NAL) is one of the world's largest and most accessible agricultural research libraries. It plays a vital role in supporting research, education, and applied agriculture. The National Agricultural Library's collection of over 3.3 million items serves as the U.S. center for the international agricultural information system, coordinating and sharing resources and enhancing global access to agricultural data. Eligibility: Any Interested Party. NAL's lending policies and guidelines are described in detail on the following Web site: http://www.nal.usda.gov/ddsb Description: The National Agricultural Library supports a number of Specialized Information Centers relevant and of interest to community food security issues: Alternative Farming Systems Information Center (AFIC); http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic Animal Welfare Information Center (AWIC); http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic Food and Nutrition Information Center (FNIC); http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic Rural Information Technology Center (RIC); http://www.nal.usda.gov/ric Technology Transfer Information Center (TTIC); http://www.nal.usda.gov/ttic Water Quality Information Center (WQIC); http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic Other Special Emphasis Information Resources include: Agricultural Trade and Marketing; http://www.nal.usda.gov/atmic Aquaculture; http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/afsaqua.htm Biotechnology; http://www.nalusda.gov/bic Farmland Information; http://www.farmlandinfo.org/fic/home.html Food-borne Illness Education; http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodborne/foodborn.htm National Center for Agricultural Law Research and Information; http://law.uark.edu/arklaw/aglaw/ Plant Genome; http://www.nal.usda.gov/pgdic Rural Information Center Health Service; http://www.nal.usda.gov/ric/richs Sustainable Agriculture Network; http://www.sare.org Youth and Kids Pages in Agriculture; http://www.nal.usda.gov/youthkids.html Contacts: National Agricultural Library, 10301 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, MD 20705-2351 (301) 504-5755 The NAL Web site, http://www.nal.usda.gov provides access to NAL's many resources and serves as a gateway to its associated institutions. APPENDIX A: USDA Community Food Security Liaisons and Food Recovery and Gleaning Coordinators Liaisons can provide one-stop shopping to refer you to the right resources for a wide variety of community food security-related activities. Food recovery and gleaning coordinators can help link up local farmers and ranchers will excess production to contribute with organizations that feed the hungry. May 30, 2000 USDA DIRECTORY OF STATE COMMUNITY FOOD SECURITY LIAISONS (CFSL) AND FSA FIELD GLEANING AND FOOD RECOVERY (FG/FR) COORDINATORS Community Food Security Liaisons Field Gleaning/Food Recovery Coordinators State Name Address Phone FAX E-mail Address Name Address Phone FAX E-mail Address AL Henry Pace USDA - Rural Development 4121 Carmichael Rd. Suite 601 Montgomery, AL 36106 334-279-3404 334-279-3409 henry.pace@al.usda.gov Vickie C. Anthony Alabama State FSA Office P. O. Box 235013 Montgomery, AL 36106 334-279-3500 334-279-3550 vickie.anthony@al.usda.gov AK Jimmy LaVoie Alaska State FSA Office 800 W. Evergreen St., Suite 216 Palmer, AK 99645 907-761-7751 907-761-7789 jimmy.lavoie@bbs.fsa.usda.gov SAME AS Carol S. Whitaker, Ed. D.,CFCS Director, Agriculture, Human and Natural Resources Am. Samoa Community College P. O. Box 5319 Pago Pago, AS 96799 684-699-1394 684-699-5011 whitakerc@rocketmail.com NONE AZ Tammy Ellsworth USDA - FNS 2400 N. Central Ave. Suite 102 Phoenix, AZ 85234 602-379-4941 602-379-6019 tammy_ellsworth@fns.usda.gov Monte Nevitt Arizona State FSA Office 77 E. Thomas Rd, Suite 240 Phoenix, AZ 85012 602-640-5200 Ext. 226 602-640-2652 monte.nevitt@az.usda.gov AR Christine Stachowiak Cooperative Extension Service 2301 S. University Ave. P. O. Box 391 Little Rock, AR 72203 501-671-2103 501-671-2294 cstachowiak@uaex.edu Karen J. Petrus Arkansas State FSA Office 700 W. Capitol Ave. Rm 3416, Fed. Bldg. Little Rock, AR 72201 501-301-3017 501-301-3086 karen.petrus@ar.usda.gov CA Jerome Jeffries California State FSA Office 430 G Street, #4161 Davis, CA 95616-4161 Gail Feenstra Sustainable Agriculture, Research, & Education Program University of California One Shields Avenue Davis CA 95616-8716 530-792-5520 530-792-5555 jerome.jeffries@ca.usda.gov 530-752-7556 530-754-8550 gwfeenstra@ucdavis.edu SAME Community Food Security Liaisons Field Gleaning/Food Recovery Coordinators CO Karen Wilken, Extension Specialist, Food and Nutrition Colorado State University Cooperative Extension 214-E Gifford Fort Collins, CO 80523-1571 Elena Serrano, Assoc. Ext. Spec. Dept. of Food Science & Nutrition Colorado State University Fort Collins, CO 80523-1571 970-491-5798 970-491-7252 wilken@cahs.colostate.edu 970-491-2404 970-491-7252 serrano@cahs.colostate.edu David Schneider Colorado State FSA Office 655 Parfet Str., Suite E-305 Lakewood, CO 80215-5517 303-236-2868 Ext. 227 303-236-2879 dave.schneider@bbs.fsa.usda.gov CT Linda Drake, Coop. Ext. System Nutritionist & EFNEP Director University of CT 3624 Horsebarn Road Ext. Storrs, CT 06269-4017 860-486-1783 860-486-3674 ldrake@canr.cag.uconn.edu Ross Eddy, CED Hartford-Tolland County FSA 627 River Street Windsor, CT 06095 860-688-7725 860-688-0083 ross.eddy@ct.usda.gov DE Sue Snider, University of DE. Dept. of Animal and Food Sciences, Trailer C Newark, DE 19717 302-831-2524 302-831-2822 snider@udel.edu Robin Talley Delaware State FSA Office 1201 College Park Dr.,Suite 101 Dover, DE 19904-8713 302-678-4250 302-678-9100 robin.talley@bbs.fsa.usda.gov FL Freddie Hickmon Florida State FSA Office P. O. Box 141030 Gainesville, FL 32614-1030 352-379-4523 352-379-4580 freddie.hickmon@fl.usda.gov SAME GA Art Greenberg USDA - NRCS 355 E. Hancock Ave., Stop 210 Athens, GA 30601-2775 706-546-2056 706-546-2276 art.greenberg@ga.nrcs.usda.gov Gloria S. James Georgia State FSA Office 355 E. Hancock Ave., Stop 103 Athens, GA 30601-2775 706-546-2256 Ext. 5730 706-546-2014 gloria.james@ga.usda.gov HI Steve Bazzell, FSA Hawaii State & Pacific Basin 300 Ala Moana Blvd. Rm 5-112 Honolulu, HI 96850 808-541-2600, Ext. 142 808-541-2648 steve.bazzell@hi.usda.gov SAME ID Richard Rush, SED Idaho State FSA Office 9173 W. Barnes, Suite B Boise, ID 83709 208-378-5650 208-378-5678 dick.rush@bbs.fsa.usda.gov Kaylyn Talbot, DD Ada County FSA Office 132 SW Fifth Avenue Meridian, ID 83642 208-888-1890 Ext. 106 208-888-1536 kaylyn.talbot@id.usda.gov IL Scherrie Giamanco Illinois State FSA Office 3500 Wabash, P. O. Box 19273 Springfield, IL 62794-9273 Stan Wilson Illinois State FSA Office 3500 Wabash, P.O. Box 19273 Springfield, IL 62794-9273 217-241-6600, Ext. 224 217-241-6619 scherrie.giamanco@il.usda.gov 217-241-6600, Ext. 228 217-241-6619 stan.wilson@il.usda.gov SAME Community Food Security Liaisons Field Gleaning/Food Recovery Coordinators IN Michael T. Moore Indiana State FSA Office 5981 Lakeside Blvd. Indianapolis, IN 46278 317-290-3030, Ext. 249 317-290-3024 mike.moore@in.usda.gov SAME IA Mary Swalla Holmes Rural Action State Coordinator 101A EES Bldg, Haber Road Ames, IA 50011-3070 515-294-6946 515-294-0684 x1holmes@exnet.iastate.edu Bryan Stocking, CED Woodbury County FSA Office 206 First Street, P. O. 708 Sergeant Bluff, IA 51054 712-943-2727 712-943-4363 bryan.stocking@bbs.fsa.usda.gov KS Trish Smith Kansas State FSA Office 3600 Anderson Avenue Manhattan, KS 66503-2511 785-539-3533 785-537-9659 trish.smith@bbs.fsa.usda.gov SAME KY Bonnie Tanner, USDA-CES Scovell Hall, Room 206 Univ.of Kentucky, College of Ag Lexington, KY 40506-0064 Pam Sigler, USDA-CES Scovell Hall, Room 205 Univ.of Kentucky, College of Ag Lexington, KY 40506-0064 859-257-3887 859-257-9032 btanner@ca.uky.edu 606-257-3887 606-257-9032 psigler@ca.uky.edu Troy Myers Kentucky State FSA Office 771 Corporate Dr., Ste. 100 Lexington, KY 40503-5478 859-224-7646 859-224-7632 troy.myers@ky.usda.gov LA Dr. Paul Coreil Cooperative Extension Service P.O. Box 25100 Baton Rouge, LA 70894 225-388-6912 225-388-4225 pcoreil@agctr.lsu.edu Bob Manuel Louisiana State FSA Office 3737 Government Street Alexandria, LA 71302 318-473-7721 318-473-7735 robert.manuel@la.usda.gov ME Michael Tardy, CED Androscoggin County FSA Office 254 Goddard Rd, P.O. Box 1938 Lewiston, ME 04241 207-753-9400, Ext. 310 207-783-4101 michael.tardy@me.usda.gov Steve Taylor Maine State FSA Office 967 Illinois Avenue, Suite 2 Bangor, ME 04401 207-990-9140 207-990-9169 steven.taylor@me.usda.gov MD Ms. Frankie Schwenk Univeristy of Maryland Cooperative Extension 4321 Hartwick Road, Sutie 209 College Park, MD 20740 301-403-4146 ext. 4151 301-403-4154 fs52@umail.umd.edu Elaine Greer Maryland State FSA Office 8335 Guilford Rd., Suite E Columbia, MD 21046 410-381-4550 410-962-4860 elaine.greer@bbs.fsa.usda.gov MA Richard McIntire Massachusetts State FSA Office 445 West Street Amherst, MA 01002 Dr. Anne Carter UMASS Extension Depart. of Plant & Soil Science Bowditch Hall, Box 30910 University of Massachusetts Amherst, MA 01003 413-253-4502 413-253-4540 richard.mcintire@ma.usda.gov 413-545-5216 413-545-0260 akcarter@pssci.umass.edu SAME Community Food Security Liaisons Field Gleaning/Food Recovery Coordinators MI Harry Brumer USDA Rural Development 1501 Cass Street, Suite A Traverse City, MI 49684 231-941-0951, Ext. 127 231-929-7890 harry.brumer@mi.usda.gov Sandi Durham Michigan State FSA Office 1300 Coolidge, Suite 100 East Lansing, MI 48823 517-324-5112 517-324-5120 sandi.durham@bbs.fsa.usda.gov MN Jim Meisenheimer Minnesota State FSA Office 375 Jackson Street St. Paul, MN 55101-1852 651-602-7719 651-602-7743 jim.meisenheimer@bbs.fsa.usda.gov SAME MS Wilson Murray USDA - NRCS Suite 1321, 100 W. Capitol St. Jackson, MS 39269 601-965-5628 601-965-4940 wmurray@ms.nrcs.usda.gov Sandra Brown Mississippi State FSA Office 6310 I-55 North P. O. Box 14995 Jackson, MS 39236-4995 601-965-4300 Ext. 106 601-965-4184 sandra.brown@bbs.usda.gov MO Brad Epperson, SED Missouri State FSA Office 601 Busi. Loop 70 W., Parkade Ctr, Ste 335 Columbia, MO 65203 573-876-0925 573-876-0935 brad.epperson@mo.usda.gov SAME MT Terry Streit, CED Ravalli County FSA Office 1709 N. First Hamilton, MT 59840 Dr. Lynn Paul Food/Nutrition Specialist Montana State University Extension Service P.O. Box 173360 Boseman, MT 59717-3360 406-363-1444, Ext. 100 406-363-5011 terry.streit@mt.usda.gov 406-994-5702 406-994-7300 lpaul@montana.edu SAME NE Patricia Brecka Nebraska State FSA Office 7131 A Street Lincoln, NE 68505 Elizabeth A. Birnstihl (Beth) Univ.of Nebraska Cooperative Extension P.O. Box 830703, 211 Ag. Hall Lincoln, NE 68583-0703 402-437-5888 402-437-5891 Pat.Brecka@ne.usda.gov 402-472-2966 402-472-5557 bbirnstihl1@unl.edu SAME NV Lee Carlson USDA -Nevada State FSA Office 1755 E. Plumb Lane, Suite 202 Reno, NV 89502-3207 775-784-5411, Ext. 110 775-784-5376 lee.carlson@nv.usda.gov SAME Community Food Security Liaisons Field Gleaning/Food Recovery Coordinators NH Valerie Long, Extension Service University of New Hampshire Kendall Hall Durham, NH 03824 603-862-2465 603-862-3758 valerie.long@unh.edu Mary Nichols New Hampshire State FSA Office 22 Bridge Street, 4th Floor Concord, NH 03301-4987 603-224-7941 603-225-1410 mary.nichols@nh.usda.gov NJ Mike Hamm Nutritional Sciences Dept. Rutgers University 96 Lipman Dr. New Brunswick, NJ 08901 732-932-9224 732-932-6837 hamm@aesop.rutgers.edu Al DiBella, Cumberland/ Atlantic/CapeMay FSA 1317 S. Main Road, Bldg. 3, Suite A Vineland, NJ 08360 856-205-1225 Ext. 2 856-205-0691 alfred.dibella@bbs.fsa.usda.gov NM Lloyd H. Wilhelm, CED San Juan County FSA Office 1427 West Aztec Blvd., Suite 1 Aztec, NM 87410 505-334-3090 505-334-8659 lloyd.wilhelm@nm.usda.gov SAME NY Tom Della Rocco, CED Albany County FSA Office 24 Martin Road, P. O. Box 497 Voorheesville, NY 12186 Jennifer L. Wilkins, PhD, RD Sr. Extension Associate, Div. of Nutritional Sciences 305 MVR Hall, Cornell Univ. Ithaca, NY 14853-4401 518-765-2326 518-765-2304 tom.dellarocco@ny.usda.gov 607-255-2142 607-255-0178 jlw15@cornell.edu SAME NC Thomas C. Starling, CED USDA - Farm Service Agency P. O. Box 2135 Elizabethtown, NC 28337 910-862-3179 910-862-6447 chubby.starling@nc.usda.gov SAME ND Kent Rockstad North Dakota State FSA Office 1025 28th St. SW P.O. Box 3046 Fargo, ND 58108-3046 701-239-5225, Ext. 229 701-239-5696 kent.rockstad@nd.usda.gov SAME OH Tamara Wilson Ohio State FSA Office 200 N. High Street, Room 540 Columbus, OH 43215 614-255-2457 614-255-2543 tamara.wilson@oh.usda.gov Christina (Chris) Piper Ohio State FSA Office 200 N. High Street, Room 540 Columbus, OH 43215 614-255-2446 614-255-2543 Chris.Piper@oh.usda.gov OK Kathleen M. James USDA - Rural Development 100 USDA, Suite 108 Stillwater, OK 74074 405-742-1014 405-742-1005 kathleen.james@ok.usda.gov Debi Anderson Oklahoma State FSA Office 100 USDA, Suite 102 Stillwater, OK 74074-2653 405-742-1156 405-742-1177 debi.anderson@ok.usda.gov OR Dan M. Sundseth, CED Linn/Benton/ Lincoln FSA Office 33630 McFarland Road Tangent, OR 97389-9627 541-967-5925 541-928-9345 dan.sundseth@or.usda.gov SAME Community Food Security Liaisons Field Gleaning/Food Recovery Coordinators PA John Cameron Pennsylvania State FSA Office Suite 320, One Credit Union Pl. Harrisburg, PA 17110-2994 Audrey N. Maretzki, Ph.D. Food Science Dept. 111 Borland Laboratory Pennsylvania State University University Park, PA 16802 717-237-2121 717-237-2149 john.cameron@pa.usda.gov 814-863-4751 814-863-6132 anm1@psu.edu SAME PR Nivia R. Fraticelli, NRCS 654 Munoz Rivera Ave. Suite 604, IBM Building HatoRey, Puerto Rico, 00918 787-766-5206, Ext. 236 787-766-5987 becky.fraticelli@pr.usda.gov Jacqueline Lazu 1607 Ponce De Leon Ave. Stop 24 Cobian's Plaza Building, Suite301 Santurce, PR 00909 787-841-3275 787-841-3217 jacqueline.lazu@pr.usda.gov RI Donna LaVallee, EFNEP URI Providence Center URI Cooperative Extension 80 Washington Street, Rm. 302 Providence, RI 02903-1803 401-277-5270/783-3383 401-277-5284 donnaLaVallee@uri.edu Paul Brule, SED Rhode Island State FSA Office 60 Quaker Lane, Suite 40 Warwick, RI 02886-0114 401-828-8232 401-528-5206 Paul.Brule@ri.usda.gov SC Mack G. Eubanks, Jr. South Carolina State FSA Office 1927 Thurmond Mall, Suite 100 Columbia, SC 29201 803-806-3856 803-806-3839 mack.eubanks@sc.usda.gov SAME SD Larry Tidemann, CSREES Ag Hall 134, Box 2207 D SD State University Brookings, SD 57007 605-688-4792 605-688-6347 tidemann.larry@ces.sdstate.edu Wayne Morgan, Dist. Dir. Butte/Lawrence County FSA 1847 5th Ave., P. O. Box 38 Bell Fourche, SD 57717 605-892-3368 605-892-6019 wayne.morgan@sd.usda.gov TN Betty Greer, University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service 119 Morgan Hall, P.O Box 1071 Knoxville, TN 37901 865-974-7402 865-974-7448 bgreer@utk.edu J. R. Kelley Tennessee State FSA Office U. S. Courthouse, 801 Broadway, Rm. 579 Nashville, TN 37203 615-736-5553 615-736-2835 jr.kelley@tn.usda.gov TX John E. Smith, III Texas State FSA Office 2405 Texas Avenue South College Station, TX 77840 Dr. Jenna D. Anding Extension Nutrition Specialist Kleberg Center, Room 220 Texas A & M Univeristy College Station, TX 77843-2471 979-680-5151 409-680-5235 john.smith.iii@tx.usda.gov 409-847-9227 409-847-8741 j.anding@tamu.edu SAME & Cristobal Perez, CED Cameron County FSA Office P. O. Drawer 1951 2315 W. Exp. 83 Frontage, Ste.1 San Benito, TX 78586 956-399-1311 956-399-0033 cris.perez@bbs.usda.gov Community Food Security Liaisons Field Gleaning/Food Recovery Coordinators UT Mark Warnick Utah State FSA Office 125 So. State Street, Rm. 4239 P.O. Box 11350 Salt Lake City, UT 84147 801-524-4542 801-524-5244 mark.warnick@ut.usda.gov SAME VT Linda Berlin-EFNEP Coord. University of Vermont-Extension Terrill Hall, Room 309B Burlington, VT 05405-0148 802-656-0669 802-656-0407 lberlin@zoo.uvm.edu Kristin Mason Orleans County FSA Office 59 Waterfront Plaza Newport, VT 05855 802-334-6090 802-334-1365 kristin.mason@vt.usda.gov VA Ava Marshall, Special Projects Rural Development Culpeper Bldg. Suite 238 1606 Santa Rosa Road Richmond, VA 23229 804-287-1554 804-287-1712 ava.marshall@va.usda.gov Jack Huber Virginia State FSA Office Culpeper Building, Suite 138 1606 Santa Rosa Road Richmond, VA 23229 804-287-1540 804-287-1723 jack.huber@va.usda.gov WA Steven Garrett Washington State University Cooperative Extension 3049 S. 36th St. Suite 300 Tacoma, WA 98409 253-798-7180 253-798-3165 sgarrett@wsu.edu Chris Bieker, Outreach Coord. Washington State FSA Office 316 W. Boone Ave., Suite 568 Spokane, WA 99201-2350 509-323-3014 509-323-3074 chris.bieker@wa.usda.gov WV Peg Reese USDA - NRCS 75 High Street, Room 301 Morgantown, WV 26505 304-284-7547 304-284-4839 peg.reese@wv.usda.gov Jeannie Blosser and Leanne Dilsworth West Virginia State FSA Office 75 High St., P. O. Box 1049 Morgantown, WV 26507-1049 304-284-4800 304-284-4824 jeannie.blosser@wv.usda.gov WI Joan Dorschner Wisconsin State Rural Development Office 4949 Kirschling Court Stevens Point, WI 54481 715-345-7615, Ext. 172 715-345-7699 joan.dorschner@wi.usda.gov Susan Hunter Wisconsin State FSA Office 6515 Watts Road, Suite 100 Madison, WI 53719-2726 608-276-8732 Ext. 141 608-271-9425 susan.hunter@wi.usda.gov WY Derrel Carruth Rural Development PO Box 820 Casper, WY 82602. 307-261-6300 307-261-6327 derrel.carruth@wy.usda.gov Susan C. Rorabaugh Wyoming State FSA Office 951 Werner Court, Suite 130 Casper, WY 82601-1307 307-261-5231 307-261-5857 susan.rorabaugh@wy.usda.gov DC Leslie Burks USDA - NRCS 2100 MLK Ave., SE, Suite 203 Washington, D.C. 20020 Usha Kalro University of District of Columbia 4200 Connecticut Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20008 202-645-6601 202-645-6103 lburks@md.nrcs.usda.gov 202-274-7131 202-274-7130 u-kalro@hotmail.com NONE USDA COMMUNITY FOOD SECURITY INITIATIVE-NATIONAL CONTACTS Name Address Phone Fax E-Mail Address Joel Berg, USDA Coordinator for CFS USDA Room 536-A 14th and Independence Aves., SW Washington, D.C. 20250 202-720-5746(phone) 202-720-7489(temp. fax as of 5/9) 202-690-1131(normal fax) joel.berg@usda.gov Jim Borland, Communications Coordinator USDA Office of Communications 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20250 202-690-0469 202-690-3611 jim.borland@usda.gov Ed Cooney, Senior Nutrition Policy Advisor USDA-Office of the Secretary, Rm. 352-A 1400 Independence Ave., S.W. Washington, D.C., 20250 202-690-9908 202-690-0042 ed.cooney@usda.gov Ty Couey 3101 Park Center Drive Alexandria, VA 22302 703-605-0765 703-305-1117 ty.couey@fns.usda.gov Jim Coyle USDA Room 536-A 14th and Independence Aves., SW Washington, D.C. 20250 202-690-0693(phone) 202-720-7489(temp. fax as of 5/9) 202-690-1131(normal fax) jay.coyle@usda.gov Linda Kantor 1800 M Street NW Rm. 3069 Washington, D.C. 20036 202-694-5456 202-694-5688 lkantor@ers.usda.gov Sue Rourk King USDA-Farm Service Agency 8930 Ward Parkway, Room 334 Kansas City, MO 64114 816-926-6189 816-823-2464 srking@kcc.fsa.usda.gov Lee Powell, USDA Empowerment Zones/Enterprise Communities 300 7th Street, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20024 202-260-5677 202-401-7311 lpowell@ocdx.usda.gov Nadine Sahyoun USDA-Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion 1120 20th St. N.W. Suite 200 Washington, D.C. 20036-3406 202-606-4837 202-208-2321 nadine.sahyoun@usda.gov Andrew Stelzer USDA Room 536-A 14th and Independence Aves., SW Washington, D.C. 20250 202-720-5881(phone) 202-720-7489(temp. fax as of 5/9) 202-690-1131(normal fax) andrew.stelzer@usda.gov Elizabeth Tuckermanty 800 9th Street, SW MAILING ADDRESS: 1400 Independence Ave SW Washington D.C. Stop 2241 20250-2241 202-205-0241 202-401-6488 etuckermanty@reeusda.gov Zy Weinberg 800 9th Street, SW, 2nd Floor 1400 Independence Ave, Stop 2241 SW Washington D.C. 20250-2241 202-401-1928 202-401-6488 zweinberg@reeusda.gov APPENDIX B: USDA Food and Nutrition Service Regional Offices MID-ATLANTIC REGION States Served: Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Virginia, Virgin Islands, and West Virginia Phone: 609-259-5025 Fax: 609-259-5147 Food and Nutrition Service, USDA Mercer Corporate Park 300 Corporate Blvd. Robbinsville, NJ 08691-1598 CARIBBEAN AREA OFFICE (641) Areas Served: Puerto Rico: All; Virgin Islands: St. Croix, St. John, St. Thomas Phone: 787-766-5586 Fax: 787-766-5076 Caribbean Area Office Food and Nutrition Service, USDA IBM Bldg., Suite 702 654 Avenida Munoz Rivera San Juan, PR 00918-4125 MIDWEST REGION States Served: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin Phone: 312-353-6664 Fax: 312-886-2475 Food and Nutrition Service, USDA 77 W. Jackson Blvd., 20th Floor Chicago, IL 60604-3507 MOUNTAIN PLAINS REGION States Served: Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming Phone: 303-844-0300 Fax: 303-844-6203 Food and Nutrition Service, USDA 1244 Speer Blvd., Suite 903 Denver, CO 80204-3585 NORTHEAST REGION States Served: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont Phone: 617-565-6370 Fax: 617-565-6472 Food and Nutrition Service, USDA 10 Causeway Street, Room 501 Boston, MA 02222-1071 SOUTHEAST REGION States Served: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee Phone: 404-562-1800 Fax: 404-562-1807 Dir., Field Operations Phone: 404-562-1911 Food and Nutrition Service, USDA 61 Forsyth Street SW., Room 8T36 Atlanta, GA 30303-3415 SOUTHWEST REGION States Served: Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas Phone: 214-290-9800 Fax: 214-767-0271 Food and Nutrition Service, USDA 1100 Commerce Street, Room 5-C-30 Dallas, TX 75242-1001 Food and Nutrition Service, USDA 1100 Commerce St., Room 5-C-30 Dallas, TX 75242-1001 WESTERN REGION States Served: Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands Phone: 415-705-1310 Fax: 415-705-1364 Food and Nutrition Service, USDA 550 Kearny Street, Room 400 San Francisco, CA 94108-2518 APPENDIX C: Resources, Listed by Types of Entities Eligible {NEED TO FILL IN} People (including individuals or households) Food Stamp Nutrition Program Women, Infant and Children Program (WIC) WIC Farmers' Market Nutrition Program The National School Lunch Program The School Breakfast Program The Summer Food Service Program The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) Food Distribution on Indian Reservations Nonprofit organizations (Including community action agencies and hunger groups) Businesses (Including for-profit affiliates of nonprofit groups) Government agencies (including state and local governments and school districts) Tribes (including any sub-entities of tribal governments) Higher education (including colleges and universities) Any interested party (any citizen, group, or agency can use the resource) APPENDIX D: Millennium Green-State Community Gardening Coordinators ******AS OF 7/13/2000******(38 states+PR and Mariana) State Name Address Phone Fax E-mail Address CA Marsha Gery State Outreach Coordinator USDA-NRCS 430 G. St. #4164 Davis, CA 95616 530-792-5604 530-792-5791 CO Gary Finstad NRCS, 655 Parfet St. Lakewood, CO 80215 303-236-2903 CT Mohamed Dhinbil Urban Gardening Extension Coordinator New Haven County Extension Center 305 Skiff Street North Haven, CT 06473-4451 203-407-2159 203-407-3176 Mdhinbil@canr.uconn.edu DE Dr. Patrica S. Barber Associate Dean, Extension and Outreach University of Delaware 113 Townsend Hall Newark, DE 19717-1303 302-831-2504 302-831-6758 pbarber@UDel.Edu HI Norman Nagata, University of Hawaii, CSREES, Maui 808-244-3242 Nagatan@AVAX.CTAHR.HAWAII.EDU IL Dr. Dennis Schrock University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 1033 Plant Sciences Laboratory 1201 S. Dorner Urbana, IL 61801 217-244-3895 dsschroc@uiuc.edu ID Dr. William Michael Colt University of Idaho, Cooperative Extension System Parma Research and Extension Center 29603 University of Idaho Lane Parma, ID 83660 Assistant: Paul Calverley Master Gardener 913 River Heights Drive Meridian, ID 83642 208-722-6701 ext.222 208-722-6708 Mcolt@uidaho.edu 208-888-1558 IA Roger Link Water Quality Specialist 210 Walnut Street 693 Federal Building Des Moines, IA 50309-2180 515-323-2242 515-284-4394 roger.link@ia.nrcs.usda.gov KS Ward Upham KSU Extension KY Co-Coordinator Walena Breeding Earth Team Coordinator USDA-NRCS 771 Corporate Drive, Suite 110 Lexington, KY 40503 Co-Coordinator Curtis Absher Assistant Director of Extension for Agriculture and Natural Resources University of Kentucky Room 309 W.P. Garrigus Building Lexington, KY 40506 859-224-7381 859-224-7399 wbreedin@ky.usda.gov 859-257-1846 859-323-1991 cabsher@ca.uky.edu LA Holly Martin USDA NRCS 3737 Government Street Alexandria, LA 71302 318-473-7753 318-473-7682 holly.martien@la.usda.gov ME Gleason Gray Extension Educator Penobscot county extension Office 307 Maine Ave. Bangor, ME 04401 207-942-7396 207-942-7537 ggray@umext.maine.edu MD Jon Traunfeld Regional Specialist, Fruit & Veg/State Master Gardener Coordinator University of Maryland Home and Garden Information Center 12005 Homewood Road Ellicott City, MD 21042 410-531-5556 410-531-5567 jt46@umail.umd.edu MA Marc MacQueen Massachuetts State Community Assistance Partnership NRCS 15 Cranberry Highway West Wareham, MA 02576-1504 508-295-5151 ext. 113 508-291-2368 Marc.Macqueen@mawestware.fsc.usda.gov MI Mary C. McLellan Master Gardener Coordinator 288 Plant & Soil sciences Program East Lansing, MI 48824-1325 517-353-3774 517-355-5191 mclellan@msue.msu.edu MN Mary Meyer Extension Horticulturist Landscape Arboretum Box 39 3675 Arboretum Drive Chanhassen, MN 55319-2460 612-443-2460 MT James Johannes Statewide Director of Programs MSU Extension Service Box 172230 Culbertson Hall Bozeman, MT 59717-2230 Bob Gough Horticulture Specialist 608 Leon Johnson Hall PO Box 173140 Bozeman, MT 59717-3140 406-994-1750 406-994-1756 johannes@montana.edu 406-994-6523 RGOUGH@montana.edu MO Mary Kroening, Stetewide Master Gardener Coordinator University Outreach and Extension University of Missouri I-87 Agriculture Building Columbia, MO 65211 (573) 882-9633 (phone) KroeningM@missouri.edu NE Susan D. Schoneweis Extension Coordinator-Environmental Horticulture 377 Plant Science University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Cooperative Extension P.O. Box 830724 Lincoln, NE 68583-0724 402-472-1128 402-472-8650 SSCHONEWEIS1@unl.edu NJ Joel Flagler NJ Millenium Gardens Coordinator Rutgers Cooperative Extension 201-599-6162 NM George Dickerson Extension Horticulturist Specialist Cooperative Extension Service 9301 Indian School Road NE, Suite #112 Albuquerque, NM 87112 505-275-2576 505-292-9815 Abqhort@nmsu.edu NY Charles Mazza Cornell Cooperative Extension Dept. of Floriculture and Ornamental Horticulture 15F Plant Science Building Cornell University Ithica, NY 14853 697-255-1791 607-255-9998 cpm6@cornell.edu NC Erv Evans NC State University, Box 7609 Raleigh, NC 27695 919-515-5378 919-515-7747 erv_evans@server.hort.ncsu.edu ND Dr. Ron Smith Loftsgard Hall 166 Box 5051 Fargo, ND 58105-5051 701-231-8161 Ronsmith@ndsuext.nodak.edu Northern Mariana Islands Marcello Romolor, Extension agent, CSREES NV Dr. Wayne Johnson University of Nevada, Reno Dept. of Applied Economics and Statistics Reno, NV 89557 775-784-1334 OR Ann Marie Van Der Zanden Master Gardener Coordinator for Oregon 4017 Ag and Life Science Bldg Corvallis, OR 97331-7314 541-737-2503 541-737-3479 Vanderza@bcc.orst.edu PA Lynn Wolf Cooperative Extension 4601 Market Street, 2nd Floor Philadelphia, PA 19139-4616 215-471-2200 215-471-2231 lew11@psu.edu PR Mr. Melvin Irizarry Jusino Horlticulturist, Cooperative Extension Service PO Box 9031 Mayaguez, Puerto Rico 00681-9031 Co-coordinator: Mr. Carlos Hernandez Outreach Coordinator USDA-NRCS PO Box 364868 San Juan, PR 00936-4868 787-832-4040 787-265-4230 or 787-834-4590 (fax) m_irizarry@seam.upr.clu.edu 787-766-5206 787-766-5987 Carlos.hernandez@pr.usda.gov RI Karen Menezes RICCA (Rhode Island Center for Commercial Agriculture) U.R.I. CE Center East Alumni Ave. Kingston, RI 02881 401-874-7142 401-874-2259 RICCA@ETAL.URI.EDU SC Robert Polomski Extension Consumer Horticulturist/ State Master Gardener Coordinator P.O. Box 340375 Dept of Horticulture Clemson University Clemson, SC 29634-0375 864-656-2604 864-656-4960 Bplmsk@clemson.edu SD Larry Tidemann Director, Coop. Extension Service SDSU Ag. Hall 154, Box 2207 Brookings, SD 57007-0093 605-688-4792 605-688-6347 tidemann.larry@ces.sdstate.edu TN Terron L. Hillsman Natural Resource Conservation Service 616 Warren Street Madisonville, TN 37354 Dr. Roy Bullock University of Tennessee 5201 Marchant Drive Nashville, TN 37211 423-442-2202 423-442-9440 thillsman@tn.nrcs.usda.gov 615-832-6802 615-781-2568 rdbullock@cru.gw.utk.edu TX Dr. Doug Welsh Extension Horticulturist Horticulture/Forestry Sciences Building, Room 225 2134 TAMU College Station, TX 77843-2134 979-845-8568 979-845-8906 d-welsh@tamu.edu UT Heather Rasband Salt Lake County Extension 2001 South State, S1200 Salt Lake City, UT 84190 801-468-3130 801-468-3174 hrasband@ext.usu.edu VT Pauline Pare USDA NRCS 69 Union St. Winooski, VT 05404 802-951-6796 ext. 242 802-951-6327 Pauline.Pare@vt.usda.gov voicemail: 767-8060 VA Dr. Diane Relf, Professor Dept. of Horticulture Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA 24061 540-231-6354 540-231-3083 pdrelf@vt.edu WV John Jett WVU Extension Service 2088 Ag. Sciences Building PO Box 6108 Morgantown, WV 26506-6108 304-293-3408 304-293-6954 jjett2@wvu.edu WI Dennis Lukaszewski University of Wisconsin-Extension Urban Agriculture Office 640 S. 84th Street Milwaukee, WI 53214 414-290-2405 WY Steve Jelden Soil Specialist-NRCS Federal Building-Rm. 3124 100 East B. St. Casper WY 82601-1911 307-261-6452 307-261-6490 steve.jelden@wy.usda.gov States missing: (12 total) AL, AK, AZ, AR, FL, GA, IN, MS, NH, OH, OK, WA