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Food Funder Affinity Group Newsletter • Fall 2015
AFFINITY GROUP NEWS
Upcoming Food Funder Affinity Group Events
SAVE THE DATE! Food Funders Annual Reflection and Planning Meeting
Thursday, January 28, 2016
3:00 – 5:00PM
TBD
Plan to join us for our annual meeting as we look back on 2015 and plan ahead for 2016! A location and
registration link will be provided soon!
If you have an idea for a Food Funders event or think our members would like to know
about an event already in the works, please email Tamela or Vania.
Past Food Funder Affinity Group Events
Philadelphians Love Sustainable Food, but What About the
Farmworkers?
November 19, 2015
Attendees braved a rainy afternoon to attend this session hosted in
the new Puentes de Salud health clinic located at 17th and South
Streets. Representatives from Maternal and Child Health Consortium
and Friends of Farmworkers gave presentations that helped to shed
light on farmworkers’ realities and perspectives in conventional and
sustainable farming practices that feed Philadelphians. A small
committee is working on potential follow up to this session.
Related
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In Florida’s tomato fields, a fight for ethical farm labor grows
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POLICY
Wolf Administration Announces Renewed Commitment to Fighting Hunger
(PR Newswire, September 29, 2015)
Governor Tom Wolf today addressed the serious problem of hunger and inadequate nutrition in the
commonwealth by issuing an executive order to coordinate Pennsylvania's food and nutrition programs.
According to the order, the governor will appoint an advisor to lead a newly-formed 'Governor's Food
Security Partnership.' "Hunger remains a serious problem in Pennsylvania, with too many of our citizens
unable to access food for themselves or their families," Governor Wolf said. "Pennsylvania administers
state and federal funds for food programs serving the elderly, families, pregnant women, infants and
children. Through the coordination of these varied public and private sector resources, we can ensure
access to much-needed food and nutrition." The executive order was announced at the 2015
Pennsylvania Food Security Summit at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, sponsored by the
Departments of Aging, Agriculture, Education, Community and Economic Development, Health, and
Human Services. All six cabinet secretaries participated in a state government panel discussion to
address coordinating hunger issues within the public sector. More…
MEMBER UPDATES
Claneil Foundation Awards its Fall Community Grants in Hunger & Nutrition/Food System
Sixteen organizations in the Philadelphia region received more than $135,000 in grants ranging from
$5,000 to $12,000. View them all here.
Barra Foundation announces its 2016-2017 Barra Awards
At Barra, we believe that these strengths—leadership, performance and adaptability—are the defining
characteristics of exemplary organizations committed to strengthening the Greater Philadelphia
region. This year, 40 exemplary organizations—the 2016-2017 Barra Awardees—have been selected to
receive $50,000 in unrestricted funding over a two-year period. In addition to financial support,
Awardees become members of a diverse network of organizations from the fields of Arts & Culture,
Education, Health and Human Services and are provided with opportunities to connect, think creatively
and share ideas. More… (A number of food-related nonprofits are among the grantees!)
Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation featured in
Grantmakers in Health issue brief titled, “Healthy Eating & Active Living: Checking in on Philanthropy’s
Investments.) More…
Greater Reading Food Systems Project
The Greater Reading Food Systems Project is a product of the Regional Reading Food Policy Action
Council (RRFPAC) that investigates opportunities for growth in the local food system, specifically as it
relates to equity concerns. These initiatives grew out of research presented in the 2014 Reading Food
Needs Assessment (The Food Trust), citing the need for the expansion of a coordinated farmer market
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network, and the 2014 Berks Hunger Report, which identified transportation as a barrier to accessing
healthy foods. As the instigator of the RRFPAC and manager of the Penn Street Market, ReDesign
Reading is coordinating the effort, working through community-led task forces to outline several critical
projects that would enhance the local food system:
1. Restructure and scale the Gayatri Wellness Cooperative program to target the procurement and
distribution of local goods to institutions that serve low income populations to strengthen the
local food systems economic development and agribusiness resources in Greater Reading.
2. Expand SNAP/WIC accessibility through ReDesign Reading CDC at additional farmer market
locations in our region to support a larger umbrella of community linked food access locations to
reach a larger target of low income members. Increase year round food access in the City of
Reading establishing a year round indoor market program, a Saturday Farmer’s Market at City
Greenhouse.
3. Assist Permacultivate in expanding the education, demonstration and growing in the Reading
Roots Urban Farm. Stabilize the greenhouse by increasing its productive capacity and expanding
the urban composting program. Utilize the platform of Permacultivate at the market to help
distribute food grown by students and volunteers in the greenhouse aquaponic system off
season and assist urban community garden volunteers to sell produce at Farmer’s Markets in a
collaborative effort to reduce the challenges of limited resources, organization, costs and
leadership that have thus far prevented a common community vendor table to generate income
to sustain these programs.
4. The Greater Berks Food Bank will launch the Trucking Hunger: Reading Mobile Food Pantry
program with the support of the Regional Reading Food Policy Action Council to expand services
to and increase the food security of low income participants.
Patricia Blakely - The Deal Maker
(Grid, September 3, 2015)
“In the best of all worlds, we could buy local at competitive prices, growing jobs
and the local economy.”— PB
Sometimes we need a little help from our friends. It’s a simple idea that inspired
the creation in 1854 of the Merchants Fund, which was there to step in and help
Philadelphia businesses when sickness, fire or other calamity struck at the heart of
a shop’s viability. When the financial crisis hit in 2008, the fund repurposed its
mission to reflect the need for small business to have access to free capital, and
they put Patricia Blakely at the helm. Blakely helps distribute the fund’s grants, up
to $10,000 per business, that either help stabilize an existing businesses or make
an investment that helps it get to the next level of growth. “I take great pride that
our portfolio of companies looks like the city we serve and covers a wide geography,” Blakely says. “We
have formed partnerships in diverse communities from Chinatown to far Woodland Avenue, where new
Americans dominate the storefront businesses.” More…
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Food banks, pantries find new ways to feed more people
(Associated Press, August 11, 2015)
Charles Scott is shopping for groceries at a Philadelphia food pantry, busily clicking away at a computer
to select his choices of onions, tomatoes and frozen corn. Scott's budget is tight since he was disabled
from a work-related injury, so he turns to the Mitzvah Food Project at the Kleinlife center. The pantry is
among the vanguard of hunger-relief operations that have installed a digital ordering system. "I think it's
wonderful," Scott said. "It makes you feel like you're in control." At a food truck in Milton, Vermont,
Cindy Lefebvre picks up free dinners of donated food from local farms when her family finances run low.
The truck has made its weekly stop in her mobile home park. This night, she, her husband and two sons
will sit down to a meal of meatballs, kale cooked in cider, corn bread and salad… The digital ordering
system in Philadelphia provides choice and nutrition in what organizers say is a more dignified approach.
Customers choose items using a mouse or touchscreen; a printout of the order appears in a storage area
where volunteers gather the food and help bag it. Over the coming weeks, organizers will pilot a
program that allows disabled seniors to order pantry items from home and have them delivered. "We're
really on the cutting edge of bringing the nonprofit sector into the 21st century here," says Brian
Gralnick, director of social responsibility for the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, which
operates the Mitzvah pantry. More…
Reimagining Montgomery County’s Emergency Food System
(Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal, September 2015)
By Tamela Luce, North Penn Community Health Foundation
Two years ago, when I first met with Stu Bush, the new Executive Director at The Open Link in the Upper
Perkiomen area, I never thought that our conversation might lead to a redesign of emergency food in
Montgomery County. I had known Bush previously, but not well and his new position was reason
enough for an informational site visit. The Open Link is a multi-service, community-based organization
that includes a food pantry. Bush shared with me during our initial meeting that one of the operational
questions he was wrestling with was how inefficient it was to acquire food for the pantry. These
challenges included receiving food from multiples sources, differing rules on sharing with other
organizations, varying reporting requirements – it wasn’t just confusing, it was illogical. More…
See a cool program or organization here and want to learn more? Why not volunteer to
organize a site visit? Contact Tamela Luce or Vania Freire to discuss.
GRANT OPPORTUNITIES
Fresh, Local and Equitable: Food as a Creative Platform for Neighborhood Revitalization: A
Collaborative Funding Opportunity from Kresge’s Arts & Culture and Health Programs
The Kresge Foundation seeks to support and accelerate local efforts that successfully use food as a
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platform for health, economic development and cultural expression, creating co-benefits for all –
particularly low-income residents and families. We are particularly interested in neighborhood-scale
projects that have been developed with strong community engagement and leadership; prioritize
equity; involve multiple sectors and disciplines; and demonstrate a high degree of readiness to
implement an integrated, cross-sectoral vision of food-oriented development. Kresge intends to award
up to 20 planning grants of up to $75,000 each in the first quarter of 2016. Complete proposals are due
by 5:00 p.m. EST on January 15, 2016. More…
Campus Kitchen Launch Grant
Grants are available for any high school, college or university that is interested in winning $5,000 to
start a Campus Kitchen. These schools are encouraged to serve an older adult population in their
community as part of their program. Interested schools must qualify by February 5th. The launch grant
video competition will occur March 7-14th. More…
Presbyterian Mission Agency Seeks Applications for Programs Addressing Hunger in United States
The Presbyterian Mission Agency is inviting Letters of Inquiry for projects that address the root and
systemic causes of hunger in the United States. Grants of up to $20,000 will be awarded to projects that
fall within one or more of the program’s five focus areas, including direct food relief, development
assistance, public policy advocacy, lifestyle integrity, and education and interpretation. Proposals do not
need to fit neatly into one of these five areas but may include activities in multiple areas: Direct Food
Relief, Development Assistance, Public Policy Advocacy, Lifestyle Integrity, Education and Interpretation.
More…
Katie’s Krops Youth Garden Grants
Katie’s Krops is accepting applications from youth between the ages of 9 and 16 for funds to start a
Katie’s Krops vegetable garden in their communities with the purpose of donating the whole harvest to
people in need. Selected applicants will be awarded a gift card of up to $500 to a garden center in their
area, support from Katie’s Krops, and a digital camera to document the garden and the harvest. In
addition to grant materials, winners will be eligible to attend the all-expenses-paid Katie’s Krops
Summer Camp in Pelion, South Carolina, while a yearly scholarship will be awarded to the grantee of the
year. More…
FOOD RELATED NEWS – LOCAL
Philly, here’s four stats about emergency food providers that need our attention
(Generocity, August 18, 2015)
In Philadelphia one in four people faces food insecurity. With over
700 food pantries, soup kitchens, and other providers, addressing
this issue is vital to the city. Every other year, The Coalition Against
Hunger conducts a survey of Emergency Food Providers. The
Coalition’s Emergency Food Provider Survey is aimed at identifying
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the issues these programs face and determine what we can do to improve food access for all. Here are a
few notable facts from this year’s report. More…
Eatiquette brings family-style dining to the cafeteria
(The Notebook, September 23, 2015)
Thanks to an engaging school lunch program, some Philadelphia
students can say goodbye to long lunch lines and dreary cafeteria
tables that leave some feeling left out and isolated. Called Eatiquette,
the program is an initiative of the Vetri Foundation that provides
healthy meals and seeks to bring rowdy school cafeteria culture
closer to something that resembles fine dining. The traditional school
cafeteria is reimagined with family-style meals made from scratch and served on real plates and
silverware by their own peers as a lesson in respect. Rather than long rectangular tables, small round
ones encourage conversations different from those typically heard roaring from the lunchroom. “When
we bring our program in, it really transforms the way the school thinks about what happens for that 30
minutes in the lunchroom,” said Kelly Herrenkohl, executive director of the Vetri Foundation. More…
(food) justice for all in Philadelphia
(Flying Kite, November 17, 2015)
"Food security" is a concept that only recently became part of popular
conversation, but for Yael Lehmann, executive director of The Food
Trust, the fight for national food security has been a long-time mission.
Even if she never saw herself at the front lines. Originally from San
Francisco, Lehmann had always been interested in public health and
social justice. When she was graduating from high school, the AIDS
crisis was decimating the city. I was watching and seeing all the people
impacted by it," she recalls. "At one of the restaurants I worked at, half
the staff died of AIDS. It was this very intense time, but it was amazing to watch people come together,
whether it was people helping their friends by bringing them food or getting together in the streets
advocating for policy change, starting from scratch and hitting it from all sides at the community level,
the individual level and the policy level. That really influenced my decision to go into public health."
Papal Visit Loosens Wallets in Philadelphia
(The Chronicle of Philanthropy, September 23, 2015)
Late last year, philanthropists John and Leigh Middleton
gathered the contributors to the Middleton Partnership, a
mul tiyear, $300-million effort to significantly expand the
work of homeless services provider Project HOME. The
charity co-founder and Chief Executive Sister Mary
Scullion told her audience of donors she wanted to
dedicate a new 94-unit, low-income housing complex in
honor of Pope Francis, slated to open around the time of his visit to Philadelphia. Present were two
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trustees from the Raynier Institute & Foundation who approached with a $3-million gift. In June,
philanthropists John and Janet Haas committed $700,000, raising the total to $24 million and drawing
the fundraising to a close. More…
Related
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At community dinner, stories of struggle and messages of change
Census: Poverty level steady in Philadelphia, drops in Camden
(Philly.com, September 18, 2015)
Philadelphia remained the poorest of America's 10 largest cities in 2014, with more than one quarter of
its residents - 26 percent - living below the poverty line. At the same time, Camden recorded a
seemingly significant drop in poverty in 2014 from 42.6 percent to 36.5 percent - a change experts had a
hard time explaining.
Brotherly Love: Chesco Farmers Market Employs Homeless
(CBS Philly, October 14, 2015)
A new mobile farmers’ market has rolled into Chester County.
Created by the non-profit Good Samaritan Shelter, it sells produce in areas where people might not be
able to get it. It’s also helping homeless people get back on their feet. More…
Making great food products while combating poverty in southeastern Pennsylvania
(Flying Kite, September 8, 2015)
Lancaster entrepreneur Charlie Crystle, whose food products are
finding an enthusiastic audience in Greater Philadelphia, has a
specific philosophy on the trouble with America’s economy.
According to the Lancaster Food Company CEO, what we need is "an
effort to make jobs that meet people where they are, rather than
where we want them to be." Politicians and civic leaders talk a lot
about job training, but especially in a city like Lancaster -- which has a
30 percent poverty rate -- this falls short. Focusing on job training programs rather than immediately
accessible jobs "continues to push the responsibility for unemployment onto the unemployed…if we
don’t do something to meet them halfway, or all the way, [they] will never have decent employment,"
he argues. Hiring people in poverty with a good living wage is a part of his company's mission. More…
FOOD RELATED NEWS – NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL
Giving to Food Causes Is Increasingly Popular — and More Complicated
(The Chronicle of Philanthropy, November 18, 2015)
This article notes that a growing number of foundations, donors and nonprofits are investing in projects
that work to improve the way food is raised, encourage better nutrition, and support more fair systems
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of food production and distribution. "I don’t see anything philanthropic that’s been on a similar
trajectory or anything even close to this," says Scott Cullen, the executive director of the Grace
Communications Foundation, which makes grants related to food, energy, and water. "It’s in every
aspect of popular culture and society, and it was so underappreciated or ignored over a long period of
time. It’s gone from ignored to almost ubiquitous. It’s been a remarkable jump." The article takes an indepth look at the growing trend toward food-related philanthropy. According to the most recent data
from The Foundation Center on the 1,000 U.S. foundations that give the most, there has been a 300
percent increase since 2002 in the amount of money given to organizations working on food, nutrition
and agriculture issues. The article notes that in 2011, large foundations, including the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation, the Kellogg Foundation, and the Walton Family Foundation, and others, came
together to start AGree, which seeks to promote food and agriculture issues as national priorities. Yet
tackling the complex issue of getting food from the farm to the table can make it difficult for grant
makers and donors to know how to get the best results. "So many funders are working in programmatic
silos, and that makes it difficult to understand the broader food-funding landscape, how it fits together,
and where opportunities exist for collaboration," says Carra Cote-Ackah, director of partnerships and
strategic efforts at the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for High Impact Philanthropy. Progress is
being made in terms of better coordination, says Ricardo Salvador, the director of the food and
environment program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. Groups, he said, are looking for ways to
pool ideas, capacity and influence to be the most effective. "The funding side has grown to mirror
what’s going on on the advocacy side," Salvador says. Still, change is likely to be a lengthy process. As
Mark Bittman, the former New York Times columnist, recently said, "It took a long time to build the socalled food system. It happened very, very gradually and it’s happened over the last 100 or 120 years. It
can’t take 100 or 120 years to be something better, but it’s not going to take six weeks, either." More…
Subscription required.
Jobless rate puts some at risk for food stamps in Pa.
(Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, November 2, 2015)
About 30,000 people in Pennsylvania could lose their food stamp benefits
early next year — about 8,000 of them in Allegheny County — due to the
return of a three-month limit on assistance for unemployed or
underemployed adults ages 18 to 50 who aren’t disabled or raising minor
children. The change is due to a requirement in the 1996 welfare reform
law that hasn’t been in effect for many years because of high
unemployment rates during the recession. As unemployment rates
continue to fall, at least parts of Pennsylvania will be subject to the rule next year. More…
Study: Food stamps do much more to fight poverty than we thought
(Vox.com, October 27, 2015)
A new study suggests that programs like food stamps and housing vouchers cut poverty by almost twice
as much as we thought they did. According to standard census numbers, the poverty rate in New York
from 2008 to 2011 was 13.6 percent, before taking these programs into account. The programs the
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study examines — food stamps (a.k.a. SNAP), welfare (a.k.a.
TANF), state-level general assistance programs, and housing
aid — dropped that down to 10.8 percent. But the study
suggests the real number was even lower: a mere 8.3 percent.
If that's true, then the estimated poverty-fighting power of
these programs has been dramatically understated for years.
More…
Related
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Doing the Numbers on Food Insecurity in the United States
America’s Hunger Problem: What’s Really Going On
Rates of SNAP Receipt Stabilize or Drop in All Regions for First Time Since Great Recession
I have a Master’s degree and a full-time job – and I’m still applying or food stamps
Food Banks Embrace the Power of Logistics Drawn from E-Commerce
(Nonprofit Quarterly, December 4, 2015)
When you gather your bag of canned goods to donate to
your local food drive between now and the end of the year,
here’s something you need to know: You are part of a
seasonal spike in donations. For the Second Harvest Food
Bank of Middle Tennessee, the increase in donations in
November and December almost doubles what’s donated
the rest of the year. (Many of the canned goods that are
donated are put on the shelf for the days of spring and
summer, when donations are much fewer.) The surge in
donated goods leaves food banks with many perishable items that must be quickly distributed before
expiration. The challenge is to move the food, and minimize the wasted amounts. Logistics to the
rescue! More…
Reinventing New Jersey as 'Garden State' with ethnic crops, tourism
(PlanetArt.org, October 20, 2015)
Craving a taste of his native Liberia 4,500 miles (7,200
km)away, maintenance worker Alfred Jones drove just 20
miles from his New Jersey home and waded knee deep into
rows of pick-your-own African vegetables at Morris Gbolo's
World Crops Farm. The Garden State's newest crops were
ready for harvest and Jones plucked baseball-sized eggplants
known in Liberia as bitter balls and a tiny yet tangy plant called
kittely to make the traditional stews he loved as a boy. "It tastes and smells very much like home," said
Jones, 75, who emigrated in 1979 and lives in nearby Glassboro. New Jersey, officially nicknamed "The
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Garden State" since 1954, is striving to revitalize its farming sector. It is seizing on trends such as the
"Eat Local" movement, agritourism and ethnic crops that appeal to a growing population of Asian,
Hispanic and African residents, including those flocking to Gbolo's fields in Vineland. The slogan has long
confounded travelers whose only glimpse of the state is from its New Jersey Turnpike, with views of
refineries and gargantuan fuel tanks. But the state has found new ways to pump up its Garden State
credibility, boosted by proximity to neighboring New York City and Philadelphia, whose citizens often
consider New Jersey their own backyard. More…
15 Urban Farms and Activists That Are Changing the Way We Eat
(The Root, October 8, 2015)
Although “country” is still a derogatory term in many communities of color,
people are awakening to the increased self-sufficiency gained from growing
their own fruits and vegetables and getting produce from farmers in the
community who refuse to use harmful pesticides and genetically modified
organisms so often found in products at the store. These community farms and activists are creating a
new culinary culture in the African-American community and diversifying the concept of farm to table.
More…
Getting Ugly Produce Onto Tables So It Stays Out of Trash
(New York Times, November 23, 2015)
The eggplants are crooked and a little long-necked, contorted
enough that they would probably lose in a beauty pageant against
rounder or more symmetrical aubergines. In the field where they
were grown or in the supermarkets for which they were once
destined, they would presumably have been discarded. Not
because they are inedible — simply because they do not make the
aesthetic cut. But the notion that real food has curves may be as catchy as the subversive advertising
campaign on women’s beauty. “We find that it is really easy to convince people when they realize they
can pay a fraction of the price to get the same kind of taste and health,” said Ron Clark, the chief supply
officer for Imperfect Produce, a San Francisco Bay Area start-up that has been selling what it calls
“cosmetically challenged” fruit and vegetables for the last six months. “Once one person is convinced, it
doesn’t take much to get them to convert others.” More, including video… Related video John Oliver’s
Last Week Tonight (Some might consider NSFW)
Related
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Ugly Produce Becomes a Life Line for Food Banks
France to force big supermarkets to give unsold food to charities
Feeding Farms with Supermarket Food Waste
Inspired by ‘Back to the Future,’ this machine turns food waste into energy
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USDA and EPA Join with Private Sector, Charitable Organizations to Set Nation's First Food
Waste Reduction Goals
ReFed: Rethink Food Waste Through Economics and Data (website resource)
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Food Waste (HBO) (Some might consider this NSFW: Not
Safe for Work!)
Grocery chains leave food deserts barren, AP finds
(Associated Press, December 7, 2015)
As part of Michelle Obama's healthy eating initiative, a group of
major food retailers promised in 2011 to open or expand 1,500
grocery or convenience stores in and around neighborhoods with
no supermarkets by 2016. By their own count, they're far short.
Moreover, an analysis of federal food stamp data by The
Associated Press reveals that the nation's largest chains — not
just the handful involved in the first lady's group — have since built new supermarkets in only a fraction
of the neighborhoods where they're needed most. More…
Why Food Belongs in Our Discussions of Race
(Civil Eats, September 3, 2015)
In the wake of the unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, after the death of
Michael Brown, the Baltimore uprising after the death of Freddie
Gray, and the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement,
much has been written about the nature of poverty and violence in
American cities. But one aspect that is chronically underreported is
the lack of access to healthy foods in many of those same
communities. Indeed, the reliance on a highly processed food supply is causing disease, suffering, and
eventual death, especially to those in the poorest of neighborhoods. A report released this June by the
Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future found that one in four Baltimore residents lives in an underresourced area or “food desert” (a term that some food activists reject). This is not unusual or unique to
Baltimore, but is the standard in urban centers throughout the country. Only eight percent of Black
Americans live in a community with one or more grocery stores, compared to 31 percent of white
Americans. More…
Elder Hunger: New Efforts To Combat Surprisingly Common
Malnutrition Among Seniors
(WBUR’s Common Health, November 26, 2015)
After her stroke, a 95-year-old woman in New York State found
that she could no longer taste her food. She was also unable to
feel hunger, so she didn’t know when she was supposed to eat.
As a result, the woman began losing weight, grew weak and
wasn’t getting the nutrients she needed. Enter Meals on
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Wheels, a national home-delivered meals program established by the 1965 Older Americans Act. The
woman (who asked that her name not be used) began receiving meals at her home five days a week.
This, she says, helped her remember to eat regularly. Her weight improved, and so did her general
health. Malnutrition like hers is surprisingly common. Six percent of the elderly who live at home in the
United States and in other developed countries are malnourished, according to a 2010 study in the
Journal of the American Geriatric Society. The rate of elder malnutrition doubles among those in nursing
homes, where it is 14 percent, according to the same study. More…
Hungry, Homeless and in College
(The New York Times, December 4, 2015)
Three onths after starting college, Brooke Evans found herself without a place to live. She was 19. She
slept in libraries, bathrooms and her car. She sold plasma and skipped meals. It was hard to focus or
participate in class, and when her grades fell, her financial aid did, too. Eventually, she left college and
began sleeping on the street, in debt, without a degree. As researchers who study why students don’t
finish college, we happen to have first met people like Ms. Evans in universities and community colleges
in Wisconsin. But just how common was it across the country for college students to struggle to come
up with enough money for food or shelter? More…
Bread for the World puts price tag on hunger: $160 billion in health care
(Religion News Service, November 23, 2015)
Hunger and food insecurity are so widespread in the United States they add $160 billion to national
health care spending, according to a Christian advocacy group. The Rev. David Beckmann, president of
Bread for the World, said on Monday (Nov. 23) that hunger was a key factor in the U.S. having the worst
infant mortality rate among developed countries. “It is like a massive terrorist attack,” he said at the
presentation of the group’s annual Hunger Report. “All the things that we do that allow the infant
mortality rate to be so high — that is in effect killing a hundred thousand babies in communities across
this country a year.” More…
A Seismic Shift in How People Eat
(New York Times, November 6, 2015)
It’s easy to make fun of people in big cities for their obsession with
gluten, or chia seeds, or cleanses. But urbanites are not the only ones
turning away from the products created by big food companies. Eating
habits are changing across the country and food companies are
struggling to keep up. General Mills will drop all artificial colors and
flavors from its cereals. Perdue, Tyson and Foster Farm have begun
to limit the use of antibiotics in their chicken. Kraft declared it was dropping artificial dyes from its
macaroni and cheese. Hershey’s will begin to move away from ingredients such as the emulsifier
polyglycerol polyricinoleate to “simple and easy-to-understand ingredients” like “fresh milk from local
farms, roasted California almonds, cocoa beans and sugar.” More…
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Related
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The Decline of Big Soda
The Finnish Town The Went on a Diet
Placing a Cap on Americans’ Consumption of Added Sugar
Chick-fil-A and the Politics of Eating
'Good Food' vs. 'Big Food'
Americans Are Finally Eating Less
The Decline in Bees Will Cause a Decline in Healthy Food
(takepart.com, July 17, 2015)
It’s the near future, and the world’s bees, butterflies, bats, birds, and other
species of animals that help pollinate more than a third of food crops have
disappeared altogether. The global population is struggling to cope with the
loss of 22.9 percent of the world’s fruit, 16.3 percent of vegetables, and
22.1 percent of seeds and nuts. While Americans and most Europeans are
getting by thanks to increased consumption of staple crops, the rest of the
world has been hit harder by the public health effects of the mass extinction. Malnutrition-related
deaths climb to 1.42 million annually, and many are in developing nations. More…
Nick Offerman's Satirical Video Shows The Sad State Of School Lunches
A satirical video starring Nick Offerman shows why we should
take school lunch legislation seriously. Produced through a
partnership between the American Heart Association and
Funny or Die, the video begins with Offerman declare, "The
government tells us we need to offer healthy choices in
school lunches, but what is healthy, really?" As he holds up an
apple and corn dog, the actor adds, "The answer may surprise
you." More…
Healthy Futures Funds Receives $100 Million Investment
(Philanthropy News Digest, November 6, 2015))
The Healthy Futures Fund in Washington, D.C., has announced a second $100 million investment from
its funding partners to finance affordable housing development, community health centers, and local
services that address the social determinants of health in high-poverty areas. Launched in 2013 as a
$100 million pilot, the fund uses affordable housing and new market tax credits to expand access to
health care and housing for low-income residents. A joint effort of the Local Initiatives Support
Corporation, Morgan Stanley, and the Kresge Foundation, the fund has enabled local providers to
extend health services to some forty thousand people while helping to provide more than four hundred
new apartments for low-income families. The fund's other goals include revitalizing commercial
corridors, creating jobs in blighted areas, and developing efficient ways to finance neighborhood
revitalization projects. More…
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USDA Awards $34.3 Million to Support Communities' Local Foods Infrastructure, Increase Access to
Fruits and Vegetables
(USDA, October 2, 2015)
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today helped to kick off the nation's harvest season by announcing
nearly $35 million in new funding through four grant programs to support local and regional food
systems, including farmers markets. Secretary Vilsack has named strengthening local food systems as
one of the four pillars of USDA's efforts to revitalize rural economies and communities. Purchases of
locally-produced food have surged to nearly $12 billion under Secretary Vilsack's leadership, while the
number of farmers markets has exploded to more than 8,500 from 5,274 in 2009. Today's
announcement is part of a USDA-wide effort to support President Obama's commitment to
strengthening local and regional food systems. These grants are administered by USDA's Agricultural
Marketing Service (AMS) and Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). Under the current Administration, AMS
and FNS have partnered to boost affordable access to local, fresh and healthy foods, which creates a
gateway to opportunity for small and mid-size producers and benefits the health of all Americans,
regardless of income levels. More… (Philadelphia’s Urban Tree Connection received just under $100k.)
Buffett’s Grandson Seeks Own Investment Route: Social Change
(New York Times, November 19, 2015)
At 32, Howard Warren Buffett, the grandson of the Berkshire Hathaway founder Warren E. Buffett, has
already enjoyed a diverse career. He teaches at
Columbia University, runs a farm in Nebraska,
previously oversaw his family’s foundation and worked
on economic redevelopment efforts in Afghanistan for
the Defense Department. So far, however, he has
steered clear of the private sector investing that made
his family’s famous name and enormous fortune. Now,
that is changing. Mr. Buffett has co-founded a
permanently capitalized operating company with big
ambitions — essentially mimicking the structure of Berkshire Hathaway, the $328 billion conglomerate
that owns everything from railways to candy makers. Although his grandfather has traditionally acquired
stalwart companies with timeless appeal, Mr. Buffett is taking a decidedly more forward-looking
approach. The plan is for the new company, called i(x) Investments, to invest in early-stage and
undervalued companies that are working on issues such as clean energy, sustainable agriculture and
water scarcity. More…
artFido – fetching art
3D-Printed living food that grows before you eat it... would you eat it? From the Edible Growth Project.
More… (video)
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REPORTS
A Plan of Action to End Hunger in America
In 2008, the Obama-Biden campaign issued a paper titled “Obama and
Biden: Tackling Domestic Hunger,” which included a pledge to end childhood
hunger by 2015. FRAC applauded this ambitious goal and outlined its own
strategies for achieving it. The Obama-Biden plan soon got derailed when
their Administration inherited a tsunami of economic turmoil. Despite the
end of the Great Recession and a falling unemployment rate, the nation
continues to be plagued by a very uneven recovery; low employment rates;
stagnant wages; inadequate public investments; and inadequate public
safety net programs. Yes, there has been progress. But it has been too slow.
After jumping dramatically at the beginning of the recession, the numbers of food insecure households
and people have barely moved in the right direction.
FRAC’s Plan to End Hunger in America (pdf) includes the following eight essential strategies:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Create jobs, raise wages, increase opportunity, and share prosperity;
Improve government income-support programs for struggling families;
Strengthen SNAP;
Strengthen Child Nutrition Programs;
Target supports to especially vulnerable populations;
Work with states, localities, and nonprofits to expand and improve participation in federal
nutrition programs;
7. Make sure all families have convenient access to reasonably priced, healthy food; and
8. Build political will.
More…
New CEA Report Finds that SNAP Benefits are Crucial for Families but
Sometimes Inadequate
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known
as Food Stamps, is the cornerstone of U.S. efforts to alleviate hunger by
supplementing the food budgets of low-income households. Last year,
SNAP lifted at least 4.7 million people out of poverty—including 2.1 million
children. More…
Mapping the Food Security Landscape
Mapping the Food Security Landscape is a useful tool for companies
and organizations seeking a better understanding of who's doing what,
where, and how, in the food security space. All new for this report is a
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searchable, interactive online database with everything you need to know in one place. More…
The US Farm Bill: Corporate Power and Structural Racialization in the United States Food System
In a new report examining the US Farm Bill—the cornerstone of food and agricultural legislation since its
inception in 1933—UC Berkeley’s Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive
Society finds that corporate control and structural racialization within the
US food system leaves marginalized communities disproportionately
impacted by the agricultural policies and outcomes generated by the
Farm Bill. The companion research brief Facts and Findings summarizes
the main findings and solutions that are found in the full report. The
report, The US Farm Bill: Corporate Power and Structural Racialization in
the US Food System, and the research brief Facts and Findings investigate
the $956 billion US Farm Bill and aims to address both corporate power
and marginalized outcomes within the US food system. Written by
Elsadig Elsheikh, the director at the Haas Institute's Global Justice
Program, and Hossein Ayazi, the program's graduate research assistant,
the report fills a void in food and agriculture policy research by providing a comprehensive and
multidimensional analysis of the US Farm Bill. More…
The Landscape of Farm Worker Housing: Issues and Trends
This report analyzes the existing body of research on the extent, quality, and
health impacts of farm worker housing. During the late 19th century and
much of the 20th century, many farmers and ranchers offered on-farm living
quarters to their laborers. However, a combination of regulations and
changing immigration patterns led to the destruction of thousands of farm
labor camps, which has pushed many workers into private, market-rate
housing in cities. Farm workers are a vulnerable population that have high
poverty rates and the lowest rates of medical insurance of any occupational
category, and also lack many labor protections afforded other industries.
More…
New Sustainable Market Opportunities for Surplus Food: A Food System-Sensitive Methodology
(FSSM)
An important way to address global food security is to make better use of the food already produced.
Since at least one third of global food is wasted before consumption, there are enormous incentives to
cut this waste and create a more sustainable food system. This paper focuses upon saving food loss at
the supermarket level in the US and channeling this food stream in new and efficient ways to those in
hunger. A more comprehensive Food System-Sensitive Methodology has been used to pilot and
evaluate a surplus food management program that diverts culled fresh fruits and vegetables from
grocery stores that would otherwise be disposed of in landfills. Instead, produce is processed for
donation or for new businesses. Nearly 35,000 pounds of produce was culled from a grocery store chain
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in Philadelphia. Twenty-five percent of this was not suitable for culinary uses, ten percent consisted of
relatively small quantities of food that did not warrant further research, and about 33 percent is suitable
for use at area food shelters and pantries. More…
Hungry for Information: Polling Americans on Their Trust
in the Food System
There is a growing interest in food in the United States:
where it comes from, how it is made, and what it
represents. Expanding markets for organic, local, and non–
genetically modified (GMO) foods mirror this interest, as do
policy debates nationwide on food labeling and agriculture.
In many ways, however, the issues that dominate the public discourse around food are not the issues
that matter the most to Americans. According to a new survey by The Chicago Council on Global Affairs,
although Americans do find GMOs, antibiotics, sustainability, and transparency important, they are most
concerned with affordability, nutrition, and food safety. More…
OTHER CONFERENCES/MEETINGS/WEBINARS
Transforming Food Access Summit: Accelerating Affordability with Nutrition Incentives
January 11 – 13, 2016
Emory Conference Center and Hotel
Atlanta, GA
Nutrition incentives have played a transformational role in providing affordable access to healthy fruits
and vegetables for hundreds of thousands of low-income consumers. This is an event you won’t want to
miss. From national policy makers to community-based organizations engaged in incentive programs
and local and regional food supply chains, attendees will take away practical and innovative tactics to
improve access to healthy food. More…
2016 National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference
Sunday, February 26 – Tuesday, March 1,
2016
The Omni Shoreham Hotel
2500 Calvert St., N.W.
Washington, District of Columbia 20008
The National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference, co-sponsored by the Food Research and Action Center and
Feeding America, draws anti-hunger and anti-poverty advocates; federal, state and local government
officials; child advocates; representatives of food banks and food rescue organizations; sponsoring
organizations and nutrition and anti-obesity groups, for three days of training, networking and Capitol
Hill advocacy. Participants share information and learn how to strengthen the quality and reach of
federal nutrition programs, learn best outreach and program practices from other states and localities,
fill in the gaps in food service for millions of low-income children, and identify creative ideas for new and
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innovative approaches to ending hunger. Members of Congress, Hill staff and key Administration
officials attend the conference, provide comments as part of plenary sessions and panels, and join
participants at receptions and special events. More…
2016 National Food Hub Conference
March 29 – April 1
W Hotel Midtown
Atlanta, GA
Get your early bird tickets to the 2016 National Food Hub
Conference, the most comprehensive national conference aimed specifically at food hubs, hub
supporters, growers, and local food advocates across the country. The 2016 Conference will also feature
a trade show. More…
SAVE THE DATE! 14th Annual SAFSF Forum (Funders Only)
The Stakes: Race, Class, Gender, & Power in the Food System
June 28-30, 2016
The Brown Hotel
335 West Broadway
Louisville, KY
Our collective future hinges around issues of equality, health, climate, and the shape
of our food system. The 14th Annual SAFSF Forum in Louisville, Kentucky will address
these critical themes and their many points of connection. We’ll visit a region whose
people, land, and economy are experiencing both subtle and powerful transitions. The
decline of the tobacco and coal industries have created a cultural and economic crisis,
but the emergence of sustainable agriculture, a growing local foods movement, and
the reintroduction of hemp as a food and fiber crop are bringing new economic
opportunities, and with them, hope. Together, we’ll begin to unpack the power
dynamics that determine whether initiatives like these become part of our future. During the Forum we
will address questions such as: How do issues of race, class, gender, and money impede a just and
sustainable farm and food system? What are the connections between food and climate change? How
are art and culture interwoven with struggles for positive, lasting change? Through storytelling, reality
tours, in-depth workshops, and more, we’ll connect these threads with the voices of leaders at the
forefront of transitioning power. More…
RESOURCES
2015 Emergency Food Provider Report
The Coalition Against Hunger conducted its biennial
Emergency Food Provider Survey in early 2015. We
surveyed 232 food pantries, soup kitchens, and
additional emergency food providers to help identify
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the struggles faced by those that fight hunger on the front lines in our region. In addition to learning
more about the daily operations of many emergency food providers, we also used information gathered
to update our Food Pantry Map which allows us to connect callers to our SNAP (food stamp) Hotline to
the food resource nearest to them. More…
Grounded in Philly
Grounded in Philly is a web mapping and organizing tool that provides
access to data on vacant land throughout Philadelphia and offers
resources to individuals interested in starting or preserving
community-based vacant land projects. Data on the more than 40,000
vacant lots in Philadelphia is extremely difficult to come by and can be
even harder to use. The city’s current land management policies are severely lacking in
transparency. Grounded in Philly consolidates vacant land data from the multiple city agencies who
currently manage vacant lots and makes that data accessible to residents and activists. Additionally the
site provides resources for individuals interested in securing legal use of a vacant lot or making one’s
current use of a vacant lot more permanent. More…
New SNAP Guidelines
New income eligibility standards for SNAP go into effect on Oct. 1, 2015. Below is a chart detailing the
new income limits. Visit the USDA website for a more comprehensive review of the new guidelines.
Map of Food Policy Councils and Conveners
The Food Policy Networks project has developed a map utilizing GIS
technology that shows the location of Food Policy Councils (FPCs) in
the United States and Canada, and the locations of organizations that
convene these councils at a regional level.
FRAC Focus: Obesity and Poverty
The Food Research and Action Cen ter (FRAC) is pleased to release this new issue of
FRAC Focus: Obesity and Poverty. This periodical e-newsletter focuses on obesity and
low-income children and adults, looking at the intersection of obesity, low income,
food insecurity, the federal nutrition programs, and federal food and nutrition
policy. More…
Baby Boomers and Beyond: Facing Hunger After Fifty
According to the report, Baby Boomers and Beyond: Facing Hunger After Fifty
(executive summary, 24 pages, PDF), 62 percent of the 13 million adults age 50
and older served by Feeding America's network of foodbanks are "pre-seniors"
under the age of 64, with the majority of them not yet eligible for federal
support programs such as Social Security and Medicare. Based on data
collected from Feeding America clients for the Hunger in America 2014 report,
the study found that among those surveyed, "pre-seniors" are more likely than
older seniors to live in a household experiencing food insecurity (86 percent) or
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poverty (72 percent), report poor health (59 percent), have unpaid medical bills (58 percent), receive
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits (55 percent), or experience housing
instability, such as having to move in with friends or family (18 percent) or having faced foreclosure or
eviction within the past five years (15 percent). In addition, the report found that nearly two-thirds of
"pre-senior" survey respondents had not been employed in the past year, and that 73 percent of those
individuals cited being disabled or in poor health as the reason for their unemployment.
Waste Free Kitchen Handbook
American shoppers are collectively responsible for more wasted food than farmers,
grocery stores, or any other part of the food-supply chain. The average family spends a
shocking $2,225 every year on food they don't eat. This problem is so massive that if
food waste were a country, it would have the third-largest environmental footprint
after the United States and China. Waste-Free Kitchen Handbook (Chronicle Books)
aims to change that. Written by NRDC staff scientist Dana Gunders, this essential
guide—packed with engaging checklists, creative recipes, practical strategies, and
educational infographics—offers easy ways to save food and money. The good news: Cutting food waste
doesn't require significant time and effort. Follow Gunders' genius advice for smarter grocery shopping,
ingredient storage, and meal planning. All it takes are a few simple behavior tweaks to take a real bite
out of this problem. (Available on Amazon.) More…
Food Fight Toolkit
If you are looking to launch a food literacy campaign at your school, reinvigorate
an existing wellness committee, or enc ourage more school-wide buy in,
cooking, gardening, or physical fitness programs, FoodFight's Food Literacy
Toolkits can help. Once you have gone through the three steps of the toolkit, you
are ready to start the process of educating your school community. More…
New AAP report targets lack of adequate food as ongoing health risk to US children
For the first time, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is recommending that pediatricians screen
all children for food insecurity. In a new policy statement identifying the short and long-term adverse
health impacts of food insecurity, the AAP also recommends that pediatricians become familiar with and
refer families to needed community resources, and advocate for federal and local policies that support
access to adequate, nutritious food. More…
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