HH2008

NEW YORK CITY NEWS

City Expands In-Classroom School Breakfast Program

In an effort to curb food insecurity among City children, Mayor Bloomberg recently pledged to expand a program that makes free breakfasts available to public school students in their first period classrooms. NYCCAH has long called for the expansion of the program which will grow from a 50-school pilot project to a 350-school City program under the new initiative. Studies have shown that students who eat school breakfast increase their math and reading scores and perform better on standardized tests than students who go without breakfast or eat breakfast at home. The innovative City program improves upon the traditional model of free- and reduced-price meals by bringing meals directly into the classroom, thus lessening the stigma associated with receiving free meals in a separate room. “This is a major advance that will be a model for the whole country” said NYCCAH Executive Director Joel Berg. “We know breakfast improves educational performance so in-classroom breakfasts are both good hunger and good education policy.”

Mayor Bloomberg announced the program’s expansion in conjunction with 17 further initiatives to help New Yorkers endure economic hardship, which include committing $1.3 million to emergency food programs to purchase frozen produce and increasing food stamp outreach to seniors.

For more information on school breakfast initiatives see NYCCAH’s proposal to end U.S. child Hunger by 2012, or visit the Food Research and Action Council’s School Breakfast Outreach Center.

Victory in Wage Violation Case Enforces Need for Living Wage

On October 21, a federal judge ruled in favor 36 delivery workers at two Saigon Grill restaurants in Manhattan, who were paid less than $2 an hour and subject to arbitrary garnishment of wages for workplace infractions as minor as letting a kitchen door slam. Workers celebrated the $4.6 million victory, which brought attention to the widespread and often unchecked inequity in the food services industry. As a result of the victory, “many restaurants have already started to pay their deliverymen better,” according to Josephine Lee, an immigrant advocacy organizer with Justice Be Served.

Despite the excitement surrounding the victory, the fact remains that the state minimum wage of $7.15 an hour will likely not be enough to ensure the economic stability and food security of the Saigon Grill Workers and millions like them. At least one of the vindicated workers planned to use his over $300,000 individual award to purchase health insurance for his family: a protection that should be legally assured to all workers. Until the creation of a federal living wage and affordable health insurance, many of the workers who feed New York City will continue to be unable to adequately feed themselves.

STATE AND NATIONAL ROUNDUP

Hunger on the Rise Prior to Economic Downturn

Today’s long lines at soup kitchens and food pantries follow a trend in rising hunger rates that preceded the recent economic crisis, according to new data from the USDA. In 2007, 1 in 8 Americans—13 million households—could not afford enough food and many more seniors and children suffered from very low food security than in 2006. The number of children living in very food insecure households climbed 60% to 691,000, while the number of food insecure seniors living on their own grew by 26% to 783,000. In New York State, nearly one in ten families struggled to afford an adequate diet.

The data follows a decade-long trend of steadily rising hunger rates and, anecdotal evidence strongly suggests that the numbers have further spiked in 2008 as the economy continues to falter. “Given that hunger and food insecurity were rampant in America and New York when the overall economy was still strong in the previous few years, it is no wonder that, during this economic meltdown, New York City is starting to face a full-blown hunger emergency, with more and more pantries and kitchens running out of food and unable to meet the growing demand,” said NYCCAH Executive Director Joel Berg.

The USDA study comes several weeks before the November 25 announcement of the results from NYCCAH’s annual Hunger Survey, which serves as the leading source of data on Hunger in New York City.

A Pledge to Make History, Again

Following his historic election win, President-elect Obama is promising to make history again by committing to end child hunger in the United States by 2015. The Obama-Biden Hunger Plan utilizes federal funds in order to support state anti-hunger initiatives, thus allowing states to avoid tax increases that would otherwise be needed to fund such initiatives. The plan would also: expand food access for children by automatically enrolling food stamp (recently renamed the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP) participants in school free meals programs; increase the number of summer meals sites across the country and increase funding for community food banks. These proposed anti-hunger strategies would be girded by broad anti-poverty measures including raising the federal minimum wage to $9.50 an hour by 2011 and making affordable health insurance available to all Americans.

New York Times columnist Paul Krugman calls on President-elect Obama to learn from New Deal policy, but to extend his commitment to economic improvement beyond the cautious measures of the Roosevelt administration. “It’s much better, in a depressed economy, to err on the side of too much stimulus than on the side of too little,” says Krugman. This kind of extended commitment will be the first step towards a stable economy and long-term food security for all Americans.

Gov. Paterson’s Proposed Cuts Hit Social Services Below the Belt

On November 13, Governor Paterson unveiled a proposal that would enact sweeping state budget cuts, including cuts in human services. Governor Paterson has declined to cut into the City’s $1.2 billion “rainy day fund” or to raise taxes in order to bolster state revenues. The plan would allegedly generate $5.2 billion in state funds over the next two years, eliminating the state’s 2008 deficit and securing future payment on the 2009 deficit. The most drastic cuts will hit education and health care: school aid would be decreased by $836 million and Medicaid reimbursements to hospitals would also be substantially reduced.

Following the announcement, non-profit groups rallied against the proposed cuts at government office buildings across the state. “We went through this in the 70’s, it was the worst period in New York’s recent history, and it lasted over two decades,” said Ed Ott, Executive Director at the New York City Central Labor Council, of the proposed plan. “It is the job of the government to go and find the money and keep essential services. We don’t want another 25 bad years in this city. If they cut us out, we won’t climb out easily.”

Upcoming Events
Join us for anti-hunger events sponsored by the New York City Coalition Against Hunger

NYCCAH's Annual Hunger Survey

Join the New York City Coalition Against Hunger and elected officials for a series of events on November 25^th and 26^th to announce the results of our annual hunger survey, which serves as the primary source of information on hunger in New York City for politicians, press and other human service agencies. The report we will be releasing will detail how hunger in New York City has spiked over the past year as the economy declined at the same time as federal, state, and city funding was further reduced. Events will take place in all five boroughs and are scheduled as follows:

Tuesday, November 25^th

9:30am Manhattan Survey Event
Cabrini Immigrant Services 139 Henry St., New York, NY
12pm Staten Island Survey Event
Richmond Senior Services 500 Jewett Ave., Staten Island, NY

Wednesday, November 26^th

10am Bronx Survey Event
St. Benedict the Moor Center 283 St. Ann’s Ave., Bronx, NY

12pm Queens Survey Event
Hour Children 36-49 11^th St., Long Island City, NY

3pm Brooklyn Survey Event
Masbia 4114 14th Ave, Brooklyn NY

Book Launch of Joel Berg's All You Can Eat: How Hungry is America?

In his first book, All You Can Eat: How Hungry is America?, Joel Berg has his eye on the growing number of people who are forced to wait on lines at food pantries across the nation-the modern breadline. All You Can Eat reveals that hunger is a problem as American as apple pie, and shows what it is like when your income is not enough to cover rising housing and living costs and put food on the table. Berg provides a blueprint for President-Elect Obama to make good on his campaign promise to end child hunger by 2015 as a down payment on ending all domestic hunger.

Join us for official book release events at the following locations:

Sunday, November 23^rd

3pm Kick-Off Event
St. Francis Xavier Church 5 West 15th Street, New York, NY

Wednesday, November 26^th

7pm Book Reading
Bluestockings Books 172 Allen Street, New York, NY

NYCCAH's 25th Anniversary

Come Celebrate the New York City Coalition Against Hunger's 25th Anniversary!

On December 2nd, from 7-9 pm, the New York City Coalition Against Hunger will host a 25th Anniversary Reception honoring long-term supporters Councilmen Bill deBlasio and Eric Gioia and Sandra Silverman, President of the Scherman Foundation. The event will celebrate our anti-hunger victories and will help us look forward to the coming years of effectively fighting hunger and helping families “move beyond the soup kitchen” to economic self-sufficiency.

RSVP for the December 2nd reception and make your tax-deductible donation to the New York City Coalition Against Hunger HERE.

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	City Expands In-Classroom School Breakfast Program
	In an effort to curb food insecurity among City children, Mayor Bloomberg recently pledged to expand a program that makes free breakfasts available to public school students in their first period classrooms. NYCCAH has long called for the expansion of the program which will grow from a 50-school pilot project to a 350-school City program under the new initiative. Studies have shown that students who eat school breakfast increase their math and reading scores and perform better on standardized tests than students who go without breakfast or eat breakfast at home. The innovative City program improves upon the traditional model of free- and reduced-price meals by bringing meals directly into the classroom, thus lessening the stigma associated with receiving free meals in a separate room. “This is a major advance that will be a model for the whole country” said NYCCAH Executive Director Joel Berg. “We know breakfast improves educational performance so in-classroom breakfasts are both good hunger and good education policy.” Mayor Bloomberg announced the program’s expansion in conjunction with 17 further initiatives to help New Yorkers endure economic hardship, which include committing $1.3 million to emergency food programs to purchase frozen produce and increasing food stamp outreach to seniors. For more information on school breakfast initiatives see NYCCAH’s proposal to end U.S. child Hunger by 2012, or visit the Food Research and Action Council’s School Breakfast Outreach Center.
	Victory in Wage Violation Case Enforces Need for Living Wage
	On October 21, a federal judge ruled in favor 36 delivery workers at two Saigon Grill restaurants in Manhattan, who were paid less than $2 an hour and subject to arbitrary garnishment of wages for workplace infractions as minor as letting a kitchen door slam. Workers celebrated the $4.6 million victory, which brought attention to the widespread and often unchecked inequity in the food services industry. As a result of the victory, “many restaurants have already started to pay their deliverymen better,” according to Josephine Lee, an immigrant advocacy organizer with Justice Be Served. Despite the excitement surrounding the victory, the fact remains that the state minimum wage of $7.15 an hour will likely not be enough to ensure the economic stability and food security of the Saigon Grill Workers and millions like them. At least one of the vindicated workers planned to use his over $300,000 individual award to purchase health insurance for his family: a protection that should be legally assured to all workers. Until the creation of a federal living wage and affordable health insurance, many of the workers who feed New York City will continue to be unable to adequately feed themselves.

		Hunger on the Rise Prior to Economic Downturn
		Today’s long lines at soup kitchens and food pantries follow a trend in rising hunger rates that preceded the recent economic crisis, according to new data from the USDA. In 2007, 1 in 8 Americans—13 million households—could not afford enough food and many more seniors and children suffered from very low food security than in 2006. The number of children living in very food insecure households climbed 60% to 691,000, while the number of food insecure seniors living on their own grew by 26% to 783,000. In New York State, nearly one in ten families struggled to afford an adequate diet. The data follows a decade-long trend of steadily rising hunger rates and, anecdotal evidence strongly suggests that the numbers have further spiked in 2008 as the economy continues to falter. “Given that hunger and food insecurity were rampant in America and New York when the overall economy was still strong in the previous few years, it is no wonder that, during this economic meltdown, New York City is starting to face a full-blown hunger emergency, with more and more pantries and kitchens running out of food and unable to meet the growing demand,” said NYCCAH Executive Director Joel Berg. The USDA study comes several weeks before the November 25 announcement of the results from NYCCAH’s annual Hunger Survey, which serves as the leading source of data on Hunger in New York City.
		A Pledge to Make History, Again
		Following his historic election win, President-elect Obama is promising to make history again by committing to end child hunger in the United States by 2015. The Obama-Biden Hunger Plan utilizes federal funds in order to support state anti-hunger initiatives, thus allowing states to avoid tax increases that would otherwise be needed to fund such initiatives. The plan would also: expand food access for children by automatically enrolling food stamp (recently renamed the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP) participants in school free meals programs; increase the number of summer meals sites across the country and increase funding for community food banks. These proposed anti-hunger strategies would be girded by broad anti-poverty measures including raising the federal minimum wage to $9.50 an hour by 2011 and making affordable health insurance available to all Americans. New York Times columnist Paul Krugman calls on President-elect Obama to learn from New Deal policy, but to extend his commitment to economic improvement beyond the cautious measures of the Roosevelt administration. “It’s much better, in a depressed economy, to err on the side of too much stimulus than on the side of too little,” says Krugman. This kind of extended commitment will be the first step towards a stable economy and long-term food security for all Americans.