Recent Posts

Federal Expenditures for Food Assistance Increased 11% in FY 2008 (USDA Economic Research Service, April 2009)

The Food Assistance Landscape, recently released by the USDA, covers recent trends from the Food and Nutrition Service.  It reports that the 11% increase in expenditures for food assistance programs in fiscal year 2008 was the largest percentage increase in 16 years.  While SNAP accounts for 62% of spending, WIC was the fastest growing food assistance…

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More Children Are Receiving Free and Reduced Price Lunches at School (U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, January 28, 2009)

Although the growing number of children receiving free and reduced price lunches at school signals increasing levels of need as the nation faces an extended economic crisis, it also indicates that millions of children who may face food insecurity at home have access to meals at school.

Participation in Food and Nutrition Programs Increased from 2004 to 2008 (USDA, Food and Nutrition Service, January 28, 2009)

According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the number of people participating in food and nutrition programs (including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the free school lunch program, and WIC) increased steadily between 2004 and 2008, with the largest increase occurring in 2008.    http://www.fns.usda.gov/pd/annual.htm

Demand on Food Banks Increases (Feeding America, December 18, 2008)

Feeding America (formerly America’s Second Harvest), a national hunger-relief charity, conducted a local impact survey of 160 food banks in the U.S. in 2008. All of the food banks reported an increase in demand for food over the past year, with estimated increases ranging from 29% to 38%