The NS mail carriers are going hungry May 11 / Public News Service

It’s almost summer and time to get to work for those struggling with hunger in New Mexico.

This Saturday, U.S. Postal Service letter carriers will collect nonperishable food items from customers’ doors as part of “Stamp Out Hunger,” the nation’s largest one-day food drive.

Marie Montano, a letter carrier and member of the National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 504 in Albuquerque, participates every year because she said it is an opportunity to give back to the community.

“At the end of April, I start talking about it with my clients and letting my clients know,” Montano explains. “Every little bit counts. In one day alone, at one station, we get close to about £500 per carrier.”

Feeding America’s 2023 Map the Meal Gap study found that one in five children and one in seven people overall are at risk of going hungry in New Mexico.

Anyone who wants to help can fill a sturdy bag or box with non-perishable food on Saturday before the usual mail delivery and leave it next to the mailbox.

The event in Albuquerque benefits the Roadrunner Food Bank, which distributes food in the city and statewide.

Sonya Warwick, director of communications and events at the food bank, knows there is a great need right now as more people show up at distribution locations.

“It’s one of the largest food drives happening across the country,” Warwick noted. “Going into the summer months is critical for us as we see a hunger spike when small children are out of school and they may not have access to the free and reduced-price meals they would normally receive at school.”

In addition to Roadrunner, food banks in other parts of the state, including Santa Fe and Artesia, are also participating. Warwick emphasized that New Mexico food banks are always working to close the state’s meal gap.

“It can be difficult simply because there are so many communities in the state that have so much need, especially the rural communities in our state,” Warwick emphasized. “They tend to see much higher rates of hunger, especially among the most vulnerable, like children.”

For those who cannot participate, Warwick added that a monetary donation is always helpful as it allows Roadrunner to purchase food in categories that are not donated as often.

receive more stories like this via email

A new program in Indiana is ensuring students statewide have access to nutritious meals year-round.

The Summer Electronic Transfer program offers a one-time payment of $120 for school-age children on an EBT card. The card can be used at grocery stores, farmers markets and other retailers.

Emily Weikert Bryant, executive director of Feeding Indiana’s Hungry, said history shows programs like SUN Bucks are effective.

“What we’ve learned from the pandemic is that when we provide these types of benefits, allowing families to pick up on behalf of their children has made a huge difference in reducing food insecurity among children during the pandemic,” noted Refuses Bryant. “Especially in the summer.”

Local schools will discuss eligibility with parents and families. Additionally, free meals are available at SUN Meals locations in all communities. Funding for the initiative is provided by the state and the USDA.

Weikert Bryant said SUN Bucks is a critical lifeline, ensuring no child goes hungry during the summer months. The program reflects Indiana’s commitment to promoting the well-being of Hoosier children and ensuring they receive nutritious meals to thrive personally and academically. She described who is eligible.

“Children are eligible for the program if the household is already participating in SNAP, TANF – Temporary Assistance for Needy Families – or income-based Medicaid,” Weikert Bryant outlines. “Or if the student is identified as a ward of the state; a foster child, homeless or migrant.”

These children automatically receive benefits. Families who do not qualify for these programs, but have children who receive free and reduced-price meals, must apply for the program. The deadline for registration is May 1.

receive more stories like this via email

Alabama is one of fourteen states opting out of the 2024 electronic summer program.

As summer approaches, there will be no programs to help low-income families with groceries.

LaTrell Clifford Wood, hunger advocate for the group Alabama Arise, said that as a result, more than 500,000 children who normally receive free or reduced lunches could go without meals. She noted that while summer feeding programs will be available, they will not reach everyone in need.

“Ninety-four percent of Alabama children who rely on free, reduced-price meals will not have access to them this summer,” Clifford Wood reported. “That means only 6% of children who rely on these meals during the school year will be fed through summer feeding programs.”

Clifford Wood warned that limited hours, transportation and strict program rules will prevent many families from taking advantage of such essential programs. The Alabama Legislature had not appropriated the necessary $15 million for the program at the end of the last session. However, Clifford Wood noted that there is a chance the program will be funded in the summer of 2025.

As lawmakers focus on next year’s budgets, Clifford Wood emphasized the need for funding next summer’s EBT program. She pointed out that Alabama Arise is calling on lawmakers to release money from the Education Trust Fund to combat child hunger, which affects one in four children in the state.

“This is a program that has been tested for 13 years,” Clifford Wood points out. “It has had three rigorous evaluation periods and has been shown to improve children’s nutrition and reduce children’s feeding problems by a third.”

Clifford Wood believes that prioritizing children’s needs and addressing food insecurity is a form of preventive care and serves as an early investment in the state’s overall well-being.

The Food Research and Action Center said funding from the e-benefits program would also benefit the economy – an increase of somewhere between $98 million and $117 million. The Alabama Senate Finance and Taxation Committee is expected to vote on the budget next week.

receive more stories like this via email

California’s program that helps low-income families buy fresh fruits and vegetables is in jeopardy, and health care advocates are asking lawmakers to save the Market Match program.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed cutting most of the program’s $35 million budget to help close the state’s budget deficit.

Sophia Vaccaro, a Market Match participant from Echo Park, said she depends on Market Match in more ways than one.

“It helps people stretch their budgets further,” Vaccaro explains. “Then I think it helps the community because it creates a sense of camaraderie at the farmers market and gets people more invested in the community itself.”

The program doubles every dollar CalFresh customers spend on fresh fruits and vegetables at a farmers market, up to between $10 and $20 per day. It operates in 294 locations across the state and is paid for in part through federal matching funds.

Dr. John Maa, a surgeon at Marin Health Medical Center and board member of the San Francisco Bay Area chapter of the American Heart Association, said Market Match promotes healthy eating and boosts the local agricultural economy.

“An improved diet will have really meaningful long-term health effects and also reduce healthcare costs,” Maa explains. “It really helps to keep the growers and the traders alive. I think it’s a win-win-win situation.”

Siu Han Cheung, outreach coordinator for the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation and board member of the Heart of the City Farmers’ Market, argued that the program is critical for residents across the state.

“If the Market Match is scrapped, it will be terrible,” Cheung stressed. “That means they have less money to buy their food. So Market Match is very important for low-income families and seniors.”

Lawmakers and the governor are working toward the May budget revisions and must approve a balanced budget by June 15.

receive more stories like this via email