Page 47 - Poverty Issues News Today

January saw some Minnesota schools move back to distance learning because of COVID-19 cases. Families struggling to find their kids meals in these scenarios are urged to use available aid, while policymakers face pressure to remove food barriers beyond the crisis. States like Minnesota opted to carry out an extra form of federal relief for when schools shift to remote learning. ...

Supply-chain issues, inflation and job loss during the pandemic have put many families food security at risk. In New Hampshire, food insecurity remains higher than pre-pandemic levels, and recent census surveys show 7% of households are considered food insecure, and the number jumps to 8% for households with children. Jessica Gorhan, deputy director of New Hampshire Hunger Solutions, said the Granite State could do a much better job at utilizing federal nutrition dollars for programs such as...

Advocates in the battle against food insecurity are urging lawmakers to find room in the upcoming Utah state budget to increase aid to food banks and other nutrition programs. When the Utah Legislatures 2022 session opens, state agencies and social-service groups are hoping to make an ad hoc task force formed during the pandemic permanent, and that its recommendations will result in new policies in the battle against poverty and hunger. Alex Cragun, food security advocate for the group Utahns ...

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. - Wisconsins food charities are preparing for a possible spike in demand heading into the holiday season. From the end of federal pandemic aid measures to ongoing supply chain disruptions, Stephanie Dorfman, executive director of Feeding Wisconsin, said organizations like hers are balancing several factors this year. ...

HOUSTON, Texas -- Minority-owned businesses across the South are benefitting from a program designed to help them get back on their feet post-pandemic. The Southern Opportunity and Resilience (SOAR) Fund, is assisting businesses and nonprofits rebuild. Chandon Gordon owns Houstons GFN Hippy, a small business that coordinates housing for traveling nurses. ...

NEW YORK - A new report shows far fewer New Yorkers have gone hungry since the federal government nearly doubled its spending in the pandemic on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. The number of New York residents who reported not having enough to eat was more than 6 million in April, but by September it had fallen to around 2.7 million - the month enhanced SNAP benefits were extended through the American Rescue Plan. Joel Berg, chief executive of Hunger Free America, said...

LOS ANGELES -- Anti-hunger advocates filed suit Monday to force Los Angeles County to speed up processing of applications for emergency food assistance. Those applications by law must be processed within three days, but the countys own data showed between October 2020 and September 2021, more than a third of applications took longer, affecting 54,000 households. Frank Tamborello, executive director of Hunger Action Los Angeles, said the CalFresh program is akin to emergency response. ...

Kidnapping is being viewed as really a test to the u.s. government, because now this is the gang, essentially, putting up a threat to the u.s. government, saying, were going to take your citizens, and were going to see how you deal with it. this is really a sort of tenuous situation, a dangerous situation, because the u.s. government is now having to deal with these gangs, and this gang in particular that has been behind a number of kidnappings. >> so yamiche, lets talk about that. because haiti...

PORTLAND, Ore. - A program that helps Oregonians eat fresh food could expand with an assist from lawmakers. Double Up Food Bucks matches Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, purchases up to $10 so that people can buy fresh fruits and vegetables. ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is often called the first line of defense against hunger, and its out of reach for half of Ohioans who need it. Food insecurity impacted 1.5 million Ohioans before the pandemic, which means 13% of the population struggled at times to access food due to a lack of money or resources. Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, executive director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, explained half of food insecure Ohioans are ineligible for federal ...