Advocates warn that low-income families may have to cut back on fruits and vegetables starting in April - if Congress allows part of their food benefits to expire. President Joe Biden s American Rescue Plan bumped up the amount families get to buy fruits and vegetables as part of the Women Infants and Children program, called WIC. Shannon Whaley - director or research and evaluation for Public Health Foundation Enterprises WIC program, a part of Heluna Health in LA - said unless Congress extends that bump by March 11, benefits go back to $9 a month for kids younger than five. .
Children s advocates are sounding the alarm about the expiration of a program they say has been key to keeping low-income children fed during the pandemic. Child nutrition waivers were created by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act of March 2020, which gave the U.S. Department of Agriculture the power to approve more than two dozen provisions allowing state and local organizations flexibility to run free meal programs during COVID-19. .
Statistics showed during the pandemic, the number of Utah families experiencing food insecurity grew, and advocates argued the state needs to take a leading role in finding solutions to the problem. A bill working its way through the Utah Legislature would formalize a working group of stakeholders who meet periodically to exchange ideas and propose policies. The legislation, which would consolidate an ad hoc coalition into a state entity with staff and funding, is pending before the Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Committee. .
In the latest COVID variant surge, Ohio s hunger-relief network is facing unique challenges. With missed wages due to illness, quarantining and remote learning for kids, struggling families rely on food banks across the state and food banks rely on the support of volunteers. In the early days of the pandemic, said Kurt Keiber, president and chief executive of the Freestore Foodbank in southwest Ohio, the Ohio National Guard helped fill in the gaps when volunteers had to stay home. .
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