Sample EBT cards used by Iowa recipients of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP. (Gazette Archives)

When Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley goes to church, he apparently hears the Biblical injunction to balance the budget. Caring for the least of these or feeding the hungry is pagan, I guess, and certainly not a Republican priority in the Legislature today. I want to help broaden their vision to include a tiny bit of fact and, hopefully, understanding of others’ less affluent lives

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) began in 1933 as part of the New Deal’s Agricultural Administration Act. It helped farmers survive low prices as it helped feed the unemployed and under employed. SNAP saved the economy in rural Iowa and fed otherwise hungry in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, as well. Many recipients today are children, elderly and the disabled. There is a work requirement there today as well.

Now the Legislature wants to limit what SNAP can buy. Their original bill had bizarre limitations: no fresh meat, but canned tuna as a substitute. Brown rice was OK, but white rice was not. Flat sluices of cheddar cheese were verboten. White bread was also forbidden; whole wheat was not. The GOP says the menu has changed. Meat purchases with be permitted, lawmakers said.

Pat Grassley said about SNAP, “It’s these entitlement programs. They’re the ones that are growing within the budget and are putting pressure on us being able to fund other priorities.” What exactly has more priority than eating? What they don’t see clearly, if at all, are the hungry who live in every county in the state. They talk of food stamps with disdain, as sinful “entitlements” for which we are spending too much money. The federal government, not Iowa, pays for 100 percent of SNAP’s food assistance. We split administrative costs 50/50. If Iowa can’t pay that, it cannot afford another mile of farm to market roads or tuition to the wealthy for their private schools.

No county in Iowa is without men, women, and children on food stamps. In Linn County, there are about 25,000 people who depend on SNAP for enough food. They spend over $3 million a year buying groceries here, eating what our famers grow, and keeping people working in grocery stores, warehouses and trucks hauling it all. Statewide we have had about 300,000 people covered each year. If hypocrisy had calories, each conservative member of our legislature would weigh about 367 pounds.

What is especially fascinating to me is that the people who will tell you what you can and cannot eat and what you live on also believe regulating guns that kill is invasive control. People die and they do nothing. People live, but only with guidance from the all-knowing Betty Crockers in the Legislature.

I think they need all the help they can get. I wish I could resurrect Marie Antoniette. I would hope the Republicans would invite the beheaded queen into their caucus. When she said, Let them eat cake, they could respond, “Not on food stamps.”

Hunger should not be treated as a budget, bookkeeping problem. If Pat Grassley doesn’t understand that he ought to resign.

Norman Sherman of Coralville has worked extensively in politics, including as Vice President Hubert Humphrey’s press secretary, and authored a memoir “From Nowhere to Somewhere.”

Opinion content represents the viewpoint of the author or The Gazette editorial board. You can join the conversation by submitting a letter to the editor or guest column or by suggesting a subject for an editorial to editorial@thegazette.com

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The visit by Pope Francis to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and South Sudan can raise awareness of two silent hunger emergencies (“‘Hands off Africa!’: Pope blasts foreign plundering of Congo ,” Jan. 31).

In the DRC, over 26 million people suffer in hunger, many displaced by internal conflict. In South Sudan, 8 million people face severe food insecurity, with violence making the crisis worse. Tragically, there is very little media coverage of these two impoverished nations. Without this attention, funding remains too low for the UN World Food Program and other relief agencies to feed everyone in need.

If enough people spread the word about hunger in the DRC and South Sudan we could ensure food aid programs have enough resources. It’s vital that infant feeding and school lunch programs in the DRC and South Sudan receive full funding. Children can be saved from deadly malnutrition if we take action.

William Lambers

Cincinnati, OH

A 2010 federal law that boosted nutrition standards for school meals may have begun to help slow the rise in obesity among America's children—even teenagers who can buy their own snacks, a new study showed.

The national study found a small but significant decline in the average body mass index of more than 14,000 schoolkids ages 5 to 18 whose heights and weights were tracked before and after implementation of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010.

The study is new evidence that improving the quality of school meals through legislation might be one way to help shift the trajectory of childhood obesity, which has been rising for decades and now affects about 1 in 5 U.S. kids. Whether the program has begun to turn the tide for the whole country, and not just the groups of kids studied, is still unclear. About 30 million children in the U.S. receive school lunches each day.

"You have the potential to really impact their excess weight gain over the course of their entire childhood," said Dr. Aruna Chandran, a social epidemiologist with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She led the study published Monday in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, championed by former first lady Michelle Obama, was the first national legislation to Strengthen school meals in more than 20 years. It increased the quantity of fruits, vegetables and whole grains required in school meals.

The new study analyzed nationwide data from 50 cohorts of schoolchildren from January 2005 to August 2016, before the law took effect, and data from September 2016 to March 2020, after it was fully implemented. Researchers calculated kids' body-mass index, a weight-to-height ratio.

It found that a body mass index for children, adjusted for age and gender, fell by 0.041 units per year, compared to before the law took effect. That amounts to about a quarter of one BMI unit per year, Chandran said. There was a slight decline in kids who were overweight or obese, too, the study showed.

One way to think of the change is that for a 10-year-old boy with an elevated body-mass index, the decline would amount to a 1-pound weight loss, noted Dr. Lauren Fiechtner, director of nutrition at MassGeneral Hospital for Children in Boston, who wrote an editorial accompanying the study.

"This is important as even BMI flattening over time is likely important," she said. Holding kids' weight steady as they grow can help keep obesity in check.

Previous studies have shown weight-related effects of the federal law among children from low-income families. The new study is the first to find lower BMI in kids across all income levels.

At the same time, significant decreases in BMI measures were seen not only in kids ages 5 to 11, but also in those age 12 to 18.

"That's an incredible shift," Chandran said. "These are kids who potentially have their own autonomy to buy their own snacks."

The new results come within days of the release of updated standards for school meals, including the first limits on added sugars, decreased sodium and increased flexibility for whole grains. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the study shows that healthy school meals are "critical for tackling diet-related conditions like obesity."

But some researchers cautioned against interpreting the study's findings too broadly. Some of the children included in the study might not have been enrolled in school meals programs, or their district may not have fully implemented the nutrition requirements, said Kendrin Sonneville, associate professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

Significantly, measures like BMI, even when adjusted for children, "should not be used as a proxy for health," she added.

A slight reduction in those measures, she said, "doesn't tell us whether the health, well-being, concerns related to food security of children participating in the school breakfast or lunch program improved."

© 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

The contractual workers and members of the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangha, together with 5000 plus people, have been protesting at Freedom Park.

While some of the health officials from NHM and Horticulture Minister Munirathna came forward and gave assurances to the Karnataka State Health and Medical Education Department Contractual and Outsource Employees’ Association (KSHCOEA) employees. However, the workers have decided to continue their protest until written orders are passed by the government.

On Wednesday, another staff member fainted as the members were on a hunger strike.

“The health care worker was taken to the KC General Hospital for treatment. As we are on a hunger strike and since she hadn’t eaten since morning, she felt tired and needed an immediate hospital assistant. Despite our struggle, none of the officials are meeting our demands” said Association president Vishwaradhya HY.

The KSHCOEA members also reached out to the Chief Minister Basvaraj Bommai to demand relief for 23,000 contractual workers in the state. The CM asked them to stay positive and said that the government will soon look into the demands.

“We want the government to implement the PN Srinivasachari committee report that has recommended a 15 per cent hike in salaries of all contract staff, and provide health insurance and other benefits,” Vishwaradhya added.

Unless the government releases official order in settling the demands of the contractual health staff, the protest will not be called off. The association has been demanding for making services permanent and preferences in future recruitments as well. Yet nothing has been finalised by the government, he informed.

New data sheds light on the problem of food insecurity among military families. Syracuse University researcher provides some insight, and military spouse comedian Ashley Gutermuth shares how she’s using her platform to help.

About the guests:

Colleen Heflin is the chair and professor of public administration and international affairs and associate dean of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. She is also a faculty affiliate at the Center for Policy Research and the Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion. As a research and policy scholar for nearly 20 years, Heflin is regarded as a national expert on food insecurity, nutrition and welfare policy, and the well-being of vulnerable populations. Heflin’s research has helped document the causes and consequences of food insecurity, identify the barriers and consequences of participation in nutrition programs and understand the changing role of the public safety net in the lives of low-income Americans. Heflin has published over 70 research articles and her work has appeared in leading journals. Her research is regularly funded by the National Institutes for Health, U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Russell Sage Foundation. From 2012-2017, Heflin was supported by a five-year award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service as Family Self-Sufficiency and Stability Research Scholar to explore how multiple program participation affects vulnerable families’ well-being.

Ashley Gutermuth is a New Jersey-based stand-up comedian and actor. She appeared on “The Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon, where she was chosen by Jerry Seinfeld to win the Seinfeld Challenge. In 2021, she won the headliner category of the U.S. Comedy Contest. Gutermuth has performed for The World Series of Comedy, The New York Underground Comedy Festival and The North Carolina Comedy Festival. She has also appeared on shows with Chris Kattan (SNL), Steve Hytner (Seinfeld) and Michael Winslow (Police Academy, America’s Got Talent), among many others. Gutermuth regularly posts on social media, and her hilarious videos of her stand-up and life as a military spouse have exploded to over 50 million views.

About the podcast:

The Spouse Angle is a podcast breaking down the news for military spouses and their families. Each episode features subject-matter experts and military guests who dive into current events from a military perspective — everything from new policy changes to research on family lifestyle challenges. The podcast is hosted by Natalie Gross, a freelance journalist and former Military Times reporter who grew up in a military family.

Follow The Spouse Angle on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts.

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BANGKOK -- Concerns about the condition of two hunger strikers seeking political and judicial reforms in Thailand heightened Monday after the hospital where the two women are being kept urgently summoned their parents.

Tantawan “Tawan” Tuatulanon, 21, and Orawan “Bam” Phuphong, 23, have been on hunger strike since Jan. 18 — much of that time refusing water as well as food — to back their demands for reform of the justice system, the release of political prisoners pending trial and for lawmakers to amend or abolish laws used against political dissidents.

Their lawyer, Krisadang Nutcharas, said they are in poor condition, and at risk of losing their lives.

"Their parents didn’t sleep last night and they have been here since morning,” said Krisadang at the Thammasat University Hospital in a northern suburb of Bangkok, the capital. “This is not a scripted drama to ask people for their sympathy.”

The two women agreed a few days ago to resume taking water. Refusing all liquids in addition to food can cause permanent injury and even death if carried on for an extended period.

The two activists are among at least 228 people, including 18 minors, have been charged with violating the lese majeste law, which carries a prison term of three to 15 years for insulting the monarchy. Critics say the law, also known as Article 112, is often wielded as a tool to quash political dissent. Student-led pro-democracy protests beginning in 2020 openly criticized the monarchy, previously a taboo subject, leading to vigorous prosecutions under the law, which had previously been relatively rarely employed.

Sitthichok Sethasavet, a food delivery driver convicted in January of lese majeste, is also on a hunger strike and being kept at the same hospital.

Tantawan and Orawan were charged with lese majeste for conducting public polls on whether people felt bothered by royal motorcades, which can lead to road closures and heavy traffic. They also face other charges such as sedition and refusing to comply with authorities.

The two women had been free on bail but announced earlier this month that they were revoking their own release to return to prison in solidarity with others held pending trial on the same charge whom they want to be freed, saying that's the main issue at this point.

Krisadang said Monday he reapplied for the release on bail of eight others from the same activist group who have been detained pending trial after they were accused of breaking the law while taking part in political protests. Several previous applications have been turned down.

A Sunday statement by Thammasat University Hospital said the condition of both young women is deteriorating as they continue to reject food and treatment and are only sipping water.

Tantawan is bleeding through her gums in addition to suffering from fatigue, low blood sugar, stomach pains and trouble sleeping, while her body is lacking in electrolytes and her blood is also becoming acidic, the statement said.

It said Orawan is experiencing similar ailments in addition to a blood clotting disorder, tired legs and nausea.

Opposition political parties have joined the hunger strikers' call for releasing the prisoners, but sympathizers have also been imploring the women to save themselves.

“I truly believe that no one should have to sacrifice their lives to ask for basic democratic rights in a modern democratic society, which includes the right to equal treatment in the justice system and the right to bail," popular opposition figure Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit said in a video message posted Sunday on a “Return lives, return the right to bail” Facebook page.

THE DALLES Ore. (KPTV) - In The Dalles, the Columbia Gorge Food Bank just underwent a major upgrade, and can now make an even bigger difference in the area.

FOX 12 is partnering with Fred Meyer for the FOX 12 Hunger Free Project to help benefit those in need in our community, and highlight the Oregon Food Bank and its partners as they combat food insecurity across the state. The next time you check out at your local Fred Meyer store, round up your purchase to the nearest dollar. Your contribution will help make a difference in the fight to end hunger in our community.

The Columbia Gorge Food Bank is taking on hunger in Hood River, Wasco, and Sherman counties, and recently moved into a larger facility with the help of the Oregon Food Bank. Manager Sharon Thornberry says this new state-of-the-art facility could not have been finished at a better time.

SEE ALSO: Report reveals increase in Multnomah County homeless deaths

“The need has doubled during the years of the pandemic, and it’s actually worse because the pandemic is over but there’s so many other economic pressures of people,” said Thornberry. “A lot of our region is a food desert, it’s underserved, so this is making a huge difference here.”

Thornberry and her team say the Columbia Gorge Food Bank provides food for 16 food pantries and serves hundreds of families a month. But, she says food insecurity has become more serious in recent months in rural communities, as more families are asking for help for the first time than ever before.

“Rural grocery stores have disappeared, there’s not sources of food in many places,” said Thornberry. “And it’s difficult for rural grocery stores to maintain business because they suffer from the same supply chain issues as food banking does.”

Another reason why the Columbia Gorge Food Bank team is grateful for the new space is because on March 1, federal food assistance benefits, or SNAP, will be ending its extra amount recipients were receiving during the COVID-19 pandemic.

SEE ALSO: City and Portland Police Bureau at impasse on using body cameras

“We’re working to both make sure everyone has the information they need, knows what resources are available, but also working with the volunteers at our food pantries we provide food to,” said Silvan Shawe, Columbia Gorge Food Bank community philanthropy manager. “We’re trying to stock up as best we can to be prepared.”

But regardless of the need, Sharon Thornberry says the Columbia Gorge Food Bank is ready to step into a new chapter with a larger headquarters, and help make a difference in thousands of lives.

“We can have more fresh produce on hand, we can have more staples on hand, we can also better take in the donations that are available.”

Learn more about the FOX 12 Hunger Free Project here.

Copyright 2023 KPTV-KPDX. All rights reserved.

Everyone is vulnerable in some way, whether it's to natural disasters, chronic diseases or hunger. But some are more at risk than others because of what they are exposed to socially, economically and environmentally. This phenomenon is known as social vulnerability. It refers to the attributes of society that make people and places susceptible to natural disasters, adverse health outcomes and social inequalities.

In terms of income distribution, South Africa is one of the most unequal countries in the world. The impact of COVID-19 on the economy has worsened this inequality and increased social vulnerability among poor people. Poverty is inherently associated with food insecurity—a state in which socially vulnerable people can't get enough nutritious and safe food.

Although these social inequalities are well documented in South Africa, not enough is known about the link between social vulnerability and food insecurity for the country as a whole.

Previous studies that investigated the relationship between social vulnerability and food insecurity have been limited to certain places, such as the poor and rural Eastern Cape province or the crowded urban area of Soweto. A better understanding of social inequalities at a national level might help the government provide social relief where it's needed most.

With this in mind, we conducted a nationally representative survey of the prevalence of social vulnerability in the country. We looked at a range of socio-economic, demographic and geographical variables to see who is socially vulnerable. We also investigated the associations between social vulnerability and household food insecurity.

Questions about food

We conducted our study in October 2021 with 3,402 individuals we recruited across the nine provinces of the country. We used a statistical technique to transform the trial of 3,402 into a nationally representative trial of 39.6 million people, aged 18 years and older.

We measured social vulnerability using a social vulnerability index tool developed by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which we adapted for South Africa.

We also used a modified version of the Community Childhood Hunger Identification Project questionnaire to quantify food insecurity.

All the respondents were asked:

Vulnerable and food insecure

The study showed high levels of social vulnerability in the country linked to food insecurity. Over 20.6% of the South Africans in our trial were socially vulnerable, and 20.4% food insecure. This amounts to about 7.8 million people out of our trial of 39.6 million people.

We also found that the most vulnerable groups in the country were Africans—as opposed to white people or people of Asian or mixed descent.

Also most vulnerable were

• females

• people living in rural areas

• those with low socio-economic status

• people without high school certificates

• adults older than 45.

These findings are not surprising, given that these groups are known to have higher levels of poverty. But the findings are still important because they paint a troubling picture in which social inequality remains a major and persisting national challenge. It needs urgent and efficient solutions.

Addressing social inequalities

The government uses various initiatives to address social inequalities in the country to good effect. These include public education and health services, school feeding schemes and the tax exemption of staple foods such as brown bread and rice.

Social grants are the largest source of support for many vulnerable groups. They are the government's primary response to poverty, food insecurity and inequality.

The well-established grants system reaches 18.4 million beneficiaries (about 31% of the population).

Despite such efforts, social inequalities have consistently remained high. They are also unlikely to be eradicated with the current social initiatives because of several complex factors. These include the fact that social grants are unable to keep up with inflation in food prices.

Another problem is that recipients use the funds for many non-food necessities—such as clothing and transport costs. Other contributing factors are the gaps in the formulation and implementation of policies to address food insecurity.

There's also a lack of collaboration from different stakeholders in the food system. For example, policymakers often view food insecurity as a rural issue. So, a majority of initiatives to address the problem focus on solutions related to food production. Yet, urban areas are also vulnerable to food insecurity as they depend more on the cash economy than rural areas.

In view of our findings, government and other stakeholders need to implement creative and targeted social strategies to reduce and eliminate food insecurity in highly vulnerable groups. Improving the economy and education system should be the main areas of focus in addressing social inequalities in the country.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

A "hunger cliff" is looming for millions of Americans, with 32 states set to slash food-stamp benefits beginning in March.

The cuts will impact more than 30 million people who are enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, in those states, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Among the states where recipients are facing cuts are California and Texas, which have greatest number of people on SNAP, at 5.1 million and 3.6 million recipients, respectively. 

The reductions are due to the end of so-called emergency allotments, which bolstered food-stamp benefits at the start of the pandemic as Americans grappled with the massive disruption to the economy. While the U.S. is certainly on more stable footing than in 2020, households are now struggling with high food costs — groceries were about 10% higher in December than a year earlier — making the timing of the SNAP cuts particularly challenging, experts say.

"This hunger cliff is coming to the vast majority of states, and people will on average lose about $82 of SNAP benefits a month," said Ellen Vollinger, the SNAP director at the Food Research & Action Center, an anti-hunger advocacy group. "That is a stunning number."

That means a family of four could see their monthly benefit cut by about $328 a month. The worst-hit could be elderly Americans who receive the minimum monthly benefit, Vollinger said. They could see their SNAP payments tumble from $281 to as little as $23 per month.

Meanwhile, 18 states had already ended their emergency allotments early, with some citing the strengthening economy as the reason. In states like Georgia that have cut nutritional aid, however, food banks have seen a surge in demand since June, when the benefits were cut, according to Pew Stateline.

The remaining 32 states that had continued the additional aid are losing that extra money in March due to a provision in the 2023 Omnibus spending bill, signed into law in December, that directs the emergency allotments to end next month. 

More than 40 million on food-stamps

Despite the rebounding economy, many Americans continue to struggle with food insecurity, experts say. Food-stamp enrollment remains high, with 42 million people receiving the benefit in October 2022, the most recent data available, or 6% higher than in 2020, according to USDA data. 

It may seem like an oddity that SNAP enrollment has increased given that the nation's unemployment rate is at its lowest since 1969, but many workers still can't find full-time work or line up enough hours to pay the bills, Vollinger noted. Most working-age people who receive food stamps are employed, research has found.

"What sometimes gets missed in that conversation is the part that so many SNAP households are employed, but often employed at low-wage levels — they aren't in jobs that are family-sustaining so they still qualify for SNAP," she added. 

"Bracing for it"

Because the food-stamp cuts were signed into law only in December, neither states nor individuals had much time to prepare, critics say. One food-stamp recipient in Colorado tweeted that she was sent "tips" from the state on how to cope, such as by stocking up on nonperishable food while she still has a higher benefit amount.

"We are reducing your food stamps and we know you will have a hard time surviving so here are some tips don't say we didn't ever do nothing for you," she wrote. 

Meanwhile, food banks say they are expecting an increase in demand as food aid is slashed.

"People are having to choose between putting food on the table and paying rent," Erin Pulling, CEO of Food Bank of the Rockies, told CBS Colorado. "We are seeing more people than ever needing help with food assistance."

Of the food stamp cuts, Pulling said, "We're bracing for it."