#MythbusterMonday - April 2018

We begin each week using our online voice to debunk myths about hunger. Our #MythbusterMonday social media series dispels misinformation and stigma commonly associated with food assistance programs like CalFresh/SNAP and youth meals and the people who rely on them to help put food on the table.  

What hunger myths have you heard? Join us in sharing the truth about hunger each Monday using the hashtag #MythbusterMonday.

In April, we busted the following hunger myths:

April 2

The first Monday of the month we take a look back at the myths busted the previous month. Check out the myths we busted in March. Click here. 

April 9

#MythbusterMonday "People who receive public benefits are 'takers' rather than 'makers,' " False! This is untrue for the vast majority of working-age SNAP recipients. SNAP benefits, formerly known as food stamps, currently serve about 42 million Americans. At least one adult in more than half of SNAP-recipient households is working. The average SNAP subsidy is $125 per month, or $1.40 per meal – hardly enough to justify quitting a job. Click here to read more from the Chicago Tribune. 

April 16

#MythbusterMonday "CalFresh/SNAP is a drain on tax-payers." False! CalFresh/SNAP is good for the economy. Every $1 in SNAP benefits generates $1.73 in economic activity. Click on the here to learn more and read other myths about CalFresh/SNAP. 

April 23

#MythbusterMonday "People who get CalFresh/SNAP benefits aren’t employed and have no incentive to look for work." False! CalFresh/SNAP helps people stay afloat in between jobs. Nationally, more than 80 percent of SNAP participants reported working in the year before or after receiving SNAP. In San Diego County, the current average CalFresh benefit per person is $4.10/day, hardly an incentive not to work. Take the #CalFreshChallengefrom May 7 - 11 to experience what its like to live on an extremely limited food budget. Click here to learn more and register.

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Follow the San Diego Hunger Coalition on Facebook,  Twitter, and Instagram. 

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Afterschool Meals Through CACFP Help Ensure Low-Income Children Don't go to bed Hungry

Many children’s days don’t end when the last school bell rings. In fact, a report conducted by the Afterschool Alliance found that participation in afterschool programs has consistently increased over the past 10 years, rising by nearly 2 million children in the last five year years alone. The At-Risk Afterschool Meals Program through the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is one of the most effective defenses in the fight against child hunger, as it provides the funding to serve suppers at eligible afterschool programs. Any program that provides child care and enrichment activities (e.g. tutoring, music lessons, arts and crafts, etc.) after school, on weekends, holidays, or breaks during the school year and operates in an area where 50% of children are eligible for free or reduced-price meals is eligible for CACFP.

Our goal is to raise awareness about this program and support our partners on the ground at schools and nonprofits across San Diego County with information, application assistance, grant writing, and administrative review to expand CACFP meal sites in our region.

Through our Hunger Free Kids Task Force, we have been able to connect Feeding San Diego with Vista Community Clinic to expand afterschool meals at the Clinic’s youth-serving Project REACH program at two different locations in Oceanside. At the Libby Lake Community Center, the Clinic’s physicians actively inform parents about the afterschool meals available just upstairs at the Project REACH offices, helping to promote both free meals and enrichment activities available to their children.

Additionally, Feeding San Diego serves as a sponsor to provide CACFP youth meals at North County Lifeline’s Las Casitas and La Escuelita’s Youth Development Clubs. These two sites serve afterschool suppers every weekday, totaling at least 150 meals each week, with the help of meal vendor Top Notch Catering. And because the funding grows as a program grows, their goal to consistently increase the number of meals served is made easily attainable because each meal is reimbursed through the United States Department of Agriculture at its fixed rate, with no devaluation or loss on behalf of the program.

Libby Lake Park, Oceanside, CA

While we are making promising strides with CACFP locally, No Kid Hungry and the School Nutrition Foundation have found a large gap in afterschool meals nationally. There are less than four afterschool suppers served for every hundred school lunches going to kids in need across the country.

Their “Three Meals a Day: A Win-Win-Win” report outlines the great need for afterschool meals:

CACFP has the means to address these needs through the At-Risk Afterschool Meals Program, and yet eligible programs are still not taking advantage of this viable solution. Many afterschool meal sites serve no meals or only a small snack. If they do provide food, it is often paid for out of the program’s general fund or the staff’s own dime, causing the program to miss out on valuable federal meal reimbursements.

Become a champion for youth meals in your area! Visit the Hunger Free Kids Task Force webpage or attend an upcoming meeting for more information. If you know of an afterschool program that may be eligible for CACFP, please contact our Hunger Free Kids Program Director Robin McNulty at Robin@sdhunger.org.

#MythbusterMonday - February 2018 Myths Busted!

We begin each week using our online voice to debunk myths about hunger. Our #MythbusterMonday social media series dispels misinformation and stigma commonly associated with food assistance programs like CalFresh/SNAP and youth meals and the people who rely on them to help put food on the table.  

What hunger myths have you heard? Join us in sharing the truth about hunger each Monday using the hashtag #MythbusterMonday.

In February, we busted the following hunger myths:

February 5

The first Monday of the month we take a look back at the myths busted the previous month. Check out the myths we busted in January. Click here.

February 12

#MythbusterMonday "Too many people are taking advantage of CalFresh/SNAP." False! After unemployment insurance, CalFresh/SNAP, is the most responsive federal program available to provide additional assistance during economic downturns. Enrollment expands when the economy weakens and contracts when the economy recovers.The program also provides important nutritional support for low-wage working families, low-income seniors and people with disabilities with fixed incomes. Read more from Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC.

February 19

#MythbusterMonday "The pre-determined food boxes for SNAP recipients in President Trump's latest budget proposal will support American farmers and be similar to fresh meal delivery services like Blue Apron." False! The pre-determined food boxes Trump is proposing will contain canned and non-perishable food items, there would be no fresh fruit, vegetables or meat. This proposal is about enabling the government to save money by buying in bulk in order to make up for the $1 trillion deficit that will be left by the new tax plan passed at the end of 2017.

February 26

#MythbusterMonday "Government programs enable people to be lazy and live on society's dime." False! Receiving benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) hardly enables anyone to live well. The average benefit equates to roughly $1.40 per person per meal. And in most cases, the money runs out before the month ends. Learn more from MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger. 

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Follow the San Diego Hunger Coalition on Facebook,  Twitter, and Instagram. 

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A Year in Review 2017

As we look back on the past year, we’re motivated by everything we and our more than 100 partners accomplished together to help our fellow San Diego residents access the food assistance resources.

Now, we’re sharing our favorite 2017 wins with you. Thanks to your support, we:

1. Saved Breakfast in the Classroom for at least one more year for more than 1,000 students in the Lemon Grove School District by providing advocacy training and support to our partners as well as parents and students.

2. Supported the City of Oceanside and Oceanside Unified School District to expand afterschool suppers and Summer Meals in the city thanks to a grant from the National League of Cities, Combating Hunger through Afterschool and Summer Meal Programs (CHAMPS) initiative.

3. Helped more than 215 households access food assistance by resolving over 230 technical issues with their CalFresh/SNAP applications.

4. Trained 369 staff, volunteers, and interns from hunger relief and human service agencies to provide CalFresh/SNAP application assistance.

5. Directed more than $326,000 to local nonprofits helping low-income individuals and families apply for CalFresh/SNAP, as a contractor for the state CalFresh Outreach Program.

6. Supported the passage of 4 State hunger relief policies that will help more eligible children and adults enroll in CalFresh and free and reduced-price school meals and broadens the tax credit for donated fresh fruits and vegetables.

The fight to end hunger continues in 2018. Our partners on the ground know how great the need for food assistance is, but the current administration has set its sights on dismantling and weakening CalFresh/SNAP by targeting the program for deep cuts disguised as “entitlement reform.” It will take all of us, raising our voices and telling our stories, to protect and strengthen these programs so that they remain available for the nearly 500,000 food insecure people in San Diego County.

You can get involved in the fight against hunger by signing up to be a Hunger Free Activist, sharing your experience with CalFresh, or making a donation to support our work.