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No Vacation for School LunchesWhen children clean out their lockers and say farewell to school for the summer, there are some things they won’t miss. Tests. Homework. Alarm clocks. But for the 16 million children who are eligible for the free or reduced-price lunches over the summer, there’s one thing they could miss—lunch. When the school year ends, 80% of participants--more than 12.2 million children—lose access to federal meal programs. For more than a decade, the Sodexo Foundation has helped cities across the country bridge that gap with Feeding Our Future, a summer lunch program serving more than 7,000 children nationwide. Created in 1997, Feeding Our Future provides free, nutritious lunches to children who are at risk for hunger during the summer months. In 2007 Feeding Our Future provided 275,000 meals for children in 18 cities, from Atlanta to St. Louis to LA. The Sodexo Foundation provides grants for the purchase of food for the meals and local Sodexo employees donate time and labor to prepare the meals each day. Employees work closely with local community organizations who distribute the meals to children at more than 72 feeding sites across the country. “We know that hunger and poor nutrition can severely retard childhood development and learning,” said Stephen J. Brady, president of the Sodexo Foundation. “Feeding Our Future helps these children keep up with their peers throughout the year. With the rising cost of food threatening to put more children at the risk of hunger, providing access to nutritious meals is more critical than ever.” Students Fit Volunteering into Summer PlansThe fight against hunger is waged with enthusiasm and commitment by students of all ages across the country. They volunteer at shelters and food banks and organize hunger awareness programs. Many college students participate in The Campus Kitchens Project, for which the Sodexo Foundation provided the seed money and continues to support at colleges nationwide. During the school year it’s easy to find a “home” on campus for volunteer activities—every bulletin board and school web site is full of opportunities. During the summer, it takes a bit more work, but organizations with national reach are just waiting for young people to sign up for a day, a week, or more of volunteering, wherever their travels take them. To keep your fight against hunger going all year long, click on any of the links below for location information.
Food Stamp Rolls Rise as Crisis Hits Home
For many Americans, rising food prices means eliminating splurges, brown bagging it for lunch, and switching to economy brands at the supermarket. Difficult changes, to be sure, but manageable. For poor families, or even those in the just-making-it middle class, the 4% increase in food prices in 2007 1 threatens their livelihood. Basic supermarket staples have all been hit hard: egg prices are up 25%, a loaf of bread soared 32%. Whole milk prices are up 13% and the cost of chicken rose 10%.2 The cost of feeding a low-income family of four has risen 6% in 12 months, the steepest increase in food prices in 20 years according to the US Department of Agriculture. Not surprisingly, states across the country are reporting double-digit rises in food stamp applications. As reported in the New York Times:3
The Congressional Budget Office projects that 28 million Americans will be using food stamps in the next fiscal year—up from 26.5 million in 2007 and the highest participation in the program’s history. But as food prices continue to rise, food stamps run out earlier each month. The average food stamp benefit is $3 a day, or $21 a week per person. At today’s food prices, here’s what $21 will buy for a week’s worth of food: Cost of Week’s Worth of Groceries for a Single Person on Food Stamps
In this scenario, there’s no money left over for lunchmeats, fresh fruit, juice, cheese, meat, or cookies. Members of the US Congress who took part in the Food Stamp Challenge last year and lived on a food stamp budget for a week reported feeling cranky, tired, and hungry all week. “Feeling full on $3 a day is one challenge; eating nutritionally is virtually impossible. Illinois Democratic Rep. Jan Schakowsky's week's worth of fruits and vegetables consisted of one tomato, one potato, a head of lettuce, and five bananas.”4 Massachusetts Democrat Rep. Jim McGovern said of his experience taking the Food Stamp Challenge,"…I have gained valuable insights from our experience on a very tight budget. We have much more sympathy over how the lack of energy and the hard choices on how to stretch the budget and put food on the table might also stretch one’s patience and stress a marriage. We can imagine the worry and pain of parents if we had to feed our children on this kind of budget…” Turning to food banks when the food stamps run out may also pose a challenge. Because of the rising cost of food, many emergency food providers are facing shortages. As reported on NPR, the United Food Bank in Mesa, AZ has seen a 10% increase in demand but a 14% decrease in the amount of incoming food from donors. And Arizona is not alone. Vicki Escarra, president and chief executive officer of America’s Second Harvest - The Nation’s Food Bank Network said, “We are seeing absolutely tragic increases nationwide in the number of men, women and children in need of emergency food assistance, many for the first time ever.” Articles
Initiatives/Organizations
Turning Shopping into GivingSpring is not only the season of renewal, it’s the season of gift giving. Graduations. Weddings. Father’s Day. The next time you go online to buy a gift from one of your favorite stores…maybe the Gap or Nordstrom’s or Staples…you can also donate to the Sodexo Foundation—or thousands of other non-profit organizations when you make your purchases through www.iGive.com. More than 680 stores, from local boutiques to big-box retailers, have signed up with iGive.com to send a small percentage of your purchase to your selected cause. For example, Cooking.com will donate 6% of that BBQ set for dad to the Sodexo Foundation. Cross Pens will donate 3.6% of a graduation gift to a participating food bank of your choice, and so on. Donations vary by retailer, and you’ll find weekly, seasonal, and holiday specials. The Sodexo Foundation is one of nearly 100 local and national hunger relief organizations that are part of the iGive.com network. So now you can make a purchase and make a difference in the fight against hunger. Food Trust Tackles Childhood Obesity at School LevelThe link between a child’s healthy eating habits and future health and development has long been established by educators, physicians, and the federal government. Getting on the right path to good nutrition early on can help prevent long-term problems such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and obesity, and also help kids achieve their full educational potential. But getting children to eat their vegetables—and other nutritious foods—has confounded parents and the medical community for years. One innovative initiative from The Food Trust has tackled kids’ poor eating habits with a multi-disciplinary, school-based program that could serve as a model for other school districts. The Comprehensive School Nutrition Policy for the School District of Philadelphia (download program brochure) provides the nutrition education and policy, staff training, family outreach, and environmental reinforcement needed to adopt long-term healthy eating habits. As recently documented in the journal Pediatrics, the intervention resulted in a 50% reduction in the incidence of overweight in children participating in The Food Trust’s program over a two-year period. "We're very proud of the fact that 50% fewer children in the intervention schools became overweight than in the control schools, said Yael Lehmann, Executive Director, The Food Trust. “We see this as a clear sign that these kinds of interventions are effective and well worth the investment of time and resources." Article ArchivesSTOP Hunger eZine Issues Vol. 3 Issue 3: STOP Hunger eZine - May 2008Vol. 3 Issue 2: STOP Hunger eZine - March 2008 Vol. 3 Issue 1: STOP Hunger eZine - January 2008 Vol. 2 Issue 2: STOP Hunger eZine - November 2007 Vol. 2 Issue 1: STOP Hunger eZine - February 2007 Vol. 1 Issue 1: STOP Hunger eZine - November 2006 |
May 2008 – Volume 3/Issue 3
In this issue: 
Sodexo Foundation and Community KitchenWhen Toni Harris got her first job with Sodexo she was cooking for a pretty large family—500 students, faculty, administrators, and staff at Montclair State University in New Jersey. Like thousands of other Sodexo employees, Toni was well-trained in the art of cooking and was certified to handle food and maintain proper sanitation. But just a few years ago, Toni could only dream of a job as a supervisor cook. This single mother of two was on public assistance and struggling to pay her rent and buy food. The turning point for Toni came when she joined the Community Kitchen at the Community Food Bank of New Jersey. Organized by America's Second Harvest, the Community Kitchen program receives funding from the Sodexo Foundation. Programs across the country train unemployed people to re-prepare rescued surplus food into balanced meals that are, in turn, served to other people in need. Sodexo supports 20 Community Kitchen programs nationwide with grants, internships, and job placement for qualified candidates. Since 2000, Sodexo has hired 200 Community Kitchen graduates; placed more than 250 Community Kitchen students in internships; and helped train close to 950 students—like Toni Harris. At the Community Kitchen Toni began professional training in culinary arts and management. After graduation she was hired by Sodexo at Montclair State University. When Toni needed to relocate to Virginia, she was able to stay with Sodexo at The Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters. With Toni’s determination and the support of Sodexo and the Community Kitchen, Toni has taken a giant step forward for herself and her children. |
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In Egypt, riots break out over subsidized bread shortages. In Haiti, crushing food prices leads to a government’s demise. And in the United States, Costco and Sam’s Club are rationing rice while food stamp use nears record numbers. As America confronts the worst food inflation in 17 years, it’s clear that the worldwide spike in food prices is not just a problem for the developing world.