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The Texas Hunger Research Project
Texas Hunger Initiative, Texas Food Bank Network, and Center for Public Policy Priorities developed a clearinghouse of Texas-specific research called the Texas Hunger Research Project (THRP) to serve as a central resource for information on issues related to food security in Texas. The THRP will look to address needed areas of research related to food security and engage faculty from various Texas universities and disciplines in carrying out this research.
Jeff Bridges at the Democratic and Republican National Conventions
Share Our Strength is excited to have had a presence at both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions this year. The conventions gave us a real opportunity to share information about the No Kid Hungry campaign with a range of key policymakers across the country.
At the Republican National Convention in Tampa, we hosted a Late Night for No Kid Hungry event on August 28 featuring Jeff Bridges and four chef supporters from Michigan, Virginia, Florida and Georgia. At the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, the Democratic Governors Association and the National Restaurant Association planned a tasting on September 5 that promoted Share Our Strength and the No Kid Hungry campaign. Jeff Bridges and chef supporters from the Charlotte area were also featured at this event. Additionally, Jeff Bridges performed at a concert on Labor Day to promote the No Kid Hungry campaign. We are thrilled to have a dedicated champion like Jeff to bring awareness to a cause we are all working for.
USDA Food Insecurity Data
On Wednesday, September 5, USDA released the latest food insecurity data for U.S. households. While the numbers are virtually unchanged from the previous year, they continue to demonstrate a four-year trend of record-highs in food insecurity. The lingering effects of the recession continue to impact too many American families’ ability to put food on the table.
In 2011, 14.9 percent of American households, or 17.9 million households, were considered food insecure. The new report also shows that 16.6 million children, or 22.4 percent of all children, lived in food insecure households. These numbers are up slightly from last year. These data also show the value of the Federal nutrition programs in helping these families. About 57 percent of food-insecure households reported receiving assistance from one or more of the three largest Federal food and nutrition assistance programs during the month prior to the December 2011 food security survey.
- SNAP provided assistance to 40.1 percent of food-insecure households.
- Children in 32.2 percent received free or reduced-price school lunches.
- Women or children in 11.2 percent received WIC food vouchers.
For more, check out Billy Shore’s op-ed on food insecurity from the Huffington Post.
New Team Member joins No Kid Hungry Arkansas Campaign
The Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance and the No Kid Hungry Arkansas campaign are thrilled to announce that Patty Barker will assume the duties as No Kid Hungry Arkansas campaign director in mid-September. Barker comes to the campaign from the Arkansas Public Policy Panel, where she served as policy director advocating for social and economic justice in agriculture, civil rights, economic development, education, election reform, environment and public health.
Prior to working at the Panel, Patty served as director of development for the Public Education Foundation of Little Rock. She was also Little Rock PTA (Parent-Teacher Association) Council president and currently serves on their board of directors. Please join us all in welcoming Patty Barker to the No Kid Hungry Arkansas Campaign.
Cooking Matters Releases New Educational Tools
Cooking Matters is pleased to announce the release of two new educational tools, available for anyone to use. These tools were created to help support the great work already being done for No Kid Hungry.
Cooking Matters in Your Community is a new toolkit for anyone wanting to lead a cooking demonstration with adults, families, kids, or teens in their community. The guide provides clear instructions for planning and leading a demo, including a variety of useful tools like planning checklists and sample demo outlines. It also contains a wealth of fun recipes, activities, and handouts to use for the demo.
Breakfast Boost is a new one page (front-and-back) handout for kids that focus on making healthy choices at breakfast time, whether at school or at home. Kids can color in MyPlate for the food groups they ate at breakfast, complete a fun breakfast word scramble, and make a tasty yogurt parfait for breakfast on the weekend with a friend or family member.
Bookmark this page for the most up to date Cooking Matters educational material.
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This edition features:
What You Can Do for No Kid Hungry September
No Kid Hungry September is a huge month for all teams at Share Our Strength.
You can share in the festivities and engage your networks during our September events:
Team Spotlight: Rachel Canter
We’d like to welcome Rachel Canter, who recently joined the Community Investments Team at Share Our Strength as the Senior Field Manager, No Kid Hungry. Prior to joining the Community Investments Team, Rachel worked in the Culinary Events Department at Share Our Strength.
Before coming to Share Our Strength, Rachel worked at the American Association for Justice where she recruited members from across the country and oversaw multiple fundraising initiatives. Before working at the AAJ, Rachel served as deputy finance director for the Jeff Merkley for U.S. Senate Campaign in Oregon.
While on the campaign, she executed fundraisers with a variety of social groups and organizations. Additionally, she organized key groups of stakeholders in and around Portland in support of the campaign. Rachel also worked at the League of Conservation Voters where she helped institute their major donor communications plan. Rachel graduated from the George Washington University with a B.A. in Political Science and Sociocultural Anthropology.
As Senior Field Manager, Rachel will oversee our No Kid Hungry Partnerships in Colorado, Connecticut, Los Angeles, Montana, New York City and New Mexico.
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