It’s a busy day at Neighborhood House. St.

The number of patients reporting food scarcity is up sharply since 2007. Doctors say it’s harder to keep hungry patients healthy.

STRIB

Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-CA-7), along with committee members Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY-4) and Todd Platts (R-PA-19) introduced the bipartisan Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act of 2010.

In Minnesota, 32,505 low income children received meals from the Summer Food Service Program.

While federally subsidized school lunches have a negligible impact on health, they have a huge payoff for academic achievement.

Peter Hinrichs of Georgetown University wanted to know if school lunch programs have improved health statistics over the years.

Ellison Applauds Child Nutrition Legislation

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Keith Ellison (DFL-Minneapolis) issued the following statement regarding the House Education and Labor Committee’s legislation introduced yesterday to reauthorize the Child Nutrition Act:

“I commend Chairman George Miller for developing a strong bill to reauthorize the Child Nutrition Act.

The city of St. Paul and Ramsey County have created a new food and nutrition commission, bringing together several thought leaders in the community.

The number of people relying on food shelves for daily meals is on the rise. Hunger Solutions, a Minnesota hunger relief organization, reports one in ten Minnesotans relied on food shelves in 2009, and numbers show the number of child visits are already up 10 percent in 2010.

Food shelves are now bracing for fewer donations and greater need for children during the summer months.

The U.S.

For a family of three, that means eligibility is now cut off at $30,000 a year instead of $24,000, said Moriarty. Applicants no longer are bound by a $7,000 “asset limit,” which required them to spend most of their savings in order to qualify.

Last year, advocates won state funding for a Minnesota Food Helpline that directs callers to programs such as food stamps.

Once school dismisses for the year, summer can be a hungry time for kids. That’s because during the school year, one in three Minnesota school-age children rely on free or reduced lunch for two–thirds of their daily food. Late last week, Senator Al Franken and Hunger Solutions Minnesota announced a one-million dollar grant to bridge the summer hunger gap for Minnesota’s children.