Contact your representatives to urge Congress to secure adequate funding for the 2012 Farm Bill. 

The 2012 Farm Bill: Safeguarding and Strengthening the Food Assistance Safety Net
As Congress works to reauthorize the 2012 Farm Bill, help Foodlink urge our legislators to safeguard and strengthen critical anti-hunger programs. With unemployment still stuck near 9%, food banks are pressed to meet need in their communities and the need for food assistance will remain high for the foreseeable future.

One in eight Americans receives food assistance each year through the Feeding America network of over 200 food banks and the over 61,000 local pantries, kitchens and shelters we serve, 55% of which are faith-based. Together we serve 37 million Americans, a 46% increase in the number of clients between 2006 and 2010.

Communities are relying on food banks for more than just short-term, emergency food. The majority of Feeding America clients, 54%, reported visiting a food pantry for at least 6 months or more during the previous year.

Foodlink and the Feeding America network could not provide current levels of food assistance without significant support from TEFAP, nor could we effectively address the increased demand if the current funding levels and structure of SNAP and other federal nutrition programs were eroded.

Federal nutrition programs provide support not only to struggling families but also to America’s farmers and the agricultural industry.

With the need for food assistance at historic levels, the Farm Bill must protect and strengthen the nutrition safety net. Please urge Congress to invest in and protect programs like TEFAP, SNAP, and CSFP.

The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP): TEFAP is a means-tested federal program that provides food commodities at no cost to Americans in need of short-term hunger relief through organizations like food banks, pantries, soup kitchens, and emergency shelters. Nutritious food commodities provided through TEFAP are an essential resource for Feeding America food banks. As the demand for food remains high at food banks across the country, a continuous stream of TEFAP is necessary for the provision of a steady emergency food supply.

TEFAP commodities account for approximately 25% of the food moving through Feeding America food banks. Food banks combine TEFAP with private donations to maximize TEFAP benefits far beyond the budgeted amount for the program. In this way, food banks exemplify an optimum model of public-private partnership.

TEFAP has a strong impact on the farm economy. According to USDA’s Economic Research Service, producers of commodities provided as bonus TEFAP (those purchased by USDA to intervene in weak agricultural markets) receive an estimated 85 cents per dollar of Federal expenditure. Producers of other commodities provided through TEFAP receive about 27 cents per dollar. By contrast, only about 16 cents of every retail food dollar goes back to the farmer.

Declines in Section 32 funding and strong agriculture markets resulted in a 30% decline in TEFAP purchases during FY2011. This decline is expected to continue in FY2012 as food banks continue struggling to meet increased need. The shortfall between supply and demand will only worsen when the SNAP ARRA benefit boost expires, as many participants turn to food banks to make up for the reduction in benefit levels.

Farm Bill Priorities for TEFAP:
· Make mandatory funding for TEFAP food more responsive to changes in need by providing a trigger that ties funding to unemployment levels
· Enhance Secretary of Agriculture’s authority to purchase bonus commodities in times of high need for emergency food relief in addition to times of low commodity prices so the program is responsive both to excess supply and excess demand
· Reauthorize funding for TEFAP Storage and Distribution Funds at $100 million per year
· Reauthorize funding for TEFAP Infrastructure Grants at $15 million per year

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): SNAP is the cornerstone of the nutrition safety net, providing over 46 million low-income participants with monthly benefits via a grocery debit card. Eligibility is based on household income and assets and is subject to work and citizenship requirements. SNAP is one of the most responsive safety net programs, expanding quickly to meet rising need during the recession. The program is targeted at our most vulnerable; 76% of SNAP households contain a child, senior, or disabled member, and 84% of all benefits go to these households.

As the number of people unemployed grew 110% from 2007 to 2010, SNAP responded with a 53% increase in participation over the same period. As the economy slowly recovers and unemployment begins to fall, SNAP participation and costs too can be expected to decline.

The SNAP accuracy rate of 96.19% (FY10) is an all-time program high. SNAP error rates declined by 61% from FY1999 to FY2010, from 9.86% to a record low of 3.81%.

SNAP benefits supplement a household’s food budget but are insufficient to last most participants through the month, causing many participants to rely regularly on food banks. Among Feeding America food pantry clients receiving SNAP benefits, over half (58%) reported having visited a food pantry at least 6 months or more during the prior year.

The average SNAP household has a gross monthly income of $731 and countable resources of $333, consists of 2.2 persons, and participates in the program for 9 months. The average household receives a monthly benefit of $287, or about $1.49 per person per meal.

Farm Bill Priorities for SNAP:
• Protect SNAP by opposing proposals to cap or reduce funding, restrict eligibility, reduce benefits, or otherwise impede access or benefit adequacy. Recent proposals to block grant the program would prevent it from responding effectively to fluctuations in need, and efforts to limit broad based categorical eligibility would increase administrative costs and access barriers.
• Restore the cut to the SNAP ARRA benefit boost used to pay for the 2010 child nutrition bill and phase out the boost in a way that protects families from a cliff in benefit levels.
• Encourage better nutrition by maintaining nutrition education, incentivizing the purchase of healthy foods, and ensuring that retailer standards balance adequate access to stores with access to a range of healthy foods and moderate prices.
• Build on SNAP’s strong record of integrity and payment accuracy by issuing guidance to states on the eligibility of lottery winners and college students and upgrading resources and technology for trafficking prevention.

Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP): CSFP leverages government buying power to provide nutritious food packages to approximately 599,000 low income people each month. Nearly 97 percent of program participants are seniors with incomes of less than 130% of the poverty line (approximately $14,000 for a senior living alone). Currently, 39 states and the District of Columbia participate in CSFP. Another 6 states (CT, HI, ID, MD, MA, & RI) have USDA-approved plans, but have not yet received appropriations to begin service.

CSFP is an efficient and effective program. While the cost to USDA to purchase commodities for this package of food is about $20 per month, the average retail value of the foods in the package is $50.

CSFP helps to combat the poor health conditions often found in seniors who are experiencing food insecurity and at risk of hunger. CSFP food packages, specifically designed to supplement nutrients typically lacking in participants’ diets like protein, iron, and zinc, can play an important role in addressing the nutrition needs of low-income seniors.

Many seniors participating in CSFP are able to have their food boxes delivered directly to their homes or to seniors’ centers nearby, an important benefit for those who are homebound, have limited mobility or do not have convenient access to a grocery store.

Farm Bill Priorities for CSFP:
Transition CSFP to a seniors-only program by phasing out eligibility of women, infants, and children – which is duplicative with the WIC Program – while grandfathering in current participants.