A Cow's Tale

Occasionally, it’s nice to leave your own pasture to see what’s going on elsewhere.

Last Wednesday (7/2), I had the chance to check out the greenness of the grass at the Hartford Summer Food Kickoff at Waverly Park. The best part: I got to do it, courtesy of the CT Deptartment of Agriculture, dressed as a cow! Not content to just play the cow, I became the cow.

Let me tell you, this cow was pretty impressed by what can only be described as organized chaos.

Over 150 kids were laughing, playing and having a great time. Between face painting, free books, games and a bunch of other fun activities, you couldn’t find a kid without a smile.

Yes, there were the inevitable “Got Milk?” questions, but what cow hasn’t heard that one before?

Best of all, there was the food. A nutritious breakfast, lunch and snack for every kid who came. The kids happily grazed on hotdogs, burgers, fruit, crackers, milk and juice. (At one point I thought I smelled roast beef….but that was just me, roasting in the sun).

For the parents, a two-for: Foodshare supplied a truckload of bread, onions and potatoes and the DSS Bus was on hand to take food stamps applications.

I’m told that this is only one of 70 sites in Hartford, where kids, 18 and under, can get free meals while school is out. All they have to do is come.
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Looking out over the park, it’s hard to imagine that without the Summer Food program, a lot of theses kids might not get lunch or even breakfast for that matter. It makes a cow grateful for the hard work of the folks who make this program happen. Unfortunately this cow thinks that there is still a long way to go in eliminating the poverty that makes a program like this one so necessary……and that’s no bull.

PTC

Summer Food: What's Cool when it's Hot

It’s officially summertime and the kids are out of school and looking for things to do. Many Connecticut summer food programs began operation this week serving FREE breakfast, lunches, and snacks to kids. This year, Connecticut has 37 sponsors serving meals to kids across 39 towns.

More families will feel increased financial pressure this summer with the rising costs of fuel and food; it is important families are aware summer meal programs are FREE and available to ALL kids 18 and under. Summer meals provide the necessary nutrition kids need throughout the year to stay healthy. Many summer sites also offer activities, games, and raffles to keep kids engaged and active through the long summer months.

Three easy ways to find the site nearest you:

1.) Call Infoline 2-1-1
2.) View info on the CT State Dept of Education website by clicking here
3.) Call End Hunger CT! at (860) 560-2100 ext. 14

Farm Bill - Finally!

After months and months of votes and compromises, the Farm Bill passed the House and Senate. The bill was vetoed by the President, but there were enough votes to override his veto, only the second time that has been done during his presidency. 

The bill increases spending on nutrition programs by $10.3 billion, including increasing the minimum benefit from $10 to $14. It would also index the assets limits to inflation, encouraging saving for food stamp recipients and increases the support for the emergency feeding organizations, including food banks, food pantries, and soup kitchens.

This is a great step, but more needs to be done, especially in the current economic climate. For more information about the Farm Bill, please visit www.frac.org.

Legislative Update

The Connecticut legislative session ended on May 7th at
midnight, leaving many people disappointed in the results.
There were some successes during the short session,
but bills calling for funds did not get a vote. The Governor
and Legislative Leaders choose to make no mid-term
adjustments on our bi-annual budget, so new funds were
not allocated.

No Legislative outcome:
1) SB 339: An Act Concerning Child Nutrition
Programs - This bill would have increased participation in
the School Breakfast program through in classroom grants,
expand the summer nutrition program and would have
created a child nutrition outreach program at the State
Department of Education.
2) SB 415: An Act Concerning Appropriations for
the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and
Grants for Emergency and Community Food Sites - This
bill allocated $ 2 million for the state's food banks to buy
protein food and vegetables to give to the our emergency
food sites.

Legislation of interest that passed the House and Senate:
1) HB 5536: An Act Establishing the Connecticut
Healthcare Partnership - This bill would open the state
employee health care insurance pool to municipalities,
nonprofits and small businesses with 50 employees or less,
and create cost savings. This bill passed both the House and
Senate and is now awaiting action by the Governor.
2) SB 344: An Act Concerning Family Prosperity
and the Recommendations of the Child Poverty and
Prevention Council - One of the many parts of this bill
requires that the Department of Social Services establish a
Food Stamp Employment and Training and grant program
for providers who serve food stamp eligible recipients. This
bill passed both the House and Senate and is now awaiting
action by the Governor.
3) HB 5105: An Act Concerning the Minimum Wage
- This bill would increase the minimum wage to $8.00 in
FY09 and to $8.25 in FY10. This bill passed both the House
and Senate and is now awaiting action by the Governor.
4) HB 5873: An Act Concerning the Face of
Connecticut Account Steering Committee and the
Preservation of Farmland - Face of Connecticut steering
committee established, which would be charged with
allocating a pool of funds through state grant programs.
5) HB 5658: An Act Concerning the Confidentiality
of Social Security Numbers - This bill requires any
business that collects personal information, which is
information that can be associated with an individual
through an identifier like a Social Security number, to have
a privacy protection policy and to safeguard the computer
files and documents containing it. The privacy protection
policy must: protect the confidentiality of Social Security
numbers, prohibit unlawful disclosure of Social Security
numbers, and limit access to Social Security numbers.