President's Budget Cuts Vital Food Program, Puts Seniors At Risk Of Hunger
Nearly 500,000 Seniors and Low-Income Families Would No Longer Have Access To Monthly Meal Boxes
CHICAGO --- February 5, 2007 --- President Bush released his Fiscal Year 2008 budget proposal today eliminating funding for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) - a critical nutrition program benefiting nearly half a million low-income seniors and women with young children each month in 32 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
“CSFP serves the most vulnerable population of low-income Americans in the United States, and in many cases it is their most critical source of nutritious food,” said Vicki Escarra, president and chief executive officer of America’s Second Harvest—The Nation’s Food Bank Network. “It is morally reprehensible that many of our senior citizens are experiencing hunger. We live in a land of plenty. No one should go without food, especially our seniors who have contributed so much over the years to their communities and to this great nation of ours. If these cuts are passed, the impact will be devastating.”
Additionally, the budget proposal changes the current categorical eligibility structure for the Food Stamp Program, eliminating eligibility for approximately 300,000 low-income American. It also caps funding at Fiscal Year 2006 levels for the Nutrition Services and Administration, weakening the overall administration of Women, Infants and Children (WIC), a critical nutrition program for pregnant women and postpartum women, infants and children under five.
Approximately 95 percent of the Americans participating in CSFP are poor, vulnerable seniors who rely on the food boxes to get them through each month. Eliminating CSFP puts these seniors at significant risk of hunger.
High health care costs, spiraling housing costs and special dietary needs associated with aging present critical problems for the seniors living on low-and fixed incomes. Senior participation in food stamps is low and the average monthly benefit is only $65. The food boxes provided through CSFP offer the equivalent of an additional $50 in cost to seniors to secure nutritious top quality food. This is more than twice the value of food that needy seniors could purchase with their own limited resources on a monthly basis. And, many of the seniors receiving CSFP food boxes are homebound or lack the resources necessary to access food through federal nutrition programs or prepare a meal due to lack of transportation, functional limitations, or health problems.
“Our Network will inevitably see additional requests for food assistance and feel the demands of an already overly taxed emergency food distribution system with a budget like the one presented today,” said Escarra. “We urge Congress to listen to people on the front lines and those in need, and fund CSFP, the Food Stamp Program and WIC at adequate levels.”
Seniors have unique nutritional needs and often require special diets for medical conditions. Ensuring they are able to access wholesome, nutritious foods is extremely important, as hunger increases the risk for stroke, exacerbates pre-existing health conditions, limits the efficacy of many prescription drugs, and may affect brain chemistry increasing the incidence of depression and isolation. The monthly food boxes provided through CSFP are geared toward these needs including staples like cheese, meat, canned fruit and vegetables, milk, beans, pasta and cereal.
Nearly 10 percent of America’s elderly live below the poverty line and the nation’s growing boomer population threatens to worsen this statistic. The America’s Second Harvest Network now serves nearly three million seniors each year. Elimination of CSFP will impose additional strains on already tight food bank budgets as hundreds of thousands of seniors will be turning to America's Second Harvest Network Members for a meal.
Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of America’s Second Harvest – The Nation’s Food Bank Network as well as staff, clients and volunteers are available for interview.
America's Second Harvest &mdash The Nation's Food Bank Network is the largest charitable domestic hunger-relief organization in the country with a Network of more than 200 Member food banks and food-rescue organizations serving all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The America's Second Harvest Network secures and distributes more than 2 billion pounds of donated food and grocery products annually; and supports approximately 50,000 local charitable agencies operating more than 94,000 programs including food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, after-school programs and Kids Cafes. Last year, the America's Second Harvest Network provided food assistance to more than 25 million low-income hungry people in the United States, including 9 million children and nearly 3 million seniors. For more on the America's Second Harvest Network, please visit www.secondharvest.org.
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Contact:
Ross Fraser / Maura Daly
Fraser: 312.641.6422
Daly: 312.641.6421
