USDA and Hunger Advocates to Launch Public-Private Partnership to Strengthen the National Hunger Safety Net
Philadelphia, PA, February 10, 2010 – USDA Under Secretary Kevin Concannon today joined Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, Paul Davis, acting director of AmeriCorps VISTA, and Joel Berg, executive director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger, to swear-in 46 members of the new National Anti-Hunger and Opportunity Corps, an AmeriCorps VISTA project. The new VISTA volunteers will work in both rural and urban areas in 18 states as part of a public-private partnership to increase access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Americans in need.
"Increasing access to nutrition assistance for our most vulnerable populations is a top priority of the Obama administration and essential if we are going to win the future," said Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services Kevin Concannon. "Our partners at the federal, state and local levels are key to our efforts to reduce hunger, promote program access, and improve the overall health and nutrition of families across the country."
The new organization is part of the national Volunteers In Service To America (VISTA) AmeriCorps program started in l965 as the "domestic Peace Corps" to fight poverty at home. VISTA members serve in full-time, one-year volunteer positions in non-profit and public organizations. The project, led by the non-profit New York City Coalition Against Hunger, is funded jointly by USDA and the Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency that administers AmeriCorps, with matching funds provided by the Walmart Foundation.
Concannon also recognized the one year anniversary of Let's Move!, a comprehensive initiative launched by First Lady Michelle Obama with a goal of solving the problem of childhood obesity and promoting healthy lifestyles. This Obama administration priority is fundamentally changing the conversation about how we eat and stay active, helping to ensure future generations are ready to win the future.
SNAP puts healthy food on the table for over 43 million people each month, half of whom are children. Formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, SNAP is the largest of the domestic food and nutrition assistance program administered by USDA's Food and Nutrition Service. Serving about 1 in 7 Americans each month, SNAP is the cornerstone of America's safety-net against hunger. However, only two-thirds of those eligible participate in SNAP, which underscores the importance of this project and other efforts aimed at increasing participation. SNAP also helps stimulate the economy. Every $5 in new SNAP benefits generates $9.00 in total community spending. The average monthly SNAP benefit is approximately $289 per household, which is spent in local grocery stores.
USDA's Food and Nutrition Service administers 14 other nutrition assistance programs, including the child nutrition programs. Through the direct certification process, all children participating in SNAP are automatically enrolled to receive free meals in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs.
Improving child nutrition is also a focal point of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act that was signed by President Obama on December 13, 2010. This legislation reauthorizes USDA'S child nutrition programs, including the Summer Food Service Program and the National School Lunch Program, which serves nearly 32 million children each day. It will allow USDA, for the first time in over 30 years, the chance to make real reforms to the school lunch and breakfast programs by improving the critical nutrition and hunger safety net for millions of children. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act is the legislative centerpiece of First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! initiative.