TEFAP Alliance Blog

October 2004

In This Issue:
• Post-election Session to Address Appropriations
• House Passes Anti-hunger Resolution
• More Bonus Items on the Way
• Reports from the Field
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Post-election Session to Address Appropriations
Current plans call for Congress to reconvene on November 16 for a lame-duck session. One of the major challenges of the post-election period will be to make decisions on fiscal year 2005 appropriations for government programs next year. Prior to recessing for the November 2 elections, Congress completed only four of 13 regular appropriations bills – for defense, homeland security, military construction, and the District of Columbia. Still pending is a spending plan for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which includes funding for TEFAP and nearly $50 billion for other critical nutrition assistance programs, such as food stamps and child nutrition.
A consensus on appropriations remains elusive. Various alternatives are still under consideration, including: finalization of individual appropriations bills in the lame-duck session; passage of an omnibus bill covering the nine unfinished appropriations; a short-term continuing resolution (CR) to maintain fiscal year 2004 funding levels until the new Congress meets early next year; or a long-term CR to freeze spending at current levels for the duration of fiscal year 2005. The outcome of the elections is also certain to be a factor in the ultimate appropriations decisions.
Under any of these scenarios it is unlikely that TEFAP will receive more than the $140 million for food and $50 million for storage/distribution approved for fiscal 2004, and it is possible that the program may receive less. In the meantime, TEFAP food and distribution funds are being parceled out by USDA on a piecemeal basis, as the CR currently in effect only authorizes spending through November 20.

House Passes Anti-hunger Resolution
On October 5, prior to adjourning for the 2004 election campaign, the U.S. House of Representatives adopted a resolution that supports emergency food assistance to hungry people in the United States, recognizes the work of food banks and other relief organizations, and encourages all Americans to donate food, money, and volunteer time to help those in need.
The measure, H. Res. 261, which was approved by voice vote, had 44 bipartisan co-sponsors.
Several members made pointed remarks on the measure. “Our food banks are stretched thin. Every day they are called upon to provide more and more assistance,” said Representative James McGovern (D-MA). “Sadly, more people go without food every day in our country and the safety net provided by these food banks, the assistance that helps the food insecure escape starvation, is strained to the breaking point.”
The resolution’s principle sponsor, Representative Frank Wolf (R-VA), said that, “I hope that in the midst of the facts and statistics, no one misses the point of this resolution – that in a land of plenty, 13 million children still go to bed hungry. A country which is as blessed as ours needs to do better.”

More Bonus Items on the Way
USDA announced earlier this month that it would purchase additional surplus foods for nutrition assistance programs, including TEFAP. The Department plans to buy up to 20 million pounds of sweet potatoes, of which four million pounds would be fresh produce and 16 million pounds canned or frozen. Also potentially on the bonus docket for TEFAP are purchases of up to 27 million pounds of cranberries and cranberry products, including cranberry-based juices and sauce.

Reports from the Field
The Food Bank of New York City released a study in September 2004 which found that at least two million New Yorkers are at risk of going hungry and the problem is city-wide.
For example, “Staten Island is not a borough that people traditionally associate with hunger or poverty, yet it has the highest percentage of residents at-risk of going hungry by not accessing private or public programs that are there to help,” commented Lucy Cabrera, president and CEO of the Food Bank.
“This report indicates that emergency food providers across the City are in need of more resources and funding. On average, these programs spend almost 60 percent of their budgets on food and almost all rely heavily on volunteers to operate,” she added.
Hunger is bad on the West Coast, too.
“Food is flying off the shelves and not keeping up with demand,” noted Rachel Bristol, executive director of the Oregon Food Bank, which helps an estimated 850,000 people per year. During the 2003-2004 fiscal year, “Once again we had an increase in the number of working poor, folks who fall through the cracks,” said Bristol.
Emergency food programs are also struggling in the Heartland.
“Ohio food banks are continuing to struggle with low inventories and increased demand,” Lisa Hamler-Podolski, executive director of the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Food Banks told WASHINGTON UPDATE.
“Recently, the decision was made to permit food banks to assess a shared maintenance fee on USDA commodities to help offset the increasing cost of storage, handling, and distribution of this product, specifically the bonus commodity loads,” she stated. “Everyone – producers, processors, and commercial trucking companies are all paid for TEFAP bonus commodities. But the very non-profit and faith-based organizations that accept and distribute this product are not paid. Would the walnut producers grow and harvest their commodity for free?”

WASHINGTON UPDATE is published monthly for the TEFAP Alliance by Weinberg & Vauthier Consulting, 419 West Broad Street, Suite 204, Falls Church, VA 22046; telephone: 703-532-5700; fax: 703-532-5780; email: zyweinberg@earthlink.net.

Washington Update
Friday, October 29, 2004

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