As Washington DC nears a potential decision on deficit reduction, St. Anthony’s joined with our friends at the California Partnership and the California Association for Retired Americans to talk to Senator Dianne Feinstein about how a potential deficit reduction deal would affect seniors, people with disabilities,  low-income people, and those experiencing hunger.

St. Anthony’s role in this meeting was to talk about how potential cuts to the SNAP program , known as CalFresh (formerly “food stamps”) in California, would affect poor people in our state.  If the SNAP cuts that have been discussed by Congress are approved, 200,000 Californians face CalFresh benefit reductions averaging $43/month if a proposal to limit the “heat and eat” program is adopted as part of a deficit reduction deal.  In addition, a proposal to limit categorical eligibility would affect 2 to 3 million Americans, and a significant number of California households.  These families would lose eligibility for CalFresh and children in those households would no longer be directly certified for free school meals.

With the SNAP minimum benefit at $16 per month and the average CalFresh benefit worth $1.61 per meal, hungry Californians can’t afford to lose out on additional benefits.  And, with only 53% of eligible Californians participating in the CalFresh program, California can’t afford to lose categorical eligibility, which simplifies the process for enrolling in CalFresh benefits.

St. Anthony’s Dining Room serves low income people who don’t qualify for CalFresh, like the low-income seniors and people with disabilities who receive SSI benefits, as well as people who do qualify for benefits but find that it is near impossible to survive on benefit levels of less than $2 per meal.

If you’re concerned about these issues, too, the time to speak up is now.  Click here to find the contact information for your Senators.  Call them or send them an email and let them know what you think our country’s budget priorities should be.

Adam Ross is a service-learning student in the Management & Organizational Dynamics course at the University of San Francisco.  Service-learning students spend a semester at St. Anthony’s doing service, learning about social issues and connecting their experience with their course work.

St. Anthony Foundation (SAF) provides a premier service to individuals of disadvantaged backgrounds in the San Francisco community.  For the past 2 ½ months, I have had the opportunity to help enhance St. Anthony’s Free Clothing Program currently located on Mission street.   Through direct service, I have begun to gather a more thorough understanding of not keeping individuals to a single story and making an effort to gain a greater perspective of people around the city.

One of the most interesting experiences I have had while traveling to St. Anthony Foundation came rather unexpected.  It occurred in mid September when traveling on the Muni (31) headed towards SAF.  As the bus approached the stop, I exited along with a young lady and her child.  As I began walking down the street, the lady stopped me and asked for directions to the St. Anthony Foundation. I explained to her that I was headed the same way and I could take her in that direction. As we began to walk, the woman’s child began to produce one of the largest smiles I had ever seen.  When I asked the kid what he was smiling about, he looked at his mom and asked, “is that the place that makes my stomach stop hurting?”  The young woman began to tell me about how she found out about SAF and the individuals that had recommended her there, both past clients and staff, had become closer to her than her family and therefore, she figured she could trust that things were going to be alright for her and her son.

On August 21, 2012, the Gallup Organization released their most recent food hardship data for the United States.  Gallop surveyed 177,000 people across the nation about their ability to afford food.   The results show that people all across the United States are experiencing food insecurity, with 18.2% of respondents nationwide indicating that they had difficulty affording food at some point during 2012.

The results of the survey also show that California is above the national  average in the number of people experiencing food insecurity.  Nearly 1 in 5 (19.4%) Californians  answered “yes” to the question: “Have there been times in the past 12 months  when you did not have enough money to buy food that you or your family needed?”

This year’s numbers show a modest improvement over the food insecurity rate from 2011, which was 18.6%, but the big question is: what will happen next year as the effects of this year’s drought are felt by consumers?

As Gallup states,

The U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts that consumers will notice price increases within two months for beef, pork, poultry, and dairy, but the full effects of the increase in corn prices for packaged and processed foods will likely take 10 to 12 months to appear on supermarket shelves. States in the Mountain Plains and Midwest regions, which have the largest corn yield in the nation, will likely continue to have the lowest percentages of residents who lack enough money to buy food. Those in the South will likely be hardest hit, as they are already the most likely in the nation to report struggling to afford food.

The SNAP program, known as “CalFresh” in California, is the nation’s first line of defense against food insecurity, and economists of all stripes agree that it is one of the most effective forms of economic stimulus.  Unfortunately, the SNAP program is currently in jeopardy. As readers of this blog are already aware, Congress is currently considering making drastic reductions to SNAP through the Farm Bill.   With food prices on the rise and food insecurity still a problem that touches many Americans’ lives, now is not the time to reduce food assistance support to people in need.

As the hands below the government-funded safety net, St. Anthony’s sees the effect of food insecurity, increasing food costs, and poverty through rising numbers in our Dining Room and our food pantry program.  We think that it’s important not only to meet the needs of hungry people in our community, but also to educate our wider community about hunger and hunger-related policies so that together we can take a stand and help reduce hunger, poverty, and suffering for all those who are affected by it.

Today, August 14, 2012, is a state-wide call-in day in support of AB 828, the Nutrition Assistance for Families Act.  AB 828 would require California to opt out of the lifetime ban for CalFresh benefits for people convicted of a felony involving controlled substances.

This Wednesday, members of the Senate Appropriations Committee will decide whether to advance AB 828, the bill to lift the lifetime ban on receiving CalFresh assistance for people with a prior non-violent drug conviction.   We care about this bill because we see first-hand (through our Dining Room and our Father Alfred Center drug and alcohol rehab program) how this ban hurts the chances of people who are trying to change their lives and reenter society.

Take Action!

See below for a list of target committee members and their numbers. If you only have time to make one call, choose Senator Kehoe as your target. She is the Chair of the committee.

Here’s a sample message:

My name is_____ and I live in_____.

I’m calling to ask you to support AB 828, the bill to lift the lifetime ban on receiving CalFresh assistance for people with a prior drug-related conviction. People shouldn’t be sentenced to a lifetime of hunger for any crime. Food is a human right, and to put entire families at risk of hunger because one of them committed a crime for which they have already served their time is unjust and inhumane.

Target Senate Appropriations Committee Members

• Chair: Sen. Christine Kehoe (San Diego), 916-651-4039
• Sen. Elaine Alquist (Santa Clara), 916-651-4013
• Sen. Curran D. Price, Jr. (Los Angeles), 916-651-4026
• Sen. Darrell Steinberg (Sacramento), 916-651-4006
• Sen. Ted Lieu (Los Angeles), 916-651-4028

Our friends at the San Diego Hunger Coalition have made a little video showing just how easy it is to call in your support for AB 828.  Check it out and get inspired to make your call.

Join St. Anthony’s, the California Catholic Conference, the California Association of Food Banks, Friends Committee on Legislation of California, Western Center on Law and Poverty, and many others in asking the Senate Appropriations Committee to support AB 828 by making a simple phone call today!

Thanks to everyone who joined in on the national call-in day to support SNAP in the Farm Bill.  Here’s an update on the Farm Bill action from July 11.

On Wednesday, July 11, the House Agriculture Committee voted to accept $16 billion in cuts over 10 years to SNAP (the “Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program”, also known as “food stamps” or “CalFresh” here in California).  A group of Representatives (Reps. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, Joe Baca of California, Peter Welch of Vermont, Marcia Fudge of Ohio and Terri Sewell of Alabama) attempted to reinstate $16 billion to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program, but their amendment failed on a 15 to 31 vote.

What would the $16 billion in cuts to SNAP mean for California?

• Put restrictions on the use of “Categorical Eligibility”.  In California, AB 433 of 2008 (one of our Hunger Action Day bills) implemented modified Categorical Eligibility in California, extending CalFresh to individuals whose income is low enough for them to qualify but who have assets (savings, retirement funds) that would make them ineligible.  Restricting the use of Categorical Eligibility in California  would make approximately 177,000 low-income households ineligible for CalFresh.
• Put restrictions on the use of the “Heat and Eat” option.  In California, AB 6 of 2011 (another one of our Hunger Action Day bills) will, starting January 1, 2013, increase CalFresh benefits by $43/month for about 200,000 California households by allowing them to automatically qualify for a deduction for utility payments.  The Farm Bill amendment to restrict the use of Heat and Eat will limit states’ abilities to automatically allow for a utility deduction.

What happened and why?

SNAP enrollment has risen from 19 million in 2002 to 46 million in 2012.  Those who favor cutting SNAP see SNAP spending as a drain on the economy and are trying to cut costs by identifying what they call “loopholes” used by states to ease SNAP enrollment.  Two of the “loopholes” they’re trying to close are Categorical Eligibility and Heat and Eat. As House Agriculture Committee Chair Frank Lucas stated, “SNAP’s resources have been stretched because this administration has encouraged states to take liberties in how the program is administered”.

Anti-Hunger advocates who support SNAP see the program as an important economic stimulus and point out that SNAP enrollment is supposed to rise during times of economic difficulty, when more people are experiencing job loss, poverty, and hunger.  As the economy improves, SNAP enrollment rates will go down.  The Congressional Budget Office projects that the share of the population that participates in SNAP will fall back to 2008 levels in coming years and that SNAP costs as a share of the economy will fall back to their 1995 level by 2019.

Anti-hunger advocates see streamlining efforts such as Categorical Eligibility and Heat and Eat not as loopholes, but as tools to reduce administrative burdens on states and on SNAP participants while helping to ensure that hungry low-income people are able to access nutrition benefits.  Categorical eligibility helps low-wage working families with children and seniors with modest savings to qualify for SNAP.   Heat and Eat helps reduce paperwork and allows low-income people who don’t have utility bills in their name, but who still pay utility costs, to receive a SNAP benefit that is above the minimum benefit level of $16 per month.  A cut to Heat and Eat would disproportionately affect seniors, the disabled, and working poor families with children.

Next Steps:

There is still a lot of dissention in the House of Representatives around the Farm Bill.  Although it has passed through the House Agriculture Committee, there doesn’t seem to be much support for the bill in the full House.  The more conservative members of the House would like to see the bill’s price tag cut down further.  The more liberal members of the House don’t like the Farm Bill in its current form because of the SNAP cuts.

To further complicate matters, the Senate’s version of the Farm Bill differs significantly from the House’s version.  It is unclear at this point whether either house of Congress will bring the Farm Bill to the floor for a vote before the current version of the bill expires in September. They may decide to extend the current Farm Bill until the November election and to deal with creating a new Farm Bill at a less politically contentious time.

We will continue to keep you updated on upcoming opportunities to contact your representatives and advocate for a fair Farm Bill that does not hurt hungry people.

The House Agriculture Committee will be voting on the Farm Bill on July 11.  The proposed version of the Farm Bill that they’ll be voting on would cut funding for SNAP (also known as “food stamps” or CalFresh here in California) by $16 billion.  This cut would result in a benefit reduction of $90 per month for 500,000 families nation-wide, and would also result in the elimination of benefits for an additional 2-3 million current SNAP recipients.

Here at St. Anthony’s, we’ve seen the impact of the recession in our Dining Room as the average numbers of meals served each day has climbed to 3,000.  SNAP is one of the most effective anti-poverty programs, and cuts to SNAP resulting in lower benefit levels and loss of eligibility will increase hunger, poverty, and malnutrition not only among our Dining Room guests, but also among low-income people across the nation.

Now is the time to take a moment to join with people across the country who want to promote a fair Farm Bill that doesn’t increase poverty and hunger.   Call or email your Congressional representative today!

Use this toll-free number (provided by the Half in Ten Campaign) to call right now and urge Congress to oppose cuts to nutrition programs in the Farm Bill!

• Dial 877.698.8228. When prompted, enter your zip code and listen to the brief instructions. You’ll then be automatically patched through to your Representative’s office. State that you are a constituent and give your name and the town you are calling from.
• Let them know you are calling about the Farm Bill and deliver this important message:

I strongly oppose cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and other nutrition assistance programs. Please vote against the proposed cuts to supplemental nutrition assistance in the House Farm Bill. Increasing hunger in America is the wrong vote.

Alternatively, click here to visit Half in Ten’s website and send your message via email.

Editor’s note: This blog entry was written by Sofia Andrade, a University of San Francisco student who is doing a service learning project with St. Anthony’s.  St. Anthony’s has been noticing an increase in the number of families with children who eat in our free dining room, and we’ve worked with service learners to learn more about them.  Here is one of their stories.

The Dining Room at St. Anthony’s sees people from all walks of life come into the front doors. Across racial divides, young or old, disabled or not, thousands come into the Dining Room every week to seek a warm meal and to find a sense of community. Families also find solace in the Dining Room services and bring their children in to share a meal together. The following is a story of one such family whom I had the pleasure of dining with.

For the purposes of maintaining guest confidentiality I will refer to the family as the Smith family consisting of Paul and his two sons Todd (a highly functioning autistic sophomore in high school) and David (a bright eyed energetic 4^th grader).  The Smith family lives together in a small apartment near the South of Market neighborhood, and comes into the St. Anthony’s dining hall once a week when the boys are out of school and Paul has the day off.

During the week, Paul works part time in the public sector doing labor and environmental maintenance. When asked how he and his family was affected by the financial downturn of 2008, he responded “I was one of the lucky ones because I got to keep my job, but in a perfect world I would be able to find stable, well-paying employment.” The Smith family rate their ability to meet their needs as “just getting by” as the majority of their finances go to paying the rent, and very little is left over for other expenses. In explaining their involvement in the National School Lunch Program, Paul mentions his frustration about how families are qualified for the service saying “they only look at the income and they don’t take into account all of the other expenses that we have in our life.” Since money is tight, Paul subsidizes his expenses by bringing his family to St. Anthony’s once a week when he can. “I feel comfortable coming here. I’ve heard a lot of bad things about the other dining halls in the area, but the people here are nice,” Paul explains as David vigorously nods in agreement. Despite the fact that they were surrounded by some of the most poverty-stricken individuals in San Francisco, the Smiths seemed to be as normal as any family could be as Paul reminds Todd to wipe his mouth in a very fatherly fashion.

In talking with the boys, I realized that they had very high standards set for themselves. Todd wants to follow in his father’s footsteps and join the Navy when he’s old enough while the young David is aiming to become an engineer or an architect. Paul reminds his son “If you want to do that you have to study very hard and get good grades in math.” In hearing that I am a student at the University of San Francisco, David becomes very quiet then shyly looks up at me and asks “they have a baseball team at USF right?” It turns out David is a huge baseball fan and looks forward to the day when his dad will take him to a Giants game. Paul turns to me “I’m waiting to get the free tickets I got a couple years back when I took Todd, so I can take David this time.” One of the financial difficulties Paul mentions is not being able to provide for his sons to the extent that he would like. “It’s hard having a teenager,” he exclaims, “they want all of the fancy things like iPhones. But I try to provide for them to the best of my ability.” When asked what he needs in order to improve his situation, Paul responds “a full time job.”

This is a story that many in San Francisco, and even across the country experience; the struggles of balancing financial difficulties caused by under-employment with the desire to provide a normal life for their children. While it is a difficult process to face, I applaud all of the strong parents out there who do all that they can to make sure that their children are happy, and I am in awe of the unrelenting support the employees of organizations such as St. Anthony’s continue to provide for those who come through the door.

The simple word “um” (pronounced “oom”) sparked a friendship in the St. Anthony Dining Room that bridged an ancient tradition with the hope of a new generation.  Dining Room guest Mut had struggled to find a safe place to land in the Tenderloin.  His limited grasp of English, along with the hustle and bustle of the streets in the Tenderloin, left him alone and panicky about finding his way.  That is until the day he met Rath, a member of our Client Safety Services team.   Rath recognized his signals of distress and approached Mut with one simple syllable um.

Um is a way of communicating respect to an elder in Cambodian, directly translated as Uncle.  Rath feels a special sense of pride when it comes to this friendship and said, “Mut feels safe knowing I am around.  He feels comfort here and now shares a meal with us daily.  Before this, he was in search of food everywhere.”  There are twenty-two languages spoken in the Tenderloin, a long-standing launch pad for recent immigrants to San Francisco.  St. Anthony’s Dining Room remains one of the places many immigrants turn to as they begin a new life.

Like so many people who have come before, and countless people who will come after, the St. Anthony Dining Room serves up more than food.  It is a place where friendships are made and worlds come together.