ND hunters might express relief amid higher grocery bills / Public press service

FARGO, ND – In its latest outlook on food prices, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) said the rise in food prices may not stabilize until next year.

In the meantime, a North Dakota project involving hunters could connect households to a key source of nutrition.

Community Action Partnership (CAP) is once again running its Sportsmen Against Hunger initiative. Each fall, hunters are encouraged to donate a portion of their deer and elk meat and other designated game to pre-approved meat processors. Products are delivered to food shelves throughout North Dakota.

Carmel Froemke, statewide outreach coordinator for CAP, said some families may still recover from the economic hardships caused by the pandemic. She added that there was now the problem of more expensive races.

“If you bought a steak or a burger, chicken, turkey, everything costs more,” Froemke observed.

She said the donated meat can be a vital source of protein for families in need, especially when these types of products are traditionally difficult to obtain on the food aisle. Last year, the program recorded a record of around 4,000 pounds of donated meat. This year, the USDA said home food prices rose 2.5%.

Froemke pointed out that the rich tradition of North Dakota families who go on hunting trips each fall serves as an inspiring backdrop in efforts to fight hunger. It describes the awareness of sharing the spoils with others.

“Some people don’t eat deer meat or eat too much for their families,” Froemke noted. “And it’s just a great way to benefit the whole community by donating.”

Froemke said they could use the help of more processors in western North Dakota to ensure the product is prepared for area food shelves. As for recipients, organizers say they are not required to take any additional steps to bring home the donated product.

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DENVER – Farm-to-school programs are starting to rebound after last year’s COVID closures, and more than half of the state’s 178 school districts now have at least one activity aimed at helping students access local foods rich in nutrients.

Jessica Wright, senior program and policy manager for Nourish Colorado, is part of a statewide effort to connect more school cafeterias with local food producers, while students learn first-hand where their food comes from.

“From planting these seeds, harvesting them and transporting them to us,” Wright explained. “And help the students understand that it’s not as easy as going to the grocery store and buying an apple. There’s a lot of work to be done.”

Farm-to-school programs provide local farmers with a reliable source of income, and Wright pointed out that they can also help more students see food production as a viable, long-term career option. For school feeding directors, farmers, and anyone else interested in learning more about connecting farms to schools, visit NourishColorado.org to register for workshops scheduled for January.

In 2019, Colorado lawmakers passed legislation to help launch a three-year pilot program giving schools in 16 diverse districts money to purchase produce grown, raised or processed in Colorado. Schools can also take training to prepare healthy meals from scratch.

Wright noted that cost can be a significant barrier for schools operating on tight food budgets.

“It’s a way of showing that if we can give schools that financial incentive, then they buy more local produce, make new connections with our agricultural producers and really start to integrate that into their operation,” Wright explained.

Wright also sees his work as an opportunity to build more equitable food systems that value farm workers and all other aspects of food production and distribution. She added that educational opportunities are virtually endless when classrooms are extended to school gardens and farms.

“There is science, there is math, there is reading, there is history; beyond culinary skills,” Wright pointed out. “And just the wonder of seeing something grow and tasting that hard work out there like a freshly picked cherry tomato.”

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OGDEN, Utah – Utah is one of the few states to tax food, but a state lawmaker has said taxing groceries should be a thing of the past.

The state currently imposes a 1.75% food tax, while some counties and cities in Utah can add to this, up to a total of 3%. But State Representative Rosemary Lesser D-Ogden said she believes the state needs to find other sources of revenue. She said the food tax is particularly onerous for low-income families and fixed-income retirees.

“For people who live paycheck to paycheck, food demands don’t change,” she said, “and people sometimes have to choose between a roof over their heads and finding food. food from all possible sources. “

About one in 10 households in Utah is considered food insecure without constant access to enough nutritious foods. Lesser said she plans to introduce legislation in January to reduce the tax on food. Supporters of the tax say it is a tool to reduce state income tax.

USDA research has shown that low-income families spend 36% of their income on food, while higher-income families spend only 8%. Lesser said that with food prices rising, working families need all the help they can get.

“People, regardless of inflation, still need food,” she said, “and I believe that as a state we must do all we can to reduce the risk of food insecurity. “.

Lesser was part of a bipartisan coalition in 2019 that blocked a plan to increase food taxes to almost 5%. She said polls showed 67% of Utahns oppose the food tax and that she sees overwhelming support to end it.

“So this really crosses, in my mind, a number of political lines, and it’s a point of consensus – that the people of Utah appreciate that taxing a basic necessity is not the right way to go. . ”

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – A new survey of Ohio residents confirms assistance programs have been a lifeline for families reeling from the effects of the pandemic.

Results from the Center for Community Solutions showed that almost all forms of public assistance and benefits were increasingly used during the pandemic, with 45% of Ohio households reporting loss of employment income and 78% having difficulty paying their living expenses.

Lead author of the study, Alex Dorman, said most of those interviewed said they had experienced food insecurity as well.

“What absolutely shocked me,” he said, “is the high number of low- and middle-income households in Ohio who were concerned not only about running out of food, but at some point, they ran out of food during the pandemic. “

In the survey, 40% of households said they turned to food banks during the pandemic, compared to around 20% who did so before. There was also a 12% increase in UI use and a 7% increase in the number of people who received SNAP benefits.

Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, executive director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, said it’s clear that pandemic assistance programs have improved the lives of those hardest hit. The concern now, she noted, is what happens when temporary assistance ends.

“We have learned some very valuable lessons during this crisis,” he said, “and we need to make sure we understand that there is an interdependence between health and safety and the general well-being of our friends and hungry neighbors “.

Hamler-Fugitt said she also sees a new awareness of the role that pantries and charities play in meeting the needs of the community.

“It’s a combination of public and private,” she said, “but we have to make sure that we have a strong safety net and that we meet basic needs – like food, personal care. , the ability of food banks and pantries to effectively and efficiently be able to serve their communities as a whole. ”

She argued that this means adopting public policies such as the “Build Back Better” plan in Congress. She said she believed it would strengthen communities through investments such as the refundable child tax credit which has helped many families in Ohio meet basic needs.

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