INTERACTIVE CHILDREN'S DATA TOOL

INTERACTIVE WEBSITE DETAILS THE LIVES OF CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS -- The most comprehensive interactive resource exploring the lives of the nation’s 16.4 million children with foreign-born parents debuts today on www.urban.org, the website of the Urb...an Institute.

The Children of Immigrants Data Tool enables users to generate charts of the characteristics of children 0 to 17 nationwide and for individual states

Source: The Urban Institute, Simona Combi, (202) 261-5709, scombi@urban.org

Data Tool Website: http://datatool.urban.org/charts/datatool/pages.cfm

Less is More for the Poor

Food Takes Up Larger Share of Low-Income Household's Budget According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the poorest 20 percent of households spent 20 percent of their income (average $2,005 annually) on food at home in 2007, while the wealthiest 20 percent spent 3.3 percent of their income (average $5,265) on food.

This paradox is a fact for low-income residents of California's San Joaquin Valley, where a tomato costs $1, the same price as a roll of toilet paper. They pay more for food grown in the valley, too, because they lack access to grocery stores, with bulk pricing and weekly specials. The stores aren't located in low-income neighborhoods, and residents without transportation end up relying on corner stores or gas stations.

Source: Fresno Bee, July 25, 2009

Full Story: http://www.fresnobee.com/local/v-print/story/1559656.html

Children to Cost 1/4 Million $

Recent USDA report indicates that Children Born in 2008 Will Cost Nearly One Quarter Million to Raise - Food Costs are Primary Expense

A new USDA report titled "Expenditures on Children by Families" estimates that it will cost $221,190 (inflation adjusted total - $291,570) in food, shelter and other necessities for a middle-income family to raise a child born in 2008 to the age of seventeen.

Food and child care payments are the largest expenses after housing costs (the largest expense), with food averaging 16 percent of the total expenditure.

Family income affects the costs of raising a child. A family earning:less than $56,870 can expect to pay $159,870 (2008 dollars) in raising a child;between $56,870 and $98,470 can expect to spend $221,190;more than $98,470 can expect to spend $366,660.

Source: USDA, August 2, 2009

More info: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?contentidonly=true&contentid=2009/08/0365.xml

Hunger Twitterers...we now know who you are...

Tyson Foods has posted an extensive list of Hunger Tweeters. They will be updating the list from time to time. If you'd like your name added to their list; go to the link below to comment with your Twittername, or send a Twitter reply to @TysonFoods.
Tyson Twitter List: http://hungerrelief.tyson.com/blog/2009/7/28/hunger_twitterers.aspx

It saddens me to think that there are children in America who are hungry every day of their lives. No one can live — and grow — withoiut such a fundamental necessity as food. If we Americans reach out to our own communities, we could end this crisis.
-- Tim McGraw --

Child Hunger: The Economic Toll

Long Term Physical And Cognitive Consequences of Hunger to CHILDREN!

The direct and indirect effect of child hunger in the U.S. is a contributing factor to the nation’s economic woes and puts America at a competitive disadvantage, according to a new report issued today by Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger relief organization.... The U.S. economy is losing its competitive edge to countries doing a better job of addressing nutrition and food insecurity in preparing children to learn and achieve their full potential.

Source: Feeding America, July 1, 2009

Full Report: http://feedingamerica.org/newsroom/press-release-archive/economy-child-hunger.aspx

Go ahead....MADE MY DAY! MY WEEK, MY YEAR!

Low-Income Working Families: Updated Facts and Figures

A large percentage of American families have low incomes, which lead to a host of challenges and disadvantages for both parents and children. In 2006, one out of every three families with children had incomes below twice the federal poverty level (FPL): $40,888 for a family with two adults and two children. While these families face many of the same challenges as other families, they are particularly financially vulnerable. This fact sheet provides statistics on the work effort, earnings, health care access and other characteristics of these families.

Source: Urban Insitute Research of Record, Alexandra Stanczyk, June 1, 2009

Full Report: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/411900_LIWF_fact_sheet.pdf

Credit Cards ... SAFETY NET?

Credit Cards are Safety Net for Low-Income Americans
People earning low and middle-incomes are using credit cards as their safety net, paying for basic living expenses, medical bills, and other items with their cards and accruing more debt. According to a report released in July more than one-third of households said they used their credit cards for rent and mortgage payments, groceries, and utilities. For these households, the average credit card debt increased 3 percent from $9,536 to $9,827 in three years with 42 percent of survey respondents said they had more debt than three years ago.
For people aged 65 and older, credit card debt increased 26 percent, from $8,138 in 2005 to $10,235 in 2008, with medical costs being the main reason for the jump.
Even before the recession, households earning $50,000 a year were using credit cards as a safety net. Low and middle income earners are also more likely to be charged higher credit card rates - a quarter surveyed said they paid at least 20 percent interest on their credit card balances; a third of black and Hispanic households reported they were paying that percentage rate.
Source: FRAC, August 2009

On the Grid

FACEBOOK & TWITTER ATTACKED!

What happened Thursday, in 140 characters: Twitter went down. Facebook went down. People panicked, unused to not oversharing minutiae of life. Twitter back up. Facebook back up. Phew.
Source: Washington Post, by Monica Hesse - Aug. 7, 2009
More: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2009/08/07/20090807Twitter0807.html

There are genuinely sufficient resources in the world to ensure that no one, nowhere, at no time, should go hungry. -- Ed Asner --

"...Great works are performed, not by strength, but by perseverance...." -- Samuel Johnson --

FLAGSTAFF MOUNTAIN BIKE RACE

8TH ANNUAL FLAGSTAFF MOUNTAIN BIKE RACE TO BENEFIT ST. MARY’S FOOD BANK ALLIANCE
Absolute Bike’s “Old-Fashioned” cycling event set for Aug. 22 to benefit St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance serves more than 29,000 square miles within Apache, Navajo, Coconino, Yavapai, and Mohave counties out of their Flagstaff facility.
Register online at: http://www.absolutebikes.net/mtn_fest/index.html

ON TARGET FOR SCHOOL!

In order to create a nuturing positive learning atmosphere for students, they need to come to school prepared - clean, well-nourished and with a good night's sleep.

In today's economy, these factors are more precarious than ever. However, Target is working with St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance to ensure more than 3,000 Arizona children are ready for their first week by providing essential supplies and food items.

Working with St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance and Pima County's Community Food Bank, Target will donate more than 3,000 back-to-school backpacks filled with school supplies, food items and new books to four schools throughout Maricopa and Pima counties. More than 150 Target team members will volunteer at the Food Bank helping to stuff all 3,040 backpacks, host events at the schools and deliver the backpacks, while the food banks will conduct outreach sessions as part of their "Hunger 101" program on hunger, poverty and healthy nutrition.

More Hunger101AZ programs details at: www.hunger101az.org

Why?

This homeless 2nd Grader says it all so simply!

Bottled Water Donations Needed!

SURE, IT'S AUGUST... AND IT'S STILL HOT, HOT, HOT!

July 2009 was the Valley's all-time hottest month with August continuing the summer oven. Record High 114 yesterday and a soaring 114 degrees forecast for today with a HEAT ADVISORY through Thursday. So donations of bottled water are still direly needed to prevent dehydration and heat exhaustion among Arizona's homeless popoulation.

INCREASE IN TOTAL FOOD DISTRIBUTION THE HIGHEST IN NEARLY A DECADE

Skyrocketing demand resulted in total food distribution by AAFB member food banks increasing a staggering 42.2% in the 2008-09 fiscal year, the largest percentage increase since the 2000-01 fiscal year.
This increase translated into 32,581,298 more pounds being distributed, with the total for the fiscal year topping the 100 million pound mark at 109,837,146 lbs.
Arizona’s food banks were able to meet the increased demand through a number of sources:
* TEFAP product increases via a special infusion from the Federal Stimulus Package to counteract the economic downturn.
* Growing produce donations from Santa Cruz County to the Gleaning Project network.
* Increased retail grocery donations with the addition of Fresh & Easy, Wal-Mart and the expansion of other chains.
* Record food purchasing by our member food banks to fill the gaps and keep up with demand.
Source: Arizona Association of Food Banks, August 4, 2009
http://www.azfoodbanks.org/

350,000+

KIDS CAFE of St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance provided over 350, 000 meals to children at risk of hunger during the past year.

Drop in Underweight U.S. Children

Evidence that the billions of dollars spent by the federal government in nutrition programs (along with state programs, food banks, private charities and the work of anti-hunger professionals and volunteers) is working can be found in a couple of new reports on the percentage of underweight U.S. children, writes Cheryl Wetzstein in this editorial.
In the 1970s, research found that 5.1 percent of American children were underweight; a new report on underweight children and adolescents from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) shows the current rate has fallen to 3.3 percent.
The statistics don't mean "that there's not still hunger," notes NCHS researcher Cheryl Fryar. "We don't want to go that far." Children and teens are classified as underweight if they weigh less than the fifth percentile on federal growth charts, which are based on age, sex, body mass and height. The new percentage of underweight children means that 2.4 million between the ages of 2 and 19 are underweight. Malnutrition, lack of food, illness, and eating disorders can be the cause of underweight children, and in babies, failure to thrive can be the cause. Data in the report show a 3 percent drop in the percentage of underweight preschoolers (6 percent in the 1970s to less than 3 percent in the mid-2000s); elementary age children who are underweight dropped from 5 percent to less than 3 percent.
Another federal study - the Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance - mirrors these numbers for the percentage of very young, low-income children who are underweight, which went from 9 percent in the 1970s to 4.5 percent in 2008. These kinds of "low-profile" reports can often get lost in the media which scolds us about obesity and hunger, concludes the editorial.
Source: (Washington Times, July 21, 2009)http://http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jul/21/fewer-children-underweight444444444444444444444444/