What is Hunger? Day Two for Josh Boschee's SNAP Challenge.

"When people were hungry, Jesus didn't say, "Now is that political, or social?" He said, "I feed you." Because the good news to a hungry person is bread." - Desmond Tutu

What is hunger?

It's certainly not something I have legitimately experienced.  Sure, I've forgotten to eat lunch from being hyper-focused on a work project or scheduled myself too tight with back to back meetings throughout the day. Although I felt cramps or ended up with a headache, I was always able to swing by the campus coffee shop or be late for a meeting to grab fast food to curb being hungry.

Having one full day under my belt of the SNAP Challenge, I'm surprised how much I have been thinking about food.  Not just from the perspective of what the Challenge means, but more about when do I get to eat again?  When I look at the amount of food that is supposed to sustain me for the remaining six days of the challenge, I get very nervous.  I've never had to think about food this way.  For me, food has always been available and something I don’t think about as part of my daily routine.  Until starting this Challenge, food has been a convenience to me, not a necessity.

 

My thoughts have been overwhelmed by making sure I ration enough each meal so as to have enough through the remainder of the Challenge.  I fear I am limiting myself more than I need to ensure I have enough for later.  While at work, I found myself planning out each day and the meals I could make to feel the most full, without running out of food.  My focus was certainly not on the work I had to get done, but rather how this Challenge I have chosen to participate in, is reality for so many. 

I am an educated adult who, for the most part, who can rationalize these thoughts and feelings; especially with an end in sight of when I get to go back to eating out of convenience.  I couldn't imagine being a child that is hungry and not sure when my next meal will be. 

When I introduced the "School Milk Bill", it was at the request of my running mate, Rick Olek, who campaigned on the idea that every child should have access to milk during their school break.  Not just the ones whose family could afford the $60 per year.  I supported the bill because at a time of billion dollar surpluses, it made sense to me that we could afford to take care the poorest of our state's children. Not only was it about nutrition, but also about ensuring that for $60 a year, most of the children who benefited from the bill would have greater focus in the classroom, leading to higher academic achievement and reduced classroom interruptions.

So I put myself in the shoes of a third grade child who is more concerned about if she gets to eat within the next day than completing her math homework, and I can now better understand how hunger is a great un-equalizer for many.

 

 

John Crabtree from the Center for Rural Affairs to Keynote Summit: Grassroots for Prosperity: Finding Opportunities, Creating Solutions

John Crabtree, Media Director for the Center for Rural Affairs in Lyons, NE, will be the keynote speaker at the “Grassroots for Prosperity: “Finding Opportunities, Creating Solutions” September 19 – 20 in Bismarck. He describes himself as unapologetically rural and shares his background:

“I grew up on my family’s farm near Sheffield, Iowa. As a University of Iowa alumnus, I am the proud owner of the only Hawkeyes flag on display in Lyons. I’m a storyteller. I tell the stories of the Center and its work to support rural people and places. I also manage our message in the media. At the end of the day media is still about one’s ability to talk with people and build relationships. Coming from an organizing background, I have some skills in that. And my many years of moonlighting as a bartender also help. People describe me as outspoken, opinionated and gregarious. My favorite part about living in a rural community is knowing my neighbors and having a feeling of connectedness to the land. I can look out my window at my garden and my flowers and in two minutes I can be in the countryside.”

John’s keynote address at the Summit, “Standing Up When Great Forces Align Against Us” will touch on important national, regional and state policy issues including the Affordable Care Act, the Farm Bill, immigration reform, hunger and poverty. John will also offer hope for making change where change needs to happen, including the role that all North Dakotans play in having a voice about our future.

John will also provide expertise by moderating a group of advocates/lobbyists talking about their legislative successes, and shortfalls, offering constructive criticism and new ideas to make our case to policy makers.  Finally, John will help participants learn new tools for community organizing and advocacy (Making Democracy Work) by engaging in interactive problem – solving for the most challenging of issues for low and moderate-income North Dakotans.

Don’t miss this opportunity! Register for the Summit today!

Register here

Representative Boschee Launches His Week on the SNAP Challenge

"When a child shows up for school, and is not physically and mentally ready to learn, he or she never catches up." - C. Everett Koop, U.S. Surgeon General (1982-1989)

I've started my journey on the SNAP Challenge with a trip to the Sunmart store near my home.  It took approximately 50 minutes to place and replace $29.45 worth of food in my cart to sustain the seven day challenge.  I left the store crabby from the process of shopping on a restricted budget and frustrated as I reflected on the fact that this was a way of life for thousands of North Dakotans.  I was also $0.56 over budget because the scale near the produce differed from the scale at check-out, causing me to calculate my bananas wrong.

In full disclosure, I had planned to start the challenge several days earlier, but I continued to adjust my schedule so that I could travel without being limited by my food budget or to take in an evening of catching up with a friend over appetizers and a cocktail.  It wasn't until I was exactly seven days out from the ND Economic Security and Prosperity Alliance and Creating a Hunger Free ND Summit that I assisted in planning and agreed to serve on a panel to discuss my SNAP Challenge experience.  With my feet to the fire, I recognize the privilege I have in this challenge of making the experience as convenient as possible to my way of life and that if I don't succeed in the challenge I have a healthy bank account to access for food funds.

I took on this challenge to gain a better understanding of the experiences of North Dakotans who access SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) as a way to feed themselves and their family.  While we currently hear the political rhetoric associated with SNAP and the Farm Bill, the reality is that SNAP is essential to approximately 27,200 households in North Dakota.  As a policy maker who wants to work towards solutions that advance people and families out of poverty, I think it is important to gain a better understanding of current programs and how individuals/families work within the program.

Stay tuned as I document my experience and gather information from others throughout the week!

More North Dakota Families Now Qualify for Help in Paying for Child Care

More working families and those attending school now qualify for help with child care costs through the North Dakota Department of Human Services. 2013 Legislation increased the qualifying income levels to 85% of the state median income making more families eligible and reducing family co-payments.  The ND Child Care Assistance Program is available to families participating in an approved activity such as employment or school.

 

"The cost of child care can take up a large portion of a family's income," said Carol Cartledge, Department of Human Services' Economic Assistance Policy Division director. "These changes will help more working families afford quality child care for their children."

According the ND Department of Human Services website, a family of four can now earn up to $5851 a month and still qualify.  Most families pay a co-payment, which is the amount you are required to pay towards the costs of child care.  Families must pay their co-payment and any costs charged by the child care provider that are not covered by the Child Care Assistance Program. 

Applicants must provide a form of identification, children’s birth certificates, pay stubs for all income in the previous and current month and a schedule for their approved activity such as work or school.

Costs for care have risen. According ND Child Care Resource & Referral, in 2012 infant care cost an average of $612 per month/child at a child care center and $544 per month/child for 3- to 5-year-olds.  In 2009 those numbers were $592 per month and $516 respectively.

The passing of this child care related legislation provided significant child care fee relief for the families purchasing child care.  Families are encouraged to visit the ND Department of Human Services website for more information.  Families may apply online or print an application.  The department has also made available online the sliding fee scale which outlines the various income levels and co-payments a family may be responsible for.

 

Child Care Resource & Referral helps parents find child care by providing computer generated lists of licensed child care programs that meet the family’s specific child care needs.  If you would like additional child care related information, please contact 1-888-223-1510.

 

 

 

Are you up for the Challenge?

Take the SNAP Challenge during September, Hunger Action Month

“The SNAP/Food Stamp Challenge gives participants a view of what life can be like for millions of low-income Americans. Most participants take the Challenge for one week, living on a little over $4 per day worth of food – the average food stamp benefit. Challenge participants are forced to make food shopping choices on a limited budget, and often realize how difficult it is to avoid hunger, afford nutritious foods, and stay healthy with too few resources. While living on a food stamp budget for just a week cannot come close to the struggles encountered by low income families week after week and month after month, it does provide those who take the Challenge with a new perspective and greater understanding.”

-          from the FRAC SNAP Challenge Toolkit

SNAP Challenge Rules:

·         $4.25 per person per day or $29.75 for the week (the 2012 average amount per recipient in North Dakota) to spend on all food and beverages during the Challenge.

·         All food purchased and eaten during the Challenge week, including fast food and dining out, must be included in the total spending.

·         During the Challenge, only eat food that you purchase for the project. Do not eat food that you already own (this does not include spices and condiments).

·         Don’t forget to account for all beverages. This includes coffee.

·         Avoid accepting free food from friends, family, or at work, including at receptions, briefings, or other events where food is served.

·         Keep track of receipts on food spending and reflect on your experiences throughout the week.

·         Bonus activity: Track your food on SuperTracker and compare your intake to recommendations.  http://www.choosemyplate.gov/supertracker-tools/supertracker.html

 

·         Bonus activity: Document your activity in writing or with photographs and share it here: https://www.facebook.com/NDESPA  or here:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Creating-a-Hunger-Free-North-Dakota-Coalition/197947553569595

 

September 19-20 in Bismarck, NDESPA and the Creating a Hunger Free North Dakota Coalition bring you the opportunity come together, learn and mobilize for a better North Dakota with the
Grassroots for Prosperity: Finding Opportunities, Creating Solutions Summit.

Summit Goals include learning about successes failures and future challenges presented by the ND legislature from an advocates' perspective; learning about new models of organizing, activating, communicating and participating in public life in North Dakota; and learning about the results of a SNAP Challenge for ND leaders and citizens.
Register here: http://bit.ly/1ePDXk2
The tentative agenda:

Thursday, September 19
11:00 a.m.    Registration

11:45 a.m.    Welcome: Lt. Governor Drew Wrigley (invited)
      
Opening Prayer and Drum Group Honor Song (in honor of the 30th Anniversary of Great Plains Food Bank) Introduced by ND Indian Affairs Commission Executive Director Scott Davis

12:30 p.m.    Farmer’s Share Lunch including dessert: Birthday/Anniversary Cake

1:15 p.m.    Summit Goals and Agenda Overview
        NDESPA & CHFND – Commonalities and Challenges: Karen Ehrens

1:30 p.m.    Keynote: John Crabtree, Center for Rural Affairs

2:45 p.m.    The State of the ND Budget: April Fairfield, Bush Fellow

3:45 p.m.    (Not Your Typical) Legislative Review: A Panel of Advocacy Voices
        Moderated Panel & Discussion by John Crabtree, Center for Rural Affairs

5:15 p.m.    Networking Social - hors d'oeuvres, assorted beverages

6:15 p.m.    Popcorn & a Movie: A Place at the Table (90 minutes)
        Lively Discussion

Friday, September 20

7:30 a.m.    Breakfast Buffet

8:30 a.m.    Grassroots Organizing: An Interactive Session with John Crabtree
   
10:15 a.m.    The SNAP Challenge: A Panel of Emerging Experts

11:15 a.m.    The Strategy for 2013 & Beyond: A Call to Action from Coalitions

11:45 a.m.    Summary Remarks

12:00 noon   Adjourn

                                                                                                       

We hope to see you at the Kelly Inn, 1800 N 12th St Bismarck. Registration fee is only $40.00.
Scholarships are available for those unable to pay. Contact NDESPA@agree.org

West River Head Start Outside Classroom: No Child Left Inside 2013

This summer West River Head Start is doing something exciting, creative, and innovative for the children. We are creating an outside classroom that infuses Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM). This classroom will not only increase learning outcomes for our children, but also make learning a fun and memorable experience. 

West River Head Start enrolls preschool aged children (3-5) that, more often than not, come from an at-risk background. These students do not always have the opportunity to get outside and enjoy nature, and we intend to change that by leaving no child inside!

The classroom will consist of outside features that are abundant and free such as tree stumps and limbs to sit, jump and play on. However, we do need other outside artifacts that harder to come by.  For example, live trees, bushes and flowers, landscaping timbers and rocks, outside worktables, materials to construct a music and art space, and potting soil.  

Partners: There are several community-minded groups that have already stepped up to participate in helping West River Head Start with No Child Left Inside, including:

• Straightway Construction of Bismarck has graciously donated $2,000.00 for the construction of the fencing that must encompass our space to keep it safe and secure.  
• The Boy Scouts are always prepared and, lucky for us; a local Eagle Scout has volunteered to create a water feature and several garden boxes for his Eagle Scout Project. These features will be utilized in both education on science, biology, and agriculture. 
• Ken Paulus, welding instructor at Bismarck State College, has agreed to have his welding students create metal animal sculptures for the classroom – our students are thrilled!
• The North Dakota Council on the Arts is providing grant funding for sculpture in the outdoor classroom – all the while creating enjoyment and learning experiences for the children! We are working closely with the NDCA on several fronts including potential grants for arts – infused lessons.

WestRiver Head Start is a program of HIT Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. All cash donations are tax deductible and your donation will go directly to the outdoor classroom; this includes supplies, and/or materials to create the space. Can you help us with a donation of time, talent or money?

For more information and to donate, contact: 

Joey Kolosky, Director

West River Head Start

701.301.0728

jkolosky@hitinc.org

The outdoor classroom will be an innovative, energetic, hands-on laboratory where students will learn about both the arts and sciences. West River Head Start knows the importance of fostering the love of learning early; this classroom will provide a strong foundation for children’s learning that they will carry with them throughout their academic lives.

The children and staff of West River Head Start thank you in advance for your consideration and time. 

“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” ~ Benjamin Franklin~