HUNGER PARTNERSHIP MEETINGS

Please share your state’s promising practices and key challenges. We will hear research from Carrie Calvert on Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap and from Kerry Desjardins on APHSA’s SNAP administrators’ priorities and promising practices.

Speakers:

Kerry Desjardins, Policy Associate at the Center for Employment and Economic Well-Being at the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA)
Jadi Chapman, in place of Carrie Calvert, Legislative Analyst for Government Relations, Feeding America

Partners Roundtable on State Priorities & Best Practices

Please share innovations in your states (beyond SNAP).

Food as Medicine; from Research to Policy

Speaker:

Liz Sanders, MPH, RDN, Manager of Strategic Partnerships, Food & Friends

Lunch and Podcast Recordings

Meeting with House Agriculture Committee, Hearing Room 1302, Longworth

Majority Staff:

Jennifer Tiller and Dalton Henry of Food is Medicine Working Group

Minority Staff:

Lisa Shelton and Anne Simmons

Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services (FNCS), USDA, Williamsburg Room, 104-A, USDA

Acting Deputy Under Secretary Brandon Lipps

Resources:

NCSL’s Hunger Partnership Memphis, May 2017

Presiding: Senator Renee Unterman, Georgia | NCSL Hunger Partnership Co-Chair
Keynote Speaker: Bill Purcell | Chair, IOM Roundtable on Obesity

Former Majority Leader in the Tennessee House of Representatives and mayor of Nashville, Bill Purcell now chairs the Institute of Medicine Roundtable on Obesity Solutions. He will focus on the economic impacts of obesity and nutrition assistance programs as well as effective public-private partnerships.

Military Hunger & Nutrition for Families and Veterans

This session will explore the importance of nutrition and the current state of hunger and food access in active military and veteran communities.

Speakers:

Captain Kimberly Elenberg – Operation Live Well – DOD
Sarah Keeney– MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger

Resource:

Department of Defense Operation Live Well, Capt. Elenberg

Site Visit Maxine Smith STEAM Academy – School Breakfast Program

This site visit will be an opportunity to observe and learn more about the national School Break Program and Afterschool Meals Program.

School Breakfast Programs

Speakers:

Bernadette Downey and Courtney Smith – Share Our Strength
Kathy Webb – Executive Director, Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance

Resources:

Federal Updates on SNAP

This session will analyze the importance of the national school breakfast program, best practices and data collection methods.

Speakers:

Rachel Morgan - NCSL Health & Human Services Committee Director
Ellen Vollinger - Food Research and Action Center

Hunger and Health

This session will examine the intersection of hunger and health from a health coalition perspective with the Early Success Coalition and the role of federal nutrition programs, like SNAP and the school breakfast program, in improving health outcomes for different populations.

Speakers:

Sandra Allen, Co-Chair, Early Success Coalition
Trina Gillam, Early Success Coalition

Resources:

Deepening Collective Impact

NCSL Hunger Partnership Meeting | Austin, TX | April 2016

Friday, April 29

Welcome Lunch

Sen. Renee Unterman, Georgia | NCSL Hunger Partnership Co-Chair
Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., Texas | NCSL Hunger Partnership Co-Chair

Keynote Speaker:

Jeremy Everett, Texas Hunger Initiative & National Hunger Commission

Site Visits

WIC Only Store Visit: Lone Star Family Market is a specialty retail store (‘WIC-Only’) in contract with the State of Texas to provide select nutritional food products to Women, Infants and Children under five.

The Sammon family started the stores 12 years ago after noticing that it is often difficult and confusing, to obtain WIC approved food products through major grocery stores.

Lone Star Family Market provides families a fast, easy method of obtaining these nutritious foods in a dignified and respectful atmosphere. They are in close proximity to WIC clinics and have a highly trained bilingual staff. Almost all of their staff has directly been a participant in the WIC program or part of a family that has participated.

Lone Star Family Market [2009 Airport Blvd, Austin TX]

After School Meal Site Visit. Note: We will be splitting the group into 2 for this portion of the site visit. M Station and the Parque Zaragoza Recreation Center are two examples of community-based afterschool and summer meal program sites. These sites are based in neighborhoods of high need but have leveraged a variety of resources to serve children when they are out of school year-round. M Station is an affordable housing apartment complex. Parque Zaragoza is one of the City of Austin's many parks and recreation centers. Each site is partnered with a nonprofit sponsor for the meal programs to receive meals through the USDA's CACFP or SFSP. PepsiCo Food for Good is the vendor for these sites, providing daily delivery of afterschool dinners and summer breakfast and lunch.

M Station [2906 E. MLK St., Austin, TX]

Parque Zaragoza Recreation Center [2608 East Gonzales St., Austin, TX]

Saturday, April 30

Breakfast/Next Steps

Updates from NCSL Staff:

Ann Morse, Program Director, NCSL
Joy Wilson, Health Policy Director, NCSL
Melanie Condon, Policy Specialist, NCSL
Gilberto Soria Mendoza, Policy Specialist, NCSL

Food Waste Session

State, local, federal and private sector entities are all beginning to see that diverting food waste from landfills has many benefits, including feeding those in need, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and saving money and precious resources. Many states including Texas, are instituting food waste policies that help achieve these benefits. This session will bring a well-rounded perspective of the “environment” for food waste diversion today.

Panel:

Susan Robinson, Public Affairs Director, Waste Management, Inc.
Eleni Towns, Policy Analyst, Feeding America
Edwin Marty, Food Policy Manager, Office of Sustainability, City of Austin

Summer Meals Session

More than 21 million children rely on free and reduced school meals during the academic year. Only one out of six of these kids participate in the USDA Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). SFSP seeks to address food insecurity among children and youth during the summer months when they are out of school. This session will provide state level experience in implementing the program and providing food on the ground.

Panel:

Jaclyn Cantu, Coordinator for Food and Nutrition, Texas Department of Agriculture
John Machado, Director of Financial Stability and Career Services, Catholic Charities of Dallas

NCSL Hunger Partnership Meeting | New Orleans, LA | April 2015

Welcome Lunch & Introductions

Sen. Renee Unterman, Georgia | NCSL Hunger Partnership Co-Chair
Rep. James Dunnigan, Utah | NCSL Health & Human Services Committee Co-Chair
Rep. Walt Leger, Louisiana | NCSL Health & Human Services Committee Co-Chair

Presentation: Intersection of Hunger and Health
This session discussed the research on how food consumption affects the health of children and adults; how nutrition assistance programs and other factors influence consumption; and the potential savings from improvements in diet-related health outcomes.
Speaker:

Dr. Diego Rose, Professor and Head of Nutrition Section, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University (Presentation)
USDA - Community Eligibility Provision (Presentation)

Site Visit
The Edible School Yard New Orleans [Samuel J. Greene Charter School | 2319 Valence St, New Orleans, LA]
Founded in 2006, Edible Schoolyard New Orleans (ESYNOLA) changes the way children eat, learn, and live at five FirstLine public charter schools in New Orleans.

Second Harvest Food Bank [700 Edwards Avenue, New Orleans, LA]
Second Harvest Food Bank is leading the fight against hunger in South Louisiana by providing food access, advocacy, education, and disaster response. Second Harvest provides food to 474 partners and programs across 23 parishes. Together, they make up the largest anti-hunger network in the state.

Working Breakfast: NCSL Policy on Hunger & Nutrition and Federal Update
NCSL staff reviewed NCSL’s Nutrition Assistance policy directive. Federal updates to include: School nutrition guidelines final rule; bipartisan congressional hunger caucus formed (who do you know?); Child Nutrition Programs, Income Eligibility Guidelines July 1, 2015 –June 30, 2016
Speaker:

Joy Johnson Wilson, NCSL

Resources:

Child Nutrition Reauthorization (CNR): Program Perspective from FNS and Lessons from Legislatures
Review of child nutrition programs up for reauthorization in 2015: school breakfast, school lunch, afterschool meals, summer meals, CACFP, WIC, etc. This session included a discussion of the Congressional landscape; what reforms are needed; promising practices at the state level; suggestions for improvements in access, state flexibility, program integrity; and next steps for NCSL in reauthorization and role of state legislators in CNR programs.
Panel speakers:

Ed Cooney, Congressional Hunger Center
Ellen Vollinger, Food Research and Action Center

Lunch – National Hunger Commission Roundtable with Legislators
What are the goals and activities of the commission as it prepares its report to Congress in fall 2015 and how can state policymakers highlight priorities and promising practices?
Speaker:

Mariana Chilton, Center for Hunger-free Communities; co-chair, National Hunger Commission

NCSL Legislative Summit | Minneapolis, MN, August 2014

Cooking Up Hunger Solutions: A Conversation with Andrew Zimmern, Bizarre Foods America

Celebrity chef and TV personality Andrew Zimmern is best known for his popular Travel Channel series but he is also committed to combating hunger in America. Andrew highlighted innovative partnerships, initiatives and data-driven strategies such as Taste of the NFL and Hunger-Free Minnesota, and what state legislators can bring to the table to craft local solutions to hunger challenges.

Presiding:

Representative Dwight Evans, Pennsylvania
Senator Renee S. Unterman, Georgia

Speaker:

For a Q&A with Andrew Zimmern click here.

For resources on all of Legislative Summit click here.

NCSL Virtual Meeting | Washington, DC, May 19, 2014

School's Out For Summer! Partnering Up to Feed Hungry Kids
Hunger Partnership

21 million children rely on the free and reduced meals program during the school year, but only 17 percent of them participate during the summer. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Summer Food Service Program wants to reach more kids and invites state lawmakers to come to the table and share their ideas.

During this virtual meeting, officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Texas Hunger Initiative and the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance offered their insights on how state legislators can improve the summer nutrition program. They encouraged lawmakers to get involved and share what they see are barriers to participation in their districts.

Moderators:

Senator Renee Unterman, Georgia
Representative Dwight Evans, Pennsylvania

Speakers:

Audrey Rowe, Administrator for the USDA Food and Nutrition Service
Jeremy Everett, Director of Texas Hunger Initiative
Kathy Webb, Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance

For biographies of our speakers please click here.

NCSL Fall Forum | Washington, DC, December 2013

Combating Hunger: Feeding Our Military Families and Veterans
Hunger Partnership | Taskforce on Military & Veteran Affairs

Learn about efforts to address economic hardship among America's returning veterans and their families. What are the challenges for this population? What are strategies to increase participation among eligible military families and veterans in hunger relief programs? How can effective public-private partnerships make budgets stretch to put food on the table, especially in this holiday season?

Jessica Shaheen, Associate Administrator, USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
Ellen Vollinger, Legal Director, Food Research and Action Center
See presentation here (PPT)

NCSL Legislative Summit | Atlanta, Georgia, August 2013

What Everyday Americans Think About Hunger
Hunger Partnership | Human Services and Welfare Committee

Margie Omero, Managing Director, Purple Insights, Purple Strategies
Kathryn Wiseman, Senior Manager, State & Local Policy, Walmart Stores Inc.

NCSL Hunger Partnership Business Meeting

Presiding:
Senator Renee Unterman, Georgia
Representative Dwight Evans, Pennsylvania

Presentations:
An Update on Senior Hunger, Diana Noel, AARP
Hunger Partnership Accomplishments, Gilberto Soria Mendoza, NCSL

NCSL Spring Forum | Denver, Colorado, May 2013

Feeding People, Not Landfills – Why Reducing Food Waste Matters
NCSL’s Hunger Partnership, Health & Human Services Welfare Committee, Energy, Natural Resources & Infrastructure Committee

Reducing food waste in our society has significant economic, social and environmental benefits that bring a diverse array of stakeholders together. In 2010 more than 34 million tons of food waste was generated while 17.2 million U.S. households were food insecure. Whether diverting food waste from landfills, reducing resources used in food production, or incentivizing food donation, opportunities exist for legislators to play an active role in moving this effort forward. Join your colleagues from across the human services, agriculture and environment fields for a discussion of just what states are and can be doing to tackle this emerging issue.

Jeanne Von Zastrow, Senior Director, Industry Relations & Sustainability, Food Marketing Institute
Carrie Calvert, Director of Tax and Commodity Policy, Feeding America
Jake Hamlin, Director of Government Relations, Cargill

Additional Presentations:

Immigration Reform and the Browning of America, James H. Johnson, Jr.

NCSL Executive Committee Meeting | Santa Barbara, California, January 2013

NCSL’s Hunger Partnership conducted a site visit to Ventura County School District in California to learn about their effective partnerships with the community, farmers, other school districts, and USDA school meal programs. The De Anza Middle School showcased its farm-to-school salad bar and classes that integrate nutrition education, gardening, cooking and math. The Hunger Partnership also visited with a local farmer that supplies the school district with fresh vegetables every week. See photos from this visit. Photo credit: Emily Wengrovius, NCSL.

Group Photo Site Visit to Ventura County School District. Listen to an interview with Sandy Curwood, director of Food and Nutrition Services, about their effective partnerships with the community, farmers, other school districts, and USDA school meal programs. The De Anza Middle School hosted the NCSL Hunger Partnership to showcase its farm-to-school salad bar and its school curriculum that integrates nutrition education, gardening, cooking and math.

Promotora/Community Health Worker Programs
Speaker: Maria Lemus, Executive Director, Vision y Compromiso

California’s SNAP Program/CalFresh
Speaker: Erin Horgan, California Association of Counties

Santa Barbara Food Bank Partnerships
Speaker: Erik Talkin, Chief Executive Officer, Foodbank of Santa Barbara County

Partnerships in Job Training, Food Donations and Hunger Relief
Speaker: Robert Egger, founder, D.C. Central Kitchen and L.A. Kitchen

Statecast with Robert Egger: http://www.ncsl.org/statecast/2013/02/08/statecast-(episode-13)-ncsl.aspx

NCSL Fall Forum | Washington, DC, December 2012

The Hunger Partnership cosponsored a session with the Human Services and Welfare Committee.

Senior Hunger: Meals on Wheels and More
When the topic of hunger arises, seniors are often forgotten. Public-private partnerships have found innovative ways to alleviate hunger in communities across America, including Meals on Wheels and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), to get seniors the help they need.

Panelists:
Ellen Vollinger, Legal/Food Stamp Director, Food Research and Action Center, Washington, D.C.
Diana Noel, Senior Legislative Representative, AARP, Washington, D.C.
Martha Roherty, Executive Director of the National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities (NASUAD)
John M. Thompson, Executive Director, Washington, DC Office on Aging

NCSL Legislative Summit | Chicago, Illinois, August 2012

The NCSL Foundation Hunger Partnership met at the 2012 NCSL Legislative Summit in Chicago, Illinois. See full agenda for details and various speaker presentations.

Tuesday, August 7

Public-Private Partnerships Address Hunger
Public-private partnerships have found innovative ways to alleviate hunger in communities across America. Learn how they’ve succeeded in using limited resources to make food available to the growing need.

Panelists:

Scott DeFife, National Restaurant Association, Washington, D.C. (Presentation)
Jim Larson, Food Donation Connection, Tennessee (Presentation)
Lincoln Ellis, Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest Indiana, Indiana
Mary Dossett, YUM! Brands, Inc., Kentucky (Presentation)

NCSL gratefully acknowledges YUM! Brands for supporting this luncheon session.

Wednesday, August 8

What Americans Think About Hunger
Human Services and Welfare Committee | Hunger Partnership

A national pollster will discuss hunger in America today, addressing questions such as family priorities in food consumption and government and personal responsibility. A representative from Walmart will address the role their stores play in the lives of families shopping on a restricted food budget. Learn how to best discuss hunger and SNAP and related nutrition assistance programs with the public.

Panelists:

Tres Bailey, Walmart, Washington, D.C. (Presentation)
Margie Omero, Momentum Analysis, Washington, D.C. (Findings from recent Focus Group on Hunger)

NCSL gratefully acknowledges Walmart for supporting this luncheon session.

NCSL Foundation Hunger Partnership Business Meeting
Hunger Partnership members will discuss ways to expand on their successful work by exploring further the role of state legislators and public-private partnerships in addressing hunger.

Presiding:

Representative Dwight Evans, Pennsylvania
Senator Renee S. Unterman, Georgia

Thursday, August 9

Food and Farm Issues Breakfast
Agriculture and Energy Committee | Human Services and Welfare Committee | NCSL Foundation Hunger Partners
Examine the ongoing reauthorization of the 2012 Farm Bill, especially in light of tight federal and state budgets. Receive an update on current food policy and farm issues, including rural development programs, SNAP and other food assistance programs.

Speaker:

Jerry Hagstrom, Founder and Executive Editor, The Hagstrom Report, National Journal, Washington, D.C.

NCSL gratefully acknowledges the Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) for supporting this breakfast session.

NCSL Legislative Summit | San Antonio, Texas, August 2011

The NCSL Foundation Hunger Partnership met in san Antonio at the 2011 NCSL Legislative Summit. This unprecedented two-part issue forum featured a panel presentation followed by hands-on learning at the acclaimed San Antonio Food Bank. This pair of sessions presented innovative public-private partnerships in feeding both traditional and new populations experiencing hunger in America. Innovative practices include increasing access to SNAP, WIC and school meal programs for children, families, veterans and seniors. The sessions were moderated by Senator Steven Horsford, Nevada, and Senator Renee Unterman, Georgia.

Wednesday, Aug. 10

1:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. - Panel Discussion - Bringing Legislators to the Table: Addressing Hunger in America

Kevin Concannon, Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, USDA
JoAnn Jenkins, President, AARP Foundation
Laura Melillo, Executive Director, Yum! Brands Foundation & Global Community Relations

Podcasts of these three speakers can be found here.

2:30 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. Site Visit to San Antonio Food Bank

Eric Cooper, CEO, San Antonio Food Bank
Senator Leticia Van de Putte, Texas

The NCSL Foundation Hunger Partnership released its newest publication, Bringing Legislators to the Table: Addressing Hunger through Public-Private Partnerships, at the Legislative Summit.

NCSL Executive Committee Meeting | Boston, Massachusetts, May 2011

The second meeting of the NCSL Foundation Hunger Partnership occurred at the 2011 NCSL Executive Committee Meeting.The Partnership enjoyed a site tour, panel discussion and a business meeting to share ideas and flesh out priorities for future Partnership events and publications. View highlights of the Hunger Partnership meeting in Boston here.

Thursday, May 5

3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Site Visit to The Food Project

The Food Project (TFP) provides programs for youth and teens to become leaders in the creation of a sustainable food system in greater Boston. TFP distributes the food grown on its 40 acres of farm land to Community Supported Agriculture programs, farmers' markets and hunger relief organizations across greater Boston.

Friday, May 6

8:15 a.m. - 9:15 a.m. Panel Discussion - Leveraging SNAP, WIC and Feeding Programs

This session focused on recent efforts to improve access to nutrition assistance programs; implementation of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010; and what legislators can do to improve the access and value of SNAP and other benefits in their own communities.

Audrey Rowe, Administrator, Food and Nutrition Services, USDA
Dr. Deborah Frank, Director, The Grow Clinic for Children, Boston University School of Medicine (presentation)

9:15 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. Business Meeting

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Panel Discussion - Role of Corporate Foundations in Hunger

This session focused on the role of foundations in promoting solutions to hunger in America through effective public-private partnerships.

Margaret McKenna, President, Wal-mart Foundation
Ellen Goldberg Luger, Executive Director, General Mills Foundation (presentation)

NCSL Fall Forum | Phoenix, Arizona, December 2010

The first meeting of the NCSL Foundation Hunger Partnership occurred at the 2010 NCSL Fall Forum. This panel disucssion focused on the changing face of hunger in America in the wake of the Great Recession. Panelists explored the increase in food insecurity among various populations, especially households that are newly eligible for public benefits; the growth in participation in federal nutrition assistance programs; and the consequences of hunger for the nation's most vulnerable groups.

Ed Cooney, Executive Director, Congressional Hunger Center
Bill Ludwig, Regional Administrator, Food and Nutrition Services - Southwest Region, USDA
Ginny Hildebrand, President & CEO, Association of Arizona Food Banks (presentation)

The Partnership also met to discuss priorities and ideas for future events and publications.

NCSL Legislative Summit | Louisville, Kentucky, August 2010

Legislators displayed strong interest in a more formal project on hunger at a panel discussion on hunger at the 2010 NCSL Legislative Summit. Listen to a podcast from USDA Under Secretary Kevin Concannon here.

This page last updated July 2017