TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Hay buenas y malas noticias en un reporte emitido este martes por el Food Research and Action Center (Centro de Investigación y Acción Alimentaria). Lo bueno es que ahora más niños comienzan su día con un desayuno escolar, en relación a los años previos. La creciente posibilidad de acceso se atribuye a ciertos programas innovadores que tienen unos distritos escolares de Florida. Pero lo malo es que todavía se lo están perdiendo más de la mitad de los niños elegibles.

Debra Susie, Directora Ejecutiva de Florida Impact (Impacto Florida), opina que otras escuelas del estado a veces tienen dificultad para adoptar ideas nuevas como las que su organización puso en marcha.

"Los directores de nuestro servicio de alimento escolar están en la mayor parte de Florida. A veces se interponen otras cosas, como tal vez la reticencia del director a probar algo nuevo, como esto, sin realmente creer que producirá los resultados que hemos visto en otras partes del país."

El reporte se titula "A Good Start for Learning: School Breakfast Participation in Florida" (Un buen comienzo para aprender: participación en el Desayuno Escolar, en Florida), y revela que aumentar la participación de 70 a 100 estudiantes en el desayuno, alimentaría a 249 mil niños más de bajos ingresos, y traería 64 millones de dólares más de fondos federales a Florida.

El sistema escolar del Condado de Pinellas está intentando opciones innovadoras para lograr que los estudiantes tengan el alimento que necesitan. En 2011, su Director del Servicio de Alimento Escolar, Art Dunham, pidió autorización a la directiva de la escuela para dar desayuno gratis a todos los alumnos. Desde entonces la cantidad de niños que desayunan en la escuela aumentó a más del doble...

"Nuestros bachilleratos (high schools) fueron de escuelas C y D a escuelas A y B. Tienes que creer que los alumnos hambrientos no aprenden, y con este aumento de gente que ahora ya desayuna, eso puede haber mejorado sus notas dramáticamente."

Susie dice que otros distritos escolares de Florida, incluyendo Franklin, Highlands, Hamilton y Jefferson, también han encontrado estrategias exitosas para aumentar la participación, incluyendo llevar el desayuno al salón de clases, a la parada del camión y otras.

"Hay muchas maneras de que los niños ahora puedan acceder al desayuno, y cuando lo hacen, notamos que parecen participar más."

Las investigaciones indican que iniciar el día con un desayuno equilibrado aumenta la capacidad del alumno para captar información y le mantiene atento a su peso.


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Tennessee has expanded food assistance for Northeast Tennessee residents still cleaning up after Hurricane Helene.

What's known as the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is in effect for current SNAP recipients in the eight counties affected.

Signe Anderson, senior director of nutrition advocacy for the Tennessee Justice Center, said benefits are provided through an electronic debit card and can be used to purchase food items at grocery stores and other authorized retailers who accept electronic benefit transfer.

"The state has been able to secure an automatic mass reimbursement of 65% to SNAP participants who are already part of the program," Anderson reported. "With the knowledge that so many people lost power, there was major devastation."

The Tennessee Department of Human Services has also temporarily allowed SNAP recipients in 13 counties to use their benefits to purchase hot foods due to the challenges of hurricane recovery.

Anderson thinks the 65% reimbursement is a good start but pointed out the USDA approved more waivers for households to get the full 100% reimbursement back by filling out an affidavit on its website. The waiver covers Carter, Hawkins, Johnson, Unicoi and Washington counties.

She added Cocke, Greene and Hamblen counties were not approved in the waiver.

"The state did say, even if you're not in one of these listed counties but you're in one of those bordering counties, you should apply through the affidavit and make your case," Anderson explained. "Unfortunately, those individuals in the surrounding counties aren't automatically reimbursed but if they reach out to DHS through the affidavit, they're likely to get help."

She added President Joe Biden's FEMA disaster declaration allows the state to do even more. The assistance includes grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.


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It is National School Lunch Week and groups in Oregon are taking the opportunity to encourage lawmakers to make school meals available to every kid in the state.

The School Meals for All coalition is calling for legislation to make breakfast and lunch free for all Oregon students. The coalition wants lawmakers to adopt the policy during the 2025 session.

David Wieland, policy advocate for the group Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon, said the state is already close to the goal.

"About 1,191 schools in the state are already participating and we're only 65 schools away," Wieland reported. "We're so close to the finish line in realizing this vision."

Nine states have adopted universal school meals. Opponents have pointed to the high cost of providing meals to every student in the state but one in six Oregon children faces hunger, according to Feeding America data.

Loren Naldoza, public policy advocate for Oregon Food Bank, said free school meals have a number of benefits, including helping students academically.

"Our fight for a universal school meals program ensures that any student who doesn't have a lunch that day won't have to worry about being hungry because one will be ready for them," Naldoza emphasized. "We're going to see this pay off, in the short term and in the long term."

Wieland added the policy the School Meals for All coalition is pushing for would also improve food quality.

"Moving to free a breakfast and lunch program gets rid of the administrative overhead," Wieland noted. "Our proposal is going to slightly increase funding so that more money is going to fresh ingredients that are scratch cooked, and children enjoy and deserve."

A New Mexico food bank has expanded outreach to the state's Indigenous communities by hiring a Director of Tribal Relations.

Candice Griego will help Roadrunner Food Bank collaborate more closely with tribal communities to better identify food insecurity and find culturally responsive solutions that respect their needs.

New Mexico is one of the most rural states in the country, and Griego said tribal community members must often travel 50 miles or more to get groceries.

"A lot of these tribal communities are located in rural areas," said Griego, "where they're in food deserts, where there's not necessarily a lot of grocery stores. That's experienced a lot on the Navajo Reservation."

Griego, whose background is primarily in healthcare, is enrolled as a Zia Pueblo tribal member. She said the food bank already has started seven new food distributions on the Navajo Nation.

Griego said she hopes to gain a better understanding of which tribes need monthly or bimonthly food distributions from Roadrunner and provide them with culturally appropriate foods when possible.

She said that requires regular outreach to tribal leaders and communities.

"They feel comfortable in connecting with me and asking me for certain food products," said Griego. "So, just building that relationship and having that comfort level, and them knowing they can reach out to me."

Native Americans make up nearly 11% of the New Mexico population. In addition to the Navajo Reservation, the state is home to 23 Indian tribes, 19 Pueblos, and three Apache tribes.

The food bank anticipates hosting a tribal community focused event in early November during Native American Heritage Month.