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Groups fighting hunger will hold a panel discussion in Los Angeles, called

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Feeding the unhoused in LA.: Searching for best practices

California is home to more than 181,000 people who are unhoused, with 75,000 in Los Angeles alone, so the Los Angeles Food Policy Council will host a …

About 40% of food produced by farmers worldwide is never consumed. (TheStockCube/Adobestock)

Making 'climate candy' from upcycled fruits and veggies

Worldwide, 40% of food is wasted but a new candy company is trying to make a dent in it and fight climate change to boot. The company is called …

Last year, California's Market Match program provided 3.8 million servings of fruits and vegetables to families struggling with food insecurity. (EwaStudio/Adobe Stock)

As budget deadline looms, CA groups defend Market Match program

California anti-hunger groups are asking Gov. Gavin Newsom to preserve funding for Market Match, a program helping low-income families buy fruits and …

Households in Los Angeles, Riverside and San Francisco counties pay the highest prices for groceries in the state. (Stokkete/Adobe Stock)

Feds: Grocery chain profits soared during and after pandemic

Consumer groups are accusing major grocery retailers - like Amazon, Kroger and Walmart - of price gouging, both during and after the pandemic…

Since 2009, Market Match has served tens of thousands of low-income Californians to buy produce at markets like this one in San Francisco.(Heart of the City Market)

Groups plead with CA legislators to save Market Match program

California's program helping low-income families buy fresh fruit and vegetables is on the chopping block and health care advocates are asking legislat…

Many school lunch programs are introducing more non-meat, non-dairy meals to normalize a healthier, more climate-friendly plant-based diet. (CivilEats)

California leads way in low-carbon school meals

By Naoki Nitta for Civil Eats.Broadcast version by Suzanne Potter for California News Service reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public Ne…

Betty Kwan Chinn is this year's California recipient of the AARP Andrus Award for Community Service, which comes with a $1,000 grant for her foundation, dedicated to helping people experiencing homelessness. (Betty Kwan Chinn Homeless Foundation)

AARP CA honors advocate for people experiencing homelessness

Today AARP is honoring a California woman whose journey to the U.S. inspired her to open a shelter for people experiencing homelessness. Betty Kwan …

A worker from the With Love Market & Cafe drops off produce at Skid Row People's Market in Los Angeles. (L.A. Food Policy Council)

Food insecurity in CA on rise as food benefits drop

Despite the roaring economy, food insecurity got worse in 2022 - nationally and in Los Angeles County. New data from the U.S. Department of …

Assemblyman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, speaks with Andy Naja-Riese of the Agricultural Institute of Marin at the Clement Street Farmer's Market in San Francisco. (Felice Thorpe)

Anti-hunger advocates seek federal funds, honor CA lawmaker

Groups that fight hunger are calling for a fair shake in the upcoming farm bill, which provides federal matching funds for programs that help low-…

Participation in the WIC food-benefit program shot up during the pandemic and continues to grow.(Kaganskaya115/Adobestock)

CA Anti-Poverty Groups Fight for Higher Food Benefits for Women, Children

Anti-hunger advocates are pressing Congress to fully fund WIC, the food benefit program for expectant mothers and children younger than 5. …

In California, more than 61% of CalFresh participants are in families with children. (Serhii/Adobestock)

Anti-Hunger Advocates Oppose Limits on Food Benefits in Farm Bill

Anti-hunger groups are calling on Congress to protect the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - as negotiations continue on the massive 2023 far…

CalFresh organiza peri�dicamente actos de divulgaci�n en los campus universitarios para dar a conocer el programa a los estudiantes y ayudarles en el complejo proceso de solicitud. (CalFresh)<br />

Endurecen normas laborales para estudiantes en CalFresh

Las exenciones de la época de la pandemia que permitieron a muchos estudiantes acceder a los beneficios de alimentos de CalFresh sin tener que tr…

Dairy farmers are proposing a nationwide incentive-based plan that balances milk production with market demand and pays a minimum to cover farmers' costs. (Freund)

Dairy Farmers Press for National Plan to Stabilize Milk Prices

Dairy farms have been going out of business left and right in California and across the country - in part, they say, because milk prices are so …

A new report found 15 percent of California children live in a family where someone quit, changed or refused a job due to problems with child care. (Africa Studio/Adobestock)

Report: CA Families Struggle to Find Affordable Child Care

California families are paying way too much for child care, according to the 2023 Kids Count Data Book out today from the Annie E. Casey Foundation…

More than 300,000 CalFresh participants take part in the Market Match program every year. (Ecology Center) <br />

As Budget Deadline Nears, Groups Seek 'Market Match' Funds

A program helping low-income California families buy fruits and vegetables at farmers' markets may be on the chopping block as state budget negotiatio…

Save the Children brings boxes with food and learning materials to rural low-income families in four California counties. (Mariano Friginal/Save the Children)

Nonprofit Works to 'Make Summer Fair' for Rural Kids

Summer break is broken for many children in rural America, who can become isolated once the school buses stop running in June. Research shows kids …

Currently, DACA recipients, Temporary Protected Status holders and certain visa holders are also excluded from California food assistance programs. (Marilyn Barbone/Adobe Stock)<br />

Hunger-Fighting Groups Give Mixed Reviews to New CA Budget Proposal

Groups working to fight hunger in California are praising Gov. Gavin Newsom's proposed changes to the state budget regarding food assistance for …

Data show that every dollar in CalFresh benefits generates as much as $1.80 in total economic activity. (Kurhan/Adobestock)

Lawmakers Consider Raising Minimum CalFresh Food Assistance to $50

Many people receiving CalFresh food assistance took a big financial hit in April as the federal pandemic-era bump in benefits expired - leaving some w…

A study from the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment found the consumption of synthetic food dyes can result in hyperactivity and other neurobehavioral problems in some children. (DW Labs Inc./Adobestock)

Consumer Group Warns of Carcinogenic Dye in Some Easter Candies

Pink and purple Peeps are popular Easter treats, but consumer health experts warn they contain a dye that has been linked to cancer and attention …

Trinidad Luna, a double amputee from Los Angeles, is expecting his CalFresh benefits to drop to $25 a month. (Trinidad Luna)

Recipients Prepare for Big Drop in CalFresh Benefits

CalFresh benefits are set to plummet for almost five million people in the state starting in a few weeks - as the emergency COVID increase expires…

Mollie Englehardt started her farm four years ago to support her local vegan restaurant chain, Sage. (Sow a Heart Farms)

Healthy Soil Can Be a Climate Change Solution

By Caleigh Wells for KCRW.Broadcast version by Suzanne Potter for California News Service reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public News S…

The Jacobs and Cushman San Diego Food Bank distributes fresh produce in the rural area in the mountains near San Diego. (Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank)

$100K Grant Will Fund CA Food-Box Program to Fight Child Hunger

San Diego may seem like a wealthy area, but the mountain communities in the eastern part of the county still struggle with hunger and poverty. Now…

The California Food Assistance Program currently works alongside CalFresh to benefit many income-eligible people who hold green cards. (JetCityImage/Adobe Stock)<br />

CA Anti-Hunger Groups Slam Governor’s Proposed Budget

Groups that fight hunger say they're "deeply disappointed" in the new budget proposal released Tuesday by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Last year, the …

An estimated 52% of immigrant-owned businesses were started by people using their personal savings, according to the Immigration Research Library. (Adobe Stock)

A Taste of Home: How Ethnic Grocery Stores Create Community

Michelle Chen wrote the original version of this story for Yes! Magazine.Broadcast version by Mark Moran for California News Service reporting for …

A new report says more than one million residents of the Los Angeles area experienced food insecurity at least once in 2021. (Liliya Trott/Adobe Stock)

L.A. County, Nonprofits Team Up to Tackle Food Insecurity

Before the pandemic, one in five people in Los Angeles County lacked consistent access to food - and in 2021, one in four low-income families …

According to a report from Northwestern University, one in four American households with children has trouble putting enough food on the table. (Disha1980/Adobe Stock)

CA Hunger-Fighting Groups Optimistic after White House Conference

Groups fighting hunger in California say untold suffering could be avoided if the policies championed at the latest White House conference are put int…

Greenhouse-grown hydroponic tomatoes use 90% less water than traditional tomato crops grown outdoors, according to the U.S. National Park Service. (Caleigh Wells)

Future of Tomatoes in CA Drought: Hydroponic Farming?

By Caleigh Wells for KCRW.Broadcast version by Suzanne Potter for California News Service reporting for the KCRW-Public News Service Collaboration Wh…

Grant Program to Fund Innovative Solutions to Rural Child Hunger

Child hunger is a persistent problem in California and across the U.S., especially in rural areas, and now, a new grant program will promote and fund …

The Food and Drug Administration estimates that food prices have risen by 8.5% to 9.5% in 2022.(Pamela/Adobestock)

County Funding for L.A.'s Healthy-Food Vouchers May be Slashed in Half

A program to provide low-income people vouchers to buy fresh fruits and vegetables may see its county funding cut in half at the Board of Supervisors'…

The Food4All Campaign began two years ago with the goal of eliminating hunger in California. (California Immigrant Policy Center)

Hunger Advocates Celebrate Progress; Vow to Continue Fight

California's new budget expands CalFresh benefits to low-income undocumented people age 55 and older, and now advocates are looking to build on their …

The Tierras Milperas community garden in Watsonvile feeds dozens of families and is used for cultural gatherings.(Tierras Milperas)

Farmworker Advocates Fight to Save Community Garden

A farmworker group in Watsonville is speaking out after a local church terminated the lease on land used for a community garden. The group, called …

HOPE Collaborative in Oakland partners with Cocina del Corazon to produce healthy meals that are distributed free at community fridges and corner stores to feed the needy. (HOPE Collaborative)

Oakland Nonprofit Fills Community Fridges to Combat Hunger

Local nonprofits in the Bay Area are tackling hunger in low-income neighborhoods by stocking corner stores and "community fridges" around town with fr…

The Food4All Campaign is a coalition of more than 50 groups fighting to eliminate hunger in California. (Haylee Burgess/CIPC)

Food4All Campaign Ramps Up as Gov, Lawmakers Finalize Budget

The Food4All campaign is calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to expand access to food assistance to all undocumented Californians when he submits his final …

Hunger Action Los Angeles volunteers pack food bags for seniors impacted by the pandemic. (Frank Tamborello)

For Hunger Action Week, Advocates Press for More Funding

It's Hunger Action Week, and activists are asking lawmakers to use California's wealth for the people's health - and harness the budget surplus to …

California may grow much of the nation's fresh produce, but new research estimates a half-million undocumented California residents, ages 27 to 49, are affected by food insecurity. (Olga Lyubkin/Adobe Stock)

Groups Press to Include Undocumented in CA Food Assistance

New research on hunger shows 45% of undocumented immigrants in California are affected by food insecurity, and 60% of undocumented children live in …

Wash these well before eating! Studies have linked pesticide exposure to numerous health effects, including cancer, brain fog and endocrine disorders. (Dionisvera/Adobestock)

2022 "Dirty Dozen": Produce with the Most Pesticides

An annual list of best and worst produce, in terms of pesticide residue, is out - and strawberries, spinach, kale, and collard and mustard greens top …

Save the Children has partnered with farmers to make boxes of fruits and vegetables available to low-income rural families. (Cavan/Adobeststock)

Rural Kids’ Food Programs Ramp Up for Summer

One might think that food insecurity would improve as California recovers from the pandemic - but advocates say hunger remains a significant issue…

Urban Tilth distributes bags of produce in parts in the Richmond area, which is considered a

Boxes of Vegetables as Medicine? Advocates Work Toward Food Justice

Low-income families in the East Bay area may soon have easier access to fresh, locally grown produce thanks to an expansion of a state Medi-Cal …

Nationwide, 6 million to 7 million children depend on WIC food assistance. (Liliya Trott/Adobestock)

Program Providing Extra Fruit, Vegetables to Kids Set to Expire

Advocates warn that low-income families may have to cut back on fruits and vegetables starting in April - if Congress allows part of their food benefi…

If Gov. Gavin Newsom's budget plan is adopted, Cal Fresh would start planning in order to introduce food assistance to undocumented Californians age 55 and older. (Stanislau_V/Adobestock)

Governor’s Budget Would Begin to Open Cal Fresh to the Undocumented 55+

Advocates for the Food for All campaign are praising Gov. Gavin Newsom's new budget proposal, which would begin the process of expanding the Cal …

La nueva propuesta de presupuesto del gobernador Gavin Newsom representa un aumento de m�s de $16 mil millones para la educaci�n en comparaci�n con el a�o pasado. (Jantanee/Adobestock)

Presupuesto incluye mayor financiación para educación en historia de CA

Los grados de K a 12 y educación superior recibirían $102,000 millones el próximo año fiscal, como parte de la nueva propuesta …

During the pandemic, as many as a quarter of households in Los Angeles qualified for emergency food assistance. (Lial88/Adobestock)

Advocates Sue LA County over Emergency Food-Assistance Delays

LOS ANGELES -- Anti-hunger advocates filed suit Monday to force Los Angeles County to speed up processing of applications for emergency food assistanc…

For the next few months, many California farmers markets will offer $15 in vouchers for every $15 spent by families in the Cal Fresh program. (SEE LA)

SNAP, Market Match Benefits to Increase on Friday

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Good news for low-income families who depend on SNAP, the federal food-assistance program: Their monthly allotment will go up by …

Chinook salmon spawn in four runs per year. The eggs, fry and juveniles in the winter and fall runs are expected to be harmed this year by water flows that are too warm. (dhogan172/Adobe Stock)

Groups Warn of Massive Salmon Die-Off, Press for Water Reform

SHASTA LAKE, Calif. - Within the next several weeks, experts are expecting a massive die-off of winter-run Chinook salmon as they spawn below the …

Farmers' markets are starting to reopen, after some had to shut down when their venues were closed during the COVID lockdowns. (SEE LA)

Celebrating Progress in the Fight Against Hunger in CA

LOS ANGELES -- Hunger-fighting advocacy groups are speaking out in California, drawing attention to the continuing problem of food insecurity…

California's state moratorium on evictions, intended to keep millions of families from becoming homeless, has been extended through October. This will give the state time to roll out its new Rent Relief Program. (Endho/Pixabay)

Expert: New CA Budget, Tax Credit are Windfalls for Families with Children

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Huge new aid programs are beating back poverty in the Golden State, especially among families with children. Gov. Gavin Newsom …

A new report found, as of 2019, there were more children in families where the head of household hadn't graduated from high school than in any other state. (5Second/Adobestock)

Report: CA Children of Color Bear Brunt of Pandemic

LOS ANGELES -- Kids in California were among the hardest hit during the pandemic, according to the just-released 2021 Kids Count report. Researchers …

The Market Match program doubles CalFresh dollars that recipients can spend at farmers' markets, which benefits the farmers as well as the shoppers. (Ecology Center)

Groups Want More Funding for CA Farmers' Market Program

BERKELEY, Calif. - As budget negotiations continue in Sacramento, hunger-fighting advocates are asking state lawmakers to put $20 million toward a …

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CA: Hunger/Food/Nutrition