THE PORT ANGELES GLOBE: 09/02/17

Saturday, September 2, 2017

WA COMMERCE DEPT: State funds efforts to help homeless schoolchildren, families

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 29/ 17 (link source)
More than $1.5 million in grants awarded for Homeless Student Stability programs across the state

As families face rising rents and historically low housing vacancy rates, more school children are increasingly living in unstable situations, moving frequently among shelters, family and friends’ homes, and other temporary housing.

According to the 2017 Point in Time Count for Washington state, approximately 4,100 youth are homeless, 2,000 of whom are unaccompanied.

Improving the learning and housing stability of those students takes a coordinated approach. A grant program started in 2016, and renewed this year, will help with that effort.

The Washington State Department of Commerce and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction recently awarded a total of nearly $1.7 million to 26 organizations around the state. The grants supplement school districts’ ability to provide in-school support, prioritizing unaccompanied youth and unsheltered students and families.

“Growing inside our thriving state economy is a homeless crisis that touches thousands of Washington families,” said Commerce Director Brian Bonlender. ”Schools are the heart of our neighborhoods, and these grants are strengthening communities by providing stability for kids and their families who are struggling.”

The state legislature passed Third Substitute House Bill 1682 in 2016. The bill established the Homeless Student Stability Program and authorized two sets of annual grants, if funding is available:

From the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, to build homeless education program capacity at school districts; and
From the Department of Commerce, to support Homeless Housing Partnerships (HHP) between school districts and housing entities.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal was a member of the House of Representatives at the time, and was one of the 3SHB 1682’s sponsors.

“Without stable housing, students lose an estimated three to six months of academic progress each time they move to a new school,” Reykdal said. “The grants will provide crucial in-school support for those students.”

The grants also will fund caseworkers, or “homeless housing navigators,” in schools, as well as to provide essential needs, such as transportation to get students to school after they move, or assistance to avoid utilities being shut off in family homes.

Department of Commerce

The department received 14 applications from school districts and their non-profit community service organizations across the state, with a total request of $2,085,249. State funding allowed for nine awards totaling $875,000. The awards will help school districts identify homeless students and unaccompanied youth and rapidly connect them with housing services and agencies in their communities.

Districts awarded grants are:

Evergreen Public Schools, partnering with Council for the Homeless, $270,000
Bellingham Consortia, partnering with Opportunity Council and Northwest Youth Services, $195,000
Highline Public Schools, partnering with Neighborhood House, $118,000
Wenatchee School District, partnering with Women’s Resource Center, $72,000
Everett Public Schools, partnering with Cocoon House, $60,000
Woodland School District, partnering with Love Overwhelming, $55,000
Shelton School District, partnering with Mason County Housing Options for Students in Transition, $45,000
Mount Vernon School District, partnering with YMCA Oasis Teen Shelter, $35,000
South Whidbey School District, partnering with Opportunity Council, $25,000
OSPI

OSPI received 47 applications from across the state, requesting more than $3.9 million in total. State funding allowed for 12 awards totaling about $850,000. The funds will be used for a variety of programs, such as professional development for staff, partnerships with community-based organizations and tutors for homeless students.

Organizations receiving grants include:

Bellingham Consortia, $52,228
Bethel School District, $92,127
Evergreen School District (Clark County), $83,943
Kelso Consortia, $111,452
Mount Adams School District, $65,422
North Thurston Public Schools, $98,654
Seattle Public Schools, $91,697
Selah School District, $4,000
South Whidbey School District, $64,000
Spokane School District, $55,000
Tacoma School District, $104,207
Taholah School District, $25,200

WEEKLY AGRICULTURAL REPORT

USDA: Back to School: School Meals Play Vital Nutrition Role for Kids
BLOG POSTED 8/ 31/ 17 (link source)

With millions of children now eating both breakfast and lunch at school, school meals play a crucial role in providing the nutrition foundation children need to succeed in the classroom. For some, the food they get at school may be all they have to eat in the course of a day. It’s an important fact to consider – particularly now, as kids across the country head back to school.

In my role as Acting Deputy Undersecretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, I can assure you that we’re committed to making certain that the food our kids are served at school is both nutritious and satisfying. That is why USDA is providing more flexibilities to schools striving to feed children, promote nutrition, and run a financially stable food service program. Just days after taking office, the Secretary issued a proclamation that will take effect this school year granting schools additional flexibility with regard to whole grains, sodium, and flavored milk to help them be responsive to their specific local circumstances.

As we work to improve school nutrition, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) relies on the work of school food professionals across the country -- and with good reason. These dedicated – and unsung -- professionals are uniquely positioned: They know the children in their care and understand the needs of their school and community, which allows them to explore creative ways to encourage kids to make healthy food choices. This may include everything from student taste tests and food sampling to chef partnerships, salad bars, breakfast in the classroom, or simply offering more choices that students want (ethnic and regional foods, salad bars, or vegetarian options).

Local is also a priority when it comes to the food served in our schools’ cafeterias. More than 42,500 schools now participate in farm to school practices, and it’s having a positive impact on kids’ palettes and school finances. Plus, when schools buy the ingredients they need close to home, there’s another important benefit: It nourishes the local economy, which can be especially important in rural areas. Bottom line: Farm to school is a win-win all around.

Initiatives like these – and the caring, personal touch they express – help explain the amazing growth experienced in recent years by the School Breakfast Program. Nearly 25 percent more kids eat breakfast at school now than in 2010, which translates to nearly 3 million more children getting a healthy start to their day. Research shows that students who consume breakfast make greater strides on standardized tests, pay attention and behave better in class, and are less frequently tardy, absent or visiting the nurse’s office. These effects are highlighted in this video on Breakfast After the Bell , offered in Chicago Public Schools and elsewhere in Illinois.

So as school bells begin to ring and students pick up their backpacks once again, stop to consider the vital role healthy school nutrition plays in the lives of America’s children and the important efforts of our country’s school food professionals. Here at FNS, we are committed to continuing to work with these dedicated professionals to ensure the school meals programs are best positioned to fulfill local needs and foster the growth of tomorrow’s leaders, today.

USDA Providing Nutrition Help to States Hit by Hurricane, Flooding
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 31/ 17 (link source)

WASHINGTON, Aug. 31, 2017 – USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is actively working with officials in Texas and Louisiana to ensure that people impacted by Hurricane Harvey have access to food now and after emergency operations are completed.

“In this time of crisis, with many grocery stores closed and other sources of food unavailable, USDA is committed to ensuring that our fellow Americans get the vital nutrition they need and is streamlining procedures to make that happen,” said Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. “President Trump made it clear to his cabinet that helping people is the first priority, and that process and paperwork can wait until later. USDA is already doing the work to help people in need today.”

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is working with officials in the affected region to help feed displaced and affected residents. The agency has granted several waivers in Texas allowing schools in the National School Lunch Program to provide free meals. It has also provided more flexibility to schools in what they can feed kids, given the challenges of preparing specific foods during this period.

“FNS works every day to ensure Americans have access to food, but it is during events like this that we have to be nimble,” said FNS Administrator Brandon Lipps. “Our job is to make it as easy as possible for our programs to be administered in a way that ensures no one affected by this disaster goes hungry.”

Steps already taken by USDA in Texas include:

Approving a request by Texas officials to waive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) regulations to allow program participants to buy hot foods and hot ready-to-eat foods with their benefits. FNS has notified authorized SNAP retailers in Texas of this waiver, which will be in effect through September 30.
Supporting the state in its plans to shift the full SNAP issuance schedule for September to the first of the month so that families have access to their monthly benefits sooner during this time of immediate crisis.
Allowing all schools in declared disaster counties to waive the National School Lunch Program meal pattern and meal service time requirements. This will allow schools to serve meals that do not meet the menu planning or meal pattern requirements for schools and child care institutions and facilities in the affected areas through September 30.
Allowing all disaster affected schools to provide meals to all students at no charge and be reimbursed at the free reimbursement rate through September 30.
Providing the state the flexibility needed to allow seniors who participate in the Commodity Supplemental Food Program in the service areas impacted by the hurricane to receive two food packages in September to make up for the loss of their August food benefit.
Approving Texas to designate schools not directly impacted by the Hurricane to serve as disaster organizations and shelters so that USDA foods can be used for congregate feeding, providing critical food assistance to those in need. USDA Foods include a variety of canned, fresh, frozen and dry products which include fruits, vegetables, meats, and whole grains.
Details of waivers can be found here. FNS is concurrently providing technical assistance to Louisiana and offering support as needed.

The FNS response efforts go beyond these programs. The FNS WIC program has policies in place to allow the state flexibility in program design and administration to support continuation of benefits to participants during times of natural disasters. With a number of WIC clinics damaged or closed during the hurricane, FNS held a conference call with Texas WIC State agency to provide this information and offer any other technical assistance needed to ensure WIC participants received help in obtaining food.

Although USDA food has not been requested as yet, FNS has coordinated with the Texas State Department of Agriculture to provide food deliveries to voluntary organizations as needed. FNS has determined the available USDA food supplies in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas in anticipation of requests by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide food deliveries.

FNS is also ready to support the state for other SNAP waivers that may be needed to support recipients who have lost food due to the disaster and to simplify the application process for affected households, as well as waivers covering Child and Adult Care Food Program sites and schools used as shelters.

In addition, FNS will provide infant formula and food to infants and children housed in disaster congregate shelters if requested. FNS can typically fulfill a request for these items 24-48 hours after receiving a request from the state or the FEMA.

In the coming weeks, at the state‘s request, FNS also stands at the ready to offer continuing food assistance through the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) – after commercial channels of food distribution have been restored and families are able to prepare food at home, Perdue emphasized.

To simplify program administration in disaster conditions, the D-SNAP application and eligibility process is shortened and streamlined. In times when D-SNAP becomes necessary, low-income households not normally eligible under regular program rules may qualify for D-SNAP if they meet the disaster income limits, which are slightly higher, and have qualifying disaster-related expenses such as loss of income, damage to property, and relocation expenses. Additionally, ongoing SNAP clients may also receive disaster assistance in the form of a supplement, when their benefits are less than the monthly maximum, to help replace food destroyed in the disaster.

USDA's Food and Nutrition Service administers 15 nutrition assistance programs, including the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, the Summer Food Service Program, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which together comprise America's nutrition safety net. For more information on FNS assistance during times of disaster, visit www.fns.usda.gov.

USDA BLOG: Barbecue-Crashing Mosquitoes Beware: New Weapons Are in the Works
POSTED 9/1/17 (link source)

Picture this: It’s evening. The summer’s heat is waning and you’re getting ready to bite into a freshly grilled hot dog, but a lurking predator is close by and about to make a meal of you—a blood meal, that is. You put down the hot dog and swat wildly at the winged attacker before it lands.

Mosquitoes aren’t just a nuisance, though. They can also transmit diseases—from recent headline-grabbing ones like Zika to long-established ones like dengue fever or malaria (of which there were 212 million reported cases in 2015 and 429,000 deaths worldwide).

Standard backyard defenses for the beleaguered homeowners (and guests) include Citronella candles, traps and, of course, a bodily dose of insect repellents like DEET.

But in Peoria, Illinois, a team of Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists is testing biologically based approaches to fighting mosquitoes and the diseases they spread. Such alternatives could also help counter mosquito resistance to existing insecticides.

In one project, ARS entomologist Jose Luis Ramirez is evaluating bacteria and fungi that kill mosquitoes by feeding and multiplying inside them. Of roughly 200 kinds he’s examined so far, 10 fungi have proved especially lethal to Culex and Aedes mosquitoes, killing these vectors of the West Nile and Zika viruses in 3-4 days. With his colleagues, Ramirez aims to turn the top microbes into biopesticides that can target all the different stages of the mosquito lifecycle—from eggs and larvae to adults. Additionally, “by combining fungi, we hope to accelerate their kill rate,” says Ramirez.
ARS entomologist Ephantus Juma Muturi, meanwhile, is examining plant compounds that could kill mosquito larvae in aquatic habitats, like storm-water catch basins. Together with University of Illinois professor Brian Allan and University of Maine assistant professor Allison Gardner, Muturi has had early success with infusions steeped from blackberry leaves, which seem attractive to egg-laying mosquitoes but toxic to larvae. Ultimately, “the goal is to come up with a plant-based biopesticide product that’s toxic to mosquito larvae but harmless to the environment,” says Muturi.

Both researchers say such products are several years away from commercial development and use. Don’t expect a magic bullet, either. Fighting mosquitoes takes multiple weapons and precautions. So cover up, drain the kiddie pool and take a well-aimed swat if need be!