Service Worker Unions Call for Stronger 'Nutrition Safety Net' for America's Children
Labor Desk
November 02, 2008
WASHINGTON - As the historic economic crisis forces more American families to rely on school-based food programs, SEIU and UNITE-HERE, which together represent more than 250,000 workers in early care and education settings nationwide, are calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Congress today to strengthen the nutrition safety net for our nation's children.
"Working families have relied on child food programs for years," says Anna Burger, Executive Vice President of SEIU. "But now more than ever we have to make sure that our nutrition safety net is strong enough to withstand a crisis."
In public comments submitted to the Food and Nutrition Service of the USDA, SEIU and UNITE-HERE are calling on the agency to ask Congress to improve meal programs in school and child care settings by increasing funding for healthy foods, ensuring broader participation, and creating training opportunities for food service workers. The comments are based on the experience of union members who work on the front lines of America's efforts to combat hunger and obesity among millions of children nationwide.
"Without the food we serve everyday, the children at our school would go hungry," says Pearl DeMart, a cook at Westminster Square Head Start Facility in Houston. "We need to make sure these kids get the nutrition they need to be able to hit the books and grow up strong and healthy."
The workers and their unions recommend that the USDA:
>> Increase federal reimbursement rates for meals to enable schools to cover the rising costs of meeting dietary guidelines and to purchase fresh, healthy foods.
>> Reach more struggling families by relaxing eligibility requirements, streamlining application processes, and allowing for regional variations in cost of living in determining eligibility.
>> Improve food safety, nutrition, health and wellness, and customer service through additional training for food service employees.
>> Fund dinner-time meals for children in afterschool programs whose parents must work long hours.
The USDA is preparing for the 2009 reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Programs, which include the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, and the Summer Food Service Program. From FY 2007 to FY 2008, participation in the free school lunch program jumped by 2.6%.
In 2007, SEIU and UNITE-HERE launched the Campaign for Quality Services, which helps workers advocate for the quality food and cleaning services that the public deserves.
"Working families have relied on child food programs for years," says Anna Burger, Executive Vice President of SEIU. "But now more than ever we have to make sure that our nutrition safety net is strong enough to withstand a crisis."
In public comments submitted to the Food and Nutrition Service of the USDA, SEIU and UNITE-HERE are calling on the agency to ask Congress to improve meal programs in school and child care settings by increasing funding for healthy foods, ensuring broader participation, and creating training opportunities for food service workers. The comments are based on the experience of union members who work on the front lines of America's efforts to combat hunger and obesity among millions of children nationwide.
"Without the food we serve everyday, the children at our school would go hungry," says Pearl DeMart, a cook at Westminster Square Head Start Facility in Houston. "We need to make sure these kids get the nutrition they need to be able to hit the books and grow up strong and healthy."
The workers and their unions recommend that the USDA:
>> Increase federal reimbursement rates for meals to enable schools to cover the rising costs of meeting dietary guidelines and to purchase fresh, healthy foods.
>> Reach more struggling families by relaxing eligibility requirements, streamlining application processes, and allowing for regional variations in cost of living in determining eligibility.
>> Improve food safety, nutrition, health and wellness, and customer service through additional training for food service employees.
>> Fund dinner-time meals for children in afterschool programs whose parents must work long hours.
The USDA is preparing for the 2009 reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Programs, which include the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, and the Summer Food Service Program. From FY 2007 to FY 2008, participation in the free school lunch program jumped by 2.6%.
In 2007, SEIU and UNITE-HERE launched the Campaign for Quality Services, which helps workers advocate for the quality food and cleaning services that the public deserves.
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