CFB Happenings

Thank you to everyone! With the support of the community, sponsors, donors, volunteers and nearly 350 Walkers, the 2nd annual Walk Against Hunger in Waterbury on April 29 raised $38,772 for the fight against hunger in the greater Waterbury area. For fundraising prize results and photos, click here.

And don't forget, this Sunday, May 6, is the 31st annual Walk Against Hunger in New Haven! A Grand Prize of two round-trip tickets, courtesy of Southwest Airlines, will be awarded to the individual who raises the most money overall from all participants in both Waterbury and New Haven (winner will be announced after May 14). Click here for details about the New Haven Walk.

Thank you to our Walk Against Hunger sponsors: Webster Bank ● Bruegger's ● Foxwoods Resort & Casino ● Wiggin & Dana ● UHY Advisors ● Cabot Creamery ● FOX61 ● New Haven Register ● WPLR/99.1 ● Waterbury Republican-American ● WATR/1320am ● Casey Family Services ● NewAlliance Bank ● General Mills ● People's Bank ● CWA Local 1298 ● Torrington Supply Company ● Regional Water Authority ● Bob's Discount Furniture

Hunger in the News 

Connecticut Voices for Children has released "Child Well-Being Data by Town: 2007," a compilation of statistics regarding poverty levels, income, unemployment rates and preschool attendance among children in every town in the state. Overall in Connecticut, 10% of children under 18 live below the federal poverty level (FPL) and 11% of children under 5 live below the FPL. Hartford ranks worst with 41% of children under 18 living below poverty and 42% of children under 5 living below poverty. Among the highest ranking towns are Bridgeport with, respectively, 25% and 26%; Meriden 18% and 20%; New London 24% and 31%; Waterbury 24% and 27%; and Windham 24% and 31%. For the complete report, click here.

Share a story to help fight hunger across the nation. Country Crock has partnered with America's Second Harvest, the nation's food bank network, to encourage people to tell a story, big or small, about sharing with others - family, neighbors, or the community. For every story shared on their website, Country Crock will donate a meal to national hunger-relief efforts. They have already donated one million meals and hope to donate another million by Thanksgiving. Visit www.SpreadTheSharing.com for details.

In April, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released findings from a 2005 study that showed only one in seven Americans met dietary and exercise benchmarks such as eating at least five servings per day of fruits and vegetables, and getting at least 30 minutes of exercise five days per week. Only 12% of men met the benchmarks, while 16% of women met them. Among racial and ethnic minority communities, the percentage of men and women who met the benchmarks was lower than in white communities. Researchers attributed part of this difference to a lack of exercise facilities in lower-income communities. To read more about the study, click here.

As the 2007 Farm Bill makes its way through Congress, budget proposals include the possibility for additional funding for the Food Stamp Program. The Farm Bill includes spending for Food & Nutrition programs such as food stamps and the school breakfast and lunch programs. The current House-passed budget would allow up to $20 billion in additional farm-bill spending over five years, while the Senate version allows up to $15 billion. "We're a long way off from seeing how the agriculture committees are going to come up with financing those reserve funds, but it's better to have the reserve funds than not," said Ellen Vollinger of the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC). For more on the current status of the Farm Bill, click here.