Join Connecticut Food Bank for the 2007 Walk Against Hunger, presented by Webster Bank. Walk on your own or with a team at either event:

• Waterbury: Sunday, April 29, Library Park, 1:00 p.m.
• New Haven: Sunday, May 6, East Rock Park, 1:00 p.m.

Held each spring, the Walk Against Hunger raises money and awareness about the problem of hunger in our communities. In 2006, individuals, teams, donors and corporate sponsors raised more than $130,000. Please help us raise even more this year! For Walk Against Hunger details, including new online registration and free fundraising webpages, click here.

Win the Grand Prize! Two roundtrip airplane tickets, courtesy of Southwest Airlines, will be awarded to the individual who raises the most money overall from all participants at the Waterbury and New Haven events.

Thank you to our Walk Against Hunger sponsors: Webster Bank ● Bruegger's ● Foxwoods Resort & Casino ● Wiggin & Dana ● UHY Advisors ● Cabot Creamery ● FOX 61 ● 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

New research from Columbia University’s Built Environment and Health (BEH) project uses spatial data from New York City to examine the impact of land use, public transit, and housing on physical activity, diet, obesity, and other aspects of health. According to the study’s investigators, in many communities, “residents must take a cab to get to the bank, rely on costly check-cashing agencies and take two buses to get to the supermarket.” The research concluded that “some poor and black communities are so bereft of services and retail that residents are forced to pay a ‘time tax,’ either extra money or loss of personal time, to access basic services." For instance, a low-income family earning $15,000 a year would use a large part of their earnings, up to $2,000 a year, on a check-cashing service, which is closer to where they live than a retail bank. For more about the study, click here.

While food stamp participation increased by 7.6 million people from 2001 to 2006, the purchasing power of those benefits continued to decline over the years. According to research from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, "in 2008, food stamp benefits for a typical working parent with two children will be about $37 a month lower than they would have been without the across-the-board benefit cuts included in the 1996 law. By 2017, the average benefit reduction from those provisions will reach almost $45 a month in 2008 dollars." The CBPP cites changes from the 1996 Welfare Law as primarily responsible for the erosion of food stamp benefits. For details on the CBPP study, click here. For information about food stamp participation levels, click here.

According to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is one of government's top-performing programs. WIC was one of only 20 programs to receive the highest ranking possible among 179 health and well-being programs. OMB found WIC's 2006 performance had a positive impact on birth outcomes and children's nutrition and immunization rates. The program also received high marks for efficient use of program funds and maximizing its ability to serve eligible clients. Future program improvements will focus on changing food packaging to reflect current nutritional guidelines, promoting breastfeeding, and better addressing the health risks facing the WIC population, including childhood obesity. For more information about the WIC program and its rating, click here.