Food Program Threatened
Published: Apr. 21, 2008
URBANA - A vital program that provided nutrition, food safety, and budgeting education for more than a half-million Illinoisans in 97 counties between Oct. 1, 2007 and March 31, 2008 is among those whose future is in jeopardy due to the withholding of state funding for some programs under the direction of University of Illinois Extension.
"The Food Stamp Nutritional Education Program (FSNEP) is operated by University of Illinois Extension," said Robin Orr, U of I Extension specialist who leads the program that serves 535,000 people in 97 of Illinois' 102 counties. "Funding comes from the federal government but is based on a match structure dependent upon local and state contributions. As those local and state contributions diminish, so does the federal funding."
Popularly known in Illinois as the Family Nutrition Program (FNP), the effort serves all counties except Jasper, Cumberland, Clark, Livingston, and Monroe.
"We provide basic nutrition education, information on food safety, and budgeting guidelines for people who are on food stamps," Orr explained.
In Illinois, she added, about three million people are eligible for federal food stamps. Counting the families of those with direct contact with the FNP effort, Orr said the program reaches one million of the eligible recipients.
Services are delivered in a variety of locations, including food stamp offices, food pantries and soup kitchens, churches, homeless and domestic violence shelters, senior centers, and parks.
"Wherever people at the greatest risk gather, that's where we provide the program," she said.
The program is particularly important for children, she added.
"One-half the children in Illinois are on the Women, Infant, Children (WIC) nutrition program which spends 90 percent of its funding on food so people get adequate nutrition," she said. "We work with WIC families, providing nutrition, food safety and budgeting education."
Total funding received by U of I Extension this year is $6.4 million, but a dollar-for-dollar match is required. It is estimated that if the appropriated funds are not released, the FNP program in Illinois will lose 40 to 50 percent of its federal grant.
University officials ask citizens with views on this matter to share them with state legislators and appropriate state officials.
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