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I just received an email update from OCPP regarding the Farm Bill and food stamps and post it below in its entirety; please visit their website links below for more information. Punishing Food Stamp Success: The Bush Administration’s Farm Bill would reverse Oregon’s progress against hunger The Agriculture Committee of the U.S. House […] Today, 53 US Senators voted against bringing the immigration reform bill forward, effectively killing the bill and, for the time being, the hopes of 12 million undocumented workers in the US who have been waiting for a solution to the immigration question. Oregon’s senators were split, with Ron Wyden voting in favor of cloture, or […] I’ve been up in Washington today with counterparts from WA nonprofits, learning more about Results-Oriented Management and Accountability. It’s a topic that I started working on absorbing shortly after starting my job, since it influences program design and definitely impacts reporting requirements, which even more definitely impacts me. For a bit of context, I work […] In the last days of their current session, the Oregon Legislature is likely to approve a 23% increase in the Department of Human Services budget, says a story in the Oregonian this morning. [link] Around 27% of the final budget comes from state tax dollars, and the remainder comes from other sources–which might be news […] Time magazine has a great photo essay entitled “What the World Eats,” which shows families of various sizes from around the world surrounded by the food they eat in one week. Not unexpectedly, there are some huge differences in types and amounts of food. Cost in US$ is provided, but not adjusted for local income […] Barbara Ehrenreich’s blog is always a good poverty read; for those of you not familiar with her work, she is the author of Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America and other fascinating books on the state of the American working class. Her post today caught my eye, as it dealt with immigrant […] After receiving an email from a friend who wondered if I’d survived the food stamp challenge, I realized that a final update might be in order. The media continue to report on Oregon’s governor’s participation in the challenge, which I’m glad to see. I’ll believe we’ve talked about it enough the day that every family […] I’m fortunate to have access to a microwave, refrigerator, and sink at my work. This means that it’s pretty convenient to bring a variety of food, store it, and heat it when I am hungry. Last night, after a mere 10-hour day at work, I was home early enough to make a pot of black […] Sunday was a good start to my $21 week–I got free food! My friends Misty and Lindsey, who know about the food challenge and are fellow social services gurus, watched as I made three trips to the snack table at Quaker meeting during social hour and filled up on cheese and crackers. I spent the […] I gathered my receipts from my most recent trip to the grocery store and made a chart of the food purchased on those trips that I plan to consume this week. Their costs are subtracted from the $20 remaining in my budget, after I took $1 off the top for random condiments like salt, pepper, […] |