Remarks by Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman Food Stamp Education Campaign Roll-out Baltimore, Md August 17, 1999 Release No. 0338.99 Remarks As Prepared for Delivery by Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman Food Stamp Education Campaign Roll-out Baltimore, Md August 17, 1999 "Thank you very much, Lenora Bailey, for that very kind introduction and for sharing your story with us. Experiences like yours remind us public policy does indeed have a profound effect on the lives of real people. "There are so many people to thank. First, Shirley Watkins, Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services. Shirley's diligence and that of her staff has allowed USDA to launch this information effort with the materials you see here today. "Thank you, Mayor Schmoke, and the city of Baltimore. Also, Maryland Secretary of Human Resources Lynda Fox, representing Governor Glendening who couldn't be with us. And thanks to the non-profit community, represented by Doug O'Brien from Second Harvest, as well as officials from FRAC and the Maryland Food Community. "The reason we're all here presenting this united front is that we're concerned about an apparent misunderstanding in this country about food stamps what they're for and who qualifies for them. "We've been fortunate during the last several years to experience economic growth virtually unprecedented in our lifetimes. Expanded job opportunities have allowed many people to go off the food stamp rolls and enjoy the satisfaction of feeding their families out of their own living wages. "On its face, a drop in food stamp participation should be a good thing. Food stamps were designed -- and have always been used -- as a short-term solution...a transitional tool, not a lifestyle. "But that's only part of the story. If you look closely at the numbers, you'll see that the food stamp rolls are actually declining five times faster than the poverty rate. Which means that there are many people out there who qualify for food stamps...but, for one reason or another, are going undernourished rather than take advantage of the program. What's more, many of those people are among our most vulnerable the elderly, children and legal immigrants. "The question is: why? Certainly, there are some bureaucratic and administrative barriers. But we think that one of the biggest factors is information or lack of it. A lot of people simply don't know that they're eligible for food stamps...or don't know how or where to apply. A lot of them don't know that you can be working and still receive food stamps. Many were confused by the recent changes in the welfare system, mistakenly believing sometimes even led to believe that being ineligible for welfare meant you were ineligible for food stamps. "The President has responded effectively to this problem. Last month, he announced a series of initiatives to make it easier for food- stamp eligible families to receive the benefits that are rightfully theirs. One of the things he did was issue a call to action, giving us a mandate to establish a far-reaching information campaign, to educate people about the program and its eligibility requirements. "At the Department of Agriculture, we responded to that call. In just a few short weeks, we have developed the informational materials you see behind me. Posters, flyers, brochures, all written in clear language in both English and Spanish to be disseminated throughout communities nationwide. We also have a CD-ROM that will allow states and local community groups to tailor their materials to their specific populations. "The partners assembled here today are the ones who can help us get these materials in the hands of America's families. And they are doing just that. "Mayor Schmoke is embracing this effort, using our materials to launch a city-wide food stamps public information campaign, as part of a broad anti-hunger effort in Baltimore. He'll tell you more about that later on. We are also reaching out to mayors of the 50 largest American cities, urging them to use Mayor Schmoke's program as a model for their own communities. We will be working with the U.S. Conference of Mayors to reach every mayor in the nation, including those in smaller rural towns. "Under the leadership of Secretary Fox and the Glendening Administration, Maryland has also stepped up to the plate. It has heeded the President's call and developed their own education effort on food stamps. And just as we're doing with the cities, we are sending a letter to every governor in the nation, in a packet along with our materials, urging them to follow Maryland's lead. "Second Harvest and other non-profits play a key role in this distribution effort. These are the people on the front lines in the effort to combat hunger. Their grass-roots capabilities are indispensable in this campaign, especially considering that Second Harvest's network allows them to reach as many as 20 million people. Thanks to their work, this literature will be found in food banks and soup kitchens around the country. "The commitment of the federal government and USDA to this effort does not end today. This is not the culmination...this is only the beginning. We have requested resources in next year's USDA budget specifically for this kind of education, and I am hopeful that Congress will grant that request. "Rest assured that we'll be doing everything we can, together with our partners, to get the word out about food stamps...to ensure that all eligible people have the access to the food assistance they need to complete the journey to self-sufficiency. "Thank you very much." #