The Food Security Learning Center provides definitions for key terms and concepts of Domestic Hunger.
Child and Adult Care Food Program – This program reimburses family childcare homes, childcare centers, head Start programs, school-age childcare sites and family day care homes for nutritious meals and snacks served to children.
Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) – An electronic system that allows a recipient to authorize transfer of their government benefits from a federal account to a retailer account to pay for products received.
Entitlement Program – A federal program that guarantees a certain level of benefits to persons or other entities who meet requirements set by law, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). It thus leaves no discretion with Congress on how much money to appropriate.
Federal Fiscal Year – Defined by the federal government as the 365-day period beginning on October 1st of one year until September 31st of the next year.
Federal Poverty Line – According to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the 2009 Federal Poverty Level will be used for 2011 until poverty guidelines are updated.
|
Size of Family Unit |
48 Contiguous States & D.C. |
Alaska |
Hawaii |
|
1 |
$10,830 |
$13,530 |
$12,460 |
|
2 |
14,570 |
18,210 |
16,760 |
|
3 |
18,310 |
22,890 |
21,060 |
|
4 |
22,050 |
27,570 |
25,360 |
|
5 |
25,790 |
32,250 |
29,660 |
|
6 |
29,530 |
36,930 |
33,960 |
|
7 |
33,270 |
41,610 |
38,260 |
|
8 |
37,010 |
46,290 |
42,560 |
|
For each additional person, add: |
3,740 |
4,680 |
4,300 |
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – This program is considered to be the single most important federally funded program because it can respond to local and national needs. For example, if there is a hurricane in South Florida and more Floridians find themselves in need of food assistance, then the fund for SNAP benefits will respond accordingly. A common misperception is that SNAP benefits are intended to provide an entire month’s worth of food. The program’s true purpose is to improve the level of nutrition, not to provide the entire food budget.
Household – Defined by the government as a person or group of people living together, not necessarily related, who purchase and prepare their food together.
National School Lunch Program – This program reaches out to students who might otherwise not enjoy a nutritious lunch. These meals meet federal nutrition requirements and may often serve as the child’s only source of food.
Recommended Dietary Allowance – RDA is the established nutritional norm for planning and assessing dietary intake, and shows the levels of intake of essential nutrients considered to be adequate to meet the known needs of practically all healthy people.
School Breakfast Program – Similar to the lunch program, these meals ensure that kids start the day with food in their stomachs, increasing their chance of arriving to school on time, paying closer attention in class and, importantly, socially interacting with other kids on the playground.
Summer Food Service Program – When summer rolls around, many students lose their only source of food. Many families are dependent on both the school breakfast and lunch programs and as a result, more kids go hungry. Schools, camps, community-based organizations and churches are a few of the participants in the program where children can access food.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families – TANF is a program that is overseen by the Department of Human and Health Services and provides monthly cash assistance to needy families with children under 18. Before 1997, it was known as the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training (JOBS) program.
Women, Infants and Children – This program is a preventative nutrition program that provides nutritious foods, education on nutrition and access to health care to low-income pregnant women, new mothers, infants and children at nutritional risk.
