“The whole paradigm of the country’s poverty policy should be shifted from the current system that mostly maintains people at bare subsistence levels to one that enables low-income families to develop assets to help them move out of poverty and into the middle class,” Berg wrote.
Food access was on city officials’ minds last week as Thanksgiving neared. The welfare chief, Human Resources Administration Commissioner Verna Eggleston, testified before City Council that the need for food assistance is growing – so much so that even some HRA employees needed extra help feeding themselves.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn on Wednesday announced the creation of a Food Policy Task Force and the position of Food Policy Coordinator, both aimed at improving access to fresh fruits and vegetables in underserved communities. The task force and coordinator also will increase enrollment in food assistance programs, such as food stamps, and make sure foods served through city agencies are healthy and nutritious.
The Food Policy Task Force will include representatives from the Council speaker’s office, the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Human Resources Administration and others. The position of Food Policy Coordinator will be filled in the next few months.
