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At any one time, there are more than 465,790 children in New Jersey who are hungry or at risk of being hungry. This number is growing. Research shows that in children, hunger not only attacks physical well-being, but also contributes to a loss of concentration, performance and intellectual growth.

According to the latest Food Research and Action Center's School Breakfast Report Card, New Jersey currently ranks 2nd to last in both the number of schools participating in school breakfast programs and in the number of low-income students participating in those programs. Only 23.2 percent of those students who are enrolled in the school lunch program are also enrolled in the school breakfast program. Only 35percent of the schools that participate in the school lunch program also participate in the school breakfast program.

In December, the Legislature passed a bill requiring schools with 20 percent or more students eligible for free/reduced priced meals to offer a school breakfast program. The bill requires that targeted schools with grades K- 6 submit a plan for a school breakfast program to the Department of Agriculture by November 2003, with implementation of the program by September 2004. All other targeted schools will have to submit a plan by November 2004, with implementation by September 2005. The Division of Food and Nutrition will provide technical assistance and model plans to sponsors.

The National Research Council offers nine guidelines for reducing chronic disease in the United States. Near the top of the list, just below reducing fat and cholesterol, is eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Research conducted by the University of Southern California School of Medicine also found that eating more vegetables and fruits reduces many types of cancer, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, infectious illnesses, and neural tube defects.

Since 1994, The Women, Infant and Children (WIC) Farmers Market Program, has created an excellent opportunity to provide Jersey Fresh fruits and vegetables to a segment of the nutritionally at risk population who wouldn't normally purchase farm fresh produce. In 2002, the WIC Farmers Market Program served more than 38,000 New Jersey children, infants and breastfeeding women.

Making elderly citizens eligible for the Senior Farmers Market Program during the 2002 growing season further expanded the nutritional benefits of farm fresh produce to over 23,000 economically disadvantaged senior citizens who participated in the pilot program. A sound, balanced, nutritional diet is important to the well being of society both in terms of the future productivity of our children and the health and well being of the population in general.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that we the delegates to the 88th State Agricultural Convention, assembled in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on January 29, 2003, support the WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Programs and encourage the New Jersey Congressional Delegation to support and sponsor the movement in Washington, D.C., to increase federal funding in the USDA's budget for both the WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program and the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program in 2003.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Department be a leader in the promotion of healthy foods and sound dietary choices to improve the well being of New Jersey's citizens.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we encourage all state institutions and schools to purchase locally grown produce when available throughout the year.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that all of the food banks in New Jersey, Tri-County Community Action Agency, and Farmers Against Hunger continue to collaborate in their efforts to collect excess produce from farms and distribute this produce to needy families through the NJ Produce Recovery Network.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we support full restitution of Title 32 funding from USDA to ensure the provision of bonus food commodities through The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) to more than 250,000 families via emergency food pantries, soup kitchens and homeless shelters throughout New Jersey to be used in the preparation of more than 300,000 meals per month.