Agenda - 04-29-2004 Legislative breakfast

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EFNEP /Breast - feeding Program Early in December 2003, it was announced that funding for the North Carolina In -Home Breastfeeding Support Program (IHBSP) had been denied by Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) in Atlanta, ending the program. The In -Home Breastfeeding Support Program started as a pilot program in Wake County through other funding sources in 1991, and was so successful in assisting limited resource women with breastfeeding that many counties added it as quickly as they could arrange funding sources. The Breastfeeding Support program was started in Orange County in September 2000 when funding was received from Food and Nutrition Services as part of a statewide proposal. The Orange County Commissioners have provided emergency funding from human services safety net dollars through the end of the fiscal year in order to continue to meet the need of the clients in Orange County. Although the state was proactive in resubmitting the grant after the first denial, the criteria was so extreme and limited that it was impossible to design a program that would meet the criteria. The criteria included limitations for serving only food stamp recipients, which would exclude many limited resource families that need this vital service. This is hard to understand, since the FY 04 Guidance for Food Stamp Nutrition Education document shows that allowable nutrition education programs include ` Breastfeeding education, promotion and support which is coordinated with WIC and which supplements and complements WIC services, rather than supplanting them ". The program in North Carolina met these criteria, yet it was not funded. We would appreciate your influence in determining if the review for funds was administered fairly in the Southeastern region. Orange County has also delivered nutrition education to limited resource families for 30 years through the federally funded Expanded Foods and Nutrition Education Program. This program has been very successful in addressing many of the problems that are now in the forefront of issues, such as nutrition, overweight and health concerns. The program teaches families to utilize resources that they have to the fullest extent, and personal success stories of program participants indicate that many have been able to leave public assistance programs. In the current fiscal year, the EFNEP program suffered a 10% cut in funds. In the fiscal 2005 President's budget, the 10% was reinstated, and your support is needed to insure that the money is included in the budget, and that incremental increases be approved in subsequent years. These funds are part of USDA's appropriations under the Smith Lever Programs, and are one of the 3D line items. The State Cooperative Extension Service has been very supportive and made available matching funds to offset a complementary aspect of the program, but they have been unable to assist financially with the breastfeeding education. The legislative delegation is encouraged to push for more, not less, state funding through for popular programs like this at the county level through the University system of extension services.