Media comes out against Bloomberg on waiver decision

In an Apr. 23 editorial, The New York Times criticized Bloomberg’s “inexplicable” decision not to allow certain adults to receive food stamps while looking for work. Meanwhile, Daily News columnist Albor Ruiz said it was time for the mayor to get a “wake-up call” about the tragedy of widespread hunger in the richest city in the world.

Denise Morgan, former Coalition director, dies

Denise Morgan, a legal scholar and a former director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger, died April 7. She was a valued member of the Coalition's family and an asset to the New York City anti-hunger movement who will be deeply missed.

She was born in Manhattan, grew up in the Bronx, and attended the Chapin School in Manhattan before proceeding to Yale University for her undergraduate and law school education. She then taught law at Florida State University, clerked for a federal judge in California, helped draft the Eritrean constitution from 1995 to 1997, and served on the faculty at New York Law School from 1995 on.

Whether she was fighting to ensure equality in school funding or supporting the Coalition's work against hunger, Denise exemplified the country's best traditions in the continuing struggle for social justice.

Mayor reverses course on food stamps waiver

A day after The New York Times reported New York City would permit unemployed, able-bodied adults without children to receive food stamps for over three months in any three-year period, Mayor Michael Bloomberg reversed course. This time limit can be waived by cities with high unemployment rates, like Chicago, Washington, and New York. Of eligible cities, New York is one of only a handful not to exercise the waiver.

The mayor’s apparent flip-flop comes after Human Resources Administration Commissioner Verna Eggleston sent a request to the state for the waiver. Despite a proclaimed effort to fight poverty in his second term, dislike of public assistance programs may have been at the heart of the mayor’s decision. The far right hailed the mayor’s ultimate decision, while anti-poverty advocates were stunned and concerned.

City Council Speaker Quinn calls to halve NYC hunger

Advocates were "overjoyed" with Christine Quinn's first major address since assuming the top position on the City Council. Speaker Quinn called for specific budget measures to cut hunger in the city by 50%, including the creation of a City Office of Hunger and Nutrition; setting specific goals for increased participation in the federally-funded Food Stamp Program; coordinating enrollment in the Food Stamp and School Meals Programs; and increasing the number of farmers’ markets in low-income neighborhoods.