Student # 3 will complete item 8-9-Tatyana

8. Food Assistance Programsfor each of these programs, discuss number of clients served,
services provided to participants, eligibility criteria, and adequacy of services provided (is there a
waiting list?). Are participants from other regions included in the data? Do not include menus in
the report, but nutrition analysis of the menus served at each of the facilities is expected.
i. Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
-eligibility criteria; how does a new applicant register for service?
There are no WIC clinics located within Milltown, New Jersey. The two nearest locations are the WIC
Clinic Perth Amboy, which is about 9.5 miles away, and the Plainfield WIC Program, which is about 12.1
miles away. In order to register for WIC you must meet categorical, residential, WIC income
requirements, and be at a nutritional risk. Women may receive WIC during pregnancy and up to 6 weeks
after giving birth or until the end of their pregnancy; postpartum up to 6 months after birth or end of
pregnancy; or from the time you begin breastfeeding up to the infants first birthday. Infants and children
may receive benefits up to either their first or fifth birthday. Applicants must also be New Jersey
residents, but it is up to the local state agency whether applicants are required to live within the local
service area in order to apply and receive benefits. In addition applicants must have an income that is at or
below the income level set by the local state agency. Lastly, applicants must be seen by a health
professional and they must determine if they are at a nutrition risk. A nutrition risk can be considered a
number of things including anemia, if the woman is underweight, or a history of poor pregnancy.
The office hours of the WIC Clinic Perth Amboy are Monday Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, and
applicants must call to make an appointment to apply. They must also be prepared for the appointment by
bringing several documents with them. Applicants must provide a WIC referral form that has been
completed by a healthcare provider for each person applying, proof of income, proof of address,
identification per each person applying, and the childs immunization record. The child/children must also
be present at the appointment. There is also pre-screening tool online at www.wic.fns.usda.gov where
applicants can find out whether they are eligible or not. The process is fairly quick and easy but it is not
an application for WIC benefits. All applicants still need to make an appointment in order to apply.
ii. SNAP (food stamps) recipients
-eligibility criteria; how does a new applicant register for service?
Data reported from www.city-data.com/zips/08850.html states that 64 people in Milltown have received
Food Stamps/SNAP within the past 12 months. There is also a pre-screening tool online for SNAP at
www.njhelps.org and through is online tool applicants are also able to see if they are eligible for other
assistance programs such as family leave insurance, workers compensation, Medicaid, etc. The screening
tool is not an application and applicants must also be interviewed at the county board of social services,
which is located in New Brunswick, NJ and 3.4 miles away from Milltown. If applicants are unable to get
to the office they are allowed to request that an authorized representative be sent to their home or they can
request a phone interview. They may also submit an application by fax or mail to the local county welfare
office. There is a link on the NJ Helps website for the application.
People who are eligible for SNAP include low-income families and individuals, individuals who have just
lost their unemployment benefits, unemployed or part-time workers, and seniors and people with
disabilities and/or living on a low or fixed incomes. Participants of SNAP receive a gross monthly level of
$1800; this is for one person. Then for each additional person in the household they will receive an
additional $626. SNAP benefits are distributed through the Families First Card. It is similar to a bank
card, with a secret PIN. The card can be used at the grocery store and participants are allowed 3 cash

withdrawals every month, but each additional withdrawal is 40 cents. So SNAP participants are
essentially allowed to buy whatever they want with their SNAP benefits however, it is illegal to use their
card at liquor stores, casino/gaming establishments, and at adult entertainment businesses.
iii. SNAP-Edwhere does education take place and number of clients served. Describe the
education received.
SNAP-Ed is a cooperative extension program; their goal is to provide useful information on nutrition and
physical activity to those that are eligible for SNAP. It is run in collaboration between the Department of
Nutritional Sciences at Rutgers and with other departments such as Family and Consumer Sciences, 4H,
and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of NJ School of Health Related Professions. This program
was designed to improve food security, food safety, dietary quality, and food management/shopping skills.
One of the main ways SNAP-Ed is trying to achieve those goals, are through evidence-based nutrition
education classes. Adult education classes can include 4-15 people and they meet at least 6 times. The
sessions are at a minimum 1 hour long and delivered over a minimum of 6 weeks and maximum of 1 year.
Classes for children hold the same requirements except that classes can include up to 30 children, and
only have to be a half hour long. On www.snaped4me.org there are an abundance of resources for
participants of SNAP on smart shopping, cooking, recipes, where get healthy foods using SNAP and how
to stay active, etc.

iv. Head Start

1. Types of meals and snacks served
2. Average of 3 days menu for Calories and mg Na
Milltown does not have a Head Start Program. The nearest Head Start is Howard Center located in New
Brunswick, NJ. Head Start is a Federal program that prepares children birth to age 5, for school. These
facilities are for children from low-income families and are designed to enhance their cognitive, social,
and emotional development. At Howard Center, their facility can accommodate up to 60 children and
currently they have 55 children enrolled. They serve breakfast, lunch and snacks and although their menu
was not available online they were kind enough to email me a copy of their September menu. In general,
the children are provided a fruit, a starch, and milk for breakfast. For lunch they are provided a meat, a
starch, vegetables, a fruit, and milk. And either a fruit or a starch with water is provided as snacks. Using
www.supertracker.usda.gov to input three days worth of meals, the average of calories was 870 and the
average amount of sodium intake was 1728 mg.

Table 1: Sample of Howard Centers September Menu Used for Evaluation

Day

Breakfast

Lunch

Snack

C applesauce
pt. 1% milk
8 oz. yogurt
1 pancake

4 oz. fruit cocktail

pt. 1% milk
1 C mixed vegetables
1 T coleslaw
3 fish sticks

C apricot
C cottage cheese
Water

pt. 1% milk
1 packet instant oatmeal
4 oz. peaches

1 sl. meat loaf

pt. 1% milk
1 C spinach
1 C sweet potato
4 oz. fruit cocktail

2 whole wheat crackers

C cucumbers
1 T ranch dressing
Water

C applesauce
1 whole grain biscuit
pt. 1% milk

4 chicken nuggets
1 C mixed vegetables
4 oz. pears
water

1 T sun nut butter

2 whole wheat crackers
1 fresh orange
pt. 1% milk

Howard Centers Full September Menu

Graph 1: Nutrient Intake Day 2

v. Preschools/Day Care Centers

1. Meals and snacks
2. Average of 3 days menus for Calories and mg Na
There is one preschool located in Milltown; Good Day Preschool and Kindergarten. There was no menu
available on Good Days website, however after speaking to an employee I was informed that the
preschool only serves snacks, no meals. Currently Good Day has 130 students and they all receive snacks.
Students have the choice between fresh fruit, crackers, and cereal; along with either water or milk. They
are required to bring their own lunch.
vi. School Breakfast and School Lunch
1. Number of public schools (elementary secondary), is breakfast and lunch served? No. of
full cost, reduced cost, and free meals served/year. Compare menus to September 2012
School Lunch requirements.
2. Average of 5 days menus for Breakfast, and 5 days for Lunch for Calories and mg Na.
3. Number of private schools and type of meals served
4. After school programs, types of foods served
There are two public schools within Milltown. They are Park View School and Joyce Kilmer School. The
number of students on full cost, reduced cost, and free meals was not available, and it was difficult to get
a hold of anyone from either schools that might have had that information. However on the district
website, information on who is eligible for free and reduced lunch was available. All students from
households receiving benefits from NJSNAP or NJTANP are eligible for free meals. Foster children who
are under the responsibility of any foster care agency are eligible for free meals. Children who participate
in their schools Head Start program are eligible for free meals, as well children who fall under the
definition of homeless, runaway, or migrate. Children may receive reduced or free lunch if their
household income falls within certain federal income ranges. The full price of school lunch ranges from
$2.60 - $3.25, while reduced lunch is $0.40. Both schools have both their September and October menus

available on the district website, and receive their food from the same catering company, so their menus
are fairly similar. Using www.supertracker.usda.gov to input five days worth of meals, the average
amount of calories were 509 calories, and the average amount of sodium intake was 950 mg. The catering
company the two schools receive their food from only provide nutritional information for their most
popular items and only provide the serving size, calories, fat per gram, and carbohydrate per gram of
those items. According to the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs 2010 requirements,
grades K-5 must receive between 550-650 calories and less than 640 mg of sodium, while grades 6-8
must receive between 600-700 calories and less than 710 mg of sodium. There is a bit of an overlap
because Parkview School is for students in kindergarten through fourth grade, and Joyce Kilmer School is
for students in grade 5 through 8. Regardless, both schools fall short on average caloric intake and are
over on sodium intake. The schools are meeting the requirements for fruits and vegetables, but it is
difficult to determine whether they are meeting the requirements for different types of vegetables because
they do not specify which vegetables are provided. Grains, meats/meat alternates, and milk requirements
are also being met. In addition, Joyce Kilmer School does have a vegetable garden and it is run by a
faculty/volunteer member from the student club, Green-Club. The students learn about agriculture and
nutrition during club meetings. There are no private schools within Milltown.
Table 2: Sample of Milltown Public Schools September Lunch Menu
Day

Lunch

C fruit
1 all-beef hot dog
1 pt. 1% milk
1 C vegetables
8 oz. sweet potato fries

1 large egg, fried

3 French toast sticks
C fruit
1 C vegetables
1 pt. 1% milk

8 fluid oz. pure fruit juice

C fruit
1 C vegetables
1 pt. 1% milk
1 slice cheese pizza

C fruit
1 C vegetables
5 mozzarella sticks
C marinara sauce
1 pt. 1% milk

5 chicken nuggets
C fruit
1 C vegetables
1 pt. 1% milk
1 dinner roll
8 oz. sweet potato fries

vii. Older Americans Act Senior Meal Servicewhere are these prepared and where are they
served? How many seniors participate? What is the participant cost? How many sites are
available? What activities for Seniors are provided in addition to meals?
In New Jersey the Senior Nutrition Program serves about 5.2 million meals annually. In 2012 nearly
34,000 older adults were accessing congregate meals and about 30,000 receiving home delivered meals.
As for Milltown specifically, there is a senior center, called the Office of Aging within the town. Seniors
participate in a number of social activities such as walk aerobics, line dance, quilting, painting sessions,
etc. Milltown also runs a Home Delivered Meals (Meals on Wheels) program. This is a hot and cold meal
program that provides daily meals to homebound seniors (age 60 and older). It is a joint program with the
Middlesex County Office on Aging. Information on where the meals are prepared, participant cost, and
number of seniors participating was not available however, volunteers are always needed to distribute
these meals. In addition to the Meals on Wheels Program that is through the Senior Center in Milltown,
there is a facility within the town called Jewish Family Services that is responsible for a Kosher Meals on
Wheels Program. JFS provides home-delivered hot and cold kosher meals to seniors and adults who are
unable to shop and/or cook for themselves. Meals are delivered by a team of volunteers. JFS also has a
program called CAMEO (Challenging Adult Minds and Energizing Ourselves). It is a senior nutrition
program that incorporates program activities with a Glatt kosher lunch.
viii. Soup Kitchens, food distribution siteswhat is available? Meals? Perishable or
nonperishable foods? How are benefits determined? How many individuals and/or families are
served?
The only food distribution site within Milltown is the Kosher Food Pantry through Jewish Family
Services. They provide emergency food to individuals of all religious backgrounds. The next nearest site
would Elijahs Promise, located in New Brunswick, NJ. Elijahs Promise is a soup kitchen that serves an
average of 300 meals every day.
ix. Farmers Markets: what are the months, days, and hours of operation? How do residents
access the farmers markets? Do the markets participate in food assistance programs?
There are no farmers markets within Milltown. The closest is the New Brunswick Community Farmers
Market. Their home base is located on Jones Ave, where they have a community garden, a public
childrens garden, and regular programs teaching gardening, cooking, and nutrition education.tion.
9. Evaluate the adequacy of food assistance in the community. Are the current food/nutrition
needs of the residents served? If so, discuss 2 examples of nutritional adequacy in the community.
What population group is least served in this community? Are the federal school meal nutrient
requirements being met?
After evaluating the adequacy of food assistance in the community, it is clear that Milltown is lacking in a
couple of areas including WIC, SNAP, and School Lunch Program requirements. The first two are mostly
due to proximity, but the application process for both WIC and SNAP doesnt seem too difficult for the
people that need these services. Proximity can be a huge potential issue for families that do not own a car.
As far as the School Lunch Program requirements, it is pretty interesting how the 2010 requirements for
grades K-5 and grades 6-8 arent all that different, even though there is quite an age gap. The food
portions for a child in the first grade should be different than a child in the 8 grade. Nonetheless the only
two nutrient requirements the public schools in Milltown did not meet were caloric intake and sodium
intake, both of which are extremely important. And with that being said I would argue that both the
women and childrens population is the group that is being least served in this community.
th

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