Free meals for kids extended through June 2021

Posted on October 10, 2020 by Rep. Steven Smith
Flexibilities now available through June 30, 2021
(Mt. Wolf, PA, October 9, 2020) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is extending flexibilities to allow free meals to continue to be available to all children throughout the entire 2020-2021 school year. This unprecedented move is part of USDA’s unwavering commitment to ensuring all children across America have access to nutritious food as the nation recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As our nation recovers and reopens, we want to ensure that children continue to receive the nutritious breakfasts and lunches they count on during the school year wherever they are, and however they are learning,” said Secretary Perdue. “We are grateful for the heroic efforts by our school food service professionals who are consistently serving healthy meals to kids during these trying times, and we know they need maximum flexibility right now. I appreciate President Trump for his unwavering commitment to ensuring kids receive the food they need during this pandemic and for supporting USDA in continuing to provide these unprecedented flexibilities.”
“Northeastern School District has implemented the USDA waiver to offer all students free meals utilizing the SSO program. We have been able to offer free meals to all students in-person (Brick & Mortar) and through Curbside pick-up for virtual students. I am extremely proud of my staff and their flexibility to do their best to keep school meals as normal as possible during a pandemic. The Child Nutrition Staff have wanted to continue hot meals for students and wanted to offer their favorite meal choices,” said Kimberly Alessandroni, Director of Child Nutrition Services, Northeastern School District.
“These waiver extensions are great news for America’s students and the school nutrition professionals working so hard to support them throughout this pandemic,” said School Nutrition Association President Reggie Ross, SNS. “Families struggling to make ends meet can be assured that their students will have access to healthy school meals, whether they are learning at home or in school. School meal programs can remain focused on safely meeting nutritional needs of children in their communities without having to worry about burdensome regulations. The School Nutrition Association appreciates USDA’s ongoing efforts to address the many challenges our members have faced while working on the frontlines to feed hungry children.”
Background:
USDA previously extended child nutrition waivers through December 2020 based upon available funding at the time. The flexibilities extended today will allow schools and other local program operators to continue to leverage the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) to provide no cost meals to all children, available at over 90,000 sites across the country, through June 30, 2021.
USDA understands a one-size-fits-all approach is not an effective way to feed children, particularly during the current challenges facing our country. USDA can extend these waivers due to language in the continuing resolution signed into law by President Trump last week.
USDA is extending waivers through June 30, 2021, that:
  • Allow SFSP and SSO meals to be served in all areas and at no cost;
  • Permit meals to be served outside of the typically required group settings and meal times;
  • Waive meal pattern requirements, as necessary; and
  • Allow parents and guardians to pick-up meals for their children.
These program flexibilities allow schools and local program operators to operate a meal service model that best meets their community’s unique needs, while keeping kids and staff safe. Additional flexibilities are being granted on a state-by-state basis, as required by law, to facilitate a wide range of meal service options and accommodate other operational needs.
Early in the pandemic, USDA adapted its summer feeding site finder to ensure parents and children would be able to easily locate sites that were providing meal service. With this new announcement, the Meals for Kids interactive site finder will continue to collect data, voluntarily provided by USDA’s state agency partners, about operating sites including location, meal service times, and additional information.
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Oct 9 Update – Relief programs

Posted on October 9, 2020 by Rep. Steven Smith

I received multiple questions on relief programs this week, so here is a list. ~ Steve

Live Venue Relief Program

This program supports performance venues facing revenue losses due to COVID-19, provided that they are primarily engaged in hosting live theatrical presentations, musical entertainment, and/or sporting or racing events, that are seated, ticketed, and open to the public. The program is open to both for-profit and nonprofit facilities meeting these criteria.

Due Date: Tuesday, October 13, 2020

For questions: Email the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery (GOFERR) at info@GOFERR.nh.gov.

New Hampshire Agriculture COVID-19 Relief Fund – Non-Dairy Farms – Round 2 This program generally supports non-dairy farms that have experienced negative financial impacts due to COVID-19. The “NH Agriculture COVID-19 Relief Program – Non-Dairy Farms – Round 2” application is specifically for COVID-19-related expenses and/or lost sales incurred during the period from July 1, 2020 to September 30, 2020.  

Due Date: Thursday, October 15, 2020

For questions: Contact Gail McWilliam Jellie, Director, Division of Agricultural Development, at (603) 271-3551 or gail.d.mcwilliam.jellie@agr.nh.gov.

New Hampshire Shelter Modification Program

Governor Sununu has authorized the allocation of $15 million from the federal Coronavirus Relief Fund to support necessary homeless shelter modifications and expansion before December 30, 2020 to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority (NHHFA) is accepting applications for grants to existing homeless shelters, including emergency, transitional, and domestic violence shelters, for physical modifications and operating costs to enable the shelters to meet the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the NH Division of Public Health guidelines related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Due Date: Ongoing basis

Questions about the program can also be directed to Natasha Dube at 603-310-9281 or Ted Seely at 603-310-9292.

Supporting Children In Care Program

Supporting Children in Care Program, administered by New Hampshire Foster & Adoptive Parent Association (NHFAPA), is designed to benefit children in foster care, as well as foster and relative caregivers. Foster and relative caregivers may seek stipends of up to $500 per child, which shall pay for or offset the cost of the program identified by the applicant. This program will provide flexible options to foster and relative caregivers to assist them with finding the right summer or fall program for the youth in their care

Due Date: Thursday, December 1, 2020


Click here for additional information about the Supporting children in Care Program
Click here to apply to the Supporting Children in Care Program

New Hampshire Housing Relief Program

Governor Chris Sununu has authorized the allocation and expenditure of $35 million from the CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Fund (“flex funds”) to support families or individuals in need of housing assistance as a result of COVID-19. Of the allocated $35 million, $20 million will be initially expended for rental assistance and other household-related expenses, with $15 million being held in reserve, for rent stabilization and housing support.

Due Date: Ongoing basis


Click Here for More Information about New Hampshire Housing Relief Program
Click Here to Apply for New Hampshire Housing Relief Program

For questions: Call 2-1-1 or email dhhs.bhhs@dhhs.nh.gov

Community College System of New Hampshire (CCSNH) Tuition Assistance Program

Governor Chris Sununu has authorized the expenditure of $6 million from the CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Fund (“flex funds”) for the CCSNH Tuition Assistance Program, which will allow CCSNH to provide assistance to New Hampshire students who have faced COVID-19 related economic impacts.

Due Date: Ongoing basis


Click Here for More Information about CCSNH Tuition Assistance Program
Click Here to Apply for CCSNH Tuition Assistance Program

For questions:

New Hampshire 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Summary Report

(data updated as of October 8, 2020 – 9:00 AM)

Number of Persons with COVID-19 18,878
Recovered7,898 (89%)
Deaths Attributed to COVID-19449 (5%)
Total Current COVID-19 Cases531
Persons Who Have Been Hospitalized for COVID-19747 (8%)
Current Hospitalizations14
Total Persons Tested at Selected Laboratories, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)2287,628
Total Persons Tested at Selected Laboratories, Antibody Laboratory Tests231,384
Persons with Specimens Submitted to NH PHL48,226
Persons with Test Pending at NH PHL31,337
Persons Being Monitored in NH (approximate point in time)2,850

1 Includes specimens positive at any laboratory and those confirmed by CDC confirmatory testing.
2 Includes specimens tested at the NH Public Health Laboratories (PHL), LabCorp, Quest, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Mako, certain hospital laboratories, the University of New Hampshire and their contracted laboratory, and those sent to CDC prior to NH PHL testing capacity.
3 Includes specimens received and awaiting testing at NH PHL. Does not include tests pending at commercial laboratories.

NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – October 8, 2020

Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has issued the following update on the new coronavirus, COVID-19.

On Thursday, October 8, 2020, DHHS announced 79 new positive test results for COVID-19, for a daily PCR test positivity rate of 0.7%. Today’s results include 55 people who tested positive by PCR test and 24 who tested positive by antigen test. There are now 531 current COVID-19 cases diagnosed in New Hampshire.

Several cases are still under investigation. Additional information from ongoing investigations will be incorporated into future COVID-19 updates. Of those with complete information, there are fifteen individuals under the age of 18 and the rest are adults with 57% being female and 43% being male. The new cases reside in Hillsborough County other than Manchester and Nashua (20), Rockingham (19), Merrimack (5), Strafford (3), Grafton (1), and Sullivan (1) counties, and in the cities of Manchester (17) and Nashua (13).

Two new hospitalized cases were identified. There are currently 14 individuals hospitalized with COVID­19. Ten of the new cases had no identified risk factors. Community-based transmission continues to occur in the State and has been identified in all counties. Of those with complete risk information, most of the cases have either had close contact with a person with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis or have recently traveled.

DHHS has announced one additional death related to COVID-19. We offer our sympathies to the family and friends.

. 1 female resident of Hillsborough County, 60 years of age and older

In New Hampshire since the start of the pandemic, there have been a total of 8,878 cases of COVID-19 diagnosed with 747 (8%) of those having been hospitalized.

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October 7 Update – Trends

Posted on October 7, 2020 by Rep. Steven Smith

State of the State

Please see the excerpts below and then read the article at the Concord Monitor. While things are relatively good in New Hampshire, they are trending the wrong way. I agree with Mr. Brooks statement:

“But as long as the state’s daily case counts keeps increasing, even if it’s only increasing by a small amount, we can’t relax. After all, exponential growth always starts slowly and plenty of other places have shown how quickly you can go from having the virus under control to needing a full lockdown.”

There is an old math exercise to understand exponential growth. You ask someone if they prefer to be paid $1000 per week for a month, or get paid just 2 cents on day one, and then get your pay doubled every day for 30 days. Grab a calculator and try it. .02 x 2. Then just hit the enter button 29 more times. ~ Steve

COVID tracker: New cases keep edging up but things are still pretty good

https://www.concordmonitor.com/covid-coronavirus-nh-new-hampshire-36571332

Goal 1: No sustained increase in number of new hospitalizations related to COVID-19. Have we met this goal? Yes.

The two-week average of new hospitalizations has hovered between one-half and one per day all summer.  

It edged up slightly to 1.1 per day by Oct. 2. That’s the highest since early August, which is a little alarming, but on the other hand it’s still so very low that small fluctuations don’t necessarily indicate a trend.

It bears watching closely, however.

COVID-related deaths also remain very low, less than one every three days.

Goal 2: A two-week drop in new cases. Have we met this goal? No.

As mentioned above, the two-week average in daily new cases has risen slowly but pretty steadily since late August.

Goal 3: Fewer than four new cases per 100,000 people each day, or 54 new cases a day. Have we met this goal? Yes.

The average number of new cases has been below 54, the per-capita level commonly used as a sign of widespread infection, since mid-June.

Goal 4: Conducting at least 150 PCR tests per 100,000 people each day, or 2,000 tests per day. Have we met this goal? Yes, easily.

The average number of test results reported each day was about 3,500 last week, thanks to increased testing at schools and colleges. UNH, in particular, is cranking out tests through its own lab.

Goal 5: A positive rate of PCR tests below 5%, indicating that we’re doing enough testing to get a good handle on how widespread the virus is. Have we met this goal? Yes, easily.

As measured by the Department of Health and Human Services, the positive rate has been below 3% since the first week of June and recently fell under 1%.

Critics emerge about livestreaming New Hampshire trials

https://www.unionleader.com/news/health/coronavirus/critics-emerge-about-livestreaming-new-hampshire-trials/article_3d3ce657-5144-57c1-a326-f50339d4be9a.html

New Hampshire 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Summary Report

(data updated as of October 6, 2020 – 9:00 AM)

Number of Persons with COVID-19 18,731
Recovered7,785 (89%)
Deaths Attributed to COVID-19446 (5%)
Total Current COVID-19 Cases500
Persons Who Have Been Hospitalized for COVID-19743 (9%)
Current Hospitalizations20
Total Persons Tested at Selected Laboratories, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)2283,471
Total Persons Tested at Selected Laboratories, Antibody Laboratory Tests231,302
Persons with Specimens Submitted to NH PHL47,778
Persons with Test Pending at NH PHL3429
Persons Being Monitored in NH (approximate point in time)2,825

1 Includes specimens positive at any laboratory and those confirmed by CDC confirmatory testing.
2 Includes specimens tested at the NH Public Health Laboratories (PHL), LabCorp, Quest, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Mako, certain hospital laboratories, the University of New Hampshire and their contracted laboratory, and those sent to CDC prior to NH PHL testing capacity.
3 Includes specimens received and awaiting testing at NH PHL. Does not include tests pending at commercial laboratories.

Click to access covid-19-update-10062020.pdf

NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – October 6, 2020


Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has issued the following update on the new coronavirus, COVID-19.
On Tuesday, October 6, 2020, DHHS announced 53 new positive test results for COVID-19, for a daily PCR test positivity rate of 0.6%. Today’s results include 34 people who tested positive by PCR test and 19 who tested positive by antigen test. There are now 500 current COVID-19 cases diagnosed in New Hampshire.
Several cases are still under investigation. Additional information from ongoing investigations will be incorporated into future COVID-19 updates. Of those with complete information, there are fifteen individuals under the age of 18 and the rest are adults with 47% being female and 53% being male. The new cases reside in Rockingham (10), Hillsborough County other than Manchester and Nashua (8), Strafford (6), Merrimack (3), Belknap (2), Cheshire (1), Grafton (1), and Sullivan (1) counties, and in the cities of Nashua (9) and Manchester (7). The county of residence is being determined for five new cases.
No new hospitalized cases were identified. There are currently 20 individuals hospitalized with COVID19. Twelve of the new cases had no identified risk factors. Community-based transmission continues to occur in the State and has been identified in all counties. Of those with complete risk information, most of the cases have either had close contact with a person with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis or recently traveled.
DHHS has also announced two additional deaths related to COVID-19. We offer our sympathies to the family and friends.
 1 female resident of Hillsborough County, 60 years of age and older
 1 male resident of Hillsborough County, 60 years of age and older
In New Hampshire since the start of the pandemic, there have been a total of 8,731 cases of COVID-19 diagnosed with 743 (9%) of those having been hospitalized.

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