Hello Again!
Our friends up east are publicizing a study which demonstrates what many of us know well – food stamps alone are not enough for even a thrifty family to buy all the nutritious food they need.
The article also talks to pantries in North Carolina, folks who do their best to fill that gap between food stamps and healthy eating. The article is worth sharing, especially with those who are not keenly aware of the complicated relationship among food stamps, pantries and families in the fight against hunger.
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article179914376.html
Alas, this is not news. Those of us who have worked in pantries in this area have long seen dramatic evidence that food stamps alone do not allow a family to buy all the healthy foods they need. That’s why pantries frequently ask friends for specific food items (no green beans or tomato soup, please) for their food orders. When they can, pantries buy nutritious items to distribute.
Remember, as I’ve mentioned several times, the food stamp program is under attack in Washington. We have already seen bureaucrats clip food stamp benefit levels by a few bucks a month.
Some in Congress want extract considerable money from food stamps to help “pay for” the Trump tax cuts. It will take a tremendous amount of effort – phone calls, letters, e-mails, visits to members of Congress, publicity campaigns and more – to protect the bulk of the food stamp program.
As the article notes, those who will suffer from cuts aren’t just numbers: they are working moms, little kids, senior citizens and others in our neighborhoods.
Submitted by Glenn Koenen, WCD Member