Action Needed: Sign and Share Organizational Letter Opposing Structural Changes and Budget Cuts to SNAP

From the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC):

ACTION NEEDED: Sign and Share the National, State and Community-based Organizational Letter Opposing Structural Changes and Budget Cuts to SNAP

FRAC and their partners in NAHO (National Anti-Hunger Organizations) have written a sign-on letter strongly opposing structural changes (e.g., a block grant) and budget cuts to SNAP. With your help, they hope to get thousands of national, state and local groups to sign on to this letter.

Please sign your organization onto this letter and send it to other organizations on your e-mail list.

Congressional leaders need to hear a strong message from groups around the country that Congress should protect SNAP from budget cuts and structural changes that would weaken its proven ability to help the poorest and hungriest people in the country.

Click here to read and sign the letter.

Impact of Proposed Changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program/Federal Food Stamp Program

If you have been uncertain proposed changes to the federal budget the House of Representatives and its impact on Americans, there is a great explanation posted to the National Public Radio web site.

The basics of the proposal greatly alters the commitment of the federal government to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) which funds the Food Stamp Program in New York State. Currently, the federal government funds the food stamp program based entirely on the number of Americans who qualify for and use the program. Under the proposal, SNAP would become a block grant and states would receive a set amount of money based on a formula. This would have an impact of either lowering benefits to 88 percent of their current level for the number of recipients currently enrolled or decreasing enrollment by 8 million Americans. Either way, the impact is huge.

To read the full article, click here.

New Report: Shine with School Breakfast, SY 2009-2010

Report by anti-hunger organization shows growth in School Breakfast Program, says State is still missing out on millions in federal dollars, highlights ways to increase participation.

Participation in the federally and state-funded School Breakfast Program grew to nearly 470,000 students served every day during the 2009-2010 school year in New York State, an increase of over 23,000 students daily from the prior school year. Despite this increase, the number of low-income students eating school breakfast still remains low. Less than 1 in 3 low-income students who qualified to eat free or reduced-price school meals actually eat school breakfast, according to “Shine with School Breakfast”, an annual analysis of the School Breakfast Program published by the Nutrition Consortium of NYS.

Click here for the report.
Click here for county-specific data from the report.

Record Number of Americans Enrolled in Food Stamp Program

In a report released by Food Research and Action Council (FRAC), more than 44 million Americans were enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)/Food Stamp Program (FSP) in January 2011. That is one in seven Americans. In addition, one in three Americans who could be eligible for this benefit is not currently enrolled.

SNAP/FSP is the most basic or support for households in need of assistance in paying for food. According to the FRAC report, nearly three million people are enrolled in the FSP in New York State. There was a ten percent increase in participation since January of 2010.

A recent CNN Money article highlights increased participation by Americans across all safety net programs in the face of proposed drastic changes to key federal programs like SNAP.