Feeding America Warns Cuts To The SNAP Program Will Overwhelm Food Pantries And Hunger Relief Charities

From Feeding America:

If the $16.5 billion in SNAP/Food Stamp cuts in the House Agriculture Committee's Farm Bill become a reality, “the food banks in Feeding America’s network will be even more overwhelmed with people seeking food assistance,” said Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America. The organizations served by Feeding America experienced a 46 percent increase in clients served between 2006 and 2010. “The food pantries, soup kitchens, and other organizations that are served by Feeding America are already stretched to the limit. Proposed cuts would mean that some low-income Americans may literally go without food.” The cuts would mean up to 3 million people would lose their benefits, another 500,000 would see their benefits reduced by an average of $90 a month, and 300,000 children would lose their free school meals. Many households on SNAP/Food Stamps already rely on food banks when their benefits run out at the end of the month, and food banks have seen a nearly 30 percent decline in federal commodity donations between 2010 and 2011. 

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