Feeding America Urges Hunger Advocates To Participate In National Call-in Day To Protect Food Stamp Benefits In Farm Bill

CHICAGO, June 17, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Feeding America, the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity, urges everyone to call their Members of Congress on Tuesday, June 18, to oppose harmful cuts to the nation's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as Food Stamps).

This week, the House is expected to take up its version of the Farm Bill. They are proposing devastating cuts to SNAP that would take food away from struggling families, increase demand on food banks and have long-term consequences for recipients' health, education and economic futures.

The Farm Bill SNAP Cuts Would Make It Difficult for Low-Income Families To Access Adequate Amounts of Nutritious Food and Increase Demand on Food Banks:

• Even if Congress does not make changes to SNAP, benefits will decline for all participants on November 1 when the ARRA benefit boost expires, falling on average by about $25 for a family of three.
• The House Farm Bill would decrease benefits by about $90 per month for 850,000 households and cause two million individuals to lose SNAP entirely. On top of that, 210,000 children would lose free school meals, as their eligibility is tied to their family's SNAP.
• The proposed $21 billion in cuts to SNAP proposed by the House would result in lost meals that food banks simply cannot make up. 
• As our economy recovers and people go back to full-time work, SNAP spending will fall.

"To put the extent of these cuts in perspective, if divided evenly across Feeding America's nationwide network of 200 food banks, every food bank would have to provide an additional four million meals each year for the next ten years. That is an impossible gap to fill," said Bob Aiken, president and CEO of Feeding America.

"There is no way that charity could make up for this loss of SNAP benefits," Aiken continued. "Our food banks are already stretched thin meeting sustained high need, and we simply do not have the resources to prevent hunger in all of the families who would be impacted by these cuts."

On Tuesday, June 18, join advocates from across the country and call your Member of Congress and urge him/her to support and protect SNAP.  

Call Feeding America's toll-free hunger action line: dial 866-527-1087 and urge your Member of Congress to:

• Speak out in support of SNAP and against any cuts on the House floor
• Vote NO on any harmful amendments to SNAP
• Vote YES on any amendments to restore SNAP cuts or to strengthen the program
• Vote NO on a Farm Bill that includes SNAP cuts
• Spread the word by sharing with your networks and on social media

At a time when millions of families are still struggling to put food on the table, now is the time to protect and strengthen SNAP, not cut benefits for people and families in need.  

For more information on the proposed cuts to SNAP, please visit www.feedingamerica.org.

About Feeding America
Feeding America is a nationwide network of more than 200 food banks that leads the fight against hunger in the United States. Together, we provide food to more than 37 million people through 61,000 food pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters in communities across America. Feeding America also supports programs that improve food security among the people we serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Individuals, charities, businesses and government all have a role in ending hunger. Donate. Volunteer. Advocate. Educate.  Together we can solve hunger. Visit http://www.feedingamerica.org/. Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FeedingAmerica or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/FeedingAmerica.

Media Contact
Ross Fraser 
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SOURCE Feeding America