Countless Families Will Lose Food Stamps Beginning in March
- Author: Marsha Howe
- Posted: 2024-02-27
Another Public Health Crisis in the Works
It will not take long for people to notice the negative impact that these reductions will have. According to Dottie Rosenbaum, the director of SNAP policy, there will be $3 billion less for food each month which will cause countless hardships. Food pantries are doing their best to prepare for another surge of needy people and families; however, they are already stretched thin and are not sure how they will keep up with the demand.
According to the most recent federal data that has been published, upwards of 42 million people are relying on food stamps to procure the food they need. Once the program ends, food stamp recipients will be expected to live on approximately $6 per day which will hardly keep up with the soaring costs at the grocery store. Feeding America and other hunger relief organizations predict that people will be forced to skip meals, visit food pantries and rely on the good will of others just to survive. Families will also be forced to forgo purchasing fresh fruits and vegetables as well as milk and rely more heavily on staples such as beans, rice and powdered milk. The consumption of processed food will also rise which will, in turn, contribute to a spike in preventable health conditions such as obesity and high blood pressure.
The owners of food banks are trying to figure out how they will keep up with the demand for food and supplies. Because of inflation, food banks are not receiving as many donations as they have previously, and this is forcing them to use their funding to purchase groceries. There is concern that food banks will not be able to continue going this path which will leave some to close their doors permanently. With food banks seeing as much as a 40% influx in the need for their services, Vince Hall, Feeding America’s chief government relations officer predicts that we are transitioning from the pandemic to a hunger crisis.
The loss of food stamp benefits is not only going to hurt poor families, but this will also negatively impact the communities in which they live. Experts predict that we will see an economic slowdown because the emergency food stamp allotments have helped to generate economic activity in community food systems as these benefits keep grocery stores running and help to support the farmers who sell their goods at local farmer’s markets.
Many families feel that they have not been given enough notice to prepare for the cuts. Some say that if they have been given more notice, they will have been able to stock up on essentials and formulate a plan that will ensure that they can continue to have enough to eat. These families will have had sufficient time to gradually change their spending habits and adjust to living with the cuts.
Children and seniors will be hit particularly hard. Social Security income influences how much seniors can receive in food stamps, and some seniors will lose as much as $200 a month in SNAP benefits. Children in poverty already face food insecurity, and the problem is expected to get worse as inflation continues.
Why the Program Is Ending
Congress voted to end the food stamp pandemic hunger relief program once February issuances were provided. There is currently no mention of any program that will ease the burden of inflation for poor families.
The USDA is working with their partners to pick up the slack from these programs. They have been preparing for these cuts and will make every effort to help families in need; however, more still needs to be done as immediate relief will be needed to prevent another public health crisis.
