food stamp cuts will bring hardship for the holidays

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http://www.nationofchange.org/food-stamp-cuts-will-bring-hardship-holidays-1383734231



The beginning of November always marks the start of the holiday season. On the morning of November 1st, stores swapped out their Halloween displays for Christmas decorations and radio stations began playing round-the-clock carols.

But November 1 marked something else for nearly 48 million who receive food stamps: an automatic reduction in the already modest benefits. The cut, which comes from the expiration of a boost included in the 2009 stimulus bill, will reduce benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by an average of 7 percent. That will mean a loss of about $9 per person per month or $36 a month for a family of four. Food stamps will now be, on average, less than $1.40 per person per meal.

The cut would hurt at any time of the year, but it will be especially painful because of the coincidence with the holiday season, already a struggle for many low-income families.

Patricia, a single mother of two children ages 10 and 12 who works in home health care for the elderly and relies on food stamps, told ThinkProgress that the reduction is going to make her holidays “extremely hard.” “There will be a strain,” she said, but added, “I will do my very best to make sure my family will still have a wonderful holiday season.” It’s just unclear what that will mean because she isn’t sure yet how much less she’ll see in food stamp benefits. It may include going to a food pantry for help.


***the real 'war on christmas'.