The Real Impact of Food Stamp Cuts

[phantom power]

Congress is poised to cut food stamps, taking away an extended benefit created by the 2009 stimulus before its original expiry date and setting up an unprecedented “cliff” in food stamps, now known as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits. To demonstrate how hurtful this might prove, hunger advocate Joel Berg recently spent a week eating according to the SNAP budget.

“I had done it in 2007, as well,” he said. “This time, it was much harder, because the price of food has increased more than the benefit has increased. Last time, for instance, I ate an apple a day, along with other food. This time, I couldn’t afford a single piece of fruit.”

Berg is the executive director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger, which represents New York’s 1,200 nonprofit soup kitchens and food pantries and its 1.4 million residents that cannot afford enough food. (A more extended version of our conversation is below.) He and other hunger advocates are incensed over the SNAP cuts, which will pay for a sweeping child-nutrition bill. The First Lady–supported legislation is pending in the House, and has passed the Senate. In essence, Congress is planning to rob a very poor Peter to pay a very poor Paul.

...

With Matt Lauer yesterday, Obama was asked about poverty, and he basically gave an answer that George W. Bush would have given. He said that increasing economic growth will help poverty. It will. I agree that job creation is the most important thing. But when the unemployment rate was a lot lower, there were still millions of Americans who needed these benefits.

I’ve been pulling my punches, and my progressive colleagues have been pulling their punches, because we’re rooting for this administration to succeed. But honestly, if George W. Bush did what they’re trying to do, we’d be camping out in front of the White House. Goodwill only goes so far when tens of thousands of children need food.

http://washingtonindependent.com/98886/the-real-impact-of-food-stamp-cuts

[Dappleganger]

1. So many people have fallen through the cracks, they've now become speed bumps. nt

[phantom power]

4. I noticed in the photos that Berg had made careful choices...

to maximize *nutritious* calories per dollar. Based on what I've read, an awful lot of poor people don't have the training to do that.

:(

[Dappleganger]

2. dupe

[SheilaT]

3. Everyone who ever has thought that people

getting food stamps are eating well should try it for a month. Yeah, longer than a week, although Joel Berg found that even a week was long enough to see how bad it is.

[phantom power]

5. I don't doubt the GOP cheerfully circulates urban legends about Food Stamp Queens.

Drinking food stamp champagne while the ride around in their cadillacs, n shit.

x(

[GKirk]

7. For whatever reason...

...your post reminded me of a local news story of a 7-11 in my area that wouldn't sell slurpees on food stamps. He didn't think it was proper, but non of the other stores would go along with his idea.

[WinkyDink]

12. The poor are also supposed to be role-models, you know.

[elocs]

15. What is eating "well"? Food stamps pay for all my food and I think I eat well.

Of course I like simple foods and I make most of my meals from scratch. I know how to buy and prepare nutritious food that I like to eat. I eat little meat, but that is a personal choice which I made even when I was not on food stamps in fact I eat pretty much the same way now as before. I know it is hard for families, but I don't consider it bad at all.

[PoliticAverse]

16. Would you be willing

to say how much you spend per day on meals and what a typical day's meals consists of ?

[elocs]

18. Don't know how much I spend a day, but I get $50/week in food stamps.

Tonight for supper I made a package of the frozen chow mein stir fry, to that I added some jasmine rice I had prepared, some peas, and some fresh broccoli (89 cents a pound).

I set that aside and then made a roux using whole wheat flour. To that I added most of a package of pollock that I had broiled. I then combine everything all together and it was very good. It had better be good because I'll probably be eating it for supper the next 3 nights (that's the key--I make things I really like because I will be eating it for a few days).

For lunch I had a ham and cheese sandwich with some chips and soda. The ham was from a 2 pound package of sliced ham that I got marked down to $1.99. The soda was from a 2 liter bottle that was on sale for 99 cents with a 44 cent coupon on it. The chips were from an off name brand that cost $1.50 for a large bag (it will last me a week) and the bread was 12 grain whole wheat that was $1.69 a loaf and will last a week.

For breakfast I made myself hash browns, added some onions and peppers to it, seasoned it and then added 3 eggs and fried it all together. I will actually get 3 meals out of this. I also had a couple slices of toast and a glass of OJ which was $1.69 for a quart. This was my first breakfast because I get up just after 2 a.m., but later in the morning I had a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats that I got for $1.99 for an 18 ounce box. I topped it with milk that was 99 cents for a half gallon of skim.

I do love chocolate chips and each week I get myself a bag of Ghirardelli 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate which was $2.69 for a 11.5 ounce package. I also have a half gallon of rocky road ice cream in the freezer that was $2.50. So I don't feel deprived in any way.

A big, big factor in my favor is that not only do I know how to shop and to prepare my food, but I also have a very good supermarket where I can get some very reasonably priced food. It is also easy for me because it is just me and I don't question for a moment that it would be hard to feed a family if you are not getting enough in food stamps each week.

[PoliticAverse]

19. Thanks n/t

[SheilaT]

20. You sound like an exceptionally savvy

shopper.

Preparing foods more or less from scratch as you're describing is also important.

But up in the original post Joel Berg found that he could no longer afford a piece of fruit each day. I wonder what he was buying and fixing.

I am currently on a pretty tight food budget. Fortunately I like to cook and like you I'm willing to eat the same meal a couple of days in a row. The hardest thing about my tight budget is that buying spices can be tricky.

[PoliticAverse]

21. Spices in bulk

It helps to find a warehouse club or ethnic grocery store that has spices in larger bulk
containers rather than the tiny containers typically found in the average supermarket.
(I have a friend with a BJ's wholesale (an east-coast warehouse club) membership).

[HillbillyBob]

22. I get a whole 8$ what am I going to buy with that?

I don't even bother.

[SammyWinstonJack]

6. What's on menu for the First Family's dinner tonight?

:shrug:

[ipaint]

8. The other trickle down theory that has massively failed.

Pander to the middle class and the benefits will trickle down to the poor.

Never happens, just like tax cuts for the rich fails every time.

[Sisaruus]

9. I just did the SNAP Challenge.

I work for a food bank and, as part of Hunger Action Month (September), lived on a food stamp budget last week. I craved fresh peaches and apples from my local farm store - but the week before I started the challenge I paid attention to what I was paying and knew that one peach would have been a half day's food budget. Fresh fruit was a luxury I couldn't afford. And white bread was 77 cents so forget about whole grain products.

I'm glad the week is over. And I recognize my privilege in that I was able to limit the experience to one week.

[jxnmsdemguy65]

10. I don't think people realize how difficult it is to qualify for food stamps...

I tried when I was unemployed and the folks at the office said I had way too much money. You have to be down to your last couple hundred bucks....

That said, I saw someone buying sushi with an EBT card the other day in my local Kroger. That kinda pissed me off, though I guessed it qualified because it's a cold food.

[PoliticAverse]

14. SNAP eligibility requirements

http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/applicant_recipients/eligibility.htm

[ProSense]

11. "he basically gave an answer that George W. Bush would have given."

With Matt Lauer yesterday, Obama was asked about poverty, and he basically gave an answer that George W. Bush would have given. He said that increasing economic growth will help poverty. It will. I agree that job creation is the most important thing. But when the unemployment rate was a lot lower, there were still millions of Americans who needed these benefits.

It's fascinating that people can still find a way to compare Obama, who increased food stamp benefits, to Bush. Job creation is important, but...!

A lot of things the President does is important, and a lot of good things he does are ignored unless there is a way to spin them negatively.

[Starry Messenger]

13. k & r

[ibegurpard]

17. school privatization gets funding

answer to the question implied by the title of your OP