Food stamps that reach the 42 million SNAP recipients in the country have been significantly reduced since March.
New York is part of the 32 states that until February continued to receive emergency funds to buy food with coupons from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which sought to reduce the economic blow caused by the covid 19 pandemic.
A recent change in federal law means a $234 million monthly reduction in SNAP benefits statewide.
What does that translate to?: Less money to buy food
“It was 180 what they gave us, so now imagine if they reduce, things are more expensive and it will be reduced, because the truth is a bit difficult,” said María De los Ángeles, a SNAP beneficiary. “Concern because work, for the moment, I don’t work well because I have my four-month-old baby, my daughter goes to school.”
Mothers like María de los Ángeles in Sunset Park feel anguish about not knowing how they are going to complete the purchase. Others expressed:
“You have to work more, keep working,” said Francisco Mejía, another SNAP beneficiary.
“When I got to New York I had SNAP for a little while. It helped me a lot, because without it, boy, we went hungry,” said Jeremy Rosario.
Senior New Yorkers who receive SNAP, who are mostly from the Latino and African-American communities, will be hardest hit, as many will see their benefits drop from $281 to $23 per month, or the equivalent of 26 cents per meal.
For her part, Assemblywoman Jessica González-Rojas calls on the state to develop actions to soften this economic blow to the beneficiaries.
“Our communities have struggled against hunger for decades and the pandemic made the situation of hunger and food insecurity that we have even more visible,” said González-Rojas.
“The SNAP program has been vital, and we are asking New York State to include $5 million in the state budget to reimburse families whose SNAP benefits have been stolen,” added the assemblywoman.
‘No Child Goes Hungry’, a national campaign against child hunger, suggests three actions for affected New Yorkers:
1. Re-certify for SNAP if there have been changes in your family’s finances.
https://www.nyc.gov/site/hra/help/snap-benefits-food-program.page
2. Contact a local food pantry or food bank.
https://www.nyc.gov/site/dycd/services/food_pantries.page
3. Apply for additional benefits offered by the City and State of New York.