More hardship: Floridians brace for Food Stamp cuts next Friday

The 3.6 million Floridians who currently receive food stamps under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP, would see a reduction in benefits beginning November 1st.  That’s because the SNAP increases, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, are due to expire.

In response to the economic downturn SNAP benefits were increased across the board, as a means of helping to stimulate the economy and easing hardship.  And though the economic recovery remains elusive for the vast majority of Americans, things are certain to get worse with the upcoming SNAP benefit cuts.

According to the Florida Department of Children and Families which administers the Food Stamp Program, the average family of four in Florida will lose $36 per month in food stamps.

Dave Krepcho, President and CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida believes, the food stamp cuts will lead beneficiaries to head to emergency food pantries to make up for the short fall.

“We are anxious about the food stamp cuts, more so because we haven’t seen any diminution in demand for meals,” he said. “Our food distribution has increased by 34% for the last six months compared to the same period last year. That translates to an additional 3.8 million meals.”  He is hoping that the upcoming holiday season’s food drives will lead to more products from farms and food manufacturers.

Krepcho added that, he is also very concerned about longer-term food stamp cuts which will likely kick in next year.

In September, the Republican-led House passed a bill that would gut the Food Stamp program by $39 billion over the next decade, about 10 times the cuts proposed by the Senate.

“Who knows where this will end up, but if closer to the House’s proposed cuts, I anticipate we will see a real movement of people to food kitchens and pantries,” said Krepcho.

“These cuts will cause hardship for some SNAP participants, including children and the elderly,” wrote the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit think tank that analyzes the impacts of budget policies and promotes effective approaches to reducing poverty.

The Center estimates that the food stamp cuts will be the equivalent of taking away 21 meals per month for a family of 4 or 16 meals for a family of three, based on calculation using $1.70 – $2 per meal.  One can reasonably assume that a reduction in SNAP benefits of this size will significantly increase the number of poor households that have difficulty affording adequate food for the fall, the Center added.

Nationwide, at last count 47.8 million people, made up mostly of children, the elderly or disabled, receive SNAP benefits, averaging about $4.37 a day.