Idaho and many other states are bracing for food insecurity among the 42 million Americans who depend on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits when those payments don’t go out on time on November 1. Trump has refused to authorize the $6 billion the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) holds in reserve that could be used to cover the November shortfall.
Late-breaking news: Two federal judges issued back-to-back rulings on Friday in separate cases ordering the Trump administration to use contingency funds to continue paying for food stamps during the government shutdown. The rulings are likely to face appeals.
Source: The Guardian.
The Lewiston Tribune reports that 1 in 15 Idaho residents use SNAP benefits and so may not get enough to eat in November. That’s about 135,000 of our neighbors.
The one small bright spot in this tragedy is that Idaho has a number of food banks that are stepping up to close the gap. But this spring, the U.S. Department of Agriculture canceled thousands of orders, accounting for millions of pounds of food, meant for low-income Americans. Orders totaling more than 370,000 pounds of U.S.-produced meat, dairy and produce for Idaho food banks were canceled. The deliveries had been scheduled between May and September under the USDA Emergency Food Assistance Program. Nationwide, the cuts totaled about $500 million for nearly 94 million pounds of food. For Idaho, the canceled deliveries included cheese, turkey breast, dried cranberries, chicken, and pulled pork.
Schoolchildren will feel hunger pangs as well. Lewiston School District officials worry it could be soon. They expect hunger to increase when SNAP suspends. The HUB, which gives food and other resources to students and their families in the Lewiston School District, is hearing concerns from people. On Tuesday, the HUB readied weekly grocery boxes for about 10 families. Last year, the HUB consistently fed about 20 families. But workers can’t predict how much the need for food will increase if the USDA suspends food stamps next week.
What can you do?
Give money to your local food bank, and to the state-wide Idaho Food Bank. Money. Cash. Why? Most food banks are able to purchase needed food items at wholesale prices, far less than what you and I pay. Canned-food drives are OK, but food bank personnel will tell you that much of what they receive that way turns out not to be useful.
Volunteer. NPC Dems will be doing a volunteer activity at the Idaho Food Bank in Lewiston on Saturday, November 22. We’ll need 10 people. More details next week.
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George Grenley is a retired electronics engineer. Originally from the great state of Michigan, George worked in Silicon Valley for over forty years, but managed to avoid getting rich. He is now retired to a quiet farm, just southeast of east of Lewiston proper, where he pursues woodworking and politics, in part via the nice folks at NPC Dems. The opinions he expresses are his own, and do not necessarily reflect those of the Nez Perce County Democrats.
https://www.lmtribune.com/northwest/food-stamps-will-stop-in-id-20695293
Featured image by Tumisu on pixabay.com.
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