Good News for Food Shelves

For now at least, the food shelf funding is not facing a cut in any of the State’s budget bills.

We hope to be able to maintain our current levels of funding and grants to help you meet the needs of food shelf visitors.

On the other hand

Low income, disabled and elderly people are now facing dire news with proposed reform legislation.

One of the main targets for reform is Welfare. This includes new restrictions on the use of the EBT card where people receive their Food Support benefits.

Proposed EBT Reform Ideas that affect poor families/seniors

Colleen Moriarty and fellow advocates have been testifying against these harmful bills, and have staved-off the most malicious proposals.

Currently under consideration:

• The plan is to issue a separate EBT card for non food purchases. This is for the cash only portion of benefits.

• The cash benefits could ONLY be used in Minnesota.

• The card will have the head of household’s name printed on the card.

• Food Support (a Federal benefit) will be located on a separate card.

The cost of no new taxes

• We are quickly learning that we cannot afford a “cuts only” approach.

Health and human services omnibus bills will impact tens of thousands. The legislature’s budget targets call for deep cuts in health and human services.

Some examples:

• working people who would lose access to affordable health care,

• people with disabilities who would no longer have services that help them live independently,

• policies to make it very difficult for parents trying to get off welfare to pursue education and training related to jobs.

• The transportation committee has proposed mandatory fee increases for bus fares in the metro area.

— all in an effort to solve the state’s budget deficit with cuts alone.

Read for those interested in more details

MN Budget Project Blog

Lessening Hunger in the Classroom

In Minnesota the monthly cost of school lunch is about $80. For thousands of Minnesota families,school lunch is unaffordable. If families do not qualify for free lunch, low-income families are obligated to pay. Even at a reduced rate, this monthly bill is proving to be too much.

When these bills are not paid, some districts are implementing collection policies and stigmatizing students in the lunch line.

Anti-hunger advocates are currently working on a bill that
will not punish students by taking away food or withholding grades.

READ MORE IN: Keeping Food on the Table – HSM’s Quarterly Report on the State of Hunger in Minnesota

Recent news:

• Food Stamps and Tax Aid Kept Poverty Rate in Check

  An interesting study out of NYC, which credits food stamps and low income tax programs with minimizing increases in the poverty rate during the height of the recession. Although it specifically looks at programs in New York, it speaks to the broad impact of Food Support and tax credit programs, as well as the outreach being done to ensure eligible households access these benefits.

  Read More
• Federal Ag Committee Supports Cuts to Food Assistance

  The House Agriculture Committee endorsed a letter this week to Budget Chairman Paul Ryan arguing that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which helps low-income Americans purchase food, would make a better target for cuts than automatic subsidies to farms.

  Read More
• Lawmakers propose new restrictions on welfare cards

  Republican lawmakers in the Minnesota House included new restrictions on welfare cards in a Health and Human Services omnibus bill released Monday.

  Read More