What could you eat for $1.40? This Friday, Nov. 1, more than 48 million people in the U.S.1.7 million of them in North Carolinawho receive food stamps will have their benefits slashed. The cuts are equivalent to 16 fewer meals per month for a family of three and subsidies worth less than $1.40 per person per meal.
The cuts were made to a temporary boost in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that was part of the 2009 Recovery Act, according to a report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP).
The reductions are happening as unemployment benefits in North Carolina have been curtailed and social services funding is dwindling as part of budget cuts approved by the state legislature.
Eighty-seven percent of SNAP recipients live in households with children, seniors or people with disabilities, the CBPP report says. More than three-quarters of SNAP households report income below the federal poverty line$19,500 a year for a family of three.
Effects of food stamp cuts on North Carolina
$166 million Total benefit cuts November 2013–September 2014
1.7 million Number of SNAP recipients affected
50,900 Number of households with veterans affected
758,000 Number of children affected
285,000 Number of elderly and people with disabilities affected