News Update - December 2006
States Expand Food Stamp Programs - Stateline.org
In the war on hunger, a handful of states have made big strides in getting federally funded Food Stamps to more poor families, while others have lagged behind.
Only 60 percent of eligible Americans received Food Stamps nationwide in 2004, but Missouri, Tennessee and Oregon helped buy groceries for more than 80 percent of those with incomes low enough to qualify, according to a new study. Three other states -- California, Wyoming and Massachusetts – came in last, providing Food Stamps to fewer than 50 percent of their poor citizens, according the study released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) last month. Food Stamps, an unlimited entitlement program funded by USDA and administered by states, fed some 26 million low-income people this year at a cost of $31 billion, nearly double the federal expenditure on welfare cash assistance programs. Click here for complete story.
News Update - July 2005
Guide to the Disaster Food Stamp Program from The Food Research and Action Center
The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) released its guide to the Disaster Food Stamp Program that highlights how responding quickly, planning ahead, utilizing technology, and conducting outreach are important ways that public agencies and social service providers can assist with disaster relief and connect needy families to valuable nutrition programs. The guide is a revised version of a prior FRAC publication that builds on the lessons learned in 2005.
The Food Stamp Program provides replacement benefits to recipients who lose food in a disaster. It also extends benefits to families that suddenly find themselves in need of food assistance but might not have been ordinarily eligible for the program. Last year alone, disaster food stamps provided more than $928 million in nutrition assistance to 2.4 million households affected by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma.
Please contact NCSL's Hunger and Nutrition Partnership with questions.
News Update - March 2006
Food Stamp Program Outreach Tool Kits
The Food and Nutrition Service at the USDA has just released a series of Food Stamp Program Outreach Tool Kits that are designed for use by outreach providers. The Tool Kits contain ideas, templates and resources for conducting effective food stamp outreach. Tool Kit users can select, customize and print materials for use in outreach campaigns.
The Tool Kits are designed for use by specific audiences, including State and Local Food Stamp Offices and Community and Faith Based Groups. The Tool Kits can be accessed here.
Please contact NCSL's Hunger and Nutrition Partnership with questions.
News Update - June 2006
Food Stamp Program: Promising Practices
The Food and Nutrition Service at the USDA has collected a series of promising practices in Food Stamp outreach and administration. This collection of successful outreach strategies and materials can be accessed via the FNS website. The promising practices can be reviewed by state and by category. FNS will be adding to this collection over time, and they welcome submissions of examples from your community. Submissions should be sent to Susan Sheets at the Food and Nutrition Service, USDA.
Additional resources from FNS for Food Stamp administration can be found here.
Please contact NCSL's Hunger and Nutrition Partnership with questions.
Last Updated December 21, 2006
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