Houston Food Bank Advocacy Center
Did you know?
- Texas has one of the highest rates of child food insecurity in the country
- Every day 53,000 people in Houston are hungry
- Each week the Houston Food Bank feeds 137,000 people, 47% of which are children
- 43% of hungry families must choose between food and medicine
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YOU have the power to help end hunger. Let your elected officials know today that you want them to support comprehensive anti-hunger initiatives. Take a stand now because hunger is unacceptable.
Action Alert:
Thank you for your help
Anti-hunger advocates urged President Obama to continue his support for SNAP and other nutrition and low-income safety net programs, including restoration of the SNAP benefit boost scheduled to be cut in 2013. The President did so in his FY2013 budget request released on February 13.
This is only the beginning
Congress can act to deny the President’s proposed restoration of the SNAP benefit boost created by ARRA beginning in 2009, now scheduled to expire in November 2013. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that this means there will be a drop in monthly SNAP benefits of between $10-$15 per person — approximately a 10% reduction in average benefits. See Reducing SNAP (Food Stamp) Benefits Provided by the ARRA: P.L. 111-226 & S. 3307, Congressional Research Service, Aug. 20, 2010 (PDF)
In spite of early signs of a brightening economy, hunger, food insecurity, unemployment, low wages, and poverty are significant problems affecting very large numbers of people in the U.S. — especially young adults, parents, children, seniors and people with disabilities — and are expected to persist at unacceptably high levels. In 2010, SNAP, with its benefit levels boosted by ARRA, lifted 3.9 million people out of poverty. It is critical that Congress act to retain the ARRA SNAP benefit boost, which the President has included in his budget request, to get people the resources they need to come closer to obtaining an adequate diet throughout the month.
Thank you for making your voices heard as President Obama developed his Budget request. Within the next few weeks your participation will be vital in communicating to Congress as they engage in shaping the 2013 Budget.
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Please contact Dr. Pamela Berger, Public Policy Coordinator, at 713-547-8611 or pberger@houstonfoodbank.org for any questions.