One out of seven people in Washington state receives some form of food assistance, mostly
funded by the federal government.
Today, those food stamps are being cut by 5.5 percent.
KING 5 interviewed one Seattle mother whose family relies on food stamps. Here’s a bit from that story:
Sara Hoikkala, a Seattle mother of two battling Crohn’s Disease, said her benefits will be reduced to $375 a month.
“We will have to make things stretch a bit further,” said Hoikkala.
Thursday night, she was at the Family Works Resource Center and Food Bank in Wallingford stocking up on fruits, vegetables, and chicken as a way to help deal with the reduction in benefits.
The Children’s Alliance and Center for Budget and Policy Priorities released a joint statement analyzing the cuts.
The majority of households in Washington state receiving Basic Food contain either a child, an elder or persons with disabilities. In Washington state, the cut will impact 256,000 households with children, and 234,000 seniors and people with disabilities. Veterans will also be affected by the cut. The Center on Budget & Policy Priorities analyzed Census data and determined that 51,600 Washington state veterans depend on the Basic Food Program.
“This small increase in Basic Food benefits has provided an important stepping stone for Washingtonians during the deep economic recession and long recovery, empowering them to keep food on the table as they seek employment and send their children off to school,” stated Tara Lee, Communications Director of the Washington State Budget & Policy Center.
The KING 5 piece also linked hungry families with poor performance in school.
Linda Stone, Food Policy Director at Children’s Alliance in Seattle, says the cuts will run deep.
“Food is security for a child,” she said. “Without food in the refrigerator, they can’t do well in school. They are not developing relationships as well because their mind is somewhere else.”
Stone says although the cuts were always intended to be temporary, they come too early.”There are families that have not bounced back, and probably won’t bounce back, because our economy is based on part time work and lower wage job”.
If you or someone you know is in need of food assistance, here is a list of food banks around the state.