Food stamp cuts to impact Washington region

1. http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/food-stamp-cuts-to-impact-washington-region/2013/10/31/70a5ff34-41cb-11e3-a624-41d661b0bb78_story.html

2. category: food stamps

3. level: state

4. This article concerns how the temporary boost to the federal food stamps program expires, resulting in the loss of millions of dollars used by families to keep food on the table. The food stamp program, known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, will be reduced by $5 billion after a vast expansion over the past five years.

5. How this affects families/ individuals: This affects many families and individuals who rely on food stamps to be able to put food on their table.  A lot more people use food stamps than people did some years ago, so this decrease in the money for food stamps is making families have up to a weeks worth a lunch not available to their families. These people on food stamps will receive 5 to 8 percent less which is an average of $30 less a month. That may not seem like a lot of money but to people on food stamps with no income it highly affects them because they need everything they can get.

6. My input: I honestly feel bad for the people in Washington knowing they are already struggling with money issues and now come to find out they will be receiving even less money a month then they were getting before. All these people are talking about how they want to end hunger but by reducing the amount of benefits the government is giving to needy families that is not going to help that cause at all. These people are worried that they wont be able to feed their families, especially the people who actually need this and are out their trying to find a job but just cant seem to find one. Everyone goes through hard times once in a while and need some help and support, these people rely heavily on food stamps and now have even less money to buy groceries. Some of these people are having to go out on the street and beg for food or wait in long lines at food banks. I couldnt even imagine having to beg for food at the street cornet, I bet these people feel so embarrassed for doing this but some dont have a choice if they want to keep their families or themselves fed. Most people are going to turn their head and not give them the time of day or help them out what so ever. I dont typically like the idea of people begging for money because you never know what these people are going to do with that money most of them dont use that money for what they say they are. On the other hand, if people are begging for food that different because you know they are truly desperate and actually are in need of what they are asking for. I think that reducing the food stamps is affecting a lot of people and I wish that the government could see how much it is affecting people and if they ant change this new law at least compromise in some other way by giving these needy people what they need in a different form.