In the wake of the recession, families need help « Voices for America's Children – nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy for better child policy

Tell Congress: Struggling families need help!

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We'll tell your elected officials:

Dear Member of Congress,

Over half of all households receiving help from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly called food stamps) have children. In the current economic downturn, the number of families receiving assistance is on the rise: as people can't find jobs to support their families, they put food on the table using food stamps.

Very soon, the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction will meet for the first time. Please work with your colleagues on this committee to prioritize food stamps and other programs that help support kids and their families -- these programs are critical to the country's economic recovery.

It’s clear that as families struggle to find and keep employment, they depend more on food assistance. And small wonder: According to a report on the recession by the USDA, low-income families have to spend 36 percent of their income to keep food on the table, compared to just 7 percent for well-off families.

Please urge your colleagues on the super committee to prioritize programs proven to help children living in poverty and to let the tax cuts for the wealthy expire.

Sources:

United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics

United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service

“Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Counters High Unemployment,” Urban Institute. July 2011. http://www.urban.org/uploadedpdf/412365-supplemental-nutrition.pdf, Retrieved August 31, 2011.