Hunger relief advocates on Wednesday said they’re already seeing more working families at food pantries even without changes to food stamp eligibility.
David Bethuram, executive director of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis’ Catholic Charities branch, said the archdiocese’s food pantry on Illinois Street has seen a roughly 40% increase in foot traffic in the past 18 months. About 50 families use the pantry every day. Bethuram said many of the people who use the pantry already use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, but use the pantry so they can stretch their benefits.
Changes to SNAP eligibility requirements have become a major flashpoint in the negotiations over the federal budget bill in Congress. Current law requires 20 hours per week of work or volunteering for able-bodied adults ages 18-54 who do not have dependent children. The proposed budget bill would expand those requirements to cover adults ages 55-64 and to parents of children ages 7-18. In addition, states would have to pick up 75% of the administrative costs of the program, up from the current 50%…