ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)— The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, helps people with low incomes pay for groceries. Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas says with today’s food prices, more needs to be done to help struggling New Yorkers.
“Right now, the minimum amount for SNAP is $23 a month,” explained González-Rojas. “$23 doesn’t get us very far.”
She’s sponsoring legislation that would create a state SNAP minimum benefit program to help increase the amount a household would receive.
“My bill would require New York State to cover the balance between the minimum benefit and again—the lowest benefit is $23, to ensure that it at least gets to $100. And again that’s something where the state would make up the difference. Not every person on SNAP is at $23. It’s based on your family size and your income, but certainly $23 is not enough to address food insecurity in New York.”
This is something Price Chopper/ Market32 and Tops support, saying in a statement, “ When SNAP Emergency Allotments ended (back in March), households in need saw an average loss of $151 per month, some decreased to the minimum benefit of $23, which stands to jeopardize both nutrition security and public health.“