SNAP

A box of food prepared at a food bank distribution in Petaluma, Calif. The state ranks near the bottom in enrolling people for food assistance. To change that, it's taking lessons from its robust Medi-Cal health insurance program, which targets much the s

Why Millions Of Californians Eligible For Food Stamps Don't Get Them

6:24pm May 01, 2018

The state ranks near the bottom in enrolling people for food assistance. To change that, it's taking lessons from its robust Medi-Cal health insurance program, which targets much the same population.

Leroy Bates shops at the Rising Up food pantry in Fort Morgan, Colo. Clients can visit it 13 times a year.

National

Unauthorized Immigrants Shy Away From Signing Kids Up For Food Aid

12:10pm April 27, 2018

by Esther Honig

Fearing deportation, some families eligible for SNAP would rather face food insecurity than risk enrolling in the program. Food pantries are stepping up to help unauthorized immigrants feel safe.

Hilda Herrera of New York state is one of 40,000 people who rely on the SNAP program for help buying groceries.

Republican Farm Bill Calls On Many SNAP Recipients To Work Or Go To School

7:38pm April 12, 2018

Republicans in Congress have released their version of a new Farm Bill. It imposes new requirements on low-income recipients of food assistance, but continues traditional subsidies for farmers.

DMG Foods, the Salvation Army's first supermarket, offers discount groceries to nutritional assistance beneficiaries and anyone else who walks through the door.

Salvation Army Opens First-Ever Supermarket, In Baltimore

7:41pm March 27, 2018

by Dominique Maria Bonessi

The longtime religious charity Salvation Army, known for providing clothing and shelter, is trying a new tactic to help low-income residents in Baltimore — offering them access to healthy food.

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The USDA has been providing food aid in the form of canned, shelf-stable nonperishables to Native Americans for decades.

How Might Trump's Food Box Plan Affect Health? Native Americans Know All Too Well

6:24pm February 25, 2018

by Maria Godoy

For some, the USDA's plan to deliver SNAP benefits as canned, shelf-stable food is painfully familiar. The agency has long given this type of aid to tribes, with devastating health effects.

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Rebecka Ortiz offers her daughter a pasta sample at the store where she was using her food stamps to stock up on food for her family in Woonsocket, R.I. The Trump administration is proposing drastic changes in the "food stamp" program, now called SNAP. Pe

Trump Administration Wants To Decide What Food SNAP Recipients Will Get

5:08pm February 12, 2018

The proposed changes to food stamps, now called SNAP, would be drastic: About half the benefits would be boxed-up, nonperishable foods. Recipients would lose a lot of their ability to pick their food.

The USDA says it will give states more flexibility in how they deliver federal benefits known as SNAP or food stamps.

USDA Opens Door For States To Impose New Rules On Food Stamps

5:10pm December 07, 2017

by Grant Gerlock

The USDA says it will give states more flexibility in how they deliver federal food benefits. That could potentially include requiring drug testing or imposing time limits for adults with children.

Polygamous sect leader Lyle Jeffs leaves the federal courthouse in Salt Lake City in January 2015.

Lyle Jeffs, Polygamist Accused Of Fraud, Arrested After Nearly A Year On The Run

12:12pm June 15, 2017

by Camila Domonoske

Jeffs, a leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, was indicted last year on charges of food stamp fraud and money laundering. He gave the FBI the slip last June.

Some 55 percent of families with kids that receive food stamp benefits are earning wages. The problem is, those wages aren't enough to actually live on.

Trump Wants Families On Food Stamps To Get Jobs. The Majority Already Work

7:27pm May 24, 2017

Some 55 percent of families with kids on SNAP have jobs — they just don't earn enough to live on. Many states where reliance on SNAP is heaviest voted overwhelmingly for Trump last November.

Kara Dethlefsen, an active-duty Marine, attends the monthly food pantry at the Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base near San Diego. Her husband is also a Marine. She says the food assistance is helping them get ready for his transition back to civilian life.

When Active-Duty Service Members Struggle To Feed Their Families

9:26am April 19, 2017

by Dorian Merina

About 23,000 military families rely on food stamps, according to Census figures. But advocates say that number is only a partial picture of the need among people who are currently serving.