SNAP

On Friday, Terry Work stands outside a store that accepts food stamps in Bon Aqua, Tenn. Work's 27-year-old deaf son recently was denied disability payments, meaning he is considered able-bodied. Now he stands to lose his food stamps, even though he has t

For More Than A Million Food Stamp Recipients, The Clock Is Now Ticking

2:33pm January 31, 2016

by Camila Domonoske

There's a three-month cap on SNAP benefits for unemployed, able-bodied adults, but it was waived in many areas after the recession began. In 22 states, the time limit kicked back in this month.

Health & Safety

Social Service Agencies Bracing For New Food Stamp Law

2:08pm December 28, 2015

by Keri Brown

A new law that impacts food stamp eligibility is about to take effect. About half of the more than 200,000 North Carolina residents will be affected beginning in January.

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The federal food stamps program is working to make sure low-income Americans are getting enough calories, but those calories are less nutritious than what everyone else eats, research finds. The USDA is funding programs to try to bridge that gap, such as

How America's Wealth Gap Shows Up On Our Dinner Plates

10:33am September 20, 2015

by Maria Godoy

People on food stamps on average ate fewer fruits and vegetables and had worse diets than other Americans, a study finds. It reflects the challenges of eating well on limited means.

A new budget plan that calls for turning food stamps into a block grant program for states could affect stores that accept food stamps through an Electronic Benefits Transfer, or EBT, system like this one in Memphis.

Both Parties Agree The Food Stamp Program Needs To Change. But How?

12:21pm March 20, 2015

by Pam Fessler

Republicans argue the SNAP program would be more efficient if it were run by states. Meanwhile, the Obama administration is funding an initiative to move recipients into jobs.

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These wooden tokens are handed out to shoppers who use SNAP benefits to purchase fresh produce at the Crossroads Farmers Market near Takoma Park, Md. Customers receive tokens worth twice the amount of money withdrawn from their SNAP benefits card — in o

How 'Double Bucks' For Food Stamps Conquered Capitol Hill

12:52pm November 17, 2014

by Dan Charles

The federal government is putting $100 million behind a simple idea: doubling the value of federal food benefits when people use them to buy fresh produce. This idea started small but became a hit.

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Tokens representing $1, which can be used specifically for fresh fruits and vegetables, are displayed at a Electronic Benefits Transfer, or food stamp, station in the GrowNYC Greenmarket in Union Square on September 18, 2013 in New York City.

Two For One: Subsidies Help Food Stamp Recipients Buy Fresh Food

8:14am October 06, 2014

by Allison Aubrey and Dan Charles

There a big new pot of government money available for programs that boost the buying power of food stamps. But there's a catch: The cash has to spent on local fruit and vegetables.

A woman and her daughter shop at a Greenmarket in New York City using Electronic Benefits Transfer, or food stamps. Government data show that fewer people were receiving the benefits in February 2014 than at the peak in December 2012.

Economic Upswing Has Fewer Americans Receiving Food Stamps

7:11pm May 29, 2014

by Pam Fessler

Last year, about 1 in 7 people in the U.S. were getting food stamps, or SNAP benefits. But the numbers have started to drop as more people find work and better-paying jobs, analysts say.

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The recent cuts in federal food benefits may be felt most in rural areas and the grocery stores that serve them.

National

Food Stamp Cuts Leave Rural Areas, And Their Grocers, Reeling

6:23pm November 26, 2013

by Mike Moen

In communities grappling with high unemployment, grocery stores serve many customers who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to get by. Some stores are estimating that their sales might fall between 5 and 10 percent now that the government has reduced the benefits.

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Economy

Food Banks Could Struggle to Fill Need in Wake of Food Stamp Cuts

9:00pm November 17, 2013

The Clemmons Food Pantry began nine years ago as a Sunday school project. Now it's an independent non-profit serving all of Forsyth County from a 1,000 square-foot storefront in Meadowbrook Mall.

Kathy Kovak has been a volunteer at the pantry since 2006.

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Economy

Food Lion Donates $500,000 to Offset Gov't. Shutdown Losses

10:15am October 10, 2013

Food Lion has made a $500,000 donation to help offset the loss of benefits to low-income families resulting from the government shutdown.