Tag: snap

On
John Huebscher

Must Christmas spirit end with the season?

Eye on the Capitol by John Huebscher

In some traditions, January 6 represents the 12th day of Christmas. As such, the date marks a transition from the Christmas season to the ordinary time of our lives.

But does that have to mark the end of the “Christmas spirit”? Dare we hope that the softening of our hearts and the acts of kindness central to Christmas might become an ongoing habit rather than a seasonal exception?

In ways large and small, we have opportunities to express, in our deeds and our choices, a concern for others, especially those whose needs may be greater than our own. Some of those opportunities may be found in our public policy choices.

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On
Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

A shrinking pie: Put poor and hungry people first in the new farm bill

In his message for World Food Day, which was observed on October 16, Pope Francis said that “it is a scandal that there is still hunger and malnutrition in the world.”

The Holy Father emphasized, “It is not just a question of responding to immediate emergencies, but of addressing together, in all areas, a problem that challenges our personal and social conscience, to achieve a just and lasting solution.”

Cuts in food assistance benefits

In the United States, there are increasing numbers of hungry people. Many of them rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps. As of November 1, the benefits to individuals and families were cut for the first time since 1964. That’s because an increase in food aid approved in 2009 expired, and  Congress hasn’t been able to pass a new farm bill for over a year (the farm bill includes provisions to fund food assistance programs in our country).

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On
Laura Green

Urge legislators to maintain funding for food stamps

To the editor:

Legislators in our nation’s capital drafting the next version of the Farm Bill need to get their priorities straight. The largest portion of the Farm Bill deals with SNAP, commonly known as food stamps.

Drafts of the proposed Farm Bill include serious cuts to the SNAP program, at a time when people need it the most. Hunger has been on the rise, despite the best efforts of food pantries, soup kitchens, and community volunteers.

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On
Tony Magliano

Protecting our daily bread

Making a Difference column logo

Every person who has enough nutritious food to eat and cares about the one billion people who do not, should be paying attention to the 2012 Farm Bill.

At stake are deep, heartless congressional monetary cuts to national and international food assistance programs, environmentally protective farm and ranch conservation projects, and safety net programs designed to help struggling small and mid-sized family farmers and rural communities.

Proposed cuts to Farm Bill

Bob Gronski, policy coordinator, for the National Catholic Rural Life Conference (www.ncrlc.com) explained to me that Congress is poised to cut between $23 billion and $34 billion from current funding levels of the Farm Bill.

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