Food stamps are beneficial to community

Has the prevalence of hunger changed in our community over the past year? With all the reports of food pantries providing for more families now than at any recent time, the answer can be an emphatic "Yes." More and more families, including middle-class families, are turning to emergency food pantries to feed their families. The strain on our local pantries has become great with many running out of food. One way to help relieve the strain on our pantries is to encourage and support the use of the federal Food Stamp Program.

You can support the Food Stamp Program by referring low-income family members and friends to the program. You can support our community by encouraging use of the program because this program brings tremendous economic benefit to our community. Each $5 in food stamp benefits generates almost twice that amount in economic activity for our community. This activity shows up as, among other things, more jobs in our supermarkets, farmers producing more food to satisfy the demand and more jobs for the transport business bringing the food to our markets.

Our tri-county region, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties, has seen a dramatic increase in families applying for and receiving food stamp benefits. The program provides much needed temporary help with the grocery bill so that low-income families can put nutritious, healthy food on the table. Nearly half of those who receive food stamp benefits are children. Many of our elderly are also benefiting from the Food Stamp Program.

Even though our community has seen an increase in use over the past year, we need to do more to make sure those who might be eligible are encouraged to apply and receive benefits. To find out more on how you can support your community by supporting the federal Food Stamp Program, contact Community Action Planning Council of Jefferson County Nutrition Outreach and Education Program (NOEP) at 782-4900.

Sharon Bouchard

Watertown

The writer is program coordinator for the Nutrition Outreach & Education Program.