Hundreds of thousands could lose food stamps as states restore limits

New York Times ^ | April 2, 2016 | Robert Pear

[kevcol]

About 45 million people receive benefits in the food stamp program, now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a liberal-leaning research and advocacy group, estimates that 500,000 to 1 million people will lose benefits this year.

The federal Food and Nutrition Service said many adults would need to take steps to meet work requirements or risk losing aid.
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Ellen M. Vollinger, legal director of the Food Research and Action Center, an advocacy group, noted that the poet T.S. Eliot had described April as "the cruelest month," and for people losing SNAP benefits, she said, that description is appropriate.

"Many thousands of jobless adults without dependents will lose all their SNAP benefits even though they are seeking work," she said.

[Dirt for sale]

If I were in charge, food stamps would be gone. At the same time, I would remove all legal obstructions from companies giving excess food away. Where I work we throw away at least a hundred pounds of good food every weekend, since once it has left the kitchen and gone to an event it is unsaleable and not legal to give away to the public. The amount of food tossed after a brunch is insane.

[Oatka]

Those jobs may require a drug test and at the local Walmart where a friend of mine is the manager, only 1 out of 4 applicants pass the drug test.

I worked as a night-stocker at W-M some years ago and we were always understaffed. All of us griped about it until one night the supervisor explained they had 34 applicants - 30 failed the drug test, four were hired. Three showed up, two quit after the first day and the other lasted a week.

[Rashputin]

Geez, one in four doesn't sound that bad by comparison.