WASHINGTON, DC--Congressional leaders and anti-hunger advocates will speak out in support of strengthening the food stamp program this Thursday, May 16 at 10:00 a.m. The House Agriculture Committee is scheduled to vote on its Farm Bill this Wednesday. That bill would cut $20 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps.

SNAP is the nation’s first line of defense against hunger, and millions of American families rely on it to put dinner on the table. The proposed House Farm Bill would force two to three million Americans off of food stamps entirely. Additionally, about 280,000 children from low-income families would lose access to free school meals. The House Farm Bill’s cuts are on top of a $25 per month cut that every SNAP recipient will see this fall when the increase from the Recovery Act ends. In 2001, SNAP lifted 4.7 million people out of poverty, nearly half of whom were children.

WHO: Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)

            Congressman James McGovern (D-MA)

            Congresswoman Marcia Fudge (D-OH)

            Representatives from:

·       Anne Goodman, Executive Director, Cleveland Food Bank, Feeding America

·       Jim Weill, President, Food Research and Action Center

·       Tom Nelson, President, Share Our Strength

·       Eric Mitchell, Director of Government Relations, Bread for the World

·       Josh Protas, Director of Government Affairs, Mazon

WHERE:House Triangle, House side of the East Front of the Capitol, Washington, D.C.

WHEN: Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 10:00 a.m.

 

###