According to one nonprofit, rural residents may be most hurt by changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly food stamps, Mary Kuhlman reports for Ohio News Service.
Liz Shaw, president of Indivisible Appalachian Ohio, told Kuhlman she hears stories every day from the rural working poor. "Shaw said work requirements are especially harmful for rural communities where employment opportunities, child care and public transportation options are often scarce. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, of the 150 counties in the U.S. with the highest SNAP usage, 136 are rural," Kuhlman reports. She notes, "Data from the Food Research and Action Center shows rural communities account for 78 percent of counties with the highest rates of overall food insecurity."
Shaw told Huhlman she fears the SNAP work requirement will worsen food insecurity for those in rural food deserts, places 10 miles or more from a full-service grocery: "If you're having to drive 40 miles to get food and you barely have enough money to buy the gallon of milk, much less a gallon of gas to get you to these areas to purchase food, that compounds already a problem that is untenable." Shaw also said Appalachian food pantries are already struggling to feed the hungry.
The new SNAP rules create stricter work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents under the age of 50, but such adults may have informal dependents, such as an ailing parent or step-children, that aren't acknowledged by the program.
Liz Shaw, president of Indivisible Appalachian Ohio, told Kuhlman she hears stories every day from the rural working poor. "Shaw said work requirements are especially harmful for rural communities where employment opportunities, child care and public transportation options are often scarce. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, of the 150 counties in the U.S. with the highest SNAP usage, 136 are rural," Kuhlman reports. She notes, "Data from the Food Research and Action Center shows rural communities account for 78 percent of counties with the highest rates of overall food insecurity."
Shaw told Huhlman she fears the SNAP work requirement will worsen food insecurity for those in rural food deserts, places 10 miles or more from a full-service grocery: "If you're having to drive 40 miles to get food and you barely have enough money to buy the gallon of milk, much less a gallon of gas to get you to these areas to purchase food, that compounds already a problem that is untenable." Shaw also said Appalachian food pantries are already struggling to feed the hungry.
The new SNAP rules create stricter work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents under the age of 50, but such adults may have informal dependents, such as an ailing parent or step-children, that aren't acknowledged by the program.
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