Food Stamps Feeding Hungry in Bay, Midland and Saginaw Counties
|
|||||||||||
| Printer Friendly Story View |
Information on How to Calculate Your Family's Eligibility for Food Stamps
There are 239 counties in the United States where at least a quarter of the population receives food stamps, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Census Bureau.
Bay, Midland and Saginaw counties, thankfully, are below that percentage, but there is substantial food stamp distribution here.
An estimated 7,000 families receive food stamps in the Great Lakes Bay Region: Bay, 1,760; Midland, 1,020; and Saginaw, 4,200.
Nationally, food stamps feed one in eight people and one in four children.
Saginaw County, at 20 percent of the population on food stamps, is highest in the Great Lakes Bay Region. Some 37 percent of children are among that number and the rate of distribution has risen 14 percent since 2007.
In Bay County, about 16 percent of the people receive food stamps, including 29 percent of children. And, the number has risen 14 percent since 2007.
The highest percentage increase since 2007, 17 percent, was reported in Midland County that has about 12 percent of the population on food stamps, including 19 percent of children.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, is the foundation of America's national nutrition safety net, working to end hunger and improve the health of low-income people by helping families buy the food they need for a nutritionally adequate diet.
Participation in SNAP can help stretch limited budgets, improve nutrition, and reduce the risk of diet-related health problems.
Families, people living alone, and people living with roommates use SNAP benefits. People who are homeless can get SNAP benefits, too. People of all ages use SNAP benefits.
You do not need to be receiving Family Independence income or to be out of work in order to get them.
People who are working or have regular income form other sources than work, such as Social Security or a retirement pension, disability benefits, child support, or unemployment, can often get SNAP benefits.
If you are applying for SNAP benefits, your benefit amount will depend upon the number of people in your food stamp "household", your "household's" total monthly income, and certain "household" monthly expenses.
You may complete an application form for SNAP benefits at your local Department of Human Services (DHS).
SNAP benefits give a person or family more buying power at the grocery store. The benefits are not intended to cover all of a family's food costs, but will lessen the amount of income that must be used toward groceries each month.
SNAP eligibility and benefits are based on several factors including:
The number of people who live in a household and buy food and prepare meals together;
How much money your family has left from its monthly income after certain household expenses are subtracted.
Once household eligibility is determined, your approved food stamp benefits will be deposited into an account each month. The account is accessed by using an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card. The EBT card acts as a debit card. Each time you use your card, your account will be reduced by the cost of the groceries you buy.
Food stamps are distributed once a month on electronic cards that can be spent at many grocery stores. The government's $787 billion stimulus bill added about $80 to a family's monthly allowance, which now averages $290 per month.
The Michigan Food Stamp Calculator provides an estimate of the Food Assistance your household may be eligible for in a given month. It uses the current State of Michigan (DHS) and U.S. Department of Agriculture standards.
If you have questions or to receive a more accurate estimate, you may call the Michigan Food and Nutrition Program Helpline at 1-800-481-4989 or contact your local legal aid office, which you may find at the MichiganLegalAid.org Website.
Counties in the nation with the highest percentage of food stamp distribution are Wade Hampton County, Alaska, and Owsley County, Kentucky, both with 49 percent of the populace on food stamps.
The Food Assistance Program supplements the food purchasing power of low-income individuals and families. The U.S. Department of Agriculture funds 100 percent of this program. The state and federal governments share administrative costs.
The Department of Human Services (DHS) determines eligibility for food assistance. Generally, eligibility for food assistance depends on the financial situation of all members of the household group. All persons who live together and purchase and prepare food together are considered to be members of the same food assistance group.
FAP benefits can be used to buy eligible food at any Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) authorized retail food store or approved meal provider.
Eligible food includes:
Any food or food product intended for human consumption except alcoholic beverages, tobacco, and foods prepared for immediate consumption.
Seeds and plants to grow food for personal consumption.
Meals prepared by organizations approved by FNS as specified below.
Meals prepared and served to eligible residents by a shelter for battered women and children, certain adult foster care (AFC) homes and substance abuse treatment centers.
Retail food stores include:
Recognized grocery stores.
House-to-house grocery vendors, such as milk and milk product deliverers, but not ice cream vendors.
Nonprofit food purchasing ventures - private nonprofit associations of consumers whose members pool their resources to buy food.
Approved meal providers may include:
Communal dining facilities. (example: certain homeless shelters, group homes)
Certain restaurants which provide low cost meals if you or your spouse are 60 years of age or older or blind, disabled and receive SSI or are homeless.
Meal delivery services - public or private nonprofit organizations which prepare and deliver meals to elderly persons (60 years of age or over), physically or mentally impaired persons, and their spouses, who are unable to adequately prepare all of their meals. ###
| Printer Friendly Story View |
"The BUZZ" - Read Feedback From Readers! |
|
|
Dave Rogers |
|
|
|
Printer-Friendly Story View
0200 Nd: 04-21-2024 d 4 cpr 0
12/31/2020 P3v3-0200-Ad.cfm
SPONSORED LINKS
12/31/2020 drop ads P3v3-0200-Ad.cfm