Last week, the House of Representatives voted to cut SNAP (food stamps) by $36 billion. If that cut is made law:
Every SNAP recipient will see a reduction in monthly benefits;
Two million people currently on SNAP will lose SNAP benefits entirely;
280,000 children will lose free school breakfast and lunch.
Help us raise awareness and deliver our message – cutting hunger-relief programs like SNAP and TEFAP is not only wrong, it’s short sighted given the impact of hunger on health care, education, and the workforce.
You can help spread the word by submitting a letter to the editor of your local publication. Below, you will find a sample LTE you can use as a guide – but you’ll want to personalize your letter as you see fit. The more personal the story, the more likely you are to get your LTE published.
To the Editor:
For those of you who weren’t aware, the House of Represntatives recently voted on a package that tries to prevent automatic budget cuts by gutting programs that support low-income Americans. Specifically, they cut $36 billion from SNAP, or food stamps, alone.
I realize we need to balance the budget, but is this really the way to do it? Cutting programs that put food on the table for people in our community that are hungry is not just short-sighted, but it is also just plain wrong.
We talk a lot about values in this country, but our elected officials’ votes don’t always seem to back up their words. Congress seems to have this reverse Robin Hood mentality these days – rob from the poor to protect the rich. If anything, we need to strengthen our nation’s hunger saftey net, not cut the strings to it.
I urge you to call your Representative and tell them this is unacceptable.
