People in Florida need more food help in'08-report

[UpInArms]

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Florida residents are increasingly seeking government help with food costs, according to a report released on Thursday.

In the last year, the state experienced the largest increase in people enrolling for food stamps of all states, a report by the Kaiser Family Foundation has found.

Some 22.4 percent more Floridians relied on food subsidies in August 2008 than in August 2007.

Nevada experienced the second-largest increase of 20.9 percent on a year-over-year basis, followed by Idaho, which had a 20.6 percent increase.

The rate of people participating in the program gives some indication of the long-term economic health of individual states, as most of those who enroll live in poverty.

To receive food stamps, a family must have a gross monthly income of no more than 130 percent of that set by federal poverty guidelines, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers the program.

Starting last month, that means a family of three cannot have more than $1,907 coming in each month, and it cannot have more than $2,000 in "countable resources," such as a bank account, according to the department's Web site.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/bondsNews/idUSN133877072...

[keepCAblue]

1. 62% of them can starve, for all I care...n/t

[clydefrand]

6. I hope you don't really mean that. Children starving is a terrible

thing to contemplate or starvation of anyone is horrible. What did 62% of Floridians do to deserve starvation?

[Dappleganger]

8. Exactly. And feeding them and giving them a hand may be

exactly what challenges them to open up to the fact that they have been lied to by the republicans for TOO long.

[TechBear_Seattle]

2. I will gladly help those who voted No on proposition 2

The rest of the state can go fuck itself.

[kmdemqueen]

3. This is serious

[Dappleganger]

4. Yes, it is serious.

We just received a church-wide email asking for donations for specific families who have applied for gov't help, but have to wait for it and have immediate needs. The food pantry that we run as well as others in this area is running dangerously low, and more families from the nicer suburbs are asking for a little help.

When someone needs a little help I don't care how they voted, but do hope they wise up as a result of being helped.

[Stuart G]

5. Of all the problems I read about ....this may be the worst...

How can this happen here...In this country with the most food per capita in the world?...and the cheapest per capita given the relative cost of food vs total income in the world?????

What the fuck is wrong with this country????

[Dappleganger]

7. We all need to pay better attention to our neighbors (myself included).

[eilen]

9. We need a more proactive plan for preventing and solving hunger.

Why anyone should starve in Florida is beyond bizarre. You put anything in the ground there and it literally grows like crazy. This country needs community gardens and community farms to ensure food security. That is one part of a solution.