Stepping up to the Food Stamp Challenge in California

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Assemblymember Mark Leno

Most of us will never know the desperation parents must feel when trying to feed their family nutritious foods using food stamps. But for two million Californians on food stamps, and for the two million Californians who are financially eligible for food stamps but don’t receive them, that desperation is an every day reality.

On Tuesday, June 5th, National Hunger Awareness Day, the California State Assembly will vote on AB 1382, which I am authoring this year, that will help families access food stamps and recover hundreds of millions in lost federal dollars.

Additionally, in an effort to increase awareness about hunger in California and get first-hand experience of the many challenges those who live on food stamps face everyday, I am taking the California Association of Food Banks up on their “Food Stamp Challenge.” This week, I am living on the national average food stamp budget of $21 for the week. That works out to $3 per day or $1 per meal.

The Food Stamp Program helps feed more than 2 million low-income Californians, two-thirds of whom are children who need nutritious foods to fuel their growing bodies. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which is responsible for administering the Food Stamp Program, the nationwide average monthly benefit is $94.05.