The Food Bank of Delaware strongly opposes a controversial Trump Administration budget proposal that includes the use of nonperishable food boxes.
The food bank has distribution centers in the Newark and Milford areas.
“As we work each day to fulfill this mission, we are saddened by the budget proposal put forward by President Trump last week. According to an analysis of the budget conducted by Feeding America, this budget will eliminate the important Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) and dramatically cut Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, while making dramatic changes in other food assistance programs,” the Food Bank stated.
The statement continued, “These programs will affect millions of Americans and thousands of Delawareans. Last fiscal year, the Food Bank of Delaware distributed over 27,850 meal boxes to over 2,250 Delaware seniors through the CSFP program. These seniors, many on a fixed income, will have few other options for support without this needed program. According to a recent report by the United States Department of Agriculture, SNAP benefits were distributed to a monthly average of 147,559 Delawareans in over 39,275 households in FY2016. Those benefits directly help many families put food on their table and every dollar of SNAP benefits result in $1.80 in economic activity.”
The statement concluded, “These eliminations and cuts are not good for Delaware families. In our work, the Food Bank of Delaware sees each day the valuable impact that all nutrition programs, particularly CSFP and SNAP, have on our communities. We cannot sit idly by and watch their impacts eroded. We call upon our members of Congress to fight these proposals and ensure that every Delawarean has access to these vital programs.”
(My take) The food box proposal is widely believed to be a non-starter with Congress. However, other changes to the SNAP program have a greater chance of passage, as Congress wrestles with budget deficits that will increase with the newly passed tax bill. – Doug Rainey
