THE ASK
Tell Georgia members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to support the Senate version of the 2018 Farm Bill, especially as pertains to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
THE WHY
- One out of four Georgia children lives in poverty.
- In Georgia, 1.6 million people are struggling with hunger. Half a million are children.
- When children are food insecure, they get sick more often, do poorer in school, and are less likely to graduate from high school.
- Every $1 issued in SNAP benefits generates $1.70 in economic activity in our state.
THE WHO
- Click here for a county-level map of children using SNAP in Georgia
- Nearly 49% of households receiving SNAP have children
- More than 44% of SNAP participants are in working families
- SNAP participants must be at or below 130% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), which translates into $32,630/year for a family of four. Families with the greatest need receive the largest benefits.
- Average monthly benefit per person is $128.02/month
- Click here for GA SNAP benefits information.
- Click here for a summary of child food programs in GA
THE MESSAGE
Deliver this message in the box provided by your official’s mail service:
Please support the Senate version of the 2018 Farm Bill in conference committee. In Georgia, more than half a million children are food insecure, plus, nearly half of households receiving SNAP have children. Cutting and/or narrowing eligibility of SNAP will increase hunger challenges for children and impede their journeys to successful adulthood. For many of Georgia’s kids, SNAP is the difference between going to school hungry and going to school ready to learn. Click this link to see a county level map of children using SNAP in Georgia. Thank you for your service and for your efforts on behalf of Georgia’s children and youth.
More Detail on the Versions
The Senate bill would keep the current 20-hour work requirements for able-bodied adults and would incorporate findings from 10 state demonstration projects that are trying to incorporate work and education requirements for working-age adults. The bill would fund an additional eight state pilot projects that focus on SNAP recipients who have problems finding work. The legislation would make it easier for state agencies to work with the private sector in training SNAP recipients for jobs.
The House bill would expand work requirements to able-bodied adults ages 18 to 59 so that they keep their food benefits, requiring at least 20 hours a week of work that would be increased to 25 hours a week. The legislation also would tighten eligibility requirements, change the way monthly benefits are calculated and shift billions of dollars from food benefits into funding for state SNAP job-training and education programs.
THE HOW
Click below to call or email your senators and representative. Calling is the best way to reach out. Thank you!
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