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Local food stamp need on the rise
Sunday, June 12, 2011
By Sara Foss (Contact)
Gazette Reporter

SCHENECTADY COUNTY — In Schenectady County, the number of people on food stamps has risen steadily during the economic downturn.
Between July 2010 and May 2011, online applications for food stamps totaled 427, compared to 205 the previous year, according to Colleen Dacey, who runs the Nutrition Outreach and Education Program of Schenectady County. The outreach program, based at Catholic Charities, works to expand enrollment in anti-hunger programs.
The food stamp program is seeing a lot of new faces, people who have never enrolled in the program before, Dacey said.
“A lot of them are working,” she observed. “Or they’re on unemployment, and it’s just not cutting it. Or their unemployment ran out, and they can’t meet their needs.”
Most food stamp recipients are families, she said.
Food stamp enrollment has risen steadily throughout the state. According to the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, more than 3 million New York residents received food stamps in March, a 1.3 percent increase from February. In March 2010, about 2.7 million New Yorkers received food stamps, compared to about 2.2 million in March 2009.
“There’s been a large increase in the number of people who are eligible for the program, and they’ve been availing themselves of it,” said Anthony Farmer, a spokesman for the assistance office.
Even though food stamp enrollment is at a record high, Congress is considering ways to reduce the cost of the program. In response, more than 2,500 national, state and local organizations recently sent letters to Congress urging members to oppose proposals to change or cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which is more commonly known as food stamps.
“The food stamp program is an anti-recession program,” said Mark Dunlea, executive director of the Hunger Action Network of New York State. “When times are tough, you want the program to expand so that people don’t go hungry.”............................>>>>.............................>>>>........................http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2011/jun/12/0612_stamps/

ROFLMAO.

Schenectady's miracle.   Schenectady is in a renaissance, so says DV

Schenectady had a 'high' welfare rate BEFORE this recession even started!!! DSS was filled to capacity BEFORE the recession! Now it is OVERFLOWING!!!

Great planning, huh? It would be interesting to see the comparison between folks who actually work 'in' schenectady (city) and those on welfare! And ya can't count the city/county jobs since most of those are patronage jobs! We're talking private sector ONLY here!

The welfare rate is a result of some GOP mayor in power in the 70's. And of course George Bush, yes it is all his fault too.

I can see where a low income working family might need to resort to food stamps with the horrifying increases in food prices lately, especially for fresh fruits and vegetables, it seems. I was looking at some cherries in Hannaford, the small bag was almost five dollars, I put it down. The days of being able to save on groceries by shopping in the fresh produce section are gone, I'm afraid.
How are we going to afford all the newcomers to food stamps? In Schenectady, we had so many already, many of whom seemed suspiciously not that needy.

Quoted from GrahamBonnet

The welfare rate is a result of some GOP mayor in power in the 70's. And of course George Bush, yes it is all his fault too.

More renaissance news! When you have the highest unemployment rate and the highest tax rate in the region-Guess what-people are hurting. Metrograft has totaled failed to bring in any national retailer nor create any NEW jobs. Moving jobs from Erie Blvd or Rotterdam with a huge property tax give away is not creating anything. Except more taxpayer pain.