10% of Ohio is on Food Stamps

Holy you-know-what. 10% of Ohio is on food stamps (almost double from 2001), and even more people are eligible for them but not receiving them. 1.1 million Ohioans receive food stamps, and 500,000 more are eligible.

This is BAD. Look at the requirements for food stamp eligibility. Over 14% of Ohioans live with these conditions or WORSE:

Those in households that make up to 130 percent of the federal poverty level – $22,880 for a family of three – and with assets no greater than $2,000, in most cases, are eligible for food stamps.

Would Bush call that uniquely American? I know what John McCain says: "The issue of economics is not something I’ve understood as well as I should."

Imagine the implications for a family of 3 making $22,880. Of that, $2630 goes to federal income taxes, $332 goes to Medicare, and $1418 goes to Social Security. As best I can tell, Ohio state tax is $500. That leaves roughly $18000 per year, or $1500 per month. For three people. (Update: I'm told child credits and EITC bring their income up by $450/mo. That means this family has $1950 per month. And that is the BEST case scenario for this entire segment of 14%+ of Ohio's population.

What would their lives be like? I looked up rent for 2-bedroom apartments in Columbus. It looks like they can find something for $500/mo. Add to that an average of $50/mo for heat - although I bet it costs more than that. Let's say they can get their phone for $20/mo, they don't use air conditioning, and they've got no internet or cable TV. A bus pass for each family member is $189 ($63 apiece). Fixed costs are $759/mo without daycare (I couldn't figure out what that costs). This family has $1191 per month disposable income and they might still need to pay for daycare - not to mention health care.

(Update: I've been corrected a few more times. First of all, the family would only need a bus pass for the 2 adults, so that's $126 instead of $189. However, their heat probably costs more. Heating costs rose since I lived in the midwest, I hear, and costs also depend on insulation, which might not be great in a cheap apartment. I've also heard that Ohio's public transportation is abysmal so this family might need a car.

Food stamp benefits in Ohio average $100/person/month. The family gets $300/month. That's about $1.19 per meal. What would you buy for that? Ramen?

Today I had a "cheap" dinner. It was $11 for a delicious vegetarian buffet... too expensive for food stamps. The cheapest meals I get are soup and salad that varies by weight but rarely costs over $5 (often less) and a burrito for $3. None fall under the $1.19 mark.

Of the food I buy, there's very little that fits into a food stamp budget. I get 4 lbs of organic oranges each week for $3 at the market. I can get organic oatmeal in the bulk section for $.79/lb if I remember right. And I can get a big bag of carrots for cheap too!

At Whole Foods, I can get a loaf of organic wheat bread for $2.29 or so. Maybe it's $2.99. I can't remember. This week I bought 8 large apples for $10. I suppose if each apple were its own meal, it fits into the food stamp budget. Otherwise, no way.

If I switch from organic to conventional, then it's doable. The organic apples cost $2.50/lb compared to under $1/lb for conventional. I guess the poor don't have too much room to be picky about pesticide contamination, even though apples are one of the #1 foods that should be eaten organic every time.

Unfortunately for those living on a low income, food prices are on the rise around the world. Simultaneously, demand for food charities is up.

On average, food stamps are now providing less than two weeks of groceries.

"There's the presumption that folks have the cash to make up the rest. Well, they don't," Frech said.

Not surprisingly, food pantries and soup kitchens across the state have been reporting record demands. Like the families they serve, they, too, cannot keep pace.

In central Ohio, demand at the Mid-Ohio Food Bank in January was up 14 percent over the same period a year ago, with 120,000 requests for food.

The increased demand coupled with rising food costs and fewer donations have forced the food bank to reduce the five-day supply of food it had been giving out to a three-day supply.

"Milk is up 25 percent," said Mid-Ohio president Matt Habash. "Applesauce, a big staple at food banks, has gone from $9 to $15 a case."

In other areas of the state, pantries with their supplies depleted have been forced to temporarily close.

"The shortages," Hamler-Fugitt said, "are a double whammy for people who have been relying on food stamps and pantries."

Source

Here are a few blurbs taken from an article about rising food prices and the causes of rising food prices:

The Post article indicated that, “The rapid growth of developing nations, combined with the increasing use of land to produce ethanol, has led demand for food to outstrip supply. That middle-income family is spending $253 more each year on groceries than it did two years ago, assuming it did not change its buying patterns.

“The price for dairy products has risen 15 percent since 2006; fruits and vegetables are up 10 percent. Even routine cereals and bakery products are up 8 percent.”

Ms. Corcoran noted that, “In decades past, farm subsidies and support programs allowed major grain exporting countries to hold large surpluses, which could be tapped during food shortages to keep prices down. But new liberal trade policies have made agricultural production much more responsive to market demands — putting global food reserves at their lowest in a quarter century.

Thanks a lot, NAFTA.