Food Cuts Threaten NJ Families [AUDIO]

Nearly one million New Jerseyans will see a cut in their federal food assistance benefits this fall, when a temporary boost to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) expires on October 31.  

SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, provides low and moderate income families with food each month, and a proposal in Washington would cut those benefits by 40 billion. The cuts in Congress would mean a reduction of $29 a month for food assistance for the more than 850,000 New Jerseyans who get this assistance, half of them children.

"Prices go up and people's budgets shrink. It's not rocket science. People need every bit because their budget is hanging on the edge of a knife," said Diane Riley, a director at The Community Food Bank of New Jersey.

Riley said Congress has not done their homework if they believe these cuts can be survived by those in need. "Anybody talking about cutting 40 billion dollars has not done their homework."

The cut translates into a per person, per meal cost of less than $1.40.

"We're talking about meals being lost for people.  Actual meals being lost for people," said Riley.