Food stamp use is highest in rural Georgia. So are grocery prices. (Atlanta: to buy)

[toll_booth]

https://www.ajc.com/news/state--regi...vycInEwfEGH1J/

Rural Georgians are more likely to need the help of food stamps to pay for their groceries, but that public help probably doesn’t stretch as far as it does in places such as Atlanta because of higher food prices in small-town stores.

Poor, rural Georgians pay more for fresh lettuce, macaroni and cheese, and other foods in part because there is so little competition for their business, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution review.

It’s a trend occurring across the country. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that about 5 million people in rural areas have to travel 10 miles or more to buy groceries.

Some experts say the federal government should invest even more in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — commonly known as food stamps — to improve access to food for rural Georgians who typically have lower incomes, are more likely to receive the benefit but have to pay the higher prices.

Is it time for Georgia to follow this advice and reverse the trend of SNAP assistance cuts?

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by toll_booth

https://www.ajc.com/news/state--regi...vycInEwfEGH1J/





Is it time for Georgia to follow this advice and reverse the trend of SNAP assistance cuts?

Yes, it helps people in poverty put food on the table.

[Brian_M]

How does putting more funding in SNAP improve access? They going to start building grocery stores in towns where there's only one (overpriced) option?



If access is the issue, then fix that. Don't just put more money into the hands of people who've already proven they can't manage their money. Or, go back to the old ways and deliver actual food. I don't mind funding it so long as the money is being used responsibly (lol, I know... we're talking GA government here, there is no responsibility or accountability).

[JayHey]

Originally Posted by Brian_M

Don't just put more money into the hands of people who've already proven they can't manage their money.

Yikes, you either don't understand who is on SNAP benefits or just felt the need to pointlessly and erroneously shame those people.

[Mattie]

If SNAP benefits are cut, the burden will fall on food pantries. I work for a charity that runs one, and we are overwhelmed already by the needs of the community. It isn't able-bodied adults who are lining up every day, it's the elderly, young mothers, the working poor, and grandparents raising their grandchildren.