healthy food - BANNING SNAP USE FOR �JUNK� FOOD IGNORES REALITY - SIBEJO

Maine Governor Paul LePage threatened to end his state�s participation in SNAP unless Maine was permitted to ban recipients from using their benefits for �junk� food. The average SNAP benefit for a household is just $254, but healthy food costs more than low�nutrition options, leaving...

healthy food - SNAP ASSET LIMITS HAVE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES - SIBEJO

SNAP asset limits aim to target government resources and program benefits to people with the greatest need. But they may discourage low�income households from building a savings cushion that would help them weather economic shocks, such as a job loss or an unexpected car repair or...

healthy food - Farmer Friday - Lay Z Ducks Farms - SIBEJO

GardenShare summer intern, Amanda, reflects on another farm visit this week...When I went grocery shopping at Price Chopper with my parents this week, I couldn�t help but notice distinct differences in our shopping habits now that I buy food for myself. My mom reached for a head...

healthy food - NEW YORK EXPANDS ACCESS TO SNAP - SIBEJO

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo�s decision to increase eligibility for SNAP benefits goes into effect this month. The state raised the income limit for working households from 130% of the poverty line to 150%, which will make thousands of New Yorkers eligible for nutrition assistance....

healthy food - INCENTIVES HELP SNAP PARTICIPANTS EAT HEALTHIER - SIBEJO

Financial incentives can help SNAP families eat healthier foods. According to a randomized controlled trial, a 30% rebate on fruits and vegetables increased their daily consumption by 26%. The trial evaluated USDA's Healthy Incentives Pilot program, which offered a 30% rebate for...

healthy food - CANDY, SODA AND SNAP: THE REALITY - SIBEJO

Angered by the federal government�s denial of his request to bar residents from buying candy or sugar-sweetened beverages with SNAP benefits, Maine Governor Paul LePage has threatened to end the state�s administration of the program. Is there any truth to his claim that SNAP recipients...

healthy food - HIGHER SNAP BENEFITS MEANS MORE FOOD, BETTER NUTRITION - SIBEJO

Boosting SNAP benefits raises not only the amount that low-income households spend on groceries but also its nutritional quality, according to a new study. The study�s main findings include:Low-income families report that to meet their food needs, they would need to spend an additional...

healthy food - Excellus BlueCross BlueShield supports GardenShare - SIBEJO

All Farmers Markets in St. Lawrence County are equipped to accept debit cards or SNAP-EBT benefits (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly called food stamps).  To use these cards, the customer should visit the Market Manager's booth, where the cards can be swiped...

healthy food - Gouverneur Famers Market opens tommorow, June 2 - SIBEJO

The Gouverneur Farmers Market opens on Thursday, June 2, on the Village Green in Gouverneur.  The market will be open from 9:00 to 2:00 every Thursday until October.The Canton Farmers Market is open from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM every Tuesday and Friday until October.The Potsdam Farmers...

healthy food - MODERNIZING SNAP BENEFITS - SIBEJO

SNAP  benefit levels are �based on increasingly outdated assumptions, including unreasonable expectations about households� availability of time to prepare food, and need to be modernized,� a new paper explains. It calls for a 20% benefit increase in the short term and more...

healthy food - PREPARING FOR THE NEXT RECESSION BY STRENGTHENING SNAP - SIBEJO

The current economic recovery is already longer than the postwar average, so it may be prudent to ask--is a recession lurking around the corner? While there�s no way to know, Congress could start preparing for one by strengthening the �automatic stabilizers� in the federal budget�programs...

healthy food - SNAP CASELOADS DROP - SIBEJO

The number of SNAP participants has fallen by more than 3 million in the last three years, new USDA data for show � reflecting the broad pattern for SNAP that the Congressional Budget Office and others had forecast. SNAP grew significantly between 2007 and 2011 to meet rising need,...

healthy food - Farmers Markets Open This Week - SIBEJO

The Canton Farmers Market opens this Friday, May 13, on the green in Canton.  This Market will be open from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM every Tuesday and Friday until October.The Potsdam Farmers Market opens this Saturday, May 14 at Ives Park in Potsdam.  This Market will be open...

healthy food - DO NUTRITION PROGRAMS MAKE TEENS HUNGRY? - SIBEJO

As any parent of a teenager knows, his or her child eats a lot. The new U.S. dietary guidelines estimate that teens need as many calories as their parents, and more than three times their younger siblings. While the dietary guidelines treat teenagers like adults, SNAP benefit calculations...

healthy food - ADVANCING HEALTH THROUGH FOOD SECURITY - SIBEJO

A recent report considers policy and economic assumptions regarding the short- and long-term impacts of food insecurity on healthcare costs. The report explores the relationship between food insecurity, healthcare costs, poverty, and health outcomes (including obesity), and opportunities...

healthy food - 10 FACTS ABOUT FOOD INSECURITY & SNAP - SIBEJO

One in seven households was food insecure in 2014�meaning that at some time during the year they had difficulty providing enough food for all of their members. 15 million children live in food-insecure households. Even more troubling, in 2014 almost 7 million households...

healthy food - BOOSTING SNAP BENEFITS CHEAPER THAN CORPORATE TAX BREAKS - SIBEJO

A new report outlines four proposals to reduce poverty and expand opportunity for low-income Americans that would cost less than current tax breaks for corporations and the wealthy. For example, letting US corporations defer paying taxes on their overseas profits currently costs...

healthy food - THE SAFETY NET IS FRAYING - SIBEJO

Today, in large part because of welfare reform laws enacted in 1996, the safety net�the set of government efforts to come to the aid of the country�s citizens when they are down on their luck, much of which has existed since the Great Depression�is thin and getting thinner. The number...

healthy food - DRUG TESTING SNAP RECIPIENTS - SIBEJO

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and 11 other Republican governors have asked Congress to allow their states to drug test SNAP recipients. Their letter asserts that �Drug testing recipients of SNAP benefits� will aid in our ability to move individuals off of this welfare program and back...

healthy food - Summer EBT extended, but not to the North Country - SIBEJO

USDA recently announced $26.9 million in grant funds to be distributed among eight grantees to continue administering pilots of the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) programs, providing summertime nutrition assistance to children who receive free and reduced price meals during...