On Staten Island Tonight: Mayor Visits JCC For Faith Event – SNAP, Medicaid Supporters Can Talk To City Officials About Cuts, Mitigation Efforts

On Staten Island Tonight: Mayor Visits JCC For Faith Event – SNAP, Medicaid Supporters Can Talk To City Officials About Cuts, Mitigation Efforts

 

Editor’s note: As discussed in a previous editorial, Medicaid cuts are likely to greatly harm senior populations, particularly those who are low income and in nursing homes.  Rural hospitals are likely to also bear the brunt of the budget cuts. And SNAP cuts and new requirements will be likely to remove many residents from these programs.  Later this week, Rep. AOC  will provide us with a detailed explanation of who the cuts will affect and when they’ll go into effect. It should be noted that requiring recipients of SNAP to work for their benefits, which have a maximum value of $290 for one person, means that their hourly “wage” for the 80 monthly hours is $3.26, particularly if they’re volunteering for an organization rather than working for an actual wage.  Since many recipients already have a job (due to the regulations in TANF itself which provides for SNAP), many have said this will cause an unfair reporting burden that is itself likely to be the cause of benefits loss (rather than the beneficiaries not working as required). 

 

The following message was released by Terry Troia of the Staten Island Hunger Task Force and Food For All programs: 

This meeting is very important to all feeding programs on Staten Island. We are working with the Mayor’s Office of Community and Faith Based Initiatives to get people to the event so that issues important to Staten Islanders are heard and addressed. As the chair of the Food-for-All committee, I urge you all to attend and have your voice heard.

 

The Commissioner of Social Services Molly Parks will be there and we have many questions about food access and funding for our food pantry programs. As well as how Medicaid cuts will impact medical services for homeless people and the many impoverished families who seek assistance in the community.

 

I urge you to come Tomorrow and support the Hunger Task Force as we raise issues that are critical to our mission moving forward.

The initial invitation message is below: 

A Message from Terry Troia and the Food for All Campaign

Good afternoon,

Attached below you will find a flyer for the Mayor’s Multi-faith Borough tour which will be coming to Staten Island next Wednesday evening.

We would like to invite all of you to sign up and join us at this event. With the cuts to SNAP and many other federal cuts expected, it is more important now than ever to fill this meeting with people who actively work with the food insecure population so that we can ask the Mayor directly how we can fill the gaps in nutrition that many New Yorkers will soon be facing.

Each voice we have in the crowd that calls for more support will go a long way in our advocacy and help to close the gap that we are sure to feel in the coming months and years. Please, We urge you to sign up and join if you’re able. We hope to see you there.

Thanks!

Terry Troia

SIHTF Food For All Campaign

Banner Image: Food pantry. Image Credit – Aaron Doucett