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State food-stamp program getting a boost from federal stimulus plan
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Published: March 31, 2009
RALEIGH - The state's food-stamp program will receive $145 million in additional funding over the next six months from the federal stimulus plan, the N.C. Justice Center said yesterday.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is providing $4 billion in added benefits nationally.
The U.S. Agriculture Department estimates that every $1 in food stamps expands a local economy by a value of $1.84. For North Carolina, it would create an economic boost of an estimated $270 million.
"Food stamps are an ideal economic-stimulus tool because they are always spent locally and have a widespread ripple effect," said Louisa Warren, a policy advocate for the N.C. Justice Center.
The center reported that families will see their food-stamp benefits increase by 13.6 percent, or about $20 to $24 a person each month for most families.
As of December, nearly 1.1 million North Carolinians received food stamps — a 16 percent increase over one year earlier.
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