Fulton soup kitchen president reacts to possible cuts to SNAP program

With uncertainty for the fate of the national Farm Bill, a Missouri agency has expressed concerns about the bill's outcome for the Supplemental Nutritional Assisstance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps.

The Missouri Association for Social Welfare released a statement on Friday about its worries of what the Farm Bill could mean to low-income families and individuals. This comes after the SNAP decreases in November due to the stimulus expiration, which lessened the amount a person received per meal by 10 cents from $1.40 to $1.30. A meal for one person at minimum is between $1.61 and $2.25, according to the association.

"The $11 billion multi-year SNAP benefit cuts that began to be implemented in November have already increased lines at Missouri's food pantries, food banks and other charitites," the associtation's release states.

Locally, Anne Erbschloe, president of the Fulton Soup Kitchen, said she has a steady increase of people receiving meals since the beginning of the year. Erbschloe said she has no doubts more SNAP cuts could continue to affect those in the Fulton area. Many of the people she serves have low-paying jobs and qualify for food stamps but still need additional assistance from the soup kitchen and food banks because "they don't have a choice," she said.

When those who use food stamps have exhausted that resource, Erbschloe said she sees them in the soup kitchen.

"They would rather be in their own homes, cooking their own food," Erbschloe said.