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Crystal Espinoza of Fort Collins writes:

Earlier this month I went to Washington DC, with Bread for the World and joined 400 people of faith from 45 states to ask Congress for broad reform of U.S. food and farm policy in order to make progress in the fight against hunger and poverty.
What stands in the way is our current system of commodity payments, which benefit a few wealthy farmers at the expense of many people who really need the help.
In the world’s wealthiest nation, 35 million people — including 12% of households in Colorado — are at risk of hunger. The Food Stamp Program, which is part of the farm bill, is our nation’s first line of defense against hunger. In Colorado, 245,926 people receive food stamp benefits each month — but that’s just 56% of the low-income people who qualify.
This farm bill needs to strengthen the Food Stamp Program so that our country ensures low-income people an adequate, nutritious diet.
In addition, this new farm bill should provide more help for struggling rural communities, which have much higher poverty rates than in cities; help U.S. farmers of modest means earn a sufficient livelihood; and allow small-scale farmers in poor countries to earn their way out of poverty.
The House Agriculture Committee will mark up the farm bill after Independence Day. We are not just running out of time, but also out of excuses. Colorado’s congressional delegation — especially Representatives Salazar and Musgrave and Senator Salazar, who are on Agriculture Committees — should heed the call for Farm Bill reform.

This letter has not been edited.

READER COMMENTS

I have an idea. Cut off the illegals that are getting food stamps and WIC for their many,many border babies and deport them back from where they came,babies in tow.

Then we can use that money to feed American citizens.

What a concept.

Crystal,
My family is one of those that chooses not to accept food stamps. We get a monthly or more frequent phone call telling us we qualify. It is our conclusion that allowing social services any admittance into your home is like taking in a stray pitbull:
You risk more than you gain and even if the animal is harmless you will have horrible difficulty getting rid of it.

We eat pretty good as we shop at Wal-Mart and Sam's club. Sam's doesn't take food stamps but we can buy enough food for a family of 3-4 (depending on whether or not my nephew is here to help out after I get out of the hospital) for about 75-100 a week. Just requires budgeting, planning and self-reliance.

Of course if we cut off the flow of aid to illegals there would be plenty left for the citizens.

After all, those immigrants just came here to work, not get benefits.

re:Can I get an Amen...
Although I welcome your opinion, I suggest that a little more factual research is necessary.
Only immigrants that are here legally for 5 years and meet all other eligibility requirements are eligible for food stamps, and the accuracy of the program in terms of benefit levels and eligibility is at an all-time high: http://www.cbpp.org/6-30-04fa.htm - there is absolutely no evidence that undocumented immigrants (or any other category of ineligible people) are getting food stamps in any kind of scale.

Mommy, my husband and I had a few months on food stamps years ago. It was a very pleasant experience and the people were helpful. When we no longer needed them, we quit.

Now I contribute to local food banks. What goes around in society does in dead come around in time.

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