TAMPA, Fla. — Earlier this week, President Biden's administration approved a significant and permanent increase in the levels of food aid available to families in need — the largest single increase in the program's history.
Starting in October, average benefits for food stamps — officially known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP — will rise more than 25 percent above pre-pandemic levels. The increased assistance will be available indefinitely to all 42 million SNAP beneficiaries.
In practical terms, the average monthly per-person benefits for qualified recipients will rise from $121 to $157.
It's the largest increase the program has seen in more than 40 years, which Thomas Mantz, president and CEO of Feeding Tampa Bay, says couldn't have come at a better time.
The local food bank serves low-income individuals and families across 10 counties in the Tampa Bay region. But, Feeding Tampa Bay's secondary mission is to connect eligible people to SNAP so that the one meal they desperately need can be turned into nine.
Mantz says a majority of workers in the Tampa Bay area are part of the tourism industry which was devastated during the pandemic. The increase in benefits would go a long way in helping those who are out of work and struggling as a result.
"Tampa Bay in many ways, from an economic standpoint, was hit harder than other communities because so much of our community really worked of the tourism and leisure segment of our economy," Mantz says. "The good news is that this kind of benefit will then be of greater value to people in our community cause more people will be eligible and be able to use it."
However, the 25 percent increase the program has received doesn't go all the way in helping those in need. Even though Mantz says it is an important and much-needed investment, wages are not keeping up with the constantly increasing cost of living.
Around 1.5 million people across Tampa Bay are eligible for SNAP benefits, according to Mantz. The greatest barrier eligible people face is not knowing they qualify for benefits.
Mantz says the best way to find out is to reach out to organizations like Feeding Tampa Bay to inquire or visit the SNAP website.