\AA psi LLhviivIENTARY Watch Bill's honest take on democracy and our times The Gap Between SNAP and Basic Economic Security by John Light: June 28, 2013 There's a wide gap between the income cutoff for government food assistance and the income required to provide children with a nutritious diet. As of early 2013, nearly 48 million Americans received food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). That's about 15 percent of the country. Despite those numbers, a May 2013 report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which oversees SNAP, found that 21 percent of families with children experienced food insecurity in 2011 — meaning that at least some family members couldn't get enough to eat to lead "active, healthy lives." Income requrecl for basic economic security €8.000 56,000 $4 000 $2.000 $0 The SNAP gap for a family of three I • • : ; etC 5. 'C 0 11 45 I a 0. 8 e E (1- z 2 BEST index data supplied by Wider Opportunities for Women. Interactive chart by BillMoyers.com ++a bleat). +++ Page I 1 of 2 EFTA01143203