(Texas Tribune/Becca Aaronson)
The number of Texans receiving federal food assistance — commonly known as food stamps — has increased by nearly 1.4 million in the last four years. Nearly 15 percent of Texans now receive food stamps, and many more than that are eligible.
More than 3.7 million Texans — more than half of whom are children — receive food benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a federally funded program administered by the state Health and Human Services Commission.
While more Texans are getting food assistance, experts say food insecurity — the inability to access nutritious food — remains a serious problem. Texas had the second-highest percentage of households suffering from food insecurity in the nation in 2010, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Only two-thirds of those who are eligible for the program are currently receiving benefits, according to data from the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service. In October, the agency gave Texas good marks for improvement but still ranked the state 39th nationally for how accessible the food assistance program is to low-income communities.
(Read the full story at the Texas Tribune)
OTHER CLIPPINGS:
- KIPP enlists UH in Graduation Program (Houston Chronicle)
- International Education Week: USAID and Peace Corps Expand Reach in Global Education (USAID)
- Parents Missing Out on Magnet Schools (KRIV-Channel 26)
- Survey: Car Owners Want Better Fuel-Economy, Support Increased Standards (Consumer Reports)
- Reclaimed Water Stretches the Supply, with ‘Yuck’ Factor (Houston Chronicle)
- Liver Illness Threatens Obese Children (Houston Chronicle)