BENNINGTON -- On Nov. 1, a key funding boost to the food stamps program from the 2009 stimulus package expired, leaving millions of low-income individuals and families to struggle with the repercussions.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (commonly known as SNAP, or simply "food stamps") enrolls approximately 47.6 million people nationwide. The funding decrease, which will average to about a 5 percent decrease for each person on the program, reflects the expiration of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's boost to the program.

A family of four will see a decrease of about $36 per month. A family of three's benefits will decrease by about $29, according to data from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. After the decrease, the average benefits received now sits around $1.40 per meal, per person.

According to Mary Gerisch of the Vermont Workers' Center, who is also involved with the Kitchen Cupboard food pantry in Bennington, about one third of the residents of Bennington participate in the SNAP program, to some degree. One person, she said, had the amount she receives in food stamps reduced to about $8 per month over the last several years.

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