13 WTHR - Indianapolis News |Food stamps may be used to feed economy
Washington - Food stamps have long been a part of the nation's social safety net. Now, some say they could help pump new life into the economy, but every year, millions of dollars in food stamp benefits go unused - and Indiana is no exception.
Foreclosure victims are dumping furniture outside their homes, mortgage giant Fannie Mae was bailed out, and more people are on food stamps. These are all symptoms of the struggling economy.
"The food stamps feed your family, put dinner on the table. Breakfast in the morning, lunch in the evening. On the weekend when you don't have money to go to the store, food stamps take care of your family," said food stamp recipient Temple Solomon.
A new report by the Food Research and Action Council said that the program reaches more than 80% of those eligible in Marion County. It is one of the highest rates among 24 cities surveyed.
But, more than $12 million worth of food stamp benefits go unclaimed by people in Indianapolis who do qualify.
"They may not know of the program. They may think that they're not eligible because they're working, even though their income is so low that they are eligible," said James Weill of the Food Research and Action Center.
Congress is looking at getting more food stamps in the hands of those who need them as a way of feeding more cash into the economy.
Advocates for the food stamp program say it is perhaps the best way to get money into a city's economy quickly, because it is money virtually certain to be spent. With more people in need, some say it makes no sense to leave that money on the table.
