The persistence of hunger in America, in the midst of unparalleled economic prosperity, is a moral challenge facing our society. Indeed, these seem to be the best of times and the worst of times for Americans. In the midst of the most prosperous economic period in history, we are seeing the largest recorded wealth gap ever between the haves and the have-nots in our society. Surely, with such a large budget surplus, our government could find ways to ensure adequate support for hungry and poor people. This presents a great opportunity to address the needs of hungry and poor people.
Food stamps are our nation's first line of defense against hunger.
Since the 1996 welfare reform law was enacted, however, participation rates for the Food Stamp Program have declined by 30 percent, far beyond what the strong economy would warrant. The dramatic drop in participation between 1995 and 1997 was five times greater than the slight decrease in the number of families living in poverty, indicating a large unmet need in food assistance. The General Accounting Office states that the decline in food stamp participation is largely due to the uneven implementation of welfare reform and the confusion surrounding it, and the elimination of eligibility for most legal immigrants. Welfare reform has proven uneven. Many of those who found employment work irregular hours, have no benefits, and minimal prospects for advancement, all while facing stark cutbacks and participation barriers to support services.