SNAP in St. Lawrence County

According the New York State's Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (ODTA), in January of 2015, 8,683 households in St. Lawrence County were receiving benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly called food stamps).  17,129 people lived in these households and benefited from this program.

In that single month, January 2015, more than $2 million in SNAP benefits was provided to County residents!  For the most part, these funds were spent at grocery stores in the County and maybe a few stores nearby in neighboring counties.  So, these funds not only help provide food for people who need assistance, they are very important to our local grocery stores and the local economy!

Moody's estimates that every dollar of SNAP benefits that goes into a community returns $1.78 in economic activity to that community!

Imagine if that $2 million a month was taken away from St. Lawrence County...stores would close, jobs would be lost, and of course, people would go hungry.  Protecting and improving the SNAP program is a key priority for fighting hunger, but look at how it also benefits a community!