A proposal to defund the food stamp program and, instead, send low-income families boxes of food is not sitting well with groups that work with families living on the margins of San Antonio, 1200 WOAI news reports.
“It’s a macro solution for a micro problem,” Navarre Williams, head of SAMMinistries says.
The boxes would replace about half of the current SNAP program's cash benefits, which are put on a debit-style card and can be used at groceries or corner stores for staples. They would include non-perishable items such as juice, pasta, canned meat and beans. The USDA estimated that buying the items wholesale would save $129 billion over a decade.
Speaking to reporters Monday, White House budget director Mick Mulvaney compared the boxes to the popular subscription-based services that send pre-portioned meals through the mail
."I don't want to steal somebody's copyright. You actually receive the food instead of receive the cash."
But Williams says the one-size-fits-all idea is fraught with problems, including the fact that fresh fruits and veggies, and fresh meat would not be available. Many of the needy they work with live off fast food, and part of their education is how to eat healthier.
“How is the federal government going to know what food allergies a family might have or if they’re lactose intolerant?”