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</span></b></p> <o:p> <table border="1" width="100" align="left" id="table3"> <tr> <td><script type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script></td> </tr> </table> </o:p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b> <span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Arial"> • 54% of food pantry clients in Mid-Missouri have children and 2% of these households include both adults over the age of 65 and children? </span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b> <span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Arial"> -Survey by University of Missouri, 2005 </span> </b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b> <span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Arial"> • According to the USDA, 6% of elderly households in the United States in 2005 had trouble affording food. </span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><font color="#800000"><b> <span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Arial"> FACT SHEET ON HOUSE BILL 454: SUPPLEMENTAL FOOD STAMPS GOOD FOR MISSOURI SENIORS – GOOD FOR MISSOURI </span></b></font></p> <o:p><div align="left"> <table border="0" width="100" align="left" id="table2"> <tr> <td>  <center><script language=javascript> </script> <noscript> <a href="http://a.tribalfusion.com/i.click?site=TodaysSeniorsNetworkcom&adSpace=ROS&size=300x250&requestID=1125542786" target=_blank> <img src="http://a.tribalfusion.com/i.ad?site=TodaysSeniorsNetworkcom&adSpace=ROS&size=300x250&requestID=1125542786" width=300 height=250 border=0 alt="Click Here"></a> </noscript> </center>  </td> </tr> </table> </div> </o:p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b> <span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Arial"> • The minimum Food Stamp benefit of $10 was set in 1974 and has not been adjusted to account for inflation or other factors. Today, $25 of food stamps can only purchase the amount of food that $10 would have bought in 1974. Thus, the minimum Food Stamp benefit is woefully inadequate for many elderly Food Stamp recipients who often live on a fixed income, such as Supplemental Security Insurance (SSI) benefits or retirement benefits. </span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b> <span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Arial"> • In Missouri, 47,000 households with elderly people are receiving Food Stamps (16.1 percent of all Food Stamp households in Missouri). It is estimated that 5,341 elderly one-person households received the minimum benefit in Fiscal Year 2005 and that approximately 400 elderly two-person households received the minimum benefit in Fiscal Year 2005. </span></b> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b> <span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Arial"> • It is difficult for these elderly households to cover rent, medical care, utilities and still pay for food on a meager income. $10 per month in food stamp benefits will not make any appreciable difference in these households’ financial difficulties – many of whom have high medical expenses – and does little to alleviate their difficult financial circumstances. Implementing a state-funded supplemental food stamp program will help to remedy this situation for many elderly Missourians. </span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b> <span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Arial"> • The elderly population is the fastest growing segment of America’s population and elderly individuals often have special dietary and health needs. The minimum food stamp benefit may not meet these dietary needs, thereby causing health problems resulting from inadequate nutrition. In addition, these seniors who receive the minimum food stamp benefit “sometimes have to choose between paying for health care and paying for food.” By increasing the minimum amount of food stamps for poor elderly Missourians, House Bill 454 would provide a positive boost to elderly individuals who need help with purchasing food. </span></b> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b> <span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Arial"> • Implementing supplemental food stamp benefits in Missouri will increase participation in the federal Food Stamp Program among needy elderly individuals. In FY 2004, only about 28.4 percent of eligible elderly people were participating in the federal Food Stamp Program across the country. Repeated testimony before the USDA during the Farm Bill forums revealed that the minimum food stamp benefit is often a deterrent to those that need help with purchasing food. House Bill 454 would remove this deterrent and encourage more seniors to apply for nutrition assistance through the federal food stamp program. </span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b> <span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Arial"> • Because federal food stamp benefits are 100 percent federally funded, the legislation would have the additional benefit of bringing more federal resources into Missouri. These federal dollars generate economic benefits for state and local economies. USDA indicates that every $5 in Food Stamps generates $9.20 in economic activity. Moreover, $1 billion of “retail food demand” by food stamp recipients generates 3,300 farm jobs. In fact, the Food Stamp Program pumped $737.6 million into the Missouri economy in 2005, resulting in an estimated $1.36 billion of economic activity and benefiting farmers, grocers, and small businesses throughout the state. It is reasonable to expect that the supplemental food stamps would have a similar economic impact in Missouri. </span></b></div> </div> </o:p> </div> </div> </div> </td> <td valign="top" width="88"><b><font size="2" face="Arial"> <script type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> <p></font></b> <left><script language=javascript> </script> <noscript> <a href="http://a.tribalfusion.com/i.click?site=TodaysSeniorsNetworkcom&adSpace=ROS&size=120x600&requestID=1817976557" target=_blank> <img src="http://a.tribalfusion.com/i.ad?site=TodaysSeniorsNetworkcom&adSpace=ROS&size=120x600&requestID=1817976557" width=120 height=600 border=0 alt="Click Here"></a> </noscript> </left>  </td> </tr> </table> </div>  <center><script language=javascript> </script> <noscript> <a href="http://a.tribalfusion.com/i.click?site=TodaysSeniorsNetworkcom&adSpace=ROS&size=728x90&requestID=177184531" target=_blank> <img src="http://a.tribalfusion.com/i.ad?site=TodaysSeniorsNetworkcom&adSpace=ROS&size=728x90&requestID=177184531" width=728 height=90 border=0 alt="Click Here"></a> </noscript> </center>  </body> </html>