Changes to the farm bill currently on the table in Congress would potentially cut food stamp benefits. Jodi Tyson, research and public policy manager for the Three Square Food Bank, says the loss of these benefits would not just affect the Nevada families who receive food stamps, but would divert dollars from local retailers.
“They’re federal dollars that help families take benefits to local grocery stores and retailers, and be able contribute to our local economy," says Tyson. "It would be an estimated $30 million per year that Nevada would be losing.”
According to Tyson, more than one in ten Nevada residents currently receives food stamp assistance.