Food Assistance Needs Climb Dramatically

In the past three years, the number of Cheshire residents who received support from the federal food stamp program increased by 82 percent. The latest reports show those needing assistance grew from 203 to 370 residents since 2007.

Now called Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, the food stamp program is available to residents based on their income. For a family of four, the qualifying net monthly income is $1,838.

Cheshire has nine retail locations that accept SNAP. They can be found here. The United States Department of Agriculture reports that for every $5 in new SNAP benefits, nearly twice as much ($9.20) is spent in the community. 

In addition to federal assistance, the Cheshire Food Voucher Program provides food vouchers of $40 for local grocery stores to resident households to purchase produce and dairy items not available at food pantries. 

Households are also referred to the Cheshire Food Pantry for non-perishable items that are collected at the annual Cheshire Food Drive and the recent "Stamp Out Hunger" food drive organized by the National Association of Letter Carriers. Funding for the voucher program comes from the cash donations received from the Cheshire Food Drive. 

For information on local and federal food assistance, call Kristen Schechter at the Youth and Social Services Department at 203-271-6690.

To see how the need for food assistance has grown in other Connecticut towns, click here for information provided by the Hartford Courant.