HUNGER
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Why is this important?
The existence of a growing population of people without reliable access to adequate nutritious food is a major national concern. The Food Stamp Program is a nationally funded program that gives low-income families secure access to nutritious foods. Most food stamp recipients are children and the elderly.
How are we doing?
On Long Island, there was an 11% increase in the number of recipients between 2003 and 2004 (latest reported figures). Overall, the number of food stamp recipients increased 31% between 2000 and 2004. That compares to an increased of 26% in New York State as a whole for the same period. There has been a steady rise in both the number of recipients as well as the percent of the Long Island population receiving food stamps since 2001.