Changes to food stamp benefits could affect as many as 110,000 people in North Carolina. The Associated Press reports the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – or SNAP – will require able-bodied adults to work, volunteer, or train at least 80 hours a month to keep receiving benefits. Otherwise those people would lose benefits after three months. North Carolina is among 21 states whose recession-era waiver of that rule is expiring. It expired last month in 23 counties, including Buncombe, Haywood, and Henderson in western North Carolina. The rest of the counties will see their waivers expire by the first of July. For how that could impact people locally, WCQS’s Jeremy Loeb spoke with Cindy Threlkeld, Executive Director of Manna Food Bank, which serves western North Carolina.
Threlkeld says anyone with questions or concerns about their benefits can call the Manna Help Line at 1-800-820-1109.
