Published: April 02, 2009 08:59 am      

Our View: More help for those affected by the economy

There was good news this week for Illinois residents who receive food stamps. Funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act have been earmarked for this state in order to replenish food stamp supplies for more than 600,000 families.

According to Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, the state is to receive $890 million in stimulus funds to use on the food stamp program. Likewise, an additional $11.5 million is slated for the Emergency Food Assistance Program, and Quinn said the state has requested 3.5 million pounds of food to be distributed to local food banks throughout Illinois. A $1 million increase in funding also is anticipated for food banks.

According to The Associated Press, food stamp increases were to be up to 13.6 percent for families and recipients were to begin seeing the change this week.

While the stimulus money is an attempt to re-establish economic success in our country, it is nice to see those with needs — especially those struggling due to the economy — have not been forgotten.