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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina s congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Myorkas.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Food Stamps Turn 30, but Thousands of New Mexicans Still Hungry

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Monday, May 21, 2007   

One-in-six New Mexicans doesn't know where the next meal is coming from, but thousands of them could be getting help. The modern Food Stamp Program turns 30 years old this week, and Laurel Wyckoff with the New Mexico Association of Food Banks says over 40 percent of eligible families aren't signed up.

“People are afraid sometimes to go to a government office for assistance. Sometimes they don't want their neighbors or friends to know that they need help.”

Another problem is the large amount of paperwork needed to sign up. Wyckoff adds that long drives to government offices are also a barrier for people in rural areas.

Many seniors living on social security are only eligible to receive 10 dollars a month in food stamps. Wyckoff notes that limit hasn't changed since 1979.

“I don't know about you, but I don't think I could buy very much food for a month for 10 dollars. So, I think that needs to be fixed for sure.”

In New Mexico, the state matches that $10 for seniors, but Wyckoff believes the problem needs to be fixed at the federal level. The Food Stamp Program is tucked into the federal farm bill, which is up for reauthorization this year. A separate bill before Congress would add four billion dollars to the program.



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