Dear (click here for your Representative's contact info),

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is our nation's first defense against hunger and the program most able to meet increased demand in times of recession or disaster. The recently passed House Budget proposal would change the structure to limit the ability of folks to get food in such times.

I urge you to speak out against attacks on SNAP that would hurt the 36,000 San Franciscans and Mariners currently enrolled in the program.

SNAP has extraordinary strengths:


•When the economy is in trouble, the program is among the most effective government responses. This has been seen most clearly and dramatically when millions of people became newly unemployed or underemployed due to the recession- the number of people enrolled rose 33% and 57%, respectively, in San Francisco and Marin.

•There is the same responsiveness when disasters strike, as occurred in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. When a disaster occurs in the Bay Area, SNAP will be a major part of the recovery and will be less effective if the structure is changed.

•Because SNAP benefits are so urgently needed by families, they are spent quickly, thus stimulating local economies. Every $1 of SNAP spent stimulates $1.79 of local economic activity.

•One third of participants are in households that include senior citizens or people with disabilities.

We strongly oppose attempts to weaken SNAP and call on you to speak out against any proposals that would limit SNAP's ability to help lift people out of poverty and respond to extraordinary circumstances.

If enacted, such proposals would harm thousands of vulnerable San Franciscans and Mariners. The budget should not be balanced on the backs of our most vulnerable citizens.

Sincerely,