NJ\u2014WOODBRIDGE Gov.<\/strong> Phil Murphy ensured many of New Jersey’s neediest families, seniors, and individuals could continue to eat with a pen stroke.<\/p>\n

In a midday ceremony at ShopRite of Woodbridge, Gov. Murphy signed A5086, raising the state’s monthly Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) payout from $45 to $95 starting March 1.<\/p>\n

SNAP\u2014formerly “food stamps”\u2014serves 64,000 households in New Jersey.<\/p>\n

Assembly Speaker Craig J. Coughlin (D-19 Dist) supported it. State Senate Majority Leader Teresa Ruiz proposed a similar bill. Coughlin’s latest measure continues his statewide hunger fight.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/strong>:\u00a0By Raising Snap Benefits by $45 Per Month, New Jersey is Taking a Significant Step Toward Addressing Food Insecurity.<\/a><\/p>\n

Today, Murphy, Coughlin, Ruiz, Mayor John E. McCormac, Assemblywoman Yvonne Lopez, state Human Services Commissioner Sarah Adelman, and state food security advocate Mark Dinglasan visited the George’s Avenue grocery.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe cannot overlook the huge impact this will have on homes and communities throughout our state “Murphy stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody should worry about their next meal. “New Jersey is leading the nation by instituting a minimum monthly SNAP benefit of $95 for all beneficiaries,” the governor added.<\/p>\n

The governor said households receiving less than $95 in monthly SNAP assistance will receive their federal benefit plus a state bonus to reach the new requirement.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Speaker Coughlin stated, \u201cWe know, unequivocally, that a better nourished and more food secure New Jersey makes for a stronger (state).<\/p>\n

\u201cThis increase protects SNAP households, largely disadvantaged elderly and those with disabilities, whose health and well-being depend on wholesome and nutritious foods on their plate.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWith federal SNAP benefit reductions set for the end of February, many New Jerseyans will see their monthly benefits cut roughly in half without this essential legislation,\u201d said Senate Majority Leader Ruiz.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thank Speaker Coughlin<\/strong> for his work and join him in his attempt to safeguard and strengthen New Jersey’s food security programs,\u201d Ruiz added.<\/p>\n

Mayor McCormac was pleased Gov. Murphy<\/strong> chose Woodbridge for today’s signing.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood policy comes to us in many forms, sometimes through thorough consideration and other times via essential experimentation,\u201d Mayor McCormac remarked.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/strong>:\u00a0Sustainable Employment Initiative in New Jersey Gets $10 Million Start-up Funding<\/a><\/p>\n

The epidemic expanded SNAP benefits, which helped our citizens. \u201cIt assures that fewer New Jerseyans will go hungry,\u201d McCormac said, praising Murphy, Coughlin, and state lawmakers \u201cfor continuing to take the issue of hunger seriously and making sure this program continues to serve our communities for years to come.”<\/p>\n

Coughlin and the governor were applauded.<\/p>\n

New Jersey is taking exceptional measures to avoid the SNAP program from sliding over the benefits cliff on March 1 “NJ Food Council president and CEO Linda Doherty.<\/p>\n

Doherty called Murphy and Coughlin \u201ctrailblazers by advocating and assisting vulnerable populations,\u201d adding, \u201cTheir work serves as a national role model in tackling food insecurity challenges and making sure our residents have a nutritious meal on the table, especially during these times of high food inflation.”<\/p>\n

Every supermarket trip hurts families. With food costs rising and federal emergency SNAP benefits ending this month, we are happy to help families and individuals who rely on this assistance to feed their families “said DHS Commissioner Sarah Adelman.<\/p>\n

“The Murphy administration and legislature prioritize food security. Today’s legislative signing reinforces this. We need healthy food. Adelman added, “We will continue to engage with New Jerseyans who need food and other resources for their health and well-being.”<\/p>\n

Read more<\/strong>:\u00a0The Death of a New Jersey High School Student at Age 14 Has Sparked Outrage and Grief.<\/a><\/p>\n

“True food security exists when all people always have physical, economic, and social access to safe, healthy, nourishing food,” “State food security advocate Mark Dinglasan remarked. “We’re thrilled New Jersey leads the nation in food security as community need grows. Today’s task is just beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n

The minimum SNAP increase<\/strong> will also help food businesses, according to Community FoodBank of New Jersey president and CEO Carlos Rodriguez.<\/p>\n

Rodriguez said the $45 to $95 hike will help New Jersey’s food banks provide nutritious food to needy individuals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NJ\u2014WOODBRIDGE Gov. Phil Murphy ensured many of New Jersey’s neediest families, seniors, and individuals could continue to eat with a pen stroke. In a midday ceremony at ShopRite of Woodbridge, Gov. Murphy signed A5086, raising the state’s monthly Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) payout from $45 to $95 starting March 1. SNAP\u2014formerly “food stamps”\u2014serves 64,000 households […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":44894,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[990,707,184,44,371,509,417],"class_list":{"0":"post-44893","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"tag-low-income-residents","9":"tag-murphy","10":"tag-new-jersey","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-newsbreak","13":"tag-snap-benefit","14":"tag-united-state-of-america"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newjerseylocalnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44893","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newjerseylocalnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newjerseylocalnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newjerseylocalnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newjerseylocalnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44893"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newjerseylocalnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44893\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newjerseylocalnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44894"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newjerseylocalnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44893"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newjerseylocalnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44893"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newjerseylocalnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44893"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}