KEITH McHENRY, [email protected], @keith_mchenry
McHenry is co-founder of the global Food Not Bombs movement, which provides free meals to anyone who needs them.
Soup Street: A memoir by Food Not Bombs co-founder Keith McHenry was just published.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participation nationwide reportedly fell by more than 3.5 million people in recent months. KQED reports: “Starting in June, California will start enforcing new federal guidelines that require some SNAP recipients to work 20 hours a week — or see their food benefits cut.”
McHenry said today: “I have spent my entire adult life sharing food with the hungry but this policy of forcing people already struggling to spend hours of their week just to get assistance that is not enough to provide food for the month is one of the cruelest hunger policies I have witnessed. For many relying on food stamps, it is already a full time job looking for employment let alone finding a place to safely sleep.”
Economist Dean Baker notes: “Trump’s $1.5 trillion military budget is $11,200 per household.”
McHenry added: “There’s already an increase in hunger with the SNAP cuts and increasing food prices but the disruptions due to the war against Iran could add to the crisis. The rising fuel and fertilizer costs suggest that this fall’s harvest will be poor, driving the price of groceries.
“With so many families already living paycheck to paycheck before the war, Food Not Bombs is needed more today than ever.
“I hope my memoir will inspire people to find the same joy I have experienced from helping the community by volunteering with Food Not Bombs.”
He is also a regular contributor to the ongoing series “Food Fight” on “Flashpoints.”