New York Families to Get 2 SNAP Cards Instead of 1

By Hamodia Staff

New York families with two parents or guardians in the same home will now receive two Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) cards, so that each parent will have his or her own card.

Previously, each family received only one card, so that parents had to share the card, depending on which one was going shopping. The new legislation, sponsored by Senator Julia Salazar and Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein and passed during the final days of the scheduled legislative session, does not grant extra benefits but gives two cards to each eligible family, allowing each parent the convenience of his or her own card.

“With all the pressures families are facing, legislation is needed to address real needs in our marginalized underserved communities,” said Salazar. “This is one of those needs: making sure all the parents in the home can have access to their approved benefits at a moment’s notice and not have to treat one card like a relay race baton.”

“Families who receive SNAP benefits are already struggling to make ends meet and are living under constant pressure to feed their children,” said Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein. “This legislation ensures that recipients will no longer have to endure the inconvenience of having two heads of household sharing just one card. It is a simple, effective and practical solution to a frustrating problem.”

“This common-sense legislation will improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers. Met Council enrolls over a thousand New Yorkers each month for SNAP,” said David G. Greenfield, CEO, Met Council on Jewish Poverty. “These are our friends and neighbors who deserve the same respect and dignity as every single New Yorker.”

“Millions of New Yorkers depend on SNAP,” said Rabbi David Niederman, President of the UJO of Williamsburg and North Brooklyn. “An additional card, is a no-brainer, but for too long the attitude was that they should take what they get, and shouldn’t be choosy. Thank you for making the statement that the disadvantaged also deserve a user-friendly, dignified system to utilize their benefits.”