From today's paper:

Like a lot of moms with a family to feed, Spokane Valley's Lisa Sandefur shops carefully for groceries.

She goes to the Dollar Store frequently for canned goods. She buys big bags of store-brand cereals. And she forgoes things like juice in favor of Kool-Aid.

"Fruit kind of gets left by the wayside," she said Wednesday. "And I used to think that hamburger was cheap. It's not so cheap anymore."

Help may be on the way. Starting Oct. 1, Washington is easing its eligibility requirements for the state's food-stamp program. The change means tens of millions of dollars in food for an estimated 23,000 more families statewide.

The average benefit is $181 per month.

"It's really timely, with food costs as high as they are," said Linda Stone, who heads up the Eastern Washington efforts of the Children's Alliance. The advocacy group was one of several that pushed lawmakers this spring to approve the change.

As things stand now, it's only available to people living on less than 130 percent of the federal poverty level. That's about $27,000 for a family of four.

Now, however, families earning up to 200 percent may be eligible. The same family, in other words, may now qualify if they're earning as much as $42,400 a year.

The cost to the state budget is minimal: about $1.1 million a year to pay for 28 new staffers to process the thousands of expected new applications. The federal government will pick up the estimated $51 million cost of the food payments.

State officials stressed Wednesday that eligibility is based on more than just income. Housing costs, utilities, child support, childcare and other expenses are part of the calculation to see if a family qualifies, and for how much. But the same officials also said that even minimal benefits can qualify a family for other help, like reduced telephone rates and free school lunches.

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Note: To get an idea of whether you may qualify under the new eligibility guidelines for food stamps in Washington, go to the state-run website www.foodhelp.wa.gov or call 1-877-514-3663. You can also apply for benefits online at www.parenthelp123.org, which is run by an advocacy group called Within Reach.

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