SNAP aiding 5th District

I am thrilled to see the incredible work being done in Spokane to help the homeless. One of the sources of the funding was listed as SNAP.

I was recently in Washington, D.C., and had the opportunity to meet Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers and to talk about federal programs that are most effective at getting people out of poverty. One of those programs is SNAP. Rep. McMorris Rodgers seemed surprised to hear the numbers for her district receiving SNAP and/or Medicaid, including children, those with disabilities, veterans of military families, and seniors.

Here are some facts about the 5th Congressional District:

Number of people with disabilities: 102,047.

Number of Medicaid recipients: 143,532

Number of renters spending half or more of their household income on housing costs: 25,517.

Households participating in SNAP: 68,108. (10,000 more than in 6th Congressional District on the west side of the state).

Number of veterans qualifying for aid: 61,552

I encourage everyone to write or call Rep. McMorris Rodgers to encourage her to work for federal policies that will help the people of the 5th District. Key among those are SNAP and Medicaid at this time.

Judy Arbogast

Olalla, Wash.