As part of Baron Forness Library's Brown Bag Speakers Series, social work professor Suzanne McDevitt presented a lecture titled "Food Stamps for College Students and Other Lessons from Poverty."
According to McDevitt, the need for food assistance is on the rise.
She cited four major contributing factors for the recent rise in food assistance demand: The decrease of purchasing power for minimum wage, the increase in unemployment, the shortened hours of the average work week and the rise of the food prices.
McDevitt cited a Panel Study of Income Dynamics conducted in 2004 that stated "51 percent of adults between 20 and 65 will use food stamps at least once as adults."
Using this same study, she also demonstrated the large number of adults who are considered poor by definition of the federal poverty index:?two in three Americans.
McDevitt went on to explain how different levels of poverty are classified in reference to hunger and food security.
She also gave statistics on how many people nationwide fit into each of the categories and how all of the information is gathered, stating that most data is obtained through a series of over-the-phone surveys.
McDevitt pointed out that the aforementioned method had many flaws-foremost, the participants' willingness to divulge personal information in a telephone conversation.
According to McDevitt, the federal stimulus plan, passed in February 2009, brought several changes to the food assistance program.
This plan not only temporarily removed previous work exclusions, which deterred working families from receiving assistance, but also added a 14.6 percent increase to the food stamp grant amount.
After reviewing national numbers for food assistance, McDevitt reviewed statistics for program participants in Pennsylvania.
Numbers have gone up since last year's survey, and the Pennsylvania Hunger Action Coalition reported that food insecurity in the state has risen by 20 percent, and 31 percent of Pennsylvania households have experienced hunger in the last year.
McDevitt presented the trends for food stamp participants in Erie County, explaining that those numbers have also increased since 2006, making more than a 20 percent jump.
After her broad overview and basic statistics on poverty, McDevitt explained eligibility requirements for students seeking food assistance, including employment status, income and age limits.
The topic of food pantries was also discussed as an alternative to or a supplement for food assistance.
However, McDevitt warned students of some of the dangers or inconveniences surrounding the use of food pantries that are not funded or supported by Feeding America, a charity organization dedicated to fighting hunger.
She warned that in these independent pantries there are "no professional standards for how clients are treated."
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