Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory of Atlanta and Bishop Gregory J. Hartmayer of Savannah called on lawmakers in Washington to listen to the needs of the hungry at home and abroad as they negotiate the 2013 farm bill. One of the most contentious issues is the bill’s nutrition provision, which includes funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. The Senate version of the farm bill would cut $4 billion from the program over the next 10 years, and the House version would cut nearly $40 billion over the same period. “SNAP is one of the most effective programs to combat hunger in our nation,” the bishops wrote in their op-ed column, published on Nov. 13 in The Savannah Morning News daily newspaper. “The Catholic Church runs many food pantries and other programs that help the hungry. However, all the food pantries out there are not going to be able to fill the hole that cuts to SNAP will leave,” they said.
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