An AP report in the Evanvsille CourierPress indicating that Indiana is missing out on a lot of federal welfare dollars.
ndiana would move more people from welfare rolls to payrolls if it took fuller advantage of federal programs for working families such as food stamps, earned income tax credits and subsidized child care, a new report concludes.
Most of these programs require no state matching funds, so they largely are unaffected by the state’s current budget problems, Charles Warren, one of the authors of the report, said Wednesday.
. . .
The report found only four states – Minnesota, New Hampshire, Nevada and Wisconsin – received lower per capita federal spending than Indiana during the federal fiscal year that ended Aug. 30, 2003.
On the other hand, Indiana is doing something to help itself. Apparently it is currently more cost effective in many instances for farmers to simply dump excess product rather than donate it. Jane Avery, executive director of the Community Harvest Food Bank came up with a plan, and got some assistance from Lt. Governor Becky Skillman for state funding, that will give Hoosier farmers the incentive they need to donate their excess product to needy Hoosiers.
Using farmers in the state to feed the state’s hungry. Brilliant!
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