Food Stamps May Not Stretch as Far for Some

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A temporary increase in food stamps expires Oct. 31, meaning for millions of Americans, the benefits that help put food on the table won't stretch as far as they have for the past four years.

Food stamps — actually the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — go to 47 million Americans a month, almost half of them children and teenagers.

The monthly benefits, which go to 1 in 7 Americans, fluctuate based on factors including food prices, income and inflation. Families and providers worry the expiration of the stimulus bump comes at a particularly bad time. And the program could face another shortfall if the government is shuttered past Nov. 1.