Basic Food Employment and Training Program – Washington

Off food stamps and employed — with taxpayers’ help, By Kyung M. Song, May 28, 2013, Seattle Times: “Dede O’Loughlin’s mother dropped out of high school and got by on food stamps. Then O’Loughlin herself became that mother to her three sons. O’Loughlin, a 40-year-old single parent from North Seattle, wanted to break the pattern for her children. And thanks to that very food-stamp program, she likely will. O’Loughlin is among thousands of Washington residents who, since 2005, have gone from collecting public assistance to collecting paychecks — a switch footed by taxpayers. She took advantage of help offered by Basic Food, the state’s food-stamp program, to target a career and train for it. For O’Loughlin, that job was as family-service coordinator at Seattle Children’s, a position that pays roughly double the minimum wage. Now Congress may replicate the state’s Basic Food Employment & Training program elsewhere around the nation…”