New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. joined New York City Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum to call on New York State Governor David Paterson to accept a statewide provision in the federal recovery bill that would extend Food Stamp benefits for able-bodied adults without dependents through September 30, 2010 at a news conference on March 7, 2009. Pictured (l to r) are: Stewart Desmond, Director of Development, West Side Campaign Against Hunger; Thompson; Gotbaum; and, Joel Berg, Executive Director, New York City Coalition Against Hunger. Photo credit: Marla Maritzer.

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New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. joined Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum and advocates on Saturday to call on Governor Paterson to accept a statewide provision in the federal recovery bill that would extend Food Stamp benefits for able-bodied adults without dependents through September 30, 2010.

“New Yorkers from all backgrounds and all boroughs are struggling, and extending food stamps would help to ease the heavy burden that weighs on them,” Thompson said. “This is plain old common sense.  Yet Mayor Bloomberg has refused to extend these benefits while, on the other hand, proposing to use $45 million in Federal and City money to support traders and investments bankers, many of whom come from the firms that got all of us into this mess. Today we call on Governor Paterson to step in and help us feed hungry New Yorkers.”

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