Addy Baird is reporting at Politico New York a new proposal from Gov. Andrew Cuomo calls for raising the income eligibility level for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps. The increases proposed by the governor will come at no cost to the state. Those changes could help 750,000 New Yorkers receive food assistance. However, the governor's action comes as 53,000 other New Yorkers are set to lose those same benefits on April 1, because of a change in federal welfare policy. Food bank executives held a press conference Wed., Feb. 10, expressing concern that they will not be able to handle the increased demand. Margarette Purvis, president and CEO of Food Bank for New York City said that when SNAP benefits were reduced in 2013, the food banks in the city were overwhelmed. Last September, 45 percent of the food pantries in her network reported having to reduce portion sizes in order to meet demand. Read the full story at Politico New York.