Joseph Spector is reporting for the Evening Tribune a pilot program that allows New Yorkers on food stamps to order groceries online would be made permanent under legislation recently passed in the state Legislature. It was approved by lawmakers last month and requires Governor Andrew Cuomo’s signature to become law. The goal is to make sure the program can continue for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP participants during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, while expanding access to nutritional aid without people having to go to a store. In 2019, the US Department of Agriculture launched the two-year pilot program in New York that permitted SNAP recipients to purchase groceries online only at participating retailers. The state legislation would expand the ability of SNAP recipients to use their benefits to any eligible grocer. Advocates said the New York law would also help seniors, particularly as the pandemic may have made it more difficult for the elderly to go to the store. The majority of U.S. families that received SNAP benefits in 2018 included at least one employed individual, according to recent census data. Read the full story at eveningtribune [dot] com.