90,000 families hit hard by government's decision to cut food stamps based on mild winter

CLEVELAND - Food stamp deductions of $50 for more than 90,000 Cuyahoga County families, based on last year's mild winter weather, could be felt by other agencies that also help the community.

The food stamp program will decrease by $50 a month for each family beginning in January of 2013.

A federal formula took last year's utility costs into account to figure out how much money families have to spend on food. The deductions could equal up to roughly $54 million in cuts to food benefits next year, affecting poor families in Cuyahoga County that receive an average of $138 monthly.

But the deductions won't affect all families. The government uses different formulas for each family.

One food bank representative told us they're already taxed at capacity and feel the affects will trickle down to them.