Almost one in ten Nebraskans receives Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, formerly known as food stamps, but that could change in the new year. If a 2021 expansion of income eligibility put in place during the pandemic is allowed to "sunset" in 2023, many fewer households and individuals will qualify for SNAP. Tina Rockenbach - executive director for Community Action of Nebraska - said some believe since many jobs lost when COVID was at its peak have come back, there should be less need for food assistance, but that isn t what her staff has been seeing. .
Holiday preparations are underway, and those who battle hunger in New Mexico are urging communities to remember their neighbors at a time when food could be scarce. Sonya Warwick, communications and events director for the Roadrunner Food Bank, said hunger affects one in five children in the state and one in eight people overall, with even more in rural counties. She explained from seniors hit by inflation, to those with chronic health conditions coping with the high cost of medicine, people from all walks of life can struggle to afford all their monthly needs and still buy groceries. .
On the heels of last week s news that Minnesota s budget surplus has grown larger, there are renewed calls to approve free school meals for all students, regardless of income. Districts that participate in the National School Lunch Program receive federal funds to offer free and reduced-price meals to eligible students. A universal program asks the state to provide the remaining funds to cover all students. .
Before the pandemic, one in five people in Los Angeles County lacked consistent access to food - and in 2021, one in four low-income families experienced food insecurity, according to a new report from a coalition of county and nonprofit leaders. The Los Angeles County Food Equity Roundtable just released its strategic plan, designed to end food insecurity by 2030. Charity Faye, program manager for the group Sisters in Motion, Black Women for Wellness, said families of color in Los Angeles have suffered disproportionately for many years. .