Extended SNAP benefits ending soon
Extra SNAP benefits to mitigate pandemic-era food insecurity will be no more come March, costing many local residents $95 or more per month. That's likely to impact food banks and other stories in Waco. According to a report from the Urban Institute, at the start of the pandemic 21.6% of adults in the U.S. reported living in a food insecure home. That number dipped to 15.3% by April 2021 with coordinated public and private efforts, but rose back to 21.4% by June 2022 as COVID-19 assistance decreased. Food prices as a whole – including restaurant meals – increased by 9.9% in 2023. The increase comes at the heels of increases of 3.4% and 3.9% over 2020 and 2021, respectively. USDA predicts all food prices to increase another 7.1% in 2023. Read more: https://wacotrib.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/pandemic-era-emergency-snap-allotments-of-95-or-more-to-end-this-month/article_df1b84b0-a405-11ed-9469-8b4684dbfea0.html
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All over the country, state agencies and people who receive aid through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps, are reporting the theft of millions of dollars in benefits.
As the cost of living in the U.S. is up, government subsidies to help people pay for basics have disappeared. Up next on the chopping block: Emergency allotments of a food-assistance program that supports 30 million Americans.
Congress temporarily made school meals free to all schoolkids but since that ended last fall, the need has only seemed to grow.
