Millions of parents and young kids could be denied access to food aid next year if Congress fails to provide an emergency funding boost, according to a new report. More than 12 million children and adults could be forced to go hungry due to a reduction of assistance through the SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and the Child Nutrition Programs, with an estimated 4.7 million children lacking access to free/reduced price meals served through the National School Lunch Program.
The report, released by the Food and Research Action Center, highlighted the significant impact that further reducing of food aid would have on struggling families, particularly children and the elderly. It noted that 24% of households with children have struggled to put food on the table in the past 12 months, while 16% of households with children experienced food insecurity and 2 million households with children were at risk of hunger.
The report also paints a bleak picture for elderly individuals dependent on food aid. According to the FRAC, seniors on fixed incomes are the most likely to experience food insecurity and are most reliant on federally-funded programs for their survival.
Congressional approval is needed for a temporary stopgap to fund SNAP and other child nutrition programs, otherwise the funding that launched during the coronavirus pandemic will cease to exist at the end of the fiscal year. This could cause millions of children and families to go without food, resulting in more severe financial turmoil and public health issues, especially among low-income and vulnerable individuals.
The report also cites numerous studies, which show that food insecurity has a direct and damaging effect on mental and physical health, performance in the classroom, as well as economic ties – making it doubly important that emergency funding is approved in order to protect vulnerable populations from further financial harm.
Without this stopgap funding, millions of Americans could be at the brink of starvation. It is our duty and responsibility to ensure that every child and family in this country has access to food. Congress needs to work together to secure a stopgap funding that bridges the financial gap between now and the end of the pandemic in order to ensure that no one goes hungry.