The Food Bank of the Southern Tier strongly supports the 15 percent benefit increase in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) included in the updated HEROES Act recently introduced in the House of Representatives.
Since March, the Food Bank of the Southern Tier has provided 7,584,307 meals to our neighbors experiencing food insecurity. Yet, for every meal the Food Bank provides, SNAP provides nine. As the nation’s public health and economic crises continue with no end in sight, investing in SNAP is an efficient and cost-effective way to help families keep their pantries full while also stimulating economic activity in the Southern Tier.
In addition to an increase in SNAP, the HEROES Act invests an extra $450 million to help food banks meet the growing need for food assistance through The Emergency Food Assistance Program. Since the onset of COVID-19, the Food Bank of the Southern Tier has observed a 37 percent increase in households requesting emergency food.
“Every day, the Food Bank of the Southern Tier helps families in our community by providing nutritious foods, but we can’t meet the need alone. As people across the country face the highest food prices in 50 years and as unemployment benefit claims increase, strong investments in both federal nutrition programs and the charitable sector are essential so families do not have to choose between putting food on the table and paying their rent,” said Natasha R. Thompson, President & CEO, Food Bank of the Southern Tier.