Ala. (WIAT) – According to Feeding America, 17.8% of Alabamians face hunger. That equates to more than 900,000 people
Feeding Alabama says this new data comes as around 81,000 people in our state lost access to SNAP benefits after eligibility tightened last year
The food bank says more people are now coming to them for food and groceries
“The demand hits fast and it hits hard,” said Veronica Smoke, the executive director of Leaf Pantry and Urban Farm. “A story just this week from our pantry is a mother of four who missed four days of work because she was hospitalized. Her water was shut off while she was out. Now, she comes through the pantry to pick up dinner for her kids and she cries every time she shows up because she has to ask for food. That’s not a statistic, y’all. That’s a family.”
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The Community Food Bank of Central Alabama says since 2023, food insecurity has increased by about half a percentage point
“We did 20 million meals last year but our statistics tell us that we would need to provide 48 million meals just here in central Alabama to meet the need,” said Community Food Bank of Central Alabama CEO Nicole Williams. “So we’re already behind in feeding people that we need to feed.”
According to Feeding Alabama, one in five people in the state experience food insecurity. This is felt in all 67 counties in the state
“Having a meal on the table or something to eat is a is a basic human right and we should care about our neighbors regardless,” Williams said
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Feeding Alabama says one in seven people in the state rely on SNAP benefits. Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, states will be required to pay a portion of SNAP benefits starting in 2027
What does this mean in Alabama? The state would have to pay around $174 million for SNAP benefits to keep the program running as it is now
“We’re feeling like if the state is having to take on the cost of that, it will actually change the amount of individuals who are eligible to receive those benefits. So they may have to change the eligibility guidelines slightly because they would not have the administrative funds to be able to properly fund the program anymore,” said Adrian Anderson, SNAP benefits coordinator for central Alabama
According to the Alabama Grocers Association, $1.7 billion was given to Alabamians last year for SNAP benefits. In some rural communities, grocers get 20-40% of their profits from SNAP benefits. If SNAP were lost in Alabama, the Alabama Grocers Association says 117 grocery stores would be at risk of closing
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“Groceries are the heartbeat of every community. Everything else that comes in the community is surrounded by the grocery store,” said Ellie Taylor, Alabama Grocers Association CEO. “You think about a strip center. You know, the first thing you put in the strip center is the grocery store, it’s the anchor for that community. And so if your anchor is gone, then that’s very difficult for that community to survive.”
Feeding Alabama is calling on Congress to grant a two-year delay on the SNAP benefit cost sharing
“We have one of the lowest SNAP rates in the country. It’s about 8%, 9%, and that’s the error rate. We need to be below 6% to not have a cost share,” Williams said. “If we had a two year delay like they gave many other states, it would give us the ability to get under that 6% and save our communities in our state from paying into those funds and keep people on the rolls.”
Senators Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt did not respond to our request for comment
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