The Trump Administration cut November funding in half for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program on Nov. 1 due to the recent government shutdown. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly promised approximately 86,000 families their full SNAP benefits regardless.
Every state receives money from SNAP based on the people eligible for SNAP in each state. According to ABC News, the lack of appropriate funds will cause delays in states distributing funds among families.
In response to the cuts in Kansas, local businesses such as Jefferson’s and Ladybird Diner have started fundraisers to support SNAP. Ladybird Diner owner Meg Heriford has given out free soup every Monday since SNAP lost its funding.
Families who qualify for SNAP receive an average of $190 per eligible person. With these cuts, the dispensation of funds will be delayed. Ladybird Diner owner Meg Heriford said that SNAP receiving only half its budget was unreasonable.
“None of this stays in a bubble,” Heriford said. “The health of the people around us impacts our lives as well.”
On Nov. 3, Ladybird served around 25 gallons of fresh soup. Heriford said that she did not put a limit on how much soup each person could take, and that with these cuts, the community needs to come together to support each other.
“We all have a lot more in common than not,” Heriford said. “If we link arms and have contact with each other, that becomes more and more evident.”
To compensate for the partial cutting of SNAP cuts, the Free State Student Council organized a food drive competition between clubs and activities for who can bring the most donations, with the winners getting to pie a StuCo member. Sophomore StuCo representative Jazmyn Byer said that the food drive was coordinated partially because of the SNAP reductions.
“The plan is to raise as much money or get as many cans as we can to help feed the community. I hope that we can at least help a few families and try to help all of the families in Lawrence,” Byer said.
As of Nov. 7, it was decided Kansas would receive full SNAP funding for the rest of November, with new limits to what individuals qualify. Byer said that because of these recent decisions, StuCo may create more donation opportunities, now that SNAP benefits are no longer directly threatened in Kansas.
“We will do more food drives in general, just because people are obviously always going to need help. Even if they do not have enough funding, they’re still going to need help eating throughout the year,” Byer said.
The StuCo food drive is not the only way Free State is combating the SNAP cuts. The Nest also provides aid to students who may not have direct access to food and essential needs. Social worker Meg Lyles, who helps to coordinate The Nest, said more people have gone out of their way to provide food.
“Our donations have gone way up, and a lot of that is because we got a huge, very generous donation from the Student Council… They brought over 30 bags of groceries last week,” Lyles said. “It’s been really meaningful for kids to have some extra food.”
