For interviews, contact Jenny Moore, Second Harvest of Northwest NC or Imadé Borha, Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC.
With a final vote on the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill Act” rapidly approaching, the state association of food banks, Feeding the Carolinas, is raising the alarm about unprecedented cuts to programs that ensure local families have access to food and healthcare. Under the current proposal, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (often called SNAP, FNS, or food stamps) faces historic cuts that jeopardize vital support for more than a million local children, seniors, and people with disabilities — while shifting hundreds of millions in costs to North Carolina taxpayers.
“We need our Senators and Representatives to understand that these historic cuts will not make SNAP more efficient or put families back to work — they will push more families into crisis while shifting new costs to local grocers and taxpayers,” said Eric Aft, Board Chair of the state association of food banks, Feeding the Carolinas, and CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina.
“Our food bank network is doing all we can to meet rising needs in our communities, but we cannot fill a gap as big as Congress has proposed. Families will have no choice but to rely on cheap, unhealthy food — directly undermining efforts to Make America Healthy Again. We’ll have more children, seniors, and veterans facing hunger — with more health problems and a weaker workforce for years to come.”
The effects of proposed cuts to SNAP funding and eligibility must be understood:
More children, seniors, and veterans will go hungry — with serious health consequences.
- While NC food banks provide over 250 million meals each year; SNAP provides nine times as many — there is no way for charities to fill the gap left by deep federal cuts
- Families who purchase fresh produce, meat, and dairy products with SNAP will be forced to stretch minimal support even further with cheap, unhealthy food
North Carolina’s economy will suffer.
- Revenue and jobs will be lost across grocery stores — especially in rural areas
- Local farmers will lose important markets for their products
North Carolina taxpayers could be forced to cover hundreds of millions of dollars in additional federal food assistance costs
- New federal funding formulas will shift up to $280 million in costs to the state
- Administrative costs will be shifted to local governments — with NC counties on the hook for $65 million more each year
- State and local officials will be forced to weigh major tax hikes to balance budgets
About Feeding the Carolinas
Feeding the Carolinas works in partnership with seven North Carolina Food Banks to create a hunger-free future across all 100 counties. We act as a unified voice regarding hunger in our area, working across the agriculture and healthcare sectors to provide a healthy, adequate, and consistent food supply to every community every day. Learn more and get involved at feedingthecarolinas.org.
