Emergency SNAP Benefits Expiring: The Salvation Army Remains Committed to Helping
Starting this month, Emergency SNAP Benefits are expiring. Standing for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, it is a federal program that provides nutrition benefits to low-income individuals and families that is used at stores to purchase food.
The program evolved from what was commonly known as the “food stamps program.” SNAP is designed to assist families whose household incomes are $23,000 or less a year.
In April 2020 Congress authorized emergency SNAP benefits to complement existing benefits during the pandemic. This increased monthly payments by at least $95 but could be higher based on the number of individuals in the household.
While SNAP benefits will remain at higher levels than three years ago (pre-pandemic) the emergency amount will be expiring – a fact which is sure to be felt by the more than 30 million people nationwide who have been benefiting from it.
Need remains great across the country as economic issues such as inflation and supply-chain issues remain constant. Recent statistics show that:
- 91.8 million Americans have had difficulty paying for essential household expenses in the last week.
- Almost two-thirds of Americans – over 200 million people are living paycheck to paycheck.
In the wake of this change, The Salvation Army remains committed to serving anyone in need based on our ability to help. With the expiration of emergency SNAP benefits – along with other changes in federal assistance, requests for service are expected to increase nationwide. Across the country, many Salvation Army locations are seeing the number of requests increase from 30% to 50%.
If you would like to help The Salvation Army in its mission to spread Love Beyond Hunger as the need for assistance grows, you can donate to The Salvation Army Great Lakes Division, or volunteer. Over the course of a year, a $25-a-month donation can provide more than 200 meals to people in need.