The COVID-19 pandemic has not only created illness and loss of life across the country, but also issues frequently seen by families in disaster situations—loss of employment, financial hardship, and food insecurity. Fortunately, Congress has recognized the gravity of the situation, and provided much-needed assistance to families through stimulus funding and additional nutrition program aid.
Two of the three bills passed to date, HR 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Act, and HR 748, the CARES Act, provide important nutrition assistance to address families facing hunger. Following are provisions related to various hunger assistance programs and providers.
SNAP (“food stamps”):
- Suspends a provision that limits SNAP benefits for able-bodied adults without dependents (also known as “ABAWDs”) and allows them access for the duration of the pandemic. Note that this does not prevent a harmful rule proposed before the pandemic from going forward. More about that issue is below.
- Provides more flexibility for states in SNAP administration, including a temporary increase in monthly SNAP benefits to the maximum and targeting the program in areas hardest hit by the pandemic.
- Provides additional money for administration of increased SNAP caseloads.
Child Nutrition Programs:
- Allows states to utilize a pandemic EBT program to give families an EBT card equivalent to the value of school meals that are currently not accessible with school closures.
- Allows USDA to issue waivers of any requirement for providing meals and meal supplements during a school closure.
- Removes restrictions on federal allowable cost increases so that states can be reimbursed for costs of food, labor, and processing in child nutrition programs.
- Allows Child and Adult Care Feeding Program (CACFP) child and adult care centers to operate as non-congregate meal sites.
- Allows meal pattern requirements if necessary, and there is a disruption to the food supply.
- Provides additional funding for child nutrition programs to handle increased caseloads and costs due to the pandemic.
WIC:
- Provides additional emergency funding and flexibilities for client certification and recertification for the program.
Older Americans:
- Provides additional funding for aging and disability service programs for older adults, including home-delivered meals like Meals on Wheels.
- Provides additional flexibility for nutrition guidelines in programs.
Food banks and emergency feeding:
- Provides additional funding for food and storage and distribution costs for The Emergency Food Assistance Program, which are federal commodities that supply food banks’ inventories.
- Provides emergency loans up to $10 million for nonprofits with 500 or fewer employees to cover payroll associated costs.
Other Texas actions:
In addition to the federal legislation above, Texas state agencies that administer federal nutrition programs (Texas Department of Agriculture, Texas Health and Human Services Commission, and Department of State Health Services) have taken advantage of several important waivers and flexibilities. These include eliminating the interview requirement for SNAP applicants, allowing non-congregate feeding of child nutrition programs, and allowing federal commodities to be used as disaster distributions. Texas has also submitted its Pandemic EBT plan to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and is awaiting approval.
Additional effects of COVID-19 on hunger response:
Food banks and their partner agencies—food pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters—have been particularly hard-hit by the pandemic. Not only have they seen increased demand, but also decreased availability of food by retailers (a considerable source of inventory), and decreased volunteers. Most food bank partner agencies, who rely on food banks for food and administrative support, are completely volunteer run. Many of those volunteers are seniors who cannot currently participate because of their greater vulnerability to COVID-19. Although food banks are used to dealing with disasters, this situation is different in that the disaster is everywhere.
Opportunities for advocacy:
Although this funding and flexibility provided by the government are helpful in addressing a growing need, more must be done. Many infectious disease experts believe the pandemic will continue for a while and could even spike as states start reopening businesses. Congress is poised to consider a 4th piece of COVID-19 legislation, and it is important that advocates push for important provisions to be included:
- An increase of the monthly maximum SNAP benefit by 15%
- An increase of the monthly minimum SNAP benefit from $16 to $30
- A halt to proposed harmful rules on SNAP; these include:
- ending waivers of work requirements for ABAWDs
- limiting Broad-Based Categorical eligibility
- preventing states from establishing utility and housing allowances
See this letter from Congressional members to leadership to encourage SNAP increases and stop harmful rules.
Also see the ways faith communities are responding in advocacy around COVID-19
Call to Action–Three things you can do right now:
- Call your Members of Congress (both Senators Cornyn and Cruz, and your House member), and ask for any upcoming relief legislation to include both increasing SNAP benefits and stopping the rules;
- Give money to your local food bank or food pantry. Because of their purchasing power, food banks can do more with funds than the normal consumer. Also, many food banks are having matching donation drives right now.
- If you’re healthy and have time, emergency food providers need volunteers. Contact your local food bank, Meals on Wheels, or other provider.