The COVID-19 crisis revealed what MAZON has known for years: while charity is crucial, only the federal government has the capacity to truly meet the needs of Americans facing hunger. SNAP allows people to get the food they need with dignity to choose how to nourish themselves and their families. SNAP is and always has been our country’s most effective defense against hunger.
Protecting SNAP for all who need it
By the Numbers
Urge Congress to Restore Stolen SNAP Benefits
Every day, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) delivers nutrition benefits to over 41 million low-income Americans to help them feed their families with dignity and choice. SNAP recipients access their benefits via electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards, which have become a frequent target of “skimming” crimes. Skimmers take advantage of security weaknesses in EBT cards by using hidden devices to capture data during grocery checkout. The stolen data is then used to access and drain the benefits in the card holder’s account.
In December of 2022, Congress passed a law to protect and replace SNAP benefits that were stolen from families in need. Unfortunately, that law is set to expire on December 20, 2024. This important policy has led to the replacement of over $60 million in stolen benefits nationwide, and it must be continued.
Without urgent action, families whose SNAP benefits are stolen may lose their ability to put food on the table. Now is an important time to remind policymakers that they have an obligation to make program beneficiaries safe and whole. Please join MAZON in urging Congress to extend the benefit restoration policy.
Urge Congress to protect SNAP and lift up other MAZON priorities in the Farm Bill
The Farm Bill is one of the most transformational pieces of legislation that Congress regularly reauthorizes, and it is up for renewal. In addition to authorizing SNAP (food stamps) and other federal nutrition programs that serve tens of millions of Americans each year, the Farm Bill presents a unique opportunity to advance long-overdue policy solutions to the food security challenges of many special populations that MAZON prioritizes. Take action now.
Learn more
Congress Must Increase Funding for SNAP (Washington Post)
Abby J. Leibman, MAZON’s President & CEO, has a letter to the editor in the Washington Post about the Nov. 22 front-page article “Thanksgiving tenacity: ‘They can’t eat a gift card’.” Read More
By The Numbers: COVID-19 and Hunger
Before COVID-19, there were nearly 40 million people facing food insecurity. Now, with skyrocketing unemployment, we expect that there are over 80 million people at risk of hunger, and the numbers are still rising. Read more.
The U.S. Government’s Failed COVID-19 Response Echoes Historic Mistreatment of Native Americans
The U.S. government’s failed response to the COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating impacts across the country, but perhaps nowhere more than in Indian Country, where the neglect echoes historic mistreatment of Native Americans, experts said in a recent panel event hosted by MAZON. The panel, which coincided with Native American Heritage Month, featured experts in this field and addressed various ways to strengthen food security and food sovereignty in Indian Country. Read more.
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