Thousands of Nebraska families are hurting now, with job losses and the resulting loss in income.
Some of these same families now have kids at home who once received meals in school, too. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can go a long way to help, but our leaders need to prioritize taking up new federal options now available to states to make SNAP more effective to support families across Nebraska.
To do this, Nebraska can take several approaches, including:
- Maximizing the amount of SNAP support that families can get. 44 states or territories have taken this option, but Nebraska has not done so.
- Providing food support to families with students at home who would have otherwise received free or reduced-price breakfast and lunch if school were in session. Nebraska has also not yet taken up this option.
These are just two of several options now available to states to help ensure their SNAP programs can help support those facing food insecurity during this time.
Take Action:
We need to do more to help people suffering due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Contact Governor Ricketts by calling his office at (402) 471-2244 to ask him to take up these options, and prioritize SNAP for families facing hard times.