98% of US Counties: SNAP Benefits Fall Short about 19% of Meal Costs – Hunger Crisis Worsens!

According to the published article in Salon, a new report from the Urban Institute shows that in 2023, SNAP benefits did not cover the cost of a modest meal in 98% of U.S. counties. The study, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, found a 19% gap between the average meal cost and the maximum SNAP benefit. In some places like New York County, N.Y., and Leelanau County, Mich., the gap was as high as 70%.

Elaine Waxman from the Urban Institute said the SNAP benefit is very important for helping people who don’t have enough food. With the Farm Bill, which funds SNAP benefits, coming up for reauthorization, Waxman warned that possible cuts to SNAP benefits would hurt families already struggling with food insecurity. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson has suggested cutting $30 billion from SNAP benefits over the next ten years, which worries experts who say this would make the hunger problem worse.

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98% of US Counties: SNAP Benefits Fall Short about 19% of Meal Costs – Hunger Crisis Worsens! (PHOTO: KALB)

Furthermore, feeding America’s latest report, Map the Meal Gap, shows that hungry people now need more money than ever to buy food. Gina Hijjawi from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation said cutting SNAP benefits would hit children and marginalized groups the hardest, making health problems worse. As lawmakers discuss the Farm Bill, this new data highlights the need to keep, or even increase, SNAP benefit funding to help fight hunger in the U.S.

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