Alabama hunger

With the longest U.S. government shutdown over, state officials said Thursday that they are working quickly to get full SNAP food benefits to millions of people who made do with little-to-no assistance for the past couple of weeks. Until recently, SNAP families and food banks in Alabama will have to subsist with pledges of emergency funding from Governor Kay Ivey and The State Department of Human Resources.

President Donald Trump’s administration said that it will partially fund SNAP after two judges issued rulings requiring it to keep the nation's largest food aid program running. The website USA Facts says 750,000 Alabamians depend on SNAP to afford groceries. How soon and how much remain unanswered questions on partially restoring that funding.

The government shutdown is triggering a wave of closures of Head Start centers, leaving working parents scrambling for child care and shutting some of the nation's neediest children out of preschool. The impact may include head start centers in Alabama.

As part of an ongoing effort to combat hunger, the City of Auburn's Dean Road Ceramics Studio and the City of Opelika's Denson Drive Recreation Center will host the 11th annual Opelika-Auburn Empty Bowls Spring of 2024. The event is set for Saturday, April 20, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Some Alabama households will be facing food insecurity in the coming months, as the state decided not to take part in a 2024 summer electronic benefit transfer (EBT) program. The nonprofit Alabama Arise is looking to make change ahead of next summer.

Tickets will soon be on sale for the 11th annual Opelika-Auburn Empty Bowls event Spring of 2024. It will be held on in Opelika, Alabama on Saturday, April 20, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Hunger Free American report “Hunger is a Political Choice” focused on how cuts in federal benefits had led to greater food insecurity. Here in Alabama, the study states the number of people facing daily hunger between 2021 and 2023 grew over 44%, going from over 300,000 two years ago to nearly a half million in 2023. Hunger Free America says close to 200,000 children were living with food insecurity in 2022. Over 100,000 seniors don't have enough to eat every day in Alabama. Overall, twelve percent of the State’s population goes hungry regularly.

With gridlock persisting in Washington, a government shutdown is looking more and more likely ahead of Saturday night's deadline. If federal funding stops, some children in Alabama could be left hungry.

For a suggested donation of $15 attendees will enjoy live entertainment, will get to pick out a hand-crafted bowl created by local artisans and UA ceramics students and will receive a meal of soup, bread, and water at Grace Presbyterian.

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