Affordable Virginia Hosts Food Drive to Spotlight Food Insecurity and Impacts of Potential Cuts to Food Assistance Programs
Affordable Virginia Collected More Than $1,500 in Food Donations That Were Donated to the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia
Virginia Beach, Va. – Affordable Virginia hosted a food drive and collected $1,500 in donations for the Food Bank of Southeastern Virginia. This event also served as an opportunity to raise awareness around food insecurity legislation moving through Congress that threatens to make harmful cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that could impact over 26,000 families in the 2nd Congressional district who rely on SNAP.
Affordable Virginia food donation haul. | Credit: Affordable VA
Earlier this year, despite Democratic efforts to amend the legislation to avoid such cuts, the House Agriculture Committee voted to cut $30 billion from SNAP, over 10 years, as part of the Farm Bill, and Affordable Virginia is raising awareness around these cuts as the bill makes its way through the legislative process.
“We’re so proud of the work of our volunteers and the community members who came together and made this event such a success, but this was also a stark reminder of how many families are facing food insecurity in the Virginia Beach area,” said Emily Yeatts, Campaign Director for Affordable Virginia. “There are 26,526 households who receive SNAP across Virginia’s 2nd Congressional district, and raising awareness around this legislation moving through Congress is key for these families.”
Volunteers helping collect donations from a community member. | Credit: Affordable VA
Background on SNAP Cuts
When the House Agriculture Committee negotiated provisions and amendments in the Farm Bill, multiple Republican members argued that SNAP had become too expensive and that the program was being abused by people who treated the assistance as a “lifestyle.” This is despite strong evidence to refute this claim.
The House Agriculture Committee inevitably passed a bill out of committee that would repeal a provision from the bipartisan 2018 Farm Bill – which was signed by President Trump – that required the Thrifty Food Plan to be re-evaluated every five years. Without the provision, the update to SNAP benefits would be reversed back nearly 50 years.
This food plan would force families to rely on outdated food cost estimates based on diets and budgets from nearly half a century ago. The plan will initially cost the families that receive food assistance nearly a month's worth of food per year, and eventually two days’ worth of food per month, and cut $580 million in SNAP funding for the Commonwealth over the next ten years.
Collecting donations from a community member. | Credit: Affordable VA
Food Insecurity on the Rise
According to the Urban Institute, these cuts could not come at a worse time. “In 2022, we saw a substantial spike in food insecurity in response to unprecedented food price inflation that coincided with the end of several temporarily expanded social safety net programs, including the expanded child tax credits and universal free school meals,” the organization said in a report posted to their website. “Last year, food insecurity increased again. Even though food price inflation slowed, household budgets remained tight. Moreover, the loss of the SNAP emergency allotments [in 2023] meant families in 35 states suddenly had fewer resources to buy food.”
