Last week, the Portland Press Herald reported on the rise of food insecurity rates in Maine and the critical role federal nutrition programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) play in stabilizing household budgets across the state. The article also highlighted how changes in the SNAP program impact demand within Maine’s charitable food network.

Now, potential cuts to SNAP in the proposed Farm Bill threaten to worsen an already increasing problem.

As president of the state’s largest hunger relief organization, Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine, I see firsthand the challenges many people in Maine face, and I also witness their incredible resilience and strength. From this vantage point, I can attest to the vital role SNAP plays in supporting people and strengthening financial and food security across our state.

However, new data from Feeding America’s latest Map the Meal Gap report, paired with proposed cuts to SNAP in the Farm Bill, paints a concerning picture. In 2022, food insecurity affected nearly 13% of Maine’s population, up from 10.5% in 2021. This increase means an additional 35,000 people are struggling to access enough food to thrive, including one in five children. We expect these numbers to rise further when 2023 data is released next year, as 2023 marked the end of pandemic-era increases to SNAP benefits that helped contribute to the lowest rates of food insecurity in decades.

The Farm Bill, currently under debate in Congress, is a comprehensive piece of legislation affecting agriculture and crucial food assistance programs. While the bill proposed by the House includes several improvements to nutrition programs, those are vastly outweighed by provisions that would prevent future updates to the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP), which is a model that the U.S. Department of Agriculture uses to determine the dollar amount of benefits a SNAP recipient receives.

Freezing the TFP, which was last updated in 2021 prior to record levels of inflation, would effectively cut SNAP benefits, undermining a program that provides an estimated nine meals for every one meal distributed by a hunger relief organization.

SNAP benefits currently average only $6 per person per day. This amount is barely enough, considering the average cost of a meal in Maine rose to $4.19 in 2022. But SNAP is not just about addressing food insecurity. It’s also about supporting our local economies. Every dollar spent on SNAP generates up to $1.54 in economic activity.

A 2022 Urban Institute report highlighted that the increased SNAP benefits from the 2021 reevaluation significantly reduced poverty by 4.7%. Cutting SNAP benefits now would exacerbate Maine’s already growing food insecurity rates and create a loss felt by our communities.

We appreciate the efforts of those in Congress who are standing against the House Farm Bill proposal, which could result in an estimated $110 million in SNAP cuts for Maine. This stand is a crucial step, but more work is needed. Elected officials are strong and necessary partners as we work to ensure food security for everyone in Maine and we need the unified support of Maine’s entire congressional delegation to protect the Thrifty Food Plan and preserve SNAP benefits.

Protecting SNAP is not just a matter of policy; it’s about supporting financial and food security for people in Maine, which in turn bolsters the health of our residents and our communities and the prosperity of our state. Let’s continue to work together to ensure every person in Maine has reliable access to the food they need to thrive.