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Could a grocery delivery site help get more people signed up for SNAP?

Nov 27, 2024
More than 42 million people get food assistance through SNAP, but many who are eligible don't receive the benefits. Instacart's new tool could help.
There are lots of reasons people who qualify for SNAP benefits aren’t getting them. But Paco Vélez at Feeding South Florida said lack of awareness is a big one.
Craig Hudson/Getty Images

Most seniors who are eligible for SNAP aren't getting benefits

Oct 16, 2024
Only about 30% of people 65 and up who are eligible for food assistance through SNAP are getting it.
Some seniors receiving social security only qualify for the minimum SNAP benefit amount: $23 a month in most states.
Tim Boyle/Getty Images

Latest Census data show an increase in childhood poverty

Sep 13, 2024
Despite wage gains, lower-income families have been hit hard by inflation and the expiration of pandemic-era benefits.
In 2021, largely because of a temporary expanded child tax credit, only about 5% of children lived in poverty. Now,  nearly 14% of children do.
Larry French/Getty Images for SKDK

Now that pandemic SNAP benefits have ended, many scramble for food

May 23, 2024
The number of Americans facing food insecurity has increased. People are turning to food pantries, soup kitchens and each other.
When emergency nutrition assistance expired, millions of Americans suddenly had hundreds of dollars less per month for food. 
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Need SNAP benefits? You may have to wait.

Nov 20, 2023
In more than a dozen states, less than 80% of SNAP applications are being processed on time. Before the pandemic, the numbers were much better.
The most recent data show that applications for SNAP benefits are being processed late in a dozen states, including New York and Georgia.
Scott Heins/Getty Images

The SNAP work reporting requirement age just rose by one year. It's already affecting who gets benefits.

Sep 11, 2023
The upper age limit for SNAP recipients (able bodied, without dependents) who have to prove they’re working or looking for work at least part time has just risen from age 49 to age 50. Eventually it'll go up to age 54.
"We estimate that up to 750,000 individuals could lose [SNAP] benefits," said Ed Bolen with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Above, a sign alerting customers that a store accepts SNAP benefits.
Scott Heins/Getty Images

More stores are accepting SNAP benefits for online grocery orders

Feb 22, 2023
Here's why it took a pandemic to make it happen, and why the practice is probably here to stay.
Until recently, most grocery stores weren’t accepting SNAP online. But now retailers like Walmart, Amazon and recently Wegmans have begun to.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

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For the 2023 Farm Bill, expect a political showdown over SNAP benefits

Feb 16, 2023
Congress will be debating food aid programs covered by the bill, just as pandemic-era funding increases for food aid expire while grocery costs remain high.
As grocery costs remain high, a shrinking budget for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program could be a strain for recipients.
Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

What to expect from the 2023 Farm Bill

Dec 28, 2022
Advocates for everything from nutrition programs to tribal food sovereignty to climate and sustainability initiatives will be keeping an eye on the bill next year.
Above, a sign alerting customers about SNAP food stamps benefits — which are funded through the Farm Bill — is displayed at a Brooklyn grocery store.
Scott Heins/Getty Images

On Buffalo’s east side, inflation intensifies the daily struggle to buy food

“I have to get less food,” one shopper said. “So I plan very carefully with my food stamps.”
Shoppers at a mobile farmers market in east Buffalo, New York, where many residents struggle with access to grocery stores.
Brandon Watson