Eight South Florida chefs are joining more than 150 culinary colleagues nationwide in urging Congress to protect children from going hungry.
They are speaking out against proposed deep cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, which helps low-income families buy groceries.
“Cuts to SNAP will guarantee more hunger and hardship for families,” said Lorena Garcia, a Venezuelan chef based in South Florida who is among those who signed a letter to Congress opposing the cuts.
“At a time when millions of Americans are struggling to keep up with the rising cost of food, Congress must vote against budget cuts that will slash grocery benefits, making it harder for kids to get the food that they need.”
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House Republicans are pushing to cut $230 billion from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s budget over the next decade to help pay for tax cuts for the wealthiest business owners and households.
The Senate version of the bill calls for at least $1 billion in cuts, and that money would likely come from the SNAP program.
SNAP helps nearly 42 million low-income people purchase groceries, including one in five children. Americans can usually qualify for SNAP benefits if their income is under 130% of the federal poverty line. So, a family of four this year would qualify if they earn roughly $42,000 or less and have limited savings. Eligibility guidelines vary by state.
In the letter to Congress, the chefs mentioned that SNAP is one of the nation’s most powerful tools to end hunger, supplementing a family’s food budget and ensuring they can provide nutritious meals without sacrificing other essential needs.
“Kids who receive SNAP do better in schools. They're healthier [than] those [who] actually do not have access to it,” Garcia said. “[It] is such a powerful tool that we need in order to combat hunger.”
Critics of the program say SNAP costs the federal government too much money. It cost about $100 billion to fund nationwide last year.
“We need to stay vigilant and take care of our next generation, the generation that is going to feed us in the future, and [make] sure that no kid is hungry in their lives,” Garcia said.
According to a February report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, nearly 3 million Florida residents would be at risk of losing some or all of their SNAP benefits if the cuts are approved.
“Deep SNAP cuts would worsen food insecurity, hurt local businesses, and weaken SNAP’s ability to boost jobs in every state,” writes Katie Bergh, a CBPP senior policy analyst, who authored the report.
