At a time when the cost of living is rising and the price of basic expenses like housing and food are increasing, Congress has cut $300 million dollars from the SNAP program.

These cuts jeopardize a lifeline for the more than one million households in North Carolina. The USDA has announced plans to require all current recipients of the program to reapply, which could result in benefits being delayed for some and people being unfairly removed from the program.

• Children who are eligible for free and reduced priced meals at school may no longer have access to nutritional meals.

• Food retailers who rely on the revenue from purchases made through SNAP may see staff layoffs and closures of grocery stores and small convenience stores in rural areas.

Join Down Home’s phone bank to help spread the news and to insist that elected officials restore funding to SNAP.