Food Insecurity

Enrollment in SNAP has reached a 10-year low in Connecticut. Advocates blame changes to the program included in the sweeping tax bill that President Donald Trump signed last summer.

Connecticut has started giving out a one-time $300 grocery benefit to low-income residents pushed off federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits by the Trump administration.

CT Foodshare is upgrading its Wallingford headquarters, which distributes about 1 million pounds of food each week, as demand for anti-hunger programs continues to grow.

The Health & Welfare Council of Long Island has created a clearinghouse website to help SNAP recipients navigate changes to the federal food assistance program after new work requirements took effect on June 1.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of food insecure people in Connecticut has increased by 152,000, according to Connecticut Foodshare.

The Trump administration has given states until next week to submit personal information about SNAP recipients — or risk losing federal funding for the program.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is threatening to withhold money for food stamps from 20 states, including Connecticut and New York, for refusing to share personal information about recipients.

Funding for SNAP has been allocated, paused, reinstated, and canceled again multiple times, straining local food pantries and the state agencies that scrambled to lessen the impact on hungry residents.

Governor Ned Lamont said he’s instructed the state Department of Social Services to reload residents' EBT cards. The money is expected to be available next week.

Efforts to feed people who rely on federal food assistance in Connecticut are underway during interruptions to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). No new benefits will be available starting November 1, as the government shutdown continues.