Lowcountry Food Bank opposes cuts to hunger relief in House Farm Bill
March 15, 2018
The Lowcountry Food Bank expressed dismay at language included in the 2018 Farm Bill by the House Agriculture Committee that would significantly reduce SNAP participation and food assistance. Particularly, the deep cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will be devastating to our community, and there is no way charities like ours can make up the difference.
Pat Walker, President and CEO of Lowcountry Food Bank
“Our food bank is part of the fabric of our community and feeding neighbors in need is a shared responsibility. Each day we see the partnership reflected among our volunteers and donors. The nonprofit sector cannot do this alone – for each meal provided by Feeding America’s network, of which the Lowcountry Food Bank is a member, the SNAP program provides twelve. SNAP is a cornerstone federal nutrition program and vital to addressing hunger in America. It is also critical to our local economy, generating business for retail and related jobs in our community.
“While we understand that a piece of legislation like the Farm Bill involves compromises and competing priorities, ensuring that Americans have the ability to put food on the table should be considered fundamental. Any reductions to the SNAP program whatsoever should be deemed unacceptable by Congress.”
About the Lowcountry Food Bank: Feed. Advocate. Empower.
The Lowcountry Food Bank helps fight hunger by distributing food to nearly 300 partner agencies including soup kitchens, homeless shelters and emergency food pantries. The Lowcountry Food Bank is a member of the national Feeding America network. The Lowcountry Food Bank advocates on behalf of the hungry and helps empower people to make healthy and nutritious food choices. The Lowcountry Food Bank serves the 10 coastal counties of South Carolina and distributed more than 28 million pounds of food in 2017. For more information go to www.lowcountryfoodbank.org.
