TELL CONGRESS: Protect SNAP

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, is one of the most powerful tools we have to end childhood hunger. Today, 1 in 5 children are supported by the food they receive through SNAP. But this critical program does much more than fill a child’s empty stomach. It helps them grow up smarter, stronger and healthier.

Right now, Congress has an important opportunity to protect and strengthen SNAP as they put pen to paper on the Farm Bill, a once-every-five-years piece of legislation that governs agriculture and food programs.

Now is the time to act. Write to your members of Congress today. Your support can make a difference between families receiving the support and resources they need or more red tape from Washington.

Your support can make a big difference in the lives of hungry children. Thanks for making your voice heard.

Personalizing your letter below will go further. To make your message more effective, please share why it's important to you to feed kids and families in need.

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Message

Protect and Strengthen SNAP in the Farm Bill

Dear [Decision Maker],

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Specifically, I ask you to protect and increase the value of SNAP benefits. Today, these benefits average just $2 per person per meal and often run out before the end of the month. With families continuing to face inflation and the high cost of food, housing and transportation, now is not the time to cut this critical resource.

SNAP supplements a family's food budget and is a safe and effective way to feed children. But the food provided by SNAP does much more than fill a child's empty stomach. It helps kids grow up smarter, stronger and healthier and that means a smarter, stronger and healthier nation. That's why it's critical for you to seek ways to increase access to SNAP. You can make critical investments and improvements to the program, like:

*Making benefits easier to use by expanding the ability to use SNAP for online grocery purchases;
*Opposing additional work requirements for so-called able-bodied adults without dependents, or ABAWDs. In reality, work requirements are actually time limits that create administrative burdens, increase food insecurity and do nothing to support or increase employment;
*Supporting equity for Tribal communities, where access to nutrition programs is limited by bureaucratic restrictions, by allowing participation in both SNAP and the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) in the same month, similar to the regular access SNAP recipients have elsewhere in the country to other federal nutrition programs and resources like food banks;
*Allowing U.S. citizens residing in Puerto Rico, American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to fully participate in SNAP;
Improving SNAP technology to streamline administration and promote equitable program access;
*And preserving and expanding a policy known as Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility, or BBCE, which helps families participate in SNAP if they're already eligible for other anti-poverty programs. This makes it easier, not harder, for working families with low income to get back on their feet.

As you begin to negotiate the 2023 Farm Bill, I urge you to seek opportunities to make the program stronger. Kids are counting on you.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State ZIP]
[Your Email]