Food banks and nutrition advocates urged Congress to adopt proposals strengthening SNAP this week as the need for food assistance continued to rise across the state.
"Our food banks are being overwhelmed," said Celia Cole, CEO of Feeding Texas. "We need to deploy every tool in our toolkit to address this crisis."
Proposals to increase the maximum SNAP benefit to households are being debated in Washington this week as Congress negotiates a fourth Coronavirus response bill. A previous bill provided $15 Billion to provide a temporary increase in SNAP benefits in April and May, up to the maximum allotment by household size.
SNAP is a proven recessionary tool to boost local consumer spending just as businesses start to feel the effects of an economic crisis.
"Food banks can't shoulder this burden alone," said Cole. "Additional investments in SNAP are necessary to help us meet the overwhelming need in our communities."