PORTLAND, Ore. – The federal government's proposed changes to food assistance eligibility has hunger fighting groups across the nation concerned.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture wants to take away states' ability to issue waivers suspending the three-month limit over three years for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to able bodied people who aren't working at least 20 hours a week.

The new rule would kick an estimated 755,000 people off of SNAP nationwide.

Jeff Kleen, public policy advocate for Oregon Food Bank, says waivers typically are issued to rural counties with high unemployment, and SNAP is a vital program for these residents.

"SNAP is often times the only form of public assistance that they are eligible for,” he points out. “So, by taking that away, they really are left without any kind of support."

Twenty-three Oregon counties utilize these waivers.

Kleen notes that a similar proposal in the 2018 Farm Bill was rejected by Congress. He adds that food pantries would struggle to fill the gap because SNAP feeds 12 times as many Oregonians as pantries do.

The proposed change is part of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue's push to make people more self-sufficient. Public comments on the change will be accepted until April 2.

Barbara Garcia became acquainted with SNAP during the government shutdown. She and her husband work for the government and applied for assistance while furloughed.

She says she was surprised and grateful for the program.

Garcia says it's nice to know there's a program in place to help with the bare essentials when people are struggling.

"If we were to change too many of the requirements and make this more about a jobs program than the benefit itself, I think it would be diluted and that would be really unfortunate," she states.

Kleen says folks face a number of obstacles to finding jobs, including lack of transportation, the wrong skills for the local market, unstable living conditions and discrimination.

He adds that even people who are not able bodied but have not received a medical diagnosis could be purged from benefit rolls under this rule.

"If they struggle to keep up with paperwork and file it properly and in a timely fashion, I really worry about the people that will get caught up in the additional administrative hoops and bureaucracy that will be involved in enforcing this time limit," he points out.

More than 600,000 Oregonians receive food assistance each month.


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Research shows people experiencing food insecurity often suffer from chronic health conditions due to a lack of proper nutrition. Now, a group of Washington food banks is working to change it.

The Washington Food Coalition is collaborating with the American Heart Association-Washington branch, adopting the Association's nutritional guidelines for its local food pantries.

Chantal Brooks, founder and food safety manager for New Day Ministries in Bremerton, said her group's food pantry found many of its patrons come from disadvantaged backgrounds.

"What prompted us to implement a nutrition policy is we began to notice that many of the people we serve, especially seniors and families with children, were struggling with health conditions like diabetes, heart problems, high blood pressure," Brooks outlined.

Coalition research showed pantries with nutrition policies are better able to communicate with and educate donors, collect feedback from customers about their food preferences, and identify and offer healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables.

The Heart Association's guidelines aim to help customers battle conditions such as diabetes, obesity and heart disease by prioritizing fresh, nutritious, and culturally relevant foods.

Elena O'Callaghan, community impact director for the American Heart Association of Washington, said nutrition policies help pantries focus on providing good outcomes.

"Agencies with nutrition policies felt much more confident in being able to define and discuss healthy foods," O'Callaghan observed. "A lot of people who run food pantries may have trouble defining 'What is a healthy food?' and 'How will I know it when I see it?'"

Brooks said her group's food pantry uses the Heart Association's nutrition policy as a guide for what food it purchases and collects.

"It's not necessarily that we will refuse any food," Brooks noted. "It just helps us to focus more on nutrient-dense foods, such as fresh vegetables and fresh fruits and nutrient-dense protein."

As Colorado lawmakers grapple with $1.2 billion in budget cuts, child nutrition advocates are turning to voters to protect funding for the state's Healthy School Meals for All program.

Dr. Sandra Hoyt Stenmark, clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado, said when a child has inadequate nutrition, they are more susceptible to acute and chronic illness, and more likely to miss school and fall behind academically and socially.

"We know that malnourishment and stress impair a child's immune function, and worsens chronic diseases such as asthma," Hoyt Stenmark explained.

Healthy School Meals for All serves more than 600,000 meals every school day, regardless of a student's ability to pay. Funding was meant to come from capping tax deductions on people earning $300,000 or more per year but the program's popularity has driven up projected costs. House Bill 1274 would put two measures on November's ballot asking voters to maintain existing funding and ensure long-term stability.

Thai Nguyen, executive director of Kaizen Food Rescue in Denver, said investing in students now will help them be better prepared to land jobs that pay enough to be financially independent as adults. She pointed out for many Colorado kids, the only real meal they get all day is at school.

"It improves students' academics performance," Nguyen emphasized. "Once they have full stomachs, they tend to focus better, score higher on assessments and have fewer behavioral problems."

The ballot measures would also expand the Local Food Purchasing Program, which allows schools to purchase fresh foods directly from Colorado farmers and ranchers.

Roberto Meza, a first generation farmer and CEO of the food distributor Hearty Provisions, believes the program is critical to maintain the viability of independent food producers.

"They have a reliable market for their product," Meza stressed. "That just eases so much stress and uncertainty on the farmer's part. And to know that it's going to feed kids, is just that extra layer of purpose and meaning."


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North Dakota's governor this week signed a bill maintaining state funding for rural communities in dire need of thriving grocery stores.

The state launched a specialized grant program in 2023, setting aside $1 million for smaller communities to share if their local grocery store was in danger of closing its doors, a problem seen in many rural counties.

For example, one small community used its share to match funds for the purchase and reopening of a local convenience store, which added groceries and a restaurant.

Ellen Huber, rural development director for the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives, spoke in support of the new bill extending the grant opportunities.

"Without action, our rural communities are becoming increasingly reliant on distant markets for basic needs and are paying the transportation and fuel costs," Huber pointed out.

Huber told lawmakers since 2014, North Dakota has lost 47 rural grocery stores, leaving only 90 operating around the state. Like the initial funding cycle, the grant program receives $1 million to cover the next two budget years. The bill received overwhelming support in the Legislature but there were some "no" votes as competing rural investment plans surfaced this year.

Just like water, emergency services and health care, Huber argued grocery stores are essential to small-town survival.

"To attract people to live in communities, (those residents) need ready access to healthy, affordable food," Huber emphasized.

Huber and policy experts said shifts in federal law have given bigger chains an edge in buying products in bulk at cheaper prices. It has inspired efforts in parts of North Dakota to establish local grocery store co-ops, where a handful of smaller shops buy items in bulk together.


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