With the end of SNAP emergency allotments, North Carolina hunger advocates are noting increased demand on food banks. In 2022, more than 1.5 million North Carolinians used SNAP benefits, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. March 1st saw the end of the pandemic-era "emergency allotments" that increased SNAP benefits across the country, with the average SNAP benefit falling back to less than $6 per person per day. The most recent numbers from the U-S-D-A indicate that food prices are 8.5% higher than a year ago. These factors have hunger advocates bracing for a so-called "hunger cliff."

Barbara Morales-Burke, chief operating officer for Raleigh-based Interfaith Food Shuttle, said they have seen demand increase continuously since COVID began, but in recent months the upswing has been more noticeable.

"Interfaith food Shuttle saw an increase of over 5,500 people, which is 5.4% served in the month of March compared to February," she said. "This comes on the heels of an increase of over 10% of individuals who we served between January and February of this year."

She added this is a trend they expect to continue and expand as more people feel the full impact of the end of the emergency allotments, in addition to ongoing inflation.

Commissioners in Durham County recently voted to allocate $500,000 to support Interfaith Food Shuttle and the Food Bank of Eastern and Central North Carolina with the purchase of wholesale food. While this is not enough to cover the estimated $3.2 monthly reduction in SNAP benefits, Morales-Burke is hopeful other counties will take notice.

"The intent is to try to supplement or fill in the gap that the elimination of the emergency allotments has created," she said. "And so that's just something that we hope other counties will take note of. And to the extent that they're able to do that financially, it could help make a big difference."

Interfaith Food Shuttle operates in seven counties in North Carolina as a food bank serving partner agencies such as food pantries and soup kitchens. They also combat child hunger directly with multiple programs supporting kids in area schools.

"We have a backpack program called Backpack Buddies," Morales-Burke added. "Last year, over 72,000 backpacks were distributed to students, and those backpacks are provided to them on Fridays, and they're intended to provide meals for the student to eat over the weekend."

The Backpack Buddies program served 73 schools last year.

Interfaith Food Shuttle also sources produce from a series of community gardens and their own farming operation.

"We've got a 14-acre farm where we grow a variety of types of produce, and we use that produce in part for the food that we deliver to our partner agencies, and last fiscal year we harvested over 77,000 pounds of fresh produce," Morales-Burke said.


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Groups working to end hunger in Nebraska are reaching out to all parts of the state to train food insecure people to advocate for others facing similar issues.

The advocacy group Nebraska Appleseed's Food Access Community Advocates Cohort educates people over nine months how to build advocacy, community organizing and storytelling skills, so they are better equipped to understand policies affecting the state's most food insecure people.

Megan Hamann, senior community organizer of food and nutrition access for Nebraska Appleseed, said having experienced hunger puts them in a better position to understand and talk about policy issues affecting hungry people in Nebraska.

"They have this lived experience that is really useful, I think, when it comes to making sure that our decision-makers know the impact of the policies they are considering," Hamann explained.

Nebraska Appleseed will start taking applications for new program participants Friday.

Hamann pointed out the number of food insecure people in Nebraska is greater now than it was during the pandemic, when demand at food banks was already high.

"I think with the passage of the recent federal budget reconciliation bill, we are looking forward to a period of time where that need is going to reach new extremes," Hamann projected.

This will be the fourth year of the cohort program. Many past participants have taken leadership roles in their communities and are now leading local efforts to educate others about the best ways to address food insecurity.


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It has been about three weeks since the Rowena Fire in Oregon's Columbia Gorge was put out, and the local food bank remains vital to recovery efforts.

The fire burned 3,600 acres in Wasco County, destroying 56 homes and 100 other structures.

Breen Goodwin, executive director of the Columbia Gorge Food Bank, said they are always prepared to assist during disasters with ready-to-eat emergency food boxes and water. She added many displaced families are living with relatives, in hotels, or camping and remain uncertain about their next steps.

"It is difficult in a community of our size to absorb housing needs for that many families who have lost homes," Goodwin acknowledged. "That next step of the recovery process of truly: 'How are those families being supported with more long term recovery efforts?'"

Breen pointed out the food bank has been serving as a distribution site to hand out supplies from Adventist Health of the Columbia Gorge and other organizations who donated nonfood items, including air purifiers, generators, hygiene supplies and stuffed animals for kids.

One of the biggest challenges, Breen noted, is keeping a supply of drinking water flowing once people start to return home.

"We're able to drop full pallets of water directly into the impacted communities because most of the time the drinking water is no longer safe until enough testing has been done," Breen explained.

The Columbia Gorge Food Bank is one of 21 regional food banks in the Oregon Food Bank Network. Breen emphasized the number of people visiting the food bank rose to about 6,500 per month during the pandemic and has remained at that level. People can visit OregonFoodFinder.org to find pantry locations in their area.

Indiana families are navigating the summer without SUN Bucks, a federal grocery benefit which delivered $120 per child last summer.

Gov. Mike Braun's administration chose not to participate in 2025, citing prior planning gaps.

Mark Lynch, director of advocacy for the Indy Hunger Network, said the funding blackout hit the state hard.

"We really are feeling and seeing the impacts of not having the SUN Bucks program this year," Lynch emphasized. "That $120 per summer for those students that they had last year have created some longer lines at our food pantries."

State leaders said administrative hurdles kept Indiana out of the program. Supporters argued skipping SUN Bucks puts pressure on food banks and leaves low-income families with fewer options.

Lynch noted to help bridge the gap, Indiana expanded its summer meal sites to include prepackaged meals, which do not require daily pickups.

"But there's school starting soon and they're giving their workers some time off for the summer, so that might be ending in the next week or two," Lynch explained. "That's just an example and that happens around the state in rural, suburban, and in city communities."

The Indy Hunger Network and other partners continue to support Hoosiers through tools like the Community Compass app, which shows nearby meal sites and grocery assistance programs.


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