As Missouri families prepare for the loss of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits, Columbia's school district and the area's main food bank are bracing for the ripple effects that could hit thousands of children and households across Boone County.
According to the Missouri Department of Social Services, all SNAP benefits are temporarily suspended as of Saturday until the federal government shutdown ends. The department will continue to process new applications and changes as usual and will issue benefits as soon as federal funding is restored.
For many families, the loss of SNAP means more than fewer groceries. It could change how children eat, both at home and at school.
“We feed all children regardless when they’re in front of us,” said Laina Fullum, director of nutrition services for Columbia Public Schools. “We’re not going to ask if they can afford it. We feed them because a hungry child cannot learn.”
The district uses SNAP data to automatically qualify students for free- and reduced-price meals, Fullum said. When those benefits shrink, fewer students qualify, and that could lower district funding through the state’s foundation formula, which partially depends on the number of low-income students.
“If our free and reduced numbers drop, it does affect things like our state funding,” Fullum explained. “If a family loses SNAP benefits, and they can't afford a school meal, then school meal paid debt will increase, meaning families who eat with us won't be able to pay for the meals.”
School meal debt adds up quickly. An elementary school lunch costs $3.20, while a secondary meal costs $3.40.
“If a family doesn't qualify and they end up being only eligible for paid meals, full-price meals, then what will happen is they will eat a meal but won't be able to pay for it because they don't have the money to do it,” Fullum said.
The district is encouraging families to complete free and reduced-cost meal applications on its website to help offset the impact.
“If you fill out and complete a free and reduced application, hopefully you qualify," Fullum said. "You can apply all year long, and once you're eligible, you're eligible for the entire year.”
While the district works to keep children fed in schools, community partners such as The Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri are preparing for a surge in need.
“The Food Bank helps provide food for around 100,000 people in our service area every single month,” said Katie Adkins, the Food Bank’s chief communications officer. “If there are people who are maybe missing out on their SNAP benefits this month … you can imagine we're going to see an increase in demand.”
Adkins said the Food Bank has been diversifying how it sources food, through local manufacturers, grocery store donations, and community contributions.
“The Food Bank is often the safety net to the safety net,” Adkins said. “We may have people who are receiving SNAP benefits and that helps get them through the month, but they've never stepped foot in the food bank market, and those are some people that we foresee could be seeking help for the first time.”
Adkins said the Food Bank has expanded programs like school markets, which are mini pantries set up inside public schools. Stocked with snacks and shelf-stable food, the markets allow students to take home ingredients for family meals — a lifeline for families struggling to put food on the table.
“Kids can go to their little school market, right in their school and get access to items that they can take home and they feed the whole family, rather than feeding just one child,” Adkins said.
While the Food Bank has made efforts to limit the effect of SNAP benefits being lost, it still urges the community to help address child hunger.
“There definitely could be long-term repercussions to not addressing child hunger, so we continue to run our children's programs and get food into areas where we know that kids are able to access it," Adkins said. "But we need the community's help to be able to continue to do that."
Information about getting assistance or making a donation can be found on the Food Bank's main website.
