food insecurity

While the federal government has reopened and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits have been reinstated — for LGBTQ+ individuals, the ability to access food assistance remains difficult and uncertain.

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 report, an estimated 779,000 people are food insecure in Missouri.

After pandemic era food assistance programs ended in 2021, rates of food insecurity started rising.

Hogs for Hunger is a program that allows farmers to donate pigs to their local food banks or senior centers for a tax deduction. Since the program began, more than 2.6 million servings of pork have been donated.

As high food prices are on the minds of many Americans, the need for food assistance is as well. KBIA’s Rebecca Smith has the story of one local effort that’s working to meet this need and give dignity to people along the way.

The Loaves and Fishes soup kitchen served dinner out of the Ashley Street Center for the first time Monday night after leaving its longtime home of Wilkes Boulevard United Methodist Church.

The vandalism first began about five months ago, according to the North East Community Action Corporation.

The program would provide $40 in food benefits for each month an eligible child is on summer break, loaded onto a card that can be used like a debit card to purchase groceries. Missouri's decision is nonbinding, and the state now has until Feb. 15 to submit a detailed plan to the federal government.

Rock the Community is offering a free hot meal, gifts and some basic supplies on Wednesday, Nov. 22.