Proposed SNAP benefits cuts may slash lifeline for folks barely making ends meet

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• Proposed federal legislation would slash an estimated $300 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program over 10 yyears
• Organizations that provide food to those in need fear the cuts will exacerbate a growing crisis among families already struggling to make ends meet
• Holy Cross Episcopal Church provides free food to those in need every Wednesday, and has seen need growing since COVID

Once a week Gerald Milhouse Jr. picks up free groceries from Holy Cross Episcopal Church in Pensacola.

Milhouse, a disabled U.S. Marine Corps veteran, said he otherwise wouldn’t make it financially.

Milhouse is not alone.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic Holy Cross Episcopal Church on Ninth Avenue has been providing free food to those in need. The church is among several Feeding the Gulf Coast distribution sites along the Panhandle.

“Many sites provide food once a month or so to residents. Here we provide food every Wednesday morning,” said Kathy Meloche, who manages the grocery distribution program. “We were at about 70 people during COVID. Now, we’re serving over a 100 people a week. It is huge mixture. We have a ton of elderly. We have a ton of working class. We even provide food to the homeless.”

With proposed federal cuts to programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Medicaid, Michael Ledger, Feeding the Gulf Coast president and CEO, is concerned about clients served by the food bank.

Addressing a budget bill passed by House Republicans in late May, Ledger wrote, “This legislation slashes SNAP by an estimated $300 billion and Medicaid by an estimated $880 billion over the next ten years, impacting tens of millions of Americans.”

The proposed cuts also will put more of a strain on food banks because of the increase in clientele.

“We never stopped the food giveaways, but we have seen an uptick in the number of people we serve. I’ve been writing grants to grocery stores, and a lot of that is on hold, because of the (federal) funding issue. No one really knows how that’s going to pan out eventually,” Meloche said, adding the church has already experienced some missed food deliveries from Feeding the Gulf Coast, and had to shut down a few Wednesdays.

“It was terrible for our people who we serve. They count on getting their groceries from us each week. We’re a supplemental pantry,” she said.

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Along with Feeding the Gulf Coast, the church also receives nonfood donations from parishioners, groups and other organizations for distribution.

Grocery items vary depending on what is delivered by Feeding the Gulf Coast. This week, the church provided a choice of frozen meats (lamb, beef roasts, salmon, ground pork, ground and link sausages or fish sticks) in grocery bags filled with apple juice, raisins, canned goods and cookies. The church also supplies cat and dog food to clients with pets.

“We order a certain number of pounds of food based on our clients, and a certain number of pounds of frozen. We never know what we’re going to get. We get an allocation of what they (Feeding the Gulf Coast) receive,” Meloche explained.

Feeding the Gulf Coast serves vulnerable communities across the Florida Panhandle, South Alabama and South Mississippi.

Food insecurity is already an issue for many – 1 in 6 of residents, including 1 in 5 children, along the Gulf Coast are food insecure, Feeding the Gulf Coast reported. And in half of the counties, the number of children facing hunger is even higher.

The federal legislation also the proposes the unprecedented authority to revoke nonprofit status and reducing nonprofits’ ability to raise funding by introducing changes to charitable tax deductions.

“These programs are lifelines for vulnerable Americans, including families, seniors, veterans and individuals with disabilities,” Ledger said in a prepared statement. “Along the Gulf Coast, we know how to prepare for a storm. This legislation has all the ingredients for a crisis: a nearly 3 year lapsed Farm Bill, reduced access to nutritious food, and threats to the nonprofits that serve on the front lines.”

Milhouse knows firsthand how important Holy Cross’s partnership with Feeding the Gulf Coast is to the well-being of local residents.

“If this program didn’t exist, it would be really hard on me. I thank God for it,” said Milhouse, who along with his veteran benefits receives $126 a month in SNAP benefits.

Mary Sauers, a 75-year-old grandmother who cares for three grandchildren – ages 9, 12 and 14, also depends on Holy Cross’s food distributions to fill the gaps in her grocery budget.

“When I’m shopping, I really have to stretch my money – way out,” said Sauers who moved to Pensacola about 15 years ago with her late husband, Howard Sauers, a U.S. Army retiree.

“I spend about a $100 a week on food out of my own pocket, and these extra groceries help me stay within my budget – 100%. Every day it seems prices are going up and having Holy Cross is a blessing for everyone. I hope the church can continue doing this. I know the government is making a lot of cuts to programs, but I hope this one isn’t shut down. It helps a lot of people.”

Sauers, who works part-time at Waterfront Mission, also depends on her husband’s military retirement, and Medicaid and Tricare for health insurance.

Another client, Gale Reddoch, has received food from the church since the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I can’t even put a price on what these groceries mean to me. They help a lot,” said Reddoch, 73, a retiree who lives off Social Security, a $225 health insurance grocery card and $23 in SNAP benefits.Reddoch also depends on Medicaid and Medicare for health insurance.