CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Recent changes were made to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which could impact about 750,000 Americans. It took effect Friday, September 1, following the debt ceiling bill that President Biden signed into law in early June.
Before the new change, those who are 18-49 years old were eligible for benefits. Now, under the U.S. Department of Agriculture, able-bodied adults from 18 to 50 years old, who don't have kids, must show proof they are working at least 80 hours a month. In addition, they can also be enrolled in an education or training program to receive SNAP benefits.
That will change by next month. On October 1, that age requirement will increase to 52 years old. Homeless people, veterans and adults 18 to 24 years old who aged out of foster care are exempt from the new requirements. Then, on October 1, 2024, the age requirement will change again and be pushed back to 54 years old.
With the changes, there are several local organizations across the Coastal Bend that are ready to help those in the time of emergency. The Coastal Bend Food Bank serves around 97,000 people across 11 counties. However, the number may be higher as some families utilize their services more than once a week.
Bea Hanson, the Executive Director of CBFB said the organization has been helping people now more than ever as the economy continues to decline, inflation looms and now as SNAP benefit requirements increase.
“We have seen that many families that were receiving food stamps during Covid, when that ended, either their food stamps disappeared, some of them went down to $12," Hanson said, "But that’s where the food bank’s mission comes in. We are emergency services and we're here to help people, especially those who are low-income."
However, the local food bank is not the only organization or group that helps individuals put food on the table. Catholic Charities of Corpus Christi says the number of people they help daily has gone up nearly 30 percent.
Kathy Pekar, with Catholic Charities, said even the emergency allotment from the pandemic's emergency assistance went down and wasn't enough in the beginning. Now as federal assistance has decreased, more people are struggling to buy groceries.
“The average client for an individual would receive $195 a month in SNAP benefits. As the assistance went down earlier this year, we've seen some individuals receive as little as $23 in SNAP benefits.”
As the changes continue into next year, food pantries may have to kick into high gear to get more donations as more people need help.
“We give enough food for about 3 days. It’s really not enough for a whole week. It’s an emergency type situation and it really isn’t enough to fill the gap between what they need and the benefits that they receive," Pekar said.
More than 3.7 million low-income Texans rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to help feed their families.
If you need assistance, learn more about how to apply for SNAP benefits with Texas Health and Human Services. If you're looking for a local food pantry in Nueces County, check out the Coastal Bend Food Bank and Catholic Charities of Corpus Christi website.
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