“We are delighted to see the Biden Administration taking swift, immediate action to address our nation’s hunger crisis,” says Davis.
Contact: Meredith Jorss, mjorss@strength.org
Washington, DC - This morning, the Biden Administration will reportedly sign two executive orders intended to bring new relief to millions of children and families hit hard by the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. These executive orders, in part, would call on the USDA to allow states to increase SNAP benefits and urge a 15% increase to Pandemic-EBT benefits, a program that provides an additional grocery benefit to families with school-aged children. These actions would provide short-term, more immediate aid to families while Congress continues to debate a larger, more comprehensive relief package over the next months. The following is a statement from Share Our Strength Senior Vice President Lisa Davis on the action:
"We are delighted to see the Biden Administration taking swift action to address our nation’s hunger crisis. The most effective way to ensure families with children have enough to eat is by providing them with the resources to purchase the food they need. Increasing SNAP and Pandemic EBT benefits will do this. And, since these benefits are spent quickly at local grocery stores and markets, they also stimulate local economies.
We are also pleased they are addressing the inadequacy of the “Thrifty Food Plan,” the calculation which determines benefits and which has kept them artificially low in recent decades. Established in the 1970s, this calculation makes unrealistic and outdated assumptions about the time families have to shop and prepare food, food availability, and food affordability, all of which are at odds with the realities of today’s struggling families.
Finally, while we applaud the measures signed today, we also agree with the Administration on the need to do more in the months ahead. The pandemic ripped a hole in our nation’s economy and destroyed the financial security and livelihoods of millions of Americans. It worsened hunger and hardship in Black and Latino communities, exacerbating existing disparities. And the hunger that children face today has the power to change the rest of their lives. We look forward to working with the White House, Secretary Vilsack and the USDA to bring relief, food and hope to families in the weeks and months to come."
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About No Kid Hungry
No child should go hungry in America. But in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, 1 in 4 kids could face hunger this year. No Kid Hungry is working to end childhood hunger by helping launch and improve programs that give all kids the healthy food they need to thrive. This is a problem we know how to solve. No Kid Hungry is a campaign of Share Our Strength, an organization committed to ending hunger and poverty.