Indiana has ended its participation in the federally enhanced Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), so going forward, many food-insecure families will have less money for groceries.

For two years, all SNAP recipients received additional benefits to make ends meet.

Emily Weikert Bryant, executive director of Feeding Indiana's Hungry, explained the benefits will once again be based on several factors, such as income and household size. She said recipients can determine their exact benefit amount by calling the 800-number on the back of their electronic benefits card.

"And it will give you the last benefit you received in May, and it will also give you the benefit amount for June," Weikert Bryant noted. "Families can at least prepare a little bit for the amount that they'll start seeing when benefits start loading on the fifth."

Those who need additional food aid can call 211, which will connect them with food aid organizations across the state. Families who rely on free and reduced-cost school meals for kids can also call or text the U.S. Department of Agriculture's national hunger hotlines to find a local summer meal site. The service offers support in both English and Spanish.

Weikert Bryant pointed out the end of enhanced aid is coming at a tough time for food-insecure families, as inflation for everyday goods remains high. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports the cost of groceries rose nearly 11% from April 2021 to April 2022.

"It's also impacting the food bank network as well," Weikert Bryant emphasized. "Our transportation costs have gone up 20% in the last year. We're paying 40% more for food purchases to keep up with the demand and make up for the fewer food donations that we're seeing."

Weikert Bryant added ending the enhanced food aid will mean a loss of more than $50 million a month of additional SNAP benefits being spent with Indiana grocers and food sellers. At least 17 other states ended federally enhanced SNAP benefits in May.

Groups working to end hunger in Nebraska are reaching out to all parts of the state to train food insecure people to advocate for others facing similar issues.

The advocacy group Nebraska Appleseed's Food Access Community Advocates Cohort educates people over nine months how to build advocacy, community organizing and storytelling skills, so they are better equipped to understand policies affecting the state's most food insecure people.

Megan Hamann, senior community organizer of food and nutrition access for Nebraska Appleseed, said having experienced hunger puts them in a better position to understand and talk about policy issues affecting hungry people in Nebraska.

"They have this lived experience that is really useful, I think, when it comes to making sure that our decision-makers know the impact of the policies they are considering," Hamann explained.

Nebraska Appleseed will start taking applications for new program participants Friday.

Hamann pointed out the number of food insecure people in Nebraska is greater now than it was during the pandemic, when demand at food banks was already high.

"I think with the passage of the recent federal budget reconciliation bill, we are looking forward to a period of time where that need is going to reach new extremes," Hamann projected.

This will be the fourth year of the cohort program. Many past participants have taken leadership roles in their communities and are now leading local efforts to educate others about the best ways to address food insecurity.


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It has been about three weeks since the Rowena Fire in Oregon's Columbia Gorge was put out, and the local food bank remains vital to recovery efforts.

The fire burned 3,600 acres in Wasco County, destroying 56 homes and 100 other structures.

Breen Goodwin, executive director of the Columbia Gorge Food Bank, said they are always prepared to assist during disasters with ready-to-eat emergency food boxes and water. She added many displaced families are living with relatives, in hotels, or camping and remain uncertain about their next steps.

"It is difficult in a community of our size to absorb housing needs for that many families who have lost homes," Goodwin acknowledged. "That next step of the recovery process of truly: 'How are those families being supported with more long term recovery efforts?'"

Breen pointed out the food bank has been serving as a distribution site to hand out supplies from Adventist Health of the Columbia Gorge and other organizations who donated nonfood items, including air purifiers, generators, hygiene supplies and stuffed animals for kids.

One of the biggest challenges, Breen noted, is keeping a supply of drinking water flowing once people start to return home.

"We're able to drop full pallets of water directly into the impacted communities because most of the time the drinking water is no longer safe until enough testing has been done," Breen explained.

The Columbia Gorge Food Bank is one of 21 regional food banks in the Oregon Food Bank Network. Breen emphasized the number of people visiting the food bank rose to about 6,500 per month during the pandemic and has remained at that level. People can visit OregonFoodFinder.org to find pantry locations in their area.

Indiana families are navigating the summer without SUN Bucks, a federal grocery benefit which delivered $120 per child last summer.

Gov. Mike Braun's administration chose not to participate in 2025, citing prior planning gaps.

Mark Lynch, director of advocacy for the Indy Hunger Network, said the funding blackout hit the state hard.

"We really are feeling and seeing the impacts of not having the SUN Bucks program this year," Lynch emphasized. "That $120 per summer for those students that they had last year have created some longer lines at our food pantries."

State leaders said administrative hurdles kept Indiana out of the program. Supporters argued skipping SUN Bucks puts pressure on food banks and leaves low-income families with fewer options.

Lynch noted to help bridge the gap, Indiana expanded its summer meal sites to include prepackaged meals, which do not require daily pickups.

"But there's school starting soon and they're giving their workers some time off for the summer, so that might be ending in the next week or two," Lynch explained. "That's just an example and that happens around the state in rural, suburban, and in city communities."

The Indy Hunger Network and other partners continue to support Hoosiers through tools like the Community Compass app, which shows nearby meal sites and grocery assistance programs.


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