CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Congress may not be able to finish the farm bill by the end of the month, when the old one expires. One deadlock is a controversial plan to cut access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Josh Protas, vice president for public policy with Jewish hunger-relief group MAZON, said conservative House Republicans are insisting on adding work requirements to eligibility for SNAP - formerly known as food stamps. He said that's not popular even with some Senate Republicans. But House Agriculture Committee Chair Mike Conaway of Texas is holding out.

"Farm income is down right now. Agricultural producers are being impacted by the trade wars and tariffs,” Protas said. “So their interests are really being put at risk by those who are trying to make harmful cuts to SNAP."

Conaway and others argue the tough work rules are necessary to push people into employment. Food banks say state experiments have shown almost everyone on SNAP that can work has a job or is looking. They say the work rules don't increase employment, just demand at pantries.

Food banks estimate the House proposal would mean SNAP would provide 9 billion fewer meals over 10 years. Kate Leone, senior vice president for government relations with Feeding America, said the House proposal includes more job training and government commodities for pantries. But she said it's not enough.

"For every one meal that our network of food banks provides, SNAP provides 12,” Leone said. “That gap that would be created is something that we just simply can't make up."

The House farm bill barely passed on a near party-line vote. A Senate version of the bill - without the SNAP work rules - passed 86-11. A conference committee is meeting now, and Protas said it may not be able to hash out the differences in time.

"But time is quickly running out,” Protas said. “Whatever farm bill comes out of the conference committee will need to go to the Congressional Budget Office to be analyzed in terms of its budget impacts. So they're quickly running out of time."

President Donald Trump has tweeted that he prefers the work rules.


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San Diego may seem like a wealthy area, but the mountain communities in the eastern part of the county still struggle with hunger and poverty.

Now, a new $100,000 grant from Save the Children's Innovation Lab will fund the development of a program to mailboxes of shelf-stable food to low-income rural families, starting next year.

Anahid Brakke, president and CEO of the San Diego Hunger Coalition, said the program has been a big hit in other communities.

"The parents said, 'It's like Christmas.' The kids feel like it's Christmas, you know, they get this food box; you know, it's for them," Brakke explained. "It really helps supplement the whole household."

A team from the San Diego Hunger Coalition is at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, this week to learn best practices from other communities. The funds will also be used to train community health navigators who can help people sign up for programs like CalFresh and WIC.

Esther Liew with Save the Children says food boxes that arrive by mail provide rural communities greater access to nutritious food.

"There's little public transportation in rural communities, meaning that they then have limited access to grocery stores and places where they can get fresh and nutritious foods," Liew pointed out. "That makes it really difficult to provide the food that they need for their children and their family members."

Hunger Coalition data showed about 35% of children in the Mountain Empire region live in poverty, which is nearly triple the rate for the rest of San Diego County.

In a recent community food survey of local residents, almost three-quarters said they would run out of food at some point in the last 30 days and did not have the resources to buy more.

One North Carolina Housing Authority in Robeson County has plans to launch a mobile "pay-what-you-can" food bus loaded with fresh fruits, vegetables and other foods that will serve families lacking transportation. The pilot program is one of a handful across the country to receive a $100,000 dollar grant from Save the Children's Rural Child Hunger Research and Innovation Lab to tackle rural hunger.

Colton Allen Oxendine, resident services director with the City of Lumberton's Housing Authority, said many residents have to walk miles to the nearest grocery store because they have no transportation.

"So this bus is going to reach well over 3,000 to 5,000 people," he said. "The goal is to make this a success."

He said residents will be able to use debit, credit, food stamps and whatever cash they have on hand at the mobile bus, and added he expects the program to be up and running by August. According to data from UNC-Chapel Hill, more then 30% of kids living in Robeson County live in food-insecure homes.

Allen Oxendine said many housing authority residents persist largely on processed, unhealthy foods.

"A lot of them resort to the smaller stores like gas stations, Family Dollar, Dollar General. We all know they do not carry fresh fruit and vegetables," he said.

Esther Liew, Lead Associate for Food Security Projects with Save the Children, said solutions to stop child hunger must come from within rural communities.

"What we're hoping is that they will be able to develop ways of working that maybe look a little bit different from how these similar types of programs would work in urban settings, so that we can help them to develop solutions that are specifically for rural contexts," Liew said.

A recent survey by Save the Children and the Child Action Network found 77% of rural parents report being worried they might not be able to afford enough food to feed their family.

Mountaineer Food Bank is partnering with DoorDash to home-deliver groceries to Mercer County's neediest families. The pilot program is one of a handful across the country to receive a $100,000 dollar grant from Save the Children's Rural Child Hunger Research and Innovation Lab to tackle rural hunger.

One in six West Virginia kids struggles with an empty stomach every day, according to Feeding America.

Gabriela Schoolcraft, communications coordinator for Mountaineer Food Bank, explained most families in the state's rural counties do not have a vehicle or are limited by fuel costs. She added the program, which begins this year, will initially serve 200 families.

"We'll get the foods in Mercer County and DoorDash will meet us at a pickup location," Schoolcraft said. "And we'll deliver the food to families that need it within the county. "

Schoolcraft said the food bank worked with the Mercer County Board of Education to determine which families would benefit the most. She added DoorDash drivers will be paid for their deliveries, and called it a win-win to increase job security in the region while helping families.

Schoolcraft said the food boxes will be tailored to individuals' household circumstances, noting that many families lack the resources to cook meals from scratch.

"For example, some families only have a microwave," she said. "So if that's the case, we'll only provide foods that are microwave centered, but they'll also receive fresh produce and proteins and dairies."

Esther Liew, the Lead Associate for Food Security Projects with Save the Children, said solutions to stop child hunger must come from within rural communities.

"What we're hoping is that they will be able to develop ways of working that maybe look a little bit different from how these similar types of programs would work in urban settings, Liew said. "So that we can help them to develop solutions that are specifically for rural contexts."

A recent survey by Save the Children and the Child Action Network found 77% of rural parents say they are worried they might not be able to afford enough food to feed their family.