IDAHO FALLS, Idaho - Food banks have seen increased need since pandemic-related food benefits expired in Idaho. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare decided not to extend SNAP Emergency Allotments in the state, which were designed to increase benefits to the lowest-income households during the pandemic shutdown.

Ariel Jackson, executive director of the Community Food Basket in Idaho Falls, said numbers went down after the expanded benefits went into effect last year. But this announcement has reversed that trend, and she saw the first signs of it posted on Facebook.

"People were panicking because they had received a letter and they weren't going to be getting this extra allotment anymore, and they didn't know what they were going to do," she said. "Within days of that, our numbers at our food bank spiked back up. We were seeing 20 to 30 families a day - and now, we're back up to 60 a day."

Jackson said her colleagues in food banks across the state have seen similar increases. The enhanced benefits stopped at the end of April. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 42,000 Idaho households received SNAP emergency allotments in March.

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare did not respond to a request for comment.

Idaho has announced that additional unemployment benefits from the federal government also will end in the state in mid-June, and the federal eviction moratorium is set to expire at the end of June. Jackson said she thinks the combination could mean a "benefits cliff" for some people, who either have struggled to find jobs or haven't returned to work because of health concerns.

"One of the biggest concerns that food banks have," she said, "is that these programs will all end at relatively the same time - and we'll feel it here. People won't know what to do."

Jackson said she believes families didn't have enough time to cope with the SNAP benefits change. She said she's also concerned about what will happen over the summer, when kids are out of school and don't have access to school meals.

"We know the programs are going to end - I mean, they just were never intended to go forever," she said. "And so, anything we can do to help our families adjust to the changes that are coming - if that's getting information sooner or being able to help them navigate through some of that stuff - that's what we want to do."

Jackson said food banks across Idaho are in need of volunteers and donations.

This summer, a key initiative to boost school meal access during the pandemic will expire. In North Dakota, those working at the community level say a return to status quo is not the way to go.

In June, the federal government will no longer provide free meals to all school students the way it has during the pandemic. Barring any action, many schools will return to offering free and reduced-price meals to students who qualify.

Hamida Dakane, community organizer for the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party, said many of the new American families she works with already face challenges in accessing these programs because of language barriers. For those who have come to rely on them, it removes a financial burden.

"People who are working with minimum wage, a single parent," Dakane explained. "If the money they were supposed to cover with this school food, now they can cover with their rent, electricity and internet."

Supporters argued establishing universal free meals permanently gives families certainty, especially when there is a sudden loss of income.

There have been federal proposals for permanent extensions, and the Biden administration offered more support in the recent Build Back Better plan. It has also been floated in states like North Dakota and Minnesota. Opponents generally cite cost concerns in providing the option for households not currently in need.

Supporters countered the approach removes major administrative burdens for school districts, while erasing stigma.

Barry Nelson, interim director of the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition, said it comes down to ensuring a basic, fundamental need for all school children.

"Children have to declare themselves as falling below a certain economic guideline, and that kind of visibility is part of the reason there's a barrier," Nelson asserted.

Other advocates said even though North Dakota's economy was not as affected by the pandemic as much as other states, keeping free meals in place will help families still struggling recover. Prior to the crisis, roughly 30,000 North Dakota students were receiving free and reduced-price school meals.

First in a two-part series this week on access to healthy school meals.

The pandemic has put a spotlight on food insecurity, including access to healthy meals in public schools.

In North Dakota, community organizers warn about possible changes to nutritional standards for these meals. Federal efforts continue for Child Nutrition Reauthorization, which is tied to the National School Lunch Program. Along the way, Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., has pushed for relaxing standards, such as blocking reductions in sodium levels.

Courtney Schaff, a project manager under grant from the Center for Science in the Public Interest, is leading community organizers around the state to ensure higher nutrition standards are in place. She said there's research showing their effectiveness.

"Evidence-based nutrition standards in school meals has reduced the prevalence of childhood obesity and instances of diabetes," she said.

Her team is working with groups such as the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition to build support for higher standards and healthy meal access. Under the Obama administration, a phased-in approach was implemented to make school lunches more nutritious, but recent years have seen attempts to roll back the changes. Some have argued the healthier standards have been difficult to implement, and that less-tasty meals could hinder participation in school-lunch programs.

With the pandemic exacerbating food insecurity for tribal communities, said fellow organizer Melanie Moniz, a member of the MHA Nation, now isn't the time to make school meals less healthy. For many Indigenous families she works with, she said the program is a lifeline.

"The meals that children receive in school are the only access that they have to healthy, nutritious food," she said.

Groups such as Prairie Action have joined organizers in calling for current standards to either be maintained or strengthened. Hoeven's office has said his efforts still allow for healthy meals but give more flexibility to administrators.

Aside from providing more nutrition for kids, researchers who looked at healthy meal consumption in California schools found a connection to improved academic performance.

January saw some Minnesota schools move back to distance learning because of COVID-19 cases. Families struggling to find their kids meals in these scenarios are urged to use available aid, while policymakers face pressure to remove food barriers beyond the crisis.

States like Minnesota opted to carry out an extra form of federal relief for when schools shift to remote learning. Households can receive Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer cards, which are loaded with a certain amount of money for each day a child is forced to stay home.

Bukata Hayes - vice president of racial and health equity for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota - said even when it's just temporary, lack of access has a big impact.

"The notion that students who are hungry prior to engaging in learning see, if you will, diminished academic outcomes compared to those who have access to nutritional meals," said Hayes.

The federal government is still providing free meals to all students when they're in school. But that expanded program expires this summer, renewing calls for permanent universal free meals.

Some states have either adopted such plans or are debating them, and there's legislation in the U.S. Senate. Opponents generally cite cost concerns and worry it will reach some who don't need it, but supporters say it removes stigma while reducing administrative burdens.

Hayes said most importantly it helps to address long-standing health inequities in states like Minnesota, while ensuring a level of certainty for kids in families dealing with multiple struggles.

"If I do know that at 8:00 the next morning, or 7:30 the next morning and 11:30 the next day that I do have that," said Hayes, "that removes one anxiety. "

And Hayes said meals will be there when other households suddenly lose their income. He pointed to children who lost a caregiver to COVID-19.

"Then all of a sudden that particular student who, prior to that, was able to pay and family was able to provide and didn't need to worry about it," said Hayes, "now that student and that family - they need access."

More details on the Pandemic EBT program can be found on the website for Hunger Solutions.