We write as constituents from Greenwich dedicated to food system transformation in Connecticut. It is incumbent upon us as food justice advocates and caring citizens to express our concern regarding billions of dollars in proposed cuts and administrative changes to nutrition assistance programs, most critically, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
We denounce actions taken to find savings for the budget reconciliation bill from reforms to SNAP, such as stronger work requirements and cost-sharing with states. Cutting into nutrition assistance programs further compromises democratic principles already in peril.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other food security measures, including the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), emerged in the 1940s after World War II with a complex set of objectives. These programs initially served, in part, to manage overproduced commodities through charity-based food and nutrition security systems, but did so within a framework that has inadvertently contributed to the growth of ‘Big Ag’ and ‘Big Food.’
Despite their complex intent, these programs address critical issues like hunger and malnutrition, stimulate economic development, help prevent social unrest, and contribute to a more peaceful society. Serving mostly children and seniors, SNAP and NSLP stand as the country’s largest and second-largest food security safety-nets.
As a nation bound by our shared responsibility for one another’s welfare, we must protect these programs from any endangerment and recognize their role in preserving peace, nourishing our most vulnerable populations, and strengthening our democracy.
Connecticut faces a deepening food insecurity crisis. The 2025 Map the Meal Gap report reveals that one in seven Connecticut residents, or 14.3% of the state’s population, are food insecure. This translates to over 516,000 people struggling with hunger, a concerning increase of more than 10% from the previous year. Jason Jakubowski, President and CEO of Connecticut Foodshare, underscores the severity of the situation, stating, “The new Map the Meal Gap report confirms that food insecurity is getting worse in Connecticut and it’s getting harder to address.”
In 2024, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provided a crucial safety net for nearly 400,000 Connecticut residents, representing one in nine state residents. A total of $885 million in SNAP benefits were disbursed that year. However, it is important to recognize that many recipients received limited assistance, with some seniors’ monthly benefits amounting to as little as $60.
SNAP serves as a powerful economic driver. Every dollar invested in SNAP generates up to $1.80 in economic activity. Furthermore, SNAP offers vital market support to farmers and small businesses while promoting the physical and mental well-being of seniors and individuals with disabilities.
However, SNAP does more than just help with food; it’s a gateway to other essential services. When families lose their SNAP benefits, their children also lose automatic qualification for free school meals. Meg Zimmerman, Program Manager at End Hunger CT!, emphasizes this crucial connection: “SNAP is not only the most effective anti-hunger program in the country, but it’s also a key pathway to other anti-hunger programs, such as free school meals.” She explains that schools use data-matching to identify students who receive SNAP and automatically enroll them in free school meal programs. This automatic certification is highly efficient, saving administrative time and money. However, if families are cut off from SNAP, fewer children will be directly certified for school meals, meaning eligible kids could slip through the cracks and go without access to proper nutrition.
We ask that our U.S. Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal embrace a new vision, alongside food and farm assistance programs, that are led by communities empowered by their own food, land and watershed sovereignty.
Connecticut is fortunate to have a diverse coalition, predominantly Black and Brown farmers, growers, food entrepreneurs and policy advocates who are leading a movement towards an equitable, just, resilient and regionalized food system rooted in interdependent relationships.
The charitable food system is stretched thin. Food banks and pantries cannot shoulder the responsibility of unprecedented levels of food insecurity, especially as diminishing federal food and farm assistance programs compound an already fraught system. We all must employ our imaginations and pave pathways towards a food culture where access to food, land and watersheds is upheld as a human right.
We invite you to join us as a food system changemaker and uplift the following programs – although by no means an exclusive list:
- Federal Policy/Programs such as: Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement (LFPA) Local Food For School Cooperative Agreement Program (LFSA) and the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) and the Land Capital Market Access Program (LCMAP)
- State Policy/Programs such as: School Meals For All CT, Local Food For Local Schools Incentive Program, CT Grown For CT Kids Grant and Food Recovery Initiatives
- Community-Based Organizations such as: Liberated Land Cooperative, Sovereign Land Trust, Fairgate Community Farm, Green Village Initiative, Brass City Harvest, Northwest CT Food Hub, CT Farm To School Collaborative and New Connecticut Farmer Alliance
We must underscore the profound value and potential that lies in the synergy between federal and state policy programs and community-based organizations. This interconnectedness is critical for eliminating not only food insecurity, but the diverse social, economic, and ecological issues that are direct consequences of the industrial food system’s detrimental impacts.
We ask that Murphy and Blumenthal use their position of influence, and power, to support these programs and to integrate them into their narrative around a larger vision for a democratic society. Transformation in the food system, informed and guided by said programs, will lead us towards the creative connections, authentic well being, thriving communities and stronger democracy we all long for.
We are grateful for their representation and sincerely thank them for their courage in defending our democracy at a time rife with challenges.
Ali Ghiorse and Karen Saggese co-organize Greenwich Foodshed Alliance, a program of The Foodshed Network and a fiscally sponsored organization of Third Sector New England, Inc. (TSNE)
