CHESAPEAKE, Va. — For many individuals and families, grocery shopping isn't always a viable option—and that's where SNAP benefits play a critical role. However, there are looming concerns about potential cuts to these essential benefits.
Danielle Saitta, a neighborhood news reporter in Chesapeake, reported on the impact these cuts could have on the community. Christopher Tan, the President and CEO of the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore, highlighted troubling news regarding the recently prepared House budget. The budget includes significant potential cuts to SNAP benefits and Medicaid, which could impact approximately 100,000 people who are assisted by the Foodbank each year.
The Foodbank operates multiple hubs throughout Hampton Roads, including one in South Norfolk that serves 8,000 households in Chesapeake alone. Tan explained the important role SNAP benefits play in combating food insecurity.
“For every meal that we can provide, SNAP potentially provides nine,” he stated. "It is kind of the baseline of how we fight food insecurity. So if you make cuts to that—like changing the eligibility or adjusting the funding available to SNAP families and lower-income benefits—people will turn to food banks as a supplement to those SNAP benefits."
Tan also noted that potential cuts might lead to longer wait times at food banks. Currently, lines have already increased by 30 percent compared to the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For more updates on this developing story, stay tuned to WTKR News 3.
