MISSOULA — As President Trump's budget bill continues to make its way through Congress, worries about potential impacts are making their way through Montana organizations.
That includes the Montana Food Bank Network and Missoula Food Bank, which say changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) could have a direct impact on kids not eating at all.
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Summertime has proven more challenging for kids’ nutrition as they no longer have the safety net of at least one school meal.
“It's so hard to regulate emotions if you haven't eaten," EmPower Place assistant Kevin Isley said.
So, the Missoula Food Bank and Community Center work to make sure food is available for kids throughout the summer.
“We have 34 total partner sites, many of which are open meal sites across the community, and we distribute more than 1,000 breakfast, lunch, and snacks every day," Missoula Food Bank director of development Jessy Lee explained.
The food bank's programs are seeing more use than ever.
“The last two years have both been record years of the total amount of people that have come into EmPower Place," Isley noted.
The Missoula Food Bank says any reduction to federal funding, like what's proposed for SNAP in the Big Beautiful Bill, would be harmful to their goal of eliminating hunger.
“We wouldn't be reducing the overall cost, need for childhood nutrition, we would just be pushing the burden onto families," Lee said.
They add that the Big Beautiful Bill’s potential changes to SNAP’s funding, like higher contributions from states and stricter eligibility requirements, could put a greater strain on the Treasure State’s already stretched food banks.
“There are not enough philanthropic dollars to cover a total loss of funding for federal meal reimbursement," Lee said.
If the federal changes are imposed, the Montana Food Bank Network (MFBN) is worried it could be tougher this fall for students to get low-cost lunches.
“Kids who get on free and reduced meals, that eligibility, that certification, relies on SNAP. So, if a parent is getting kicked off SNAP because they don't meet their new implemented work requirements, now the kiddo is getting kicked off their free and reduced lunch. So, kiddos are going to go hungry at home and in the classroom," MFBN advocacy specialist Kiera Condon shared.
The Big Beautiful Bill is still making its way through Congress with a July 4 deadline approaching.
