Nearly 180 Georgia organizations and individuals have signed a letter from Southern Poverty Law Center urging Gov. Brian Kemp to use emergency funds to prevent a SNAP crisis.
The letter, sent on Oct. 31 and undersigned by community, faith, health, education, business, and government leaders notes the disproportionate number of Black and LGBTQ+ Americans who make up the 1.4 million people relying on SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), the country’s largest food assistance program. The signees include 50501 Veterans, the Asian American Advocacy Fund, Georgia Equality, the Human Rights Campaign, the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus, and Poder Latinx.
With the government shut down since Oct. 1, SNAP benefits are set to lapse on Nov. 1. The letter requests Kemp publicly pressure Congress and the White House to restore federal funding; activate emergency state funding to stabilize the food pipeline; direct the Department of Human Services, GEMA/Homeland Security, and Department of Public Health to coordinate real-time data sharing with food banks and local governments; collaborate with school districts to ensure ongoing access to breakfast and lunch programs; and provide small, rapid grants to trusted local organizations.
“If SNAP dollars stop flowing, demand for food assistance will spike overnight, especially among seniors, people with disabilities, working parents with young children, college students, and military families stationed in Georgia,” the letter reads. “Local providers cannot backfill a federal nutrition program at this scale without immediate bridge support from the state.”
“Every SNAP dollar lost is a grocery purchase not made at Georgia stores and markets,” the letter continues. “The program’s stabilizing effect on local economies is well-documented – for every dollar in SNAP benefits generates $1.79 in economic activity. A lapse would ripple from kitchen tables to checkout counters to small distributors and farms – disproportionately harming communities of color… Your administration has often emphasized resilience, local problem-solving, and fiscal stewardship. A targeted, time-limited state bridge for food access reflects those values. It keeps families fed, reduces pressure on law enforcement and hospitals, and buys Georgia the time it needs until the federal government restarts benefits.”
The letter echoes requests made by Georgia Democrats. State Sen. Nikki Merritt, a Grayson Democrat who chairs the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus, urged Kemp to help fund the program during an Oct. 27 press conference.
The governor’s office and the Georgia Department of Human Services both released statements on Oct. 30, arguing that it would be impossible to fund the existing SNAP program using state funding, because they said the mechanism to load money onto beneficiary cards rests with the federal government. They also said that, according to the USDA, there is no provision under current law for states to be reimbursed. Kemp continued to call on congressional Democrats to end the shutdown.
“I know that he’s saying, well, there’s technical difficulties, but he’s the governor of Georgia,” State Sen. Nabilah Islam Parkes said at a Oct. 29 press conference. “I’m asking him to figure it out.”
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• Georgia governor resists using state funds to support SNAP during shutdown
• Metro Atlanta food banks brace for SNAP cuts. Here’s where to receive food assistance, or donate and volunteer
