SNAP-Ed cuts threaten public health nutrition—and communities like Leah’s Pantry feel it first
90% funding cuts to SNAP-Ed could erase years of nutrition education for millions.
Topic:
US News
by TheRebelRojas
Posted 1 week ago
When Federal Dollars Fade: Leah's Pantry, SNAP-Ed, and the Quiet Collapse of Community Nutrition
A journalist’s eye sees a San Francisco courtyard full of dancing seniors; a writer’s heart sees a national policy that could steal their food, their knowledge, and their future.
On a warm September day in the courtyard of a San Francisco senior living community, a dozen residents shook their hips to Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September.” It was a scene of joy and community, hosted by Leah’s Pantry—an organization that has been quietly stitching health and nutrition programs into the city’s fabric since 2006. For 72-year-old Kengsoi Chou Lei, a retiree who came to the U.S. from Macau in 1995, the class isn’t just exercise; it’s a lifeline to health, relaxation, and happiness, echoed in Cantonese through an interpreter.
But that vitality is under threat. Leah’s Pantry faces a 90% funding reduction as a result of cuts to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s SNAP-Ed program, enacted in July as part of President Trump’s tax-cut and spending bill. The program—grounded in public health nutrition—was eliminated effective September 30, leaving senior centers, schools, and food banks scrambling to wind down nutrition education efforts once funded under SNAP-Ed.
“It’s definitely like a catastrophic situation for public health nutrition,” says Adrienne Markworth, founder and executive director of Leah’s Pantry.
Since 1992, the USDA has spent more than $9 billion on SNAP-Ed, a program that funded meals, cooking classes, school gardens, and other nutrition education in low-income communities. In 2022 alone, SNAP-Ed sessions reached more than 1.8 million people, according to USDA data.
States and organizations—including those that relied on SNAP-Ed funding—are now choosing between winding down meals and education or stretching limited dollars into a reduced schedule through the end of 2024 while they try to keep essential services alive.
What’s driving the cuts—and why they matter
Supporters of the tax cut and spending bill argued SNAP-Ed was duplicative and ineffective. Critics of the cuts argue otherwise: SNAP-Ed is the largest federal nutrition education program and has been described as evidence-based, with real-life impacts like teaching students and families to cook fresh foods and make healthier choices.
- MAHA goals and the Trump administration’s public-health agenda: The Make America Healthy Again Commission, led by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., aimed to address childhood chronic disease. Critics worry the SNAP-Ed cuts run counter to that stated objective.
- The Department of Health and Human Services pointed Reuters to USDA for questions about MAHA’s alignment with the budget changes.
- Some states will end SNAP-Ed entirely after September 30; others will reduce programming and use leftover funds through 2025.
“When we cut SNAP-Ed, we’re cutting kids off from the skills they need to be healthy,” says Lisa Kingery, CEO of FoodRight, a Milwaukee nonprofit heavily funded by SNAP-Ed. Her experience mirrors others who fear a broader erosion of preventive nutrition education.
Supporters of the cuts argue the program wasn’t well-coordinated. Yet critics—like Chris Mornick, SNAP-Ed Program Manager at Washington State’s Department of Social and Health Services and a leader of the Association of SNAP Nutrition Education Administrators—note ongoing improvements in coordination, and Cindy Long, national adviser at Manatt and former USDA deputy undersecretary for nutrition programs, emphasized that SNAP-Ed “efforts were evidence-based” and not easily dismissed as duplicative.
A call to action from the ground
The shrinking of SNAP-Ed isn’t just a budget line item—it’s a direct hit to communities that rely on education to build healthier futures. Leah’s Pantry’s experience is a microcosm of a national shift: funding that once supported hands-on nutrition classes, garden programs, and cooking demonstrations is vanishing, shifting costs onto states that are already stretched thin.
As organizers, caregivers, and neighbors, we must ask: who feeds our public health system when federal dollars disappear? The answer should be clear: the work of community organizations thrives when we invest in people, not penalties for planning and prevention.
Key data at a glance
Metric Details
- SNAP-Ed funding since 1992 - Over $9 billion spent
- People reached in 2022 - More than 1.8 million
Current action
Elimination of SNAP-Ed funding in the September 30, 2024 window; varying state responses
Adrienne Markworth (Leah’s Pantry): “catastrophic for public health nutrition”
This isn’t just a headline. It’s a test of how we value elder care, immigrant communities, and the food literacy that keeps families out of chronic deprivation. If we want a healthier future, we need to demand sustained investment in community-led nutrition education and public health programs—before the well runs dry for good.
