Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Food Insecurity And Snap topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Local food-security advocates urge Harnett County action as possible federal SNAP cuts loom
Summary
A local food-security organizer warned that proposed federal SNAP reductions could shift costs to states and urged the county to create a coordinated community action coalition and small grant program to support local food resilience.
Marge Morton, manager of the Fuquay-Varina Growers Market and a member of regional food-security coalitions, told the Harnett County Board of Commissioners that potential federal cuts to SNAP and other nondiscretionary programs could have severe local consequences and asked the board to support coordinated local measures.
Morton said a federal reconciliation proposal under consideration would slash agricultural spending and could shift 5–10% of SNAP costs to states; she said that change would represent an added burden for North Carolina and could threaten programs tied to Medicaid expansion. She cited statewide and local figures during her remarks, saying more than 19,000 people in Harnett County rely on SNAP and that 1 in 6 children in North Carolina is food insecure. She also told commissioners that the county’s food pantries report increasing demand and that local programs that purchased directly from farms had recently ended.
Morton urged the commissioners to help create a community action coalition led by the health department to coordinate nonprofits, food-assistance providers, health partners, faith-based groups and local institutions such as Campbell University’s public health department. She also recommended mini-grant opportunities for community gardens and mobile markets for seniors to improve access to locally produced food. Morton said Wake County used ARPA funds to support SNAP-related programs and cited that example as a model for coordinated local investment to support both vulnerable families and local farmers.
Commissioners asked follow-up questions about coordination and contacts; Morton said she had not yet given her materials to Hank Hensley but was willing to do so and to meet with county staff. No formal board action or funding allocation was recorded during the meeting.
