This is a guest opinion column

It is no secret that many people in our country struggle with hunger. More than 700,000 people in Alabama are food insecure, which includes 1 in 5 children, not always knowing where their next meal will come from. This is why the upcoming Farm Bill is so important to our state and our food bank network. The Farm Bill, which is renewed every five years, helps farmers and provides funding for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). Feeding Alabama’s eight member food banks rely on effective front-line hunger relief programs like SNAP and TEFAP to help meet the needs of Alabama communities.

TEFAP provides millions of pounds of nutritious food annually for Feeding Alabama’s member food banks to distribute to Alabamians experiencing food insecurity. USDA provides 100% American-grown food through the TEFAP program, and this resource allows our food banks to meet the needs of individuals or communities experiencing a crisis. This program supports farmers by purchasing their goods, and it also gives those in need healthy, local food for their families.

Meanwhile, SNAP provides important support for low-income workers. Millions of Americans work in jobs with low wages, unpredictable schedules, and no benefits such as paid sick leave — all of which contribute to high turnover and spells of unemployment. SNAP provides monthly benefits that help fill the gaps for workers with low and inconsistent pay, and can help workers weather periods without a job. Helping people find meaningful work is a goal we all share, but harsher time limits do not achieve that goal. They simply add to the ever-growing lines at our local food pantries. number of people without enough to eat. Cuts to SNAP not only make it harder on those facing hunger, but also hurt the broader economy, including farmers, retailers, and truckers. SNAP is an effective support for workers and incentivizes work by supporting job seekers in their time of need. SNAP helps get people back on their feet, it supports our economy and retailers, and keeps our children and seniors fed.

We ask our congressional delegation to strengthen these vital programs. Thousands of vulnerable Alabamians depend on Congress to fund programs that help them keep food on the table, transition through challenging times, and ultimately lead healthier lives. We look to our elected leaders to provide strong support for both of these essential programs in the upcoming Farm Bill.

About Feeding Alabama

Feeding Alabama works to end hunger by assisting the food bank network in obtaining more food and funds, fostering public awareness of the food banks’ mission, and creating partnerships to help alleviate hunger in Alabama. Every day, our eight members in Alabama (Community Food Bank of Central Alabama, Feeding the Gulf Coast, Food Bank of East Alabama, Food Bank of North Alabama, Montgomery Area Food Bank, Selma Food Bank, West Alabama Food Bank, Wiregrass Area Food Bank) partner with a statewide network of food donors, emergency food pantries, and soup kitchens to provide food to hungry people. Fighting hunger requires significant funding for every step of the process—from acquiring food, to storing the food, to transporting the food to people in need. Learn more about Hunger Action Day and how you can help by visiting feedingalabama.org.

Laura Lester is Chief Executive Officer of Feeding Alabama