PHOENIX — ABC15 is listening to community members raising concerns that President Donald Trump’s federal cuts could impact Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
It’s an issue first brought up Wednesday night, when hundreds of people showed up to a town hall the Valley expressing their concerns about federal firings and funding freezes.
Grocery prices are a major stressor right now for so many, including Phoenix mom Nina Murillo.
“It's unaffordable, is the word,” Nina Murillo said. “I work overtime. So I work ten hour shifts just to make ends meet. For these prices.”
She says she is glad to get some help for her family of five through SNAP benefits, and the thought of having those benefits reduced is alarming.
“I have family members [and] friends that were really concerned about that,” Murillo said. “A scare like that, could, you know, mean something dramatic again, for us, like working class families.”
The concern, discussed at Wednesday’s town hall with Attorney General Kris Mayes, delved into the impacts of the Trump administration’s efforts to cut federal spending.
“Regulars of mine have told us that they're too afraid to get the foods that they need,” Elyse Guidas, Activate Food Arizona executive director, said while speaking at the event.
Do you have a concern in your community or a news tip? We want to hear from you!
Connect with us: share@abc15.com
The non-profit brings produce to communities in need with mobile markets.
“We've heard some of our customers are rationing their benefits,” Guidas told ABC15. “They're too afraid that maybe, if they, you know, spend all of their money now, they might not be renewed next month. And we don't have any evidence of that yet, but they're living in fear that this is going to kind of be next.”
She says one problem with rationing benefits is direct consequences to health.
“If you're trying to manage a disease that really requires you to spend your dollars on healthy foods, you’re foregoing meals that can make your health more difficult, or make those diseases more prevalent,” Guidas said.
Guidas encourages families to make use of the SNAP dollars they have.
“SNAP is a way to feed your family. It is actively a way right now to feed your family,” she said.
Desert Mission Food Bank, run by HonorHealth in Phoenix, also encourages recipients to use the benefits.
“It shows that there's a need, where if you could stop using them, it may kind of send the wrong message, that this is a program I no longer need,” Anne Costa, HonorHealth Desert Mission Living Well Director, said.
Costa says historically there has been fluctuation in the amounts people receive through SNAP, but the food bank is there to fill the gap.
“When somebody comes to Desert Mission Food Bank, they are getting about 65 pounds of food,” Costa said. “We are able to help in supplementing a lot of those foods that they would otherwise buy with their SNAP dollars.”
Murillo wants big picture change, saying current prices hurt.
“Sometimes it's like, you gotta either choose rent or food,” she said. “I'm just hoping things get better for everybody.”
