Nebraska For Us, Omaha-area pantries sound alarm about food insecurity

By Erin Hartley

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Metro organizations are sounding the alarm about growing food insecurity.

Cars lined up around the block Saturday morning in North Omaha at a drive-thru food pantry hosted by Black Men United. This comes after Nebraska’s GOP delegation proposed cuts to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funds in their version of the Farm Bill.

Bettie White had been waiting here since 3 a.m., to make sure she can get what she needs.

“I enjoy this place... Everything is good and this is one of my favorite places,” says White.

Black Men United is now hosting this drive-thru food pantry twice a month, plus pop-up events, based on the need they see in the community.

“We will literally have to close the doors, because as long as they’re open, they’re coming,” says Willie Hamilton, Black Men United CEO. Hamilton says about 500 items were handed out Saturday morning.

One in seven Nebraskans depend on SNAP benefits, and one in five children in the state are food-insecure. It’s why the coalition Nebraska For Us is sounding the alarm about cuts to SNAP benefits.

“What so many people don’t understand is that SNAP benefits are funded through the Farm Bill. So when the House Agriculture Committee passed it out of committee this year, their version of the Farm Bill, it included $30 billion worth of cuts to SNAP benefits,” says Angie Lauritsen, the coalition’s state director.

Nebraska For Us focuses solely on economic policy that affects hard working middle-income Nebraskans.

The bill limits the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s ability to make increases to the Thrifty Food Plan -- its estimated family food budget that determines SNAP benefits.

“When the Ag Committee had an opportunity to vote on an amendment that would have saved those $30 billion worth of cuts, Congressman Bacon voted against that, to keep the cuts,” says Lauritsen. “A lot of people have the assumption that (SNAP benefits), it’s like thousands of dollars a month that are going towards needy families. It’s, I want to say, around $147 a month that are going to these families. It’s not a lot.”

At a time where grocery prices remain high, advocates say access to SNAP is crucial.

“For every SNAP dollar that’s spent, there’s $1.97 in economic return to local communities. So it’s really important that we hold programs like this to assist people like this who may not qualify for SNAP due to their immigration status or their income level,” says Rasna Sethi with OpenSky Policy Institute.

“We shouldn’t have to talk about this, since this is one of the most impoverished communities. People are coming from north, south. We’ve got so many homeless folks coming in as well, so the need is there,” says Hamilton.

The Farm Bill passed out of committee last month.

It’s not exactly clear when the bill will be brought up again, but Nebraska For Us expects it will be sometime after the election.