Groups battling hunger in New Jersey are sounding the alarm about a type of food assistance that needs more funding in the New Year.
In one month, funding for some federal programs is set to expire – including the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, known as “WIC.”
But even if Congress passes another Continuing Resolution, Adele LaTourette – senior director of policy and advocacy with the Community FoodBank of New Jersey – said rising food prices and increasing demand have eaten into the WIC budget, and simply maintaining funding at the prior year’s level won’t be enough.
“We need a $1 billion in supplemental monies to keep things going as they should continue to go,” said LaTourette. “The fact that more money is needed is a reflection of need. As we all know, food pantries, soup kitchens, they can’t provide the kind of services that something like a WIC program or a SNAP program can provide.”
U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates for 2021 show out of 281,000 eligible participants in New Jersey, only 142,000 people are enrolled.
This summer, proposals in both the U.S. House and Senate would have cut WIC benefits.
The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities estimates the Senate appropriations plan would have turned away over 600,000 low-income women and children. The House proposal would have cut benefits for 5.3 million.
WIC funding shortfalls are addressed by rationing benefits, and LaTourette said the first groups to be turned away would be postpartum women, and children over age one.
“The last time they did that was 30 years ago,” said LaTourette. “And the problem is that once you stop taking applications for a program, people generally don’t come back – because, you know, if you weren’t able to serve them at one time, why would you suddenly be able to serve them?”
With higher food prices, USDA data show food insecurity was sharply higher in 2022 than the two previous years – the largest increase since 2008.
The numbers in New Jersey are lower than the national average, but LaTourette said demand at food banks remains high.
“Consistently, when we hear from emergency food pantries across the state of New Jersey,” said LaTourette, “they are serving unprecedented numbers, and that includes the numbers of people they served during COVID.”
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