The newest COVID-19 relief bill (the “Heroes Act”) that passed the U.S. House of Representatives would – if passed by the U.S. Senate and signed into law by President Trump – provide low-income Georgia families and individuals with at least $391 million extra over the next 16 months to purchase groceries or food at farmers markets, thereby both reducing hunger and stimulating the state’s economy.

That boost in food funding would be accomplished in the bill by a 15 percent increase in benefits for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program. That hike would increase the average SNAP benefit nationwide by about 20 cents per meal, from the current level of $1.34 per meal to $1.54 per meal.

In response to the bill passing the House, Joel Berg, CEO of Hunger Free America, a nationwide direct service and advocacy organization, said: “Given Georgia’s high rate of hunger even before this current crisis, and the skyrocketing hunger now, the extra $391 million in food aid to the state is urgently needed. Hungry Georgia families shouldn’t need to wait to get this extra nutrition aid, and Georgia food stores and farmers markets shouldn’t need to wait to get this extra income. The U.S. Senate should pass this bill immediately, and President Trump should then immediately sign it into law.”

In 2016-2018, when the economy was still strong, nearly 15 percent of children in Georgia — or 367,779 kids — lived in households that were unable to afford enough food, according to Hunger Free America’s 2019 U.S. Hunger Atlas, based on an analysis of federal data. The report also found that, in 2016-2018, nearly 12 percent of all Georgia residents — more than 1.2 million individuals — were still food insecure. Eight percent of working people as well as more than 8 percent of seniors in Georgia were food insecure during that time period. Since the COVID-19 crisis, the already high rate of state hunger has skyrocketed, as evidenced by the 30-40 percent reported increase in demand at Georgia food banks.