As federal SNAP funding stalls, nearly 100 people packed a Yates County panel to confront growing food insecurity, according to Finger Lakes Times.
Local officials explained that most SNAP recipients in the county are working, elderly, or disabled—yet new federal rules will now require even the homeless and veterans to prove they’re employed. The changes come just as the USDA declined to use emergency funds to extend benefits in November.
School and pantry leaders highlighted local efforts to fill the gap, but warned it’s not enough. Foodlink, which supplies 25 million pounds of food annually, said poverty—not food supply—is the root of hunger in rural communities like Yates.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to [email protected].