| It’s been a busy summer, here’s an update on what we’ve been working on. In this issue: We fought the “Big Bill” Our Case for the National Hunger Hotline: Lawsuit Against the USDA Graduation Day for Our Social Services Job Training Program Fight Hunger: Donate Webinar Recording: How will the Big Bill affect New York State? Tell the House: No Cuts to WIC MODERN WIC Act HFA In the News Hunger Fighter Resources
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We fought the “Big Bill.” Now we’re trying to ameliorate its worst impacts.
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Throughout June, we organized efforts to oppose the federal “Big Bill” in Congress. Despite extraordinary efforts to fight the legislation, a razor-thin Republican Majority passed the bill in both the House and the Senate, and on July 4, President Trump signed it into law. |
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The impact of this bill on hunger will be devastating, with residents of all 50 states facing deep federal cuts to food assistance programs like SNAP and to healthcare programs, including Medicaid.
The bill cuts $186 million from the SNAP (formerly called food stamps) program by, among other things: requiring states to share the costs of providing benefits for the first time ever, preventing legal asylum seekers from receiving SNAP, cutting off unemployed veterans, homeless people, and Americans near retirement from food, and entirely eliminating the nation’s largest source of funding for nutrition education for low-income Americans.
These cuts have ripple effects beyond taking food off the table of hardworking Americans, including harming the businesses that grow, process, and sell food.
The bill has been signed into law, which makes the fight against hunger in the US more urgent and alarming. The work doesn’t stop. And as House Minority Leader Jeffries put it in his record-breaking address to the House on July 3, “we’re gonna press on.”
At Hunger Free America, we are already working with state and local leaders to ameliorate the worst impacts of the bill by pushing innovative yet practical ways to help the most vulnerable populations meet the new work reporting requirements.
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Our Case for the National Hunger Hotline: Lawsuit Against the USDA
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For more than 30 years, Congress has required USDA to contract with a nonprofit organization to serve as an “information clearinghouse” for food assistance resources. Hunger Free America has held the contract for establishing and maintaining the clearinghouse since 2014, helping tens of thousands of individuals and families access food banks, soup kitchens, and government programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and the Summer Food Service Program. Hunger Free America has managed this function on behalf of USDA, winning consistently high marks from the government.
In May 2025, without any explanation or warning, the USDA informed us that it would not be exercising the option for the second year of the 5-year contract. Since then, they’ve taken no action to fulfill their statutory obligation to ensure that a nonprofit anti-hunger organization maintains the hotline and clearinghouse as a resource.
Public Citizen has taken on the case and, on July 8th, represented our suit before Judge Boasberg. Due to this court case, USDA was forced to take steps to reopen the hotline.
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Graduation Day for Our Social Services Job Training Program
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Funded by the Albertsons Companies Foundation’s Innovation Spark Grant, Hunger Free America’s ground-breaking Social Services Job Training Program provides paid training to 200 Illinois and Maryland residents who are unemployed, underemployed, or employed in low-wage jobs. The 16-week paid job training program prepares participants to increase their skills and income, boosting their long-term economic advancement, starting them on a path of upward economic mobility. |
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On July 24th and 25th, both programs celebrated graduation day for their first cohort of trainees completing the program.
The program directly supports participants with paid training for work in social services, but the overall impact is much greater: it also supports all the community members these newly empowered, future social services employees will be able to help. |
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For millions of American families, summer means the end of school meals and the start of the hungriest time of year.
At Hunger Free America, we’re working to end hunger and ensure people have access to nutritious food now and in the future. Our National Hunger Hotline helps people find food immediately, and our Benefits Access team connects families to programs like SNAP, WIC, and Summer EBT, for ongoing access. And we do all this while we continue to organize and advocate to protect and strengthen federal nutrition policies.
Your donations fuel direct outreach, elevate the voices of people facing hunger, and help us protect the programs that keep food on the table for millions. Now is the time to fight. Please donate today. |
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Webinar Recording: How will the Big Bill affect New York State?
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On July 9, Hunger Free America CEO Joel Berg, Hunger Free America State Policy Director Kim Moscaritolo, and Jeffrey D. Crist of Crist Bros Orchards hosted a webinar on the impact of the bill on New York State. |
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Tell the House: No Cuts to WIC
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WIC, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, provides key nutritional support for pregnant and postpartum individuals, newborns, and children under the age of five: groups with specific, essential dietary needs for healthy recovery, growth, and development.
Right now, Congress is divided on funding the WIC program in the Fiscal Year 2026 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Regulated Agencies funding bill. Now is the time to contact your House Representative and tell them to support fully funding WIC.
The Senate Appropriations Committee version of the bill has no cuts to benefits and fully funds the program, upholding the federal government’s 30-year commitment to protecting WIC. But the House Appropriations Committee version of the bill, aligning with the White House’s budget proposal, underfunds WIC and specifically cuts the ‘Cash Value Benefit’ for fruit and vegetable purchases by 10 percent.
What can you do?Read more about the proposals, learn about the issues, and contact your House Representative to tell them to support fully funding WIC. |
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Support the MODERN WIC Act, which would allow states to continue certifying WIC participants and issuing benefits virtually. Virtual processes for WIC administration began as a pandemic response measure, waiving mandatory in-person enrollment appointments for all WIC-eligible family members, including infants and working parents.
Virtual systems continue to make it easier for families to access and use the WIC program, but the waiver of requirements for in-person enrollment is set to expire in September 2026. The MODERN WIC Act would allow states to continue waiving in-person appointments in favor of virtual options.
What can you do?Call or write your member of Congress and tell them to support the MODERN WIC Act. The bill has some bipartisan support already, and your voice could make a real difference. |
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In the News: Hunger Free America
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In May: Hunger Free America CEO Joel Berg appeared on NY1’s Inside City Hall with Errol Louis to explain the impact of the Big Bill’s proposed $300 billion in cuts to SNAP: “They’re cutting to pay for tax cuts to the rich and corporate agribusiness welfare. That’s the bottom line.” |
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In July: Hunger Free America CEO Joel Berg joined Errol Louis for an episode of his Spectrum News podcast You Decide to discuss how the Trump administration’s budget cuts could tighten belts in NYC. |
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The National Hunger Hotline is a great resource for people across the country who need assistance finding food in their area. Share the number and spread the word:
The hotline can be reached at 1-866-3-HUNGRY (1-866-348-6479) or 1-877-8-HAMBRE (1-877-842-6273), for Spanish, from Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET.
Share the contact information for our Benefits Access team in your community. Anyone looking for help applying for SNAP or WIC, or applying for SNAP recertification, can email us at [email protected] or call (646) 355-1475.
Do you run a food pantry or other feeding program? Make sure you're in our online database! Contact our Data Director, Gel Gibson, at [email protected] for more information.
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