University of Michigan Law School

42 million Americans - including 1.4 million Michiganders - did not receive essential SNAP benefits on November 1. Without this vital assistance, the country is on track to experience “the greatest hunger catastrophe in America since the Great Depression.” Without these benefits, millions will have no choice but to turn to food banks for assistance. Our food banks, already under enormous strain and unable to meet the growing need in their communities, are preparing for unprecedented demand.

While food banks and charitable assistance cannot close the gap left by the federal government, they are at the frontlines when it comes to feeding our neighbors. As food banks across the country prepare for this impending hunger crisis, we feel compelled to support their vital work. To that end, FGLS and GVP are running a donation drive to raise money for local food banks. Please consider donating to help feed our neighbors and community members who are struggling with food insecurity - your donation will literally put food on the table for hungry families.

The cutoff of SNAP benefits comes at a time when the system is experiencing immense strain: in March, the USDA cut over $1 billion from the federal emergency food assistance program, resulting in some food banks losing half to two-thirds of the food they’d previously received from the federal government. The reconciliation megabill passed this summer will cut roughly $186 billion from SNAP funding through 2034, and imposes new requirements for states and SNAP recipients, which will result in 2.4 million Americans losing access to the program entirely (per a Congressional Budget Office analysis). The cuts come as need has sharply increased, a result of rising costs of living, stagnating wages, and supply chain difficulties first brought on during the COVID-19 pandemic and recently exacerbated by new tariffs and labor shortages in the food industry resulting from the Administration’s immigration policies: food prices increased 2% between January and September, are expected to rise another 3.5% in the short term, and stay 2.5% higher in the long term. Further compounding the problem: the federal government shutdown has left 1.4 million federal workers without pay, and many have turned to food banks for assistance.