Advocates for low-income households in Maine are urging state lawmakers to temporarily reinstate a federal program that provided expanded benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) throughout the pandemic. The emergency aid, supporting approximately 100,000 Maine households, was halted in March. Representative Holly Stover, a Democrat from Boothbay, has introduced a new bill that would partially restore these benefits for an additional six months, gradually reducing them over time.

Demand for donated food has surged at local pantries throughout Maine, including the community bank that Stover is involved with. Despite daily efforts to stock the “help yourself” shed, it remains depleted. Maine households are estimated to have lost $19 million in SNAP benefits when the pandemic-era program concluded. Since then, food banks have observed a 25% to 30% increase in food insecure individuals seeking their services.

Kristen Miale, president of the Good Shepherd Food Bank, estimates that Maine will experience a loss of 60 million meals per year following the end of emergency aid. Reports from partners across the state reveal empty pantry shelves and distressed communities seeking assistance. Miale emphasizes that these individuals are not failing themselves, rather they are facing a failing system.

Advocates highlight that expanded SNAP benefits played a significant role, reducing poverty in Maine by approximately 9% and contributing to the state’s lowest food insecurity rate in nearly two decades. In addition to urging state-level action, advocates are calling on Congress to increase SNAP benefits in the upcoming farm bill. However, Miale acknowledges that the enactment of such legislation is still several months away.