Food benefits

The extension of the 2018 Farm Bill expired in September. Pressure is mounting for Congress to pass new legislation, as tough weather and low crop prices challenge farm budgets.

Research shows that college students are going hungry at a higher rate than the U.S. population as a whole. Some campuses are taking alternative approaches to tackling student hunger.

According to a recent report, 19% of responding Missouri military-connected families said they were facing low or very low food security. Some Kansas City organizations are working so members of the military community don’t have to choose between the expenses of day-to-day life and going hungry.

Eligible low-income children will receive $120 in grocery benefits as part of a federal program that is administered by states. More than 400,000 kids are eligible.

Getting a new farm bill across the finish line in 2024 is likely doomed against a ticking clock, hot-button issues and election year politics.

The new summer EBT program will give an extra $120 to eligible school-age kids. Families in Missouri and Kansas probably won’t get the money until late summer or fall. But even if the money comes late, anti-hunger advocates say the extra dollars are an important step toward reducing growing food insecurity.

A district court judge rules that Missouri's practices around SNAP benefits — including long call center wait times and a lack of accommodations for those with disabilities — violate federal laws.

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack sent out a letter to the governors of 44 states — including Missouri and Kansas — that are not meeting federal standards for processing SNAP applications.

Missouri’s child welfare agency took at least $6.1 million in foster kids’ benefits last year to reimburse itself for the cost of providing care. It’s a longstanding practice that has come under increased scrutiny across the country.

Two Missouri senators have filed legislation that would remove the state's remaining restrictions on providing food benefits to those convicted of felony drug offenses. Missouri's rules comprise "one of the nation’s most stringent bans for receiving SNAP benefits."

The program would provide $40 in food benefits for each month an eligible child is on summer break, loaded onto a card that can be used like a debit card to purchase groceries. Missouri's decision is nonbinding, and the state now has until Feb. 15 to submit a detailed plan to the federal government.

Roughly 429,000 Missouri children would be eligible to receive $51.5 million in food benefits next summer if the state chooses to participate in the federal program. Missouri has until January 1 to decide.