RICHMOND — Rising grocery prices and the end of pandemic-era benefits have left many Virginia families struggling to make ends meet.
A recent poll from No Kid Hungry Virginia highlighted the growing crisis. Among respondents, 78% said groceries have become more challenging to afford over the past year, and 77% of families are just one unexpected expense away from hunger.
Cassie Edner, public benefits attorney at the Virginia Poverty Law Center, said she is not surprised by the poll results.
“The cost of food, over the last how many years have been significantly increasing along with the cost of other things, rent, mortgages, things like that,” Edner outlined. “Unfortunately, it makes sense that people are not able to afford their most basic necessities like food.”
Virginia’s low-income families saw significant relief during the pandemic from programs like the expanded federal Child Tax Credit, which, according to the Food Research and Action Center, reduced hunger among children by nearly one-third. However, with the expiration of the emergency measures, many families are once again vulnerable.
Edner noted potential solutions could include expanding SNAP benefits and the state-level Child Tax Credit. She is a long-time advocate of a bill to provide healthy school meals but is looking at other tactics in the upcoming legislative session.
“There’s a bill that would expand it to breakfast for all,” Edner observed. “More kids would get breakfast in the morning, and that’s one less expense that parents would have to worry about.”
The survey also found many parents feel the mental strain of food insecurity. The Virginia Poverty Law Center provides resources like a SNAP calculator to help families determine their eligibility for benefits, and advocates hope the upcoming General Assembly session will prioritize policies addressing food insecurity.
