Across the U.S. food banks say they’re seeing more demand for food assistance, and in Connecticut, it’s no different.
Hundreds of food banks operating across the state are seeing lines similar to the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Jason Jakubowski, president and CEO of Connecticut Foodshare.
About one in eight people in Connecticut doesn’t have enough to eat. Federal SNAP benefits are crucial to helping residents get nutrition, but food banks also play an important role in filling in the gaps.
Connecticut Foodshare currently gets $850,000 in state funding annually, money which can only be used to buy food.
The Lamont administration has earmarked an additional $900,000 in the next state budget to help stock Connecticut’s food banks, via the state’s Nutrition Assistance Program (CT-NAP). Advocates say it’s a welcome boost, but the money comes with a caveat – it won’t be available until at least July 1, 2026.
“The extra funding is appreciated, but it's needed now, not two years from now,” Jakubowski said.
At the Jan. 29 launch of the new bipartisan Feeding Connecticut Caucus, state lawmakers introduced a bill asking for $10 million to fund CT-NAP in the next fiscal year, and a 15% increase in the years after.
The Lamont administration shared the two-year budget proposal Wednesday, just over a week after President Donald Trump ordered a stop to all federal aid, causing widespread concern and confusion, including among nonprofits that rely on such funding to aid Connecticut residents. The last Trump administration attempted to scale back federal food help.
“Our entire existence, especially over these last several weeks, has been playing out the ‘what if’s,’” Jakubowski said. “It has been a real roller-coaster ride trying to figure out what's going to happen at the federal level. That adds an additional layer of ambiguity to all of this as well.”
Connecticut Foodshare gets 30% of its funding from The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP).
Jeffrey Beckham, secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, said Wednesday that the proposed budget couldn’t account for the recent federal moves, but that they are monitoring the situation.
Jakubowski said he's open to different methods for the state to free up the funding. That includes a loosening of the so-called “fiscal guardrails” that control spending, which Lamont signaled flexibility on in his budget proposal.
“We all know when government has an interest in supporting something, they can find a way to make it work,” Jakubowski said. “Our issue is among the spending priorities that do exist, how much of a priority is providing food for people in need here in Connecticut?”
Last year, Connecticut lawmakers also pushed for $10 million for the program, but it wasn’t approved. This year’s bill is now in the hands of the Appropriations Committee, which will make their own spending recommendations in the coming months.
