Last week, Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families hosted a Town Hall meeting at the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank. Policy experts spoke with residents about how state and federal budget decisions can affect programs that families rely on. Ozarks at Large’s Sarah Laiche reports.
Dozens of people gathered at the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank to discuss what's at stake when it comes to protecting access to food and nutrition for the community, including Arkansas moms. Laura Kellams is the Northwest Arkansas director for the organization Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. She says food insecurity remains a serious issue in Arkansas.
"Arkansas has the highest hunger rate in the nation, and recent data has shown us that maybe the hunger rate is even higher than we thought it was. So this service is so essential. What's happening in this building is so essential. And also what's happening regarding public policy around food is also essential."
Much of the discussion was centered around federal budget cuts to SNAP — the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — which helps families afford groceries. According to USAFacts.org, in 2024, around a quarter of all single mothers in Arkansas participated in the program. Thelishia Conley, a Northwest Arkansas mother, says there's often a misconception about who actually uses the program.
"There's this idea that people who receive SNAP are just lazy and don't want to work, and that has not been my experience. I work full time. I show up for my job every day. I care about my students, my kids and my community. And even with all of that, SNAP is still something that helped my family stay stable. The truth is many people who rely on SNAP are already working. They're teachers, childcare workers, retail workers, health care aides — people doing the important jobs that keep our communities running."
Peter Gess is the economic policy director for Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. He says SNAP plays an especially important role for parents and families with young children. Reliable access to food can affect everything from a child's development to a parent's ability to work and stay healthy. But federal budget cuts, like those proposed in the federal budget bill, reduce funding for programs like SNAP. If that happens, states have to decide whether or not they want to replace some of that lost funding themselves — and they aren't required to. When federal funding drops, Arkansas lawmakers have to decide during the state's upcoming fiscal session whether or not to make up that difference in the state budget. Kellams explains just how widespread these changes could be.
"We and our national partners estimate that about 25,000 people might lose their SNAP benefits based on the changes that were made to this law."
For mothers in particular, losing access to programs like SNAP can create additional pressure during a time when families are already adjusting to new expenses. At the event, Conley reminded community members of the questions they should be asking and why those questions matter.
"How can we expect people to thrive, work and raise healthy children if they don't have reliable access to food? Nutrition affects everything. It affects how children learn. It affects how parents show up at work and home. It affects health, stability and the ability to move forward. Programs like SNAP help families build that stability. So when we talk about the future of SNAP, my hope is that we don't shrink it."
For families like hers, the decisions made in state and federal budgets aren't just numbers. They affect things like groceries, childcare and everyday decisions. Arkansas advocates say people who are concerned about the future of programs like SNAP should reach out to their state legislators. They say it doesn't take a large number of calls to get a legislator's attention — even just a handful of constituents speaking up can signal that an issue really matters to voters.
Ozarks at Large transcripts are created on a rush deadline and edited for length and clarity. Copy editors utilize AI tools to review work. KUAF does not publish content created by AI. Please reach out to kuafinfo@uark.edu to report an issue. The audio version is the authoritative record of KUAF programming.
