Federal Court Ruling Offers SNAP Relief, but College Students Face Hunger Amid Delays
By Ashton Johnson
Weeks of anxiety over food assistance could come to an end following a federal court ruling ordering the Trump administration to use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to pay benefits.
Although benefits may continue, college students who rely on SNAP need food now. They worry about when support will arrive and how to manage without it. The ruling came after several lawsuits challenged the administration’s attempt to freeze or delay November’s food stamp payments while the government remains shut down. According to the New York Times, two court rulings “found the administration had acted unlawfully, after it had refused to tap an emergency reserve…” The ruling went through, but there’s still no official date for when those funds will be disbursed.
For some of the roughly 2.2 million college students on SNAP, the back-and-forth has left them struggling to make ends meet. Kari Craddolph, a student at Jackson State University, the potential slowdown with SNAP would significantly affect him. “If benefits were to stop, many low-income students like me would be forced to choose between having to starve or pay other bills,” the social work major said. “Or even come up out of pocket with money that we may not have because stamps are the only way I’m able to afford my groceries.”
Across HBCU campuses, students are voicing similar concerns. At Florida A&M University, Sinai Walker, who has received food stamps since the Summer. She says food stamps are important for students to meet their specific needs beyond resources like the campus food pantry.
“SNAP benefits being stopped would be quite the inconvenience,” Walker said.
“As a student who studies pre-medicine and is involved in extracurricular activities on campus, it is hard to be able to support myself fully, so I rely mostly on my parents.”
With limited access to nutritious food at stake, local food banks are preparing to address the potential impact of a delay in food stamp benefits. Second Harvest of the Big Bend serves 16 counties in North Florida and has increased the number of emergency food distributions.
“Many students already live on limited budgets, and a loss of benefits could mean turning to our partner agencies and local pantries for assistance to meet their basic needs,” Ashleigh Kittrell, the Second Harvest Marketing and Communications Specialist, explained. On November 1, Second Harvest assisted 1,500 families in an emergency food distribution.
While the shutdown continues with no clear timeline for when SNAP funds will be distributed, students and local food banks remain on edge.
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