United Way of Connecticut is rolling out a grocery assistance fund this week to help people who no longer qualify for SNAP. The assistance comes as the Trump administration implements eligibility rules under the “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
Grocery gift cards starting at $25 will be distributed to eligible Connecticut families who reach out to their local social service agency. United Way has been working with local agencies to buy grocery cards at a variety of stores including Big Y, Stop & Shop, Walmart and others.
State Rep. Jaime Foster (D-Ellington) spearheaded the fundraising, along with State Rep. Jen Leeper (D-Fairfield).
It’s not a substitute for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, Foster said. But the program is a way to help fill in some of the gaps left by people cut out of benefits – especially since people depend on SNAP aid to maintain their health and well-being, she added.
“It is really the difference oftentimes, between folks buying healthy food and relying on reduced quality foods to meet their caloric needs and their hunger needs,” Foster said.
Interested families can reach out to their local social service agencies. Every town gets a specific number of cards based on the need.
Fundraising began at the end of October, Foster said, and they were able to raise $50,000, all from donations, and the team is continuing that effort.
“We're going to help as many people as we possibly can,” Foster said. “There is really no alternative to the expenditures that happen through the federal government and the state government.”
This new solution comes after Connecticut lawmakers authorized $500 million in the November special session to address urgent federal funding reductions. That money needs to be allocated by early February.
Backfilling SNAP-Ed, the nutrition education program the federal government eliminated in October, is something Foster hopes the state can also tackle in the next legislative session.
