Post Author
Rejoy Rajesh
NC Child Youth Advocacy Council Member
My name is Rejoy Rajesh, and I was part of the most recent cohort of NC Child’s Youth Advocacy Council.
It’s been an opportunity to advocate for young people about the issues that matter most in our communities. And in that spirit I want to bring attention to an issue I care very deeply about.
That’s the issue of access to healthy food.
As an intern at the Poe Center for Health Education—a nonprofit that serves communities across most of North Carolina—I’ve had the chance to support its mission of providing health education to people of all ages. For over twenty years, the Poe Center has been a trusted provider of community-based programs, many of which are made possible by funding from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – Education (SNAP-Ed).
To give some context, SNAP-Ed is a federally funded program that provides evidence-based nutrition education and obesity prevention services to individuals and communities eligible for SNAP. That programming improves nutrition and health outcomes for low-income individuals and families. It’s making a difference in real people’s lives. And today, SNAP-Ed funds over 50 percent of the Poe Center’s budget for nutrition programs, social marketing, and community work.
Congress recently passed the 2025 budget reconciliation bill, which eliminates SNAP-Ed funding. But there’s still a chance to secure partial funding for the upcoming year. Right now, both the House and Senate are working through the Appropriations process, which includes one-time funding decisions. The House Agriculture Appropriations Committee is expected to vote on a one-year funding request for SNAP-Ed in the coming weeks and there are multiple N.C. Representatives whose support is crucial in order to receive the federal funding.
As a volunteer at a summer camp hosted by the Poe Center I saw firsthand how effective nutrition education can be. Youth from across the state learned lessons on MyPlate nutrition and healthy eating habits, while still having fun. And for me one of most memorable experiences was seeing kids learn how to cook healthy meals. We need more of those opportunities in North Carolina.
We can see the effects of SNAP-Ed funding on our state through the Poe Center’s SNAP-Ed outcome report:
- In 2024, over 7,197 adults and 38,145 children received nutrition education.
- 53 percent of youth increased how many fruits or vegetables they consumed, and adults and seniors increased the average amount of fruit they consumed daily by approximately half a cup.
These statistics show that SNAP-Ed funding is improving health outcomes for children and families.
The Poe Center’s SNAP-Ed efforts reach people where they are—schools, food pantries, grocery stores, and community centers— supporting broader goals of public health, food security, and economic resilience.
The claim that SNAP-Ed is duplicative is simply inaccurate; no other federal program fills this unique role. According to Savesnaped.org, for every $1 invested in SNAP-Ed, up to $10.64 can be saved in future healthcare costs. These savings help reduce Medicaid spending and lower overall healthcare costs for families. At a time when food assistance funding is also at risk, SNAP-Ed empowers individuals to make informed, healthy choices.
Eliminating this essential program would not only harm the people served by Poe – it would hinder local and nationwide efforts to build healthier communities and would, in turn, drive up future health care costs and result in an increase in chronic and preventable disease. Nationwide, SNAP-Ed programs have reported a 50 percent reduction in the incidence of overweight among elementary children in a large, urban school district.
SNAP-Ed builds on existing short-term and eligibility-based food assistance like SNAP by offering ongoing, unique, and practical support to public and private community programs. SNAP-Ed is encouraged to touch people with lower incomes wherever they make food and activity decisions in thousands of qualified low-resource community locations all across the country. SNAP-Ed is designed to help communities realize the promise of SNAP. SNAP-Ed serves all people in settings where the majority have incomes below 185 percent of poverty.
Your support is essential. We need your help more than ever to help ensure NC kids, youth, and families have access to SNAP-Ed programs all over NC. Some ways to help are sharing the SNAP-Ed story to local networks and speaking out to elected officials. It’s not too late to raise awareness and spread the message. Contacting and reaching out to your Congressional representative to share your story about how important SNAP-Ed funding is one of the best ways to show your support in this issue.