In order to help families in the borough who may be struggling due to SNAP cuts, the Haddonfield Educational Trust has started a SNAP Gap food assistance program for families of students enrolled in the school district’s free and reduced lunch program.
The program is providing weekly stipends for food in the form of grocery store gift cards, the first time the trust has offered assistance specifically aimed at fighting food insecurity among bourough students. The White House recently announced that only half of November’s benefits will be paid because of the ongoing government shutdown.
“We exist to support the students and the school district of Haddonfield public schools, and there have been occasions where we have supported students in specific ways, but this is the first time that we have supported food assistance,” said trust president Maureen Eyles.
The trust decided to offer the food program as SNAP cuts went into effect on Nov. 1. The district’s fall break for the NJEA (teacher’s) Convention this year lasted from Nov. 3 to 7, meaning that students who relied on the school lunch and breakfast programs might not have had access to food for that period.
Students and teachers were due back on Nov. 10.
” … We realized that with the loss of their federal SNAP benefits, and the fact that we were on a school break, it created even more of a concern about food security for these affected students,” Eyles explained.
She reached out to school Superintendent Chuck Klaus and board of education President Jaime Grookett to see how they could best help families with school-age children in need. The trust then immediately distributed $14,000 in ShopRite gift cards to each family before the end of the school day on Halloween, the last day of classes before the break.
The trust has voted to continue the support until the federal government reopens, or until Dec. 31, whichever comes first.
“We realized that we have a responsibility to make sure that our Haddonfield students don’t go hungry and don’t go without meals,” Eyles noted. “And so we’re glad we’re able to put this program together for these families in the short term.”
Unfortunately, the trust cannot help families who don’t have school-age children.
“We’re unable to help everyone,” Eyles acknowledged. “We’re really focused on the students here in the free and reduced lunch program. So there are a number of ways that the community can help to feed our neighbors.”
Besides donations to the SNAP Gap campaign through the trust website, food and monetary donations can go to the South Jersey Food Bank.
