A new report estimates one in 12 New Jersey households face food insecurity and about 70% of those eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are enrolled in the program, meaning that thousands of others aren’t receiving benefits they’re entitled to.
Lawmakers are working to tackle food insecurity in the state through an eight-bill package of bills aimed at expanding access to benefits and making sure low- and middle-income families are fed. On Thursday, the Assembly passed the package of bills. The measures now await Senate approval before going to the governor.
“To me, making people get fed is closer to a moral obligation than it is to a governmental function,” said Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin. “Who among us would accept people going hungry? It just doesn’t happen.”
