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WYOMING, Mich. (WOOD) — A federal budget proposal could reduce or take away vital benefits for those already struggling to afford basic needs, and advocates in Kent County are sounding the alarm.
At a discussion in Wyoming on Friday, groups in Kent County gathered to raise concerns about what President Donald Trump calls the 'One Big Beautiful Bill.'If it is passed, those who use Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits may be at risk of losing them. Data from last year shows nearly 1.5 million Michigan residents, or 15% of the population, received SNAP benefits.
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Those at the meeting outlined what else the proposed cuts would affect, including SNAP-Ed, a federally funded grant program that teaches nutrition.
Julie Brunson, executive director of H.O.P.E. Gardens (Helping Other People Eat), says that funding helps her team run nutrition education programs for children and families in the community.
'The loss of SNAP-Ed would definitely affect HOPE Gardens,' she said. 'But more importantly, it would affect our community and our children.'
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H.O.P.E. Gardens has several community gardens at schools to teach children how to grow their own food.
'It affects their food security and gives them agency over their own food,' she said. 'Seeing the impact this has on children and families is amazing… If you give a man a fish, he eats for a day, but if you teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime.'
Brunson knows the stakes because she lived them. She grew up with a single mother raising seven children. She said her family relied on the type of support that is now at risk.
'We needed that help and families still need that help,' she said.
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Brunson says her team couldn't do what they do without continued funding.
'It makes me sad. It makes me angry,' she said.
Several speakers urged community members to contact their congressional representatives to share how these programs have helped them or their neighbors.
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