March 25, 2026To: Senator Trent and Members of the Senate General Laws CommitteeFrom: Christine Woody, Food Security Policy Manager at Empower MissouriRe:   SB 1616 Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. My name is Christine Woody and I am with Empower Missouri. Empower Missouri is the state’s largest anti-poverty advocacy organization. I am...Read More

March 23, 2026 To:  Chairman McGirl and The House Ways and Means Committee From: Christine Woody, Food Security Policy Manager, Empower Missouri Re: House Bill 2457 My name is Christine Woody and I am the Food Security Policy manager for Empower Missouri. We are a statewide non-profit organization that leads a statewide coalition on food...Read More

March 11, 2026 To:  Chairman Brown and The Senate Economic and Workforce Development Committee From: Christine Woody, Food Security Policy Manager, Empower Missouri Re: Senate Bill 1082 My name is Christine Woody and I am the Food Security Policy manager for Empower Missouri. We are a statewide non-profit organization that leads a statewide coalition on...Read More

March 10, 2026 To:  Chairman McGirl and The House Ways and Means Committee From: Christine Woody, Food Security Policy Manager, Empower Missouri Re: House Bill 2461 My name is Christine Woody and I am the Food Security Policy manager for Empower Missouri. We are a statewide non-profit organization that leads a statewide coalition on food...Read More

March 4, 2026 To: Senator Jill Carter, Chair and the Members of the Families, Seniors and Health Committee From: Christine Woody, Food Security Policy Manager, Empower Missouri Re: Support for SB 875 Founded in 1901, Empower Missouri is the oldest anti-poverty advocacy organization in the state. As part of our work, we organize a statewide...Read More

February 25, 2026To: Representative Keathley and Members of the House General Laws CommitteeFrom: Christine Woody, Food Security Policy Manager at Empower MissouriRe:   HB 2481 and HB 2468 Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. My name is Christine Woody and I am with Empower Missouri. Empower Missouri is the state’s largest anti-poverty advocacy...Read More

Date: January 27, 2026 To: Representative Don Mayhew and the Members of the House Corrections and Public Institutions Committee  From: Christine Woody, Food Security Policy Manager, Empower Missouri RE: Support for HB 2751 My name is Christine Woody and I am the Food Security Policy Manager at Empower Missouri. Empower Missouri is a statewide non-profit organization...Read More

To Whom It May Concern: Empower Missouri is a non-profit, nonpartisan anti-poverty organization that has worked for more than 120 years to improve the health and economic stability of Missouri families. We submit this comment to strongly oppose the proposed changes to the public charge rule. Experience from the first Trump administration already showed that...Read More

Imagine going to the grocery store hungry, knowing you can buy a frozen burrito but not a warm, ready-to-eat one—even if both cost the same. That’s the reality for millions of Americans who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps. Under current federal law, SNAP recipients are prohibited from...Read More

We thank Governor Kehoe for taking swift action to support Missouri families during the ongoing federal shutdown. We appreciate the expedited transfer of $10.6 million to Missouri’s Area Agencies on Aging to ensure continued meal access for seniors, as well as the early release of $5 million in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funding...Read More