In 1996, Congress passed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), sometimes known as the welfare reform bill. Buried deep within that sweeping…
Earlier this week, the Missouri Senate Economic Development Committee heard Senate Bill 790 which would provide state tax credits to grocery stores that open in…
As Joseph Llobera from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities stated in his report Child Support Cooperation Requirements in SNAP Are Unproven, Costly, and…
Just recently, a federal judge formally struck down the Trump Administration’s attempt to end food stamp benefits for nearly 700,000 unemployed people. In his ruling,…
The Food Security Coalition is a multi-sector team of dedicated advocates who work to ensure that every Missourian, especially children, can access sufficient nutritious food. We…
In December we will be gearing up for the 2024 legislative session that will begin in January. Join us for this Friday Forum to get…
(Jefferson City, MO)........Empower Missouri today applauded Congress for their passage of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES) in a bipartisan and speedy…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 19th, 2021 (JEFFERSON CITY, MO)...Empower Missouri and its network of supporters in Missouri will be joining in a coordinated Week of…
Are we really debating whether it is worth spending money to feed our children? Missouri’s kids deserve three meals a day without demanding they prove…
Early in the COVID-19 public health crisis, Congress passed specific SNAP related provisions and waivers to help struggling families put food on the table. These…
Now that the Missouri legislative session has ended (read the MO Legislative Session Wrap Up Blog HERE and join us on Friday, June 4th at…
The pandemic and its impact on our economy hit all of us hard, and illuminated the struggles low-wage workers face in ways that we had…
Since 1901, the pinnacle of Empower Missouri’s work each year has been its Annual Conference. In fact, for the first decade, that was the bulk…
On October 16th, the world recognized World Food Day. Starting in 1945, the United Nations outlined and recognized food as not a privilege, but as…
As we wrap up the year, we’re already deep into planning for the next legislative session that starts in January. Our December Friday Forum covered…
It’s the third week of May, which means that you’re hearing crickets from hundreds of lobbyists and advocates across the state who are taking a…
This past spring, as the school year was winding down, nonprofits across the country began working on plans to implement their summer feeding programs for…
Within the next few weeks, the U.S. will be approaching one year of living in the worldwide pandemic of Covid-19. This past year has brought…
Last Saturday, June 11th, Empower Missouri supporters, coalition members, staff and other guests gathered at the Piper Palm House in St. Louis to honor our…
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the connection between unemployment, poverty and food insecurity has been clear. One of the best indicators of food…
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the nation’s largest anti-hunger program and helps millions of people who are at risk for food insecurity every…
We knew going into the legislative session that it would be a wild year. Unfortunately, wild years where very little gets done has become the…
Did you know that September is Hunger Action Month? Led by Feeding America, Hunger Action Month is an annual nationwide campaign to spread awareness and…
Earlier this month, the Food Assistance and Hunger in the Heartland Report was released. This is a first of its kind-a comprehensive research study about…
We’ve written before about the power of click-through advocacy and how simply sending a coordinated email or signing on to a petition can be a …
It’s not too long ago that we put the year 2020 behind us. It was a year full of major world-shifting events as our country…
Food Insecurity in the U.S. and Here at Home in Missouri More than 34 million people experience food insecurity in the United States. That includes…
Just a few weeks into the new school year, many families are learning that after two years of all Missouri public school children receiving free…
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is one of the most far reaching, anti-poverty programs in our country. Over 42 million individuals are helped each…
Empower Missouri and its Food Security Coalition applaud this week's announcement that a long overdue federal increase in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will…
There was a slight delay in Congress’ work on the Build Back Better legislation these past couple weeks because Congress had to pass a continuing…
I often describe myself as a grassroots organizer at my core. I really believe that there is no ethical way to advocate for legislative changes…
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, lots of rule changes and new waivers have taken place within the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP,…
The 2023 legislative session will end today at 6PM, so there’s only a few hours remaining for the legislature to pass any final bills before…
Empower Missouri has fought for all Missourians to have basic human needs and equal justice since 1901, and there have undoubtedly been many challenges to…