TANF, or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, is a federal cash assistance program for low income families with children that provides for basic needs. Families who qualify receive money on a debit-like card that they can use to help cover their monthly expenses, like food, rent, clothing, and transportation. TANF’s History In 1911, a version...Read More

Each year as Legislative Session begins, there is a lot of “crystal ball gazing” in our state capital. The rumors come fast and furious, and various pundits try to anticipate how things will turn out when the General Assembly adjourns in May, even before a single bill is heard before a committee. There’s a temptation...Read More

Our core belief around hunger is very, very simple – you cannot have life or liberty or be allowed to pursue happiness if you are unsure of where your next meal comes from. Our communities cannot be strong if there are food-insecure members living in them. Nourishment, the simple act of being able to feed...Read More

Today, the Trump Administration published a final rule that would disallow hundreds of thousands of individuals from utilizing SNAP to reduce their food insecurity. The individuals – SNAP participants ages 18 through 49 who aren’t raising minor children in their homes – are among those whose financial situation is the least able to handle such...Read More

On Nov. 27th, 2019, Empower Missouri submitted a comment to the U.S. Department of Agriculture regarding their proposed change to how SNAP benefit allocations are calculated. Please use the link below to download or view our comment. Empower Missouri USDA Comment – State Heating and Cooling Standard Utility AllowancesDownloadRead More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEOctober 23, 2019Contact: Conner Kerrigan, Communications Director815-263-1261 (cell)conner@empowermissouri.org  (JEFFERSON CITY, MO)…On Nov. 9th, Empower Missouri will be holding their Annual Conference, entitled Building Blocks for Missouri’s Success, at Hickman High School in Columbia, MO. Ellen Teller, Director of Government Affairs, Food Research and Action Center in Washington, DC. will serve as the keynote...Read More

12% of our neighbors meet the official USDA definition of “low food security” or “very low food security”. One in eight rely on federal SNAP to help put some or all of the food on their table every day. We should call this what it is - hunger.Read More

Intended to highlight the difficulties faced by Missourians who rely on the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to put food on the table, the challenge will ask participants to shop for a three-day supply of food for a family of four using only the amount of money available to families from the program.Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASESeptember 4, 2019 Contact: Jeanette Mott Oxford314-775-3261 (cell)Jeanette@EmpowerMissouri.org  (JEFFERSON CITY, MO)….. A report released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (ERS) reveals that while Missouri has made some progress on reducing food insecurity, the state level is still higher than the national average. The report documents that the 2018 food insecurity...Read More

The September Empowering You Newsletter can be downloaded by clicking on the thumbnail below, and you can explore it’s contents by clicking on any of the links under the thumbnail. Putting an SRO in every Missouri school won’t make them safer – but here’s what might – Conner Kerrigan “Missouri has failed it’s voters” – Voter...Read More