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

Just one month remains until the deadline to submit comments opposing the Trump administration’s proposed rule change that would eliminate SNAP benefits for approximately 3.1 million individuals. Over the last 2 months, more and more voices are speaking out about these harsh and unnecessary changes but the pressure needs to continue. Just this week, the...Read More

The Missouri General Assembly has a Legislative Session that goes from January to May. During those months, the capitol building in Jefferson City is in constant motion, with elected officials, lobbyists, and advocates all clamoring to pass laws that will shape our state. It’s an exciting time.  But then we hit Sine Die – the...Read More

More Than 3.1 Million Could Lose SNAP If The Trump Administration Has Their Way Just months after Congress and the Administration debated and reauthorized the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) through the Farm Bill, the Trump Administration is now proposing to implement, through executive action, a second SNAP benefits cut. This is unacceptable as it would...Read More

The major take-away for me from the 2019 Legislative Session is the importance of working in coalition with others for evidence-based public policies.Read More

I am happy to report that there has been some positive news about alleviating hunger in the state. On days where we all feel like nothing good is happening, these small steps forward can help keep us on our journey for justice. The first bit of good news was reported in this year’s  School Breakfast Scorecard, released Wednesday...Read More

If you read the Empowering You! newsletter that we released on 01/31, you had a chance to meet the dynamic four interns who are working with us this semester. As a supervisor of some of these interns, I’ve found one of the most frequent questions that I am asked regarding the General Assembly is “Can they do...Read More