SNAP Crisis Hits Close to Heart and Home

By Karla Lester

Our own brand of hunger

hunger is a symptom of an underlying cause, 

hit and miss food availability,

no way to access food ourselves,

though we got really resourceful,

though we had safety nets,

we never had snacks like other kids,

we never had breakfast,

the most important meal of the day,

hunger felt like the very physical sensation that it is,  

hunger felt like deprivation.

I’m a pediatrician, child health advocate, social media doctor and a food advocate who grew up with food insecurity. I’ve made several videos advocating for SNAP benefits and against the harms of H.R.1 or the OBBB. One year ago, during the government shutdown, Nebraska threatened to withhold SNAP benefits. In October, 2025 I made a video on TikTok about what was happening and shared my story of growing up with food insecurity. 

“I grew up with food insecurity. My Mom was a single Mom. When my parents got divorced, my Mom fell into a deep depression. It was betrayal trauma and my sisters and I went from having an idyllic life to one where our Mother had severe depression, trauma and then we suffered from that too. She had been a stay at home Mom, fantastic cook, who then had to go back to work, more than one job. It’s just when you have a mental illness. When you don’t have the energy. She did as much as she could do, but food was hit and miss. So, we had food insecurity. We had the supports that a lot of kids and families don’t have. But, if you know what it’s like to grow up hungry, because I do. It’s not fun. It rules the day. Being hungry means that’s what you’re thinking about the whole day. So, let’s ask any of these people who are making these decisions, did you grow up hungry? The answer is going to be no.”

The comment section highlighted what Nebraskans were dealing with. 

“I am so scared. So now I am sharing recipes I make from food pantry items in hopes of helping others get ideas on what to make. I am a full time college student, solo mom of three and left my husband last year after finding out he was abusing my kids when alone with them. I rely on SNAP to feed my kids while I am in school.”

“I’m donating food to low income seniors.”

“Politicians are supposed to work for the people not against the people.” 

“My husband had a stroke on September 25th and is currently unable to work. We just applied for SNAP to hopefully qualify for November. He has worked for the same employer since he was 17 and is now 39. We also have a 15 year old child. I believe EVERYONE deserves to never have to worry about where their next meal will come from. One medical event and we are facing not only food insecurity but also homelessness, and a hospital bill in the hundreds of thousands. I hate it here. Not just this state, but this whole damn country.” 

“Omaha gal here. It’s crazy the average working folk are the ones that are opening their pockets, already struggling, to give to other people. Why aren’t the local millionaires donating?!!”

“Seems like they are just going along with the administration, not representing their constituents in Nebraska.” 

Nebraska was the first state to enact work requirements for Medicaid and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) or what was formerly termed food stamps. A rule change from the H.R.1, or what has been called the OBBB, which is the ugliest piece of legislation to hit the books, limited eligibility, created work requirements and created intentional chaos with a burden of paperwork. Making SNAP out of reach has made it hard for families. It’s not just putting food on the table so that Nebraskans can find a job, so that they can pay for housing and provide for their family. Hitting children and families on all fronts who are already down seems to be the goal. Gas prices continue to rise, making it more difficult for Nebraskans to get to work. H.R. 1 is an unprecedented hit to the infrastructure of healthcare and food access in America.

Nebraska Appleseed created a fact sheet that shows that as of August, 2026, due to H.R.1, or the OBBB, 40,000 Nebraskans lost access to SNAP. Half of all losses are children. 1 in 7 are children under 5. There’s been a 10.4% increase in food insecure Nebraskans and 27% increase in grocery prices since 2020. SNAP cuts hurt our economy and businesses. In May, 2026, Nebraska implemented new verification requirements and SNAP losses accelerated due to: 1. Expanded work requirements; 2. Cuts for Immigrant community members; 3. Verification requirements have led to eligible individuals and families losing SNAP. It’s a real cluster of chaos over at Ne DHHS. I ran across a video highlighting the logistical nightmare at DHHS. 

“If you live in Nebraska and require government assistance to be alive, and you’re like, where tf are my benefits and why is there no one to talk about it? They don’t know either. And they crashin out in the office…soooo..” 2 hr wait times just to get hung up on and the offices are short staffed, and/or don't have people employed there for that particular benefit.”

The comment section highlights the latest implementation snafus. 

“We have residents at my nursing home who have been waiting months and months for recertification”

“The system automatically hangs up on you after two hours of waiting. “I had the same thing happen to me. Two hours on hold just for them to hang up.”

“I spent maybe 10 hours on the phone with them to have my SNAP go from $119 to $24”

Why don’t people want to share their stories of hunger?

There are personal reasons. First, it feels shameful. It may feel traumatic and painful to revisit. For me, hunger isn’t the worst of what I endured, but the effects linger.  I have moved on to have a great life. I want to keep moving forward. There’s still so much hunger stigma out there, it’s not always healing to share it.  As strange as it seems, sharing my story feels like a betrayal of my parents. And, it’s not just my story to share. If I talk about growing up with hunger, I’ll get called out on my privilege. Or, it may seem performative. It’s a matter of pride to keep the secret. It’s my story to keep for me. All of these are valid reasons not to share a personal story of hunger. 

 

There are also cultural and societal myths surrounding hunger that are obstacles. As many comments on TikTok videos sharing stories, there are comments that perpetuate harmful hunger myths: 

• It’s solely up to parents to provide for their children. 
• They can get jobs.
• Leave it to the nonprofits and churches.
• Illegal immigrants are getting SNAP and Medicaid

All are debunked with data in the Nebraska Appleseed HR1 SNAP Impacts fact sheet. It’s easier to believe a political lie than it is to confront the reality of needs in the community. The fact is you don’t always know who’s hungry.  You have no clue. Whatever your biases are, they are likely off.  I guarantee that you have experienced hunger in your life. There are many different types of hunger- physical, emotional, spiritual to name a few. Community members experiencing hunger are not a problem or a cause to fix and solve. Hunger is a physical symptom of an underlying cause. Hunger is a crack in the structure of society. In the ACES or Adverse Childhood Experiences Survey, there are 10 questions that ask about traumatic experiences in the first 18 years of life. The higher the score, the more risk of developing physical, emotional and behavioral health conditions. The fifth question in the ACES survey is, 

5. Did you often feel that ...

You didn’t have enough to eat, had to wear dirty clothes, and had no one to protect you?

The very worst and most harmful part of growing up hungry is internalizing and believing you are not worthy of having even your basic human needs met. What the SNAP and Medicaid cuts are really saying to children, families, seniors and the most vulnerable Nebraska community members is they are not worthy. 

Growing up with adversity and hunger doesn’t make a human being resilient.  Having food does. Support, love, attachment, and external resources create resilience.

Silence doesn’t resonate with me or my values. Moving forward as a food advocate, take action and vote, volunteer, build political will with emails, calls, and on social media. Testify on bills at the Capitol to share your story of hunger if silence doesn’t resonate with you. Serve on boards of nonprofits. Donate food and money as you are able. Fill up your free little pantry with food if you are able to. Ask your neighbor if you can help them. Support candidates who are food advocates. 

To be honest, it’s hard to keep track of the political whiplash. Don’t get tired.  Stay out of judgment. You know nothing about what’s going on in people’s lives. Anytime you feed another person’s hunger you are healing the cracks. Do not feel pity.  Do something. Your donations and contributions matter very much. You will not fix and solve hunger, but you can nourish a lot of people who need it. You never know when you may need the help.