Lisa Benz Scott and Vanessa Baird-Streeter

May 14, 2026

Read on Long Island Business News

SNAP and WIC are our nation’s most impactful anti-hunger and public health programs. It is critical that this year’s state budget protects families’ access to both.

As direct service providers on Long Island and public health educators committed to ensuring essential health services for all, programs to protect families with children from hunger and food insecurity must be in place. Hungry children are at greater risk of poor school performance and can suffer long-term consequences to their well-being.

For over 50 years, WIC has provided vital support for nutritionally at-risk New Yorkers in the critical days during and after pregnancy, and through a child’s first five years of life. The evidence is overwhelming. WIC improves birth outcomes, reduces infant mortality, prevents childhood obesity and closes disparities in infant health. Every dollar invested generates an estimated $2.48 in savings through lower medical costs and better long-term outcomes.

New York State has made remarkable progress in boosting WIC participation in recent years. Nearly half a million New Yorkers now participate through a statewide network of 85 local WIC programs operating in hospitals, community health centers, county health departments and community-based organizations. Since the start of 2020, WIC participation is up a whopping 51% in Suffolk County and 35% in Nassau County – outpacing the 28% growth in WIC participation statewide during this time period. The impact of WIC on families who participate is deeply personal. As one mother shared: “My kids‘ lead levels have dropped. They have healthy teeth and gums.”

Many local WIC agencies are now serving above their contracted caseload and need more qualified nutrition staff to provide the vital nutrition services in the time-sensitive manner that WIC requires. Providing an additional $30 million would help stabilize operations at WIC agencies and support outreach to the 200,000 eligible but unenrolled New Yorkers.

It is also imperative that our state protect access to SNAP, our nation’s most effective anti-hunger program. SNAP provides monthly food benefits for nearly 3 million New Yorkers; these benefits are spent at more than 16,000 authorized retailers across the state. The overwhelming majority of SNAP participants are children, seniors, and individuals with a disability.

Unfortunately, the SNAP cuts included in H.R.1 expand time limits, eliminate eligibility for many humanitarian immigrants, and shift federal SNAP costs onto New York State and localities. These changes are certain to harm the 161,000 Long Islanders who participate in SNAP, as well as counties tasked with implementing these changes while also absorbing a loss in federal funding.

New York State must support families looking to understand their eligibility amid these changes. That is why state leaders must sustain the Nutrition Outreach and Education Program (NOEP).

NOEP supports a statewide network of more than 80 community-based SNAP Navigators who help families through every step of the process, from determining whether they may be eligible, to gathering and submitting documents, resolving case issues and completing recertifications. On Long Island, we know that eligibility alone does not guarantee access. Families often need individualized support to navigate challenging rules, language barriers, and administration hurdles. As federal SNAP rules become more restrictive, trusted community-based assistance will be even more essential.

Every $1 invested in NOEP’s Nutrition Navigator program provides a $25 return to the state and helps families connect with other nutrition programs, including WIC, through automatic eligibility. However, NOEP is set to lose half of its federal funding this year. A modest $8.5 million in state funding — up from around $5.6 million in last year’s budget — can help sustain SNAP assistance services statewide.

As the federal government cuts food assistance and turns its back on low-income families, New York State must demonstrate our commitment to food access. Ensuring SNAP and WIC are robust and accessible is a powerful, cost-effective way for New York State to stand up for families struggling to put food on the table.

Lisa Benz Scott is the executive director of Stony Brook University’s Program in Public Health.

Vanessa Baird-Streeter is president/CEO of the Health & Welfare Council of Long Island.