Many of you have been following the news regarding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or "SNAP," the federal program that offers food assistance to low-income families. Beginning November 1, 2025, the 42 million families who depend on the SNAP program will no longer have access to benefits while the government shutdown continues.
As a Title 1 school, here is a glimpse of how vital the SNAP program is to our Lakeside community:
- 48.95% of Lakeside students qualify for free and reduced-price lunches, which means that those children come from families that almost certainly depend on SNAP benefits for survival. That’s roughly 1,000 students at our high school alone, not even counting their siblings at feeder schools.
- The majority (80%) of SNAP recipients are working families with at least one adult wage-earner but that still make at or below 130% of the Federal Poverty Limit (about $42,000 for a family of four).
- The loss of SNAP benefits will be catastrophic to our Lakeside community. Eligible households receive an average of $350 per month in SNAP benefits to supplement their grocery spending.
- The USDA predicts that grocery costs will continue to rise, outpacing the historical rate of growth.
We are a group of Lakeside parents trying to help fill the void for our families facing hunger. We have no idea how long this will last or how the needs may evolve. We have started this page as a central location to raise money that will be used directly to:
- Purchase grocery cards for SNAP-eligible families
- Purchase food items to stock our neighborhood food pantries and emergency assistance locations
We are coordinating with the Lakeside parent liaison to distribute the grocery cards. We are also looking for opportunities to partner with neighborhood organizations and food pantries as well, so stay tuned for more opportunities on how you may get involved. This effort may evolve as the crisis unfolds--especially if it continues into the holiday season.
If there are funds remaining in the account once the crisis ends (which hopefully will be soon), we will be using leftover money to stock the Care Closet and other direct-service programs at Lakeside. Every penny will be used to benefit our hungry students and their families. If there are any questions about accountability of funds, please feel free to contact Lynsey Barron.
Thank you!
Organizer
Lynsey Barron
Organizer
Atlanta, GA