As SNAP benefits are reduced, more than 11,000 Fairfield County families stand to lose some or all of their food assistance, according to DataHaven. Statewide, 58,000 Connecticut households will be affected, with residents projected to receive $11–$15 million less in food assistance each month, just as food insecurity reaches historic highs.

Fairfield County’s Community Foundation has launched the Fairfield County Food Security Fund, an emergency fund designed to stabilize the county’s food network now, and strengthen it for the months ahead.

The Fund provides immediate and sustained support to ensure families, children, seniors, veterans, and neighbors facing hunger can access food amid rising demand and shrinking federal support. It channels flexible dollars to frontline and under-resourced organizations, including neighborhood food banks, school and college pantries, faith-based and grassroots distribution networks, groups serving veterans and people returning from incarceration, and local farms affected by funding cuts.

The Fund is built to address both urgent need and long-term solutions. Alongside rapid-response grants, FCCF will work with community partners to advance state-level policies that protect access to nutritious food, including efforts to establish free school breakfast for all students in Connecticut.

This comes at a moment when food has become alarmingly unaffordable. A modestly priced meal in Connecticut already costs about 50 percent more than the current SNAP meal allowance covers.