KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The U.S. House passed the "Big Beautiful Bill" package Thursday, which includes tax breaks, cuts to Medicaid, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps.
The bill, for some, means a shift in how they live.
Republicans say the bill still provides help for those who need it, but claim it also targets waste, fraud, and abuse.
Local food pantries, including Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas, are bracing for what the new legislation will mean for their clients.
They serve 21 northeast Kansas counties, with two food pantry locations in Wyandotte County.
"The population in Wyandotte County is the lowest income we serve," said Denise Ogilvi, chief mission integration officer for Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas. "About 18% of the population in Wyandotte County falls below the poverty level. The poverty level in the state of Kansas is about $32,000 (of income per year) for a family of four."
Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas' mission is to offer people of all faiths help, hope, and hospitality.
It's food pantry locations are client choice, operating similar to a grocery store.
The downtown Kansas City, Kansas, location sits between what the United States Department of Agriculture classifies as a "Food Desert."
Earlier this week, MERC Co+Op, a grocery store in downtown KCK, announced it would suspend operations in December 2025.
"It was definitely needed. This is a food desert area," said Paula Flattery-Aaron from the Strawberry Hill Neighborhood Association. "We have one grocery store on 18th Street, then the rest are further west."
According to the USDA, to be labeled a Food Desert a community must meet the low-income and low-access requirements.
Those include a poverty rate of 20% or greater, or a median family income at or below 80% of the statewide or metropolitan area median family income.
At least 500 persons and/or 33% of the population lives more than one mile from a supermarket or large grocery store (10 miles for rural communities).
"You can imagine that if you can probably barely pay your rent on $32,000, you will probably need additional support to help your family," said Ogilvi.
That's where Catholic Charities comes in, with 150,000 visits to its food pantry locations last year.
This year, that number already jumped to nearly 175,000.
"The need is definitely great," added Ogilvi.
The republican backed federal legislation is expected to cut $230 billion from SNAP over the next decade.
The bill would require states to pay at least 5% of the SNAP program's costs starting in 2028.
The program is currently federally funded.
Historically, funding comes from passing a piece of legislation known as the Farm Bill.
The Farm Bill is a multi-billion dollar omnibus package, with nearly 80% of the farm commodity bill spent on nutrition programs like SNAP.
That legislation is two years past due for passage by Congress.
In addition to new funding cuts, the Big Beautiful Bill would create tighter work requirements to be eligible for aid, raising the age requirement from 54 to 64.
It would also force parents with children older than six to meet the work requirements.
Parents with dependent kids at home are exempt.
"Most people only come to our food pantry once a month. They are going to need more food than what they get at our food pantry," Ogilvi explained. "SNAP benefits provide about nine meals for every one meal that we can provide."
Catholic Charities is continuing to gather data across the communities it serves to better understand the need.
They will begin having conversations on whether they need to budget more money for food, expand their current locations, or open more locations.
"What we can do is try to make sure that our door is always open," added Ogilvi. "Not for profits can't fill the whole gap."
For more information on how to get involved with Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas, click here.
—
KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas and Cass County in Missouri. He also covers agricultural topics. Share your story idea with Ryan.
