By admin 
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — As students head back to school, there is a renewed focus on the rising cost of food, with Democratic state lawmakers saying changes to federal food assistance are adding to that pressure.
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State Sen. Woodson Bradley (D-Mecklenburg) and state Rep. Maria Cervania (D-Wake) held a roundtable Monday about the rising cost of raising a family in North Carolina and the impact that financial stress can have on children.
“What I’ve been hearing is affordability is not just about what something costs. It’s about how little room now families have when it comes to what’s left when they pay for everything,” Cervania said.
The conversation comes as fewer North Carolinians are receiving food assistance. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, SNAP participation in North Carolina dropped by 8.4% over the past year.
About 1.26 million people received benefits in May 2026, roughly 116,000 fewer than in May 2025. The data does not show how much of that decline is directly tied to new federal requirements.
H.R. 1, signed into law in July 2025, expanded SNAP work requirements and tightened eligibility for some recipients. In North Carolina, the expanded work requirements took effect in December.
Bradley said when kids don’t have enough to eat, the effects can follow them into the classroom.
“You’re talking about behavioral problems. You’re talking about literally just being scared out of your mind. You’re talking about not being able to learn. You’re taking opportunity away from the most precious asset that we have because they’re hungry. And when you are hungry, you make different decisions. And that is just how our DNA is wired, than you would in any other situation,” she said.
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Republicans defended the federal changes, saying anyone eligible for SNAP benefits will still get them.
“These commonsense reforms are about protecting the program, improving accountability, and encouraging able-bodied adults who are capable of working to work, volunteer, or participate in job training, while maintaining exemptions for those who cannot,” the NC GOP said in a statement.
One solution Bradley wants lawmakers to consider is providing free breakfast and lunch to every public school student. She said it would cost less than 2% of the state’s education budget.
“That would be something, and it would be a very simple thing to do,” Bradley said. “I don’t understand why that is like a Sisyphus-type of battle of pushing a boulder up the hill, when that would help so many. I know that isn’t the answer to all the things, but that would be such a monumental trampoline to start.”
Cervania said universal school meals could help ensure kids aren’t singled out because their families need assistance.
“When we could have a school lunch program that is the same for everybody, stigma is erased,” she said.
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