In Staten Island’s North Shore, hunger wears new faces. It’s the nurse working double shifts just to cover childcare, the disabled veteran stretching a limited disability check, the families navigating a food desert where fresh produce is scarce and rents consume half their pay.
These are the families I connect with daily—referring thousands to food‑pantry networks, helping coordinate pop‑up produce events, and assisting households using 1115 Waiver services. Yet even with these supports, families go hungry—because policy is starving them.
The harsh reality
Across the U.S., over 40 million Americans rely on SNAP.
• Roughly 70% of adults in SNAP households work full time at some point during the year…