Thousands of local kids could lose free-lunch benefit with proposed food stamp changes

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Thousands of local children who need the free meals they get at school may lost it. Proposed federal changes to SNAP benefits would impact hundreds of thousands more children across the country.

4200 children -- That is the estimated number of kids in Mecklenburg County who could lose their free school lunches under proposed changes to SNAP benefits.

Men Tchaas Ari, a deputy department director with the Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services, said it is not known when or if the changes will pass.

"We don't know the exact numbers, we don't know when this is going to pass or if this will pass, but what it will do is add an additional burden for many families who are currently struggling already," Ari said.

Right now, if a family gets SNAP, or food stamps, the children are automatically enrolled in a federal program that gives them free breakfast and lunch at school.

But, the USDA wants to raise the requirement for food stamps to fix what they call a "loophole" that has expanded SNAP benefits to include people who receive assistance when they don't need it.

Ari said the eligibility level was raised during the recession and this change calls to lower that.

[ALSO READ: More than 750K could lose SNAP benefits under proposed changes]

"Ostensibly, there are people who can pay for it, but the eligibility that they've raised it to during the recession, it's still for people who are considering living in poverty so it's still going to be tough," Ari said.

He said this would impact people still struggling, especially as our community grapples with an affordable housing crisis and upward mobility issues.

Residents told Channel 9's education reporter Elsa Gillis they are concerned.

"A lot of those kids, that's their only meal," resident Jamea Grace said. "I definitely think it's going to hurt a lot more families than help."

Ari said they don't want to alarm people. This is a proposal and these are preliminary numbers, but it is good to be on the community's radar.

If the change does happen, he suggests parents contact their child's school to see if they are still eligible.

North Carolina's attorney general recently joined 23 other states in opposing these changes.

Cox Media Group