Nearly 10% of Macon County’s residents receive help through SNAP – the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Legislation passed in Congress on July 3, will see changes to SNAP benefits. The full impact the legislation will have on Macon County’s 3,855 SNAP recipients is not yet known.
As the budget bill passed between the U.S. House and Senate, statements from N.C. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai, the N.C. Department of Social Services, the N.C. Association of County Commissioners and the N.C. Retail Merchants Association condemn proposed cuts to the program, warning of loss of access and administrative staff, insufficient state resources and economic losses for SNAP vendors.
“The bottom line is that, if these cuts are made, we will have more hungry children, seniors and families, and, in the near future, a population with greater health problems and a workforce that is less prepared to keep our communities’ economies strong,” said Feeding the Carolinas, which manages food banks across North and South Carolina.
Patrick Betancourt, director of the Macon County Department of Social Services, said there are groups in the county that rely heavily on Food and Nutritional Supplements (FNS) benefits. Betancourt said according to the most recent data from April 2025, the demographics most dependent are children between ages five and 17 and seniors 65 and older.
“The largest group receiving FNS in Macon are children under the age of 18 (1,286 or 33.42%). This is a critical age range, as these are young individuals who depend on these benefits for proper nutrition to support their growth and development. Ensuring children and teens have access to nutritious food is a priority, as food insecurity during childhood can have long-lasting effects on health and educational outcomes,” Betancourt said.
Of the 1,286 children under age 18, 948 (73.72%) fall within the five to 17-year-old category. “This group often includes students and young adults who may face challenges related to food insecurity, particularly during school breaks or weekends when other food resources are limited,” Betancourt said.
For children 5-17, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will offer SUN Bucks, which provides $120 on Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards that can be used to purchase food at EBT-accepting markets. NCDHHS said close to 1.1 million of the 1.5 million children in N.C. public schools received benefits through the program in 2024.
Of the 667 FNS beneficiaries who are senior citizens, Betancourt said, “Older adults, especially those living on fixed incomes, often struggle with rising food costs and health-related issues that impact their ability to afford nutritious food. SNAP is an essential resource to help ensure they can meet their dietary needs and maintain their health.”
He said the three age groups are particularly vulnerable to food insecurity but that the needs of each group may differ. “Our agency is committed to ensuring that these communities have the support they need, and we continue to work on outreach and program adjustments to make sure that eligible individuals can access the benefits they are entitled to.”
Betancourt said many FNS users in Macon County also use other food security programs, including CareNet, MANNA and others that can help to meet additional needs, such as diapers or toiletries, that cannot be met through FNS programs or Macon County DSS.
“FNS … is intended to be a supplemental program,” Betancourt said, “providing eligible households with financial assistance to help them purchase food. However, we recognize that FNS cannot fully meet the needs of all households, especially in times of economic hardship or for those facing additional barriers like housing instability.”
He said the programs often work with DSS to create a more comprehensive support system. “Our goal is to ensure that no one falls through the cracks and that all eligible individuals and families have access to the full range of food security programs available in Macon County.”
Though he said it was difficult to make an accurate estimate of the impact of proposed SNAP cuts, Betancourt said the impact would be significant in rural Macon County, where resources are already limited.
“FNS plays a crucial role not just in filling the gaps of food security, but also in supporting the local economy,” Betancourt said. “In rural communities, where grocery stores and food access points can be fewer and farther between, FNS benefits are vital to helping families afford nutritious food. Any reduction in FNS benefits would likely mean that individuals and families have less to spend on food, which could lead to an increase in demand for other community-based food services such as CareNet, local churches, and meal programs such as our congregate meal program and home-delivered meal program at Senior Services … the demand for food assistance is likely to increase, particularly in areas where families already face economic challenges. This underscores just how vital FNS is, especially for those in rural communities who rely on it to make ends meet.”
“The Department of Social Services remains committed to ensuring that everyone who qualifies for FNS has access to the resources they need to stay healthy and secure,” Betancourt concluded.
DSS works with CareNet, Macon Program for Progress, MANNA, No Wrong Door and other organizations to address needs, but many of these organizations are seeing cuts of their own, such as Macon Program for Progress, which administers N.C. Healthy Opportunities Pilot benefits.
“Healthy Opportunity Pilot is a critical component of that food security network and its loss will certainly negatively impact Macon County,” Betancourt said.
Devon Dupuis of the Macon County Farmers Market said usage of SNAP resources at the Farmers Market is up from last year. At the farmers market, visitors using SNAP can purchase tokens to spend as they like at the market. The tokens never expire and will be valid for as long as the market exists. Dupuis said the market has received a Double SNAP grant from the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina that matches SNAP funds and allows those relying on the program at the market to get twice as many tokens.
Dupuis said that allows SNAP users to better afford what is often fresher, healthier, more nutritious and often better-tasting produce than what they would find at a supermarket, all while supporting local farmers and distributors and better connecting consumers with the sources of their food.
“The grocery stores strive to bring the best fresh produce, but when you can get it from the farmer you can talk to the person who put it in the ground,” Dupuis said.
Both familiar faces and new visitors have been using SNAP this year, Dupuis said, often buying as many tokens as possible when their benefits resupply at the beginning of the month and spending those tokens periodically throughout the month. The most popular items this year are local produce and meat, followed by honey and baked goods, with sweets bought only on occasion.
As the SNAP cuts are implemented, Dupuis said she wouldn’t expect to see a much lower reduction in SNAP usage at the farmers’ market than what would happen across the board, but still expected a reduction.
Jessica Mrugala, a regional area specialized agent in local food systems for the N.C. Cooperative Extension, is working with other local and regional food distributors to gather information that will help organizations fighting food insecurity adjust to a new landscape that lacks crucial funding sources such as the Healthy Opportunities Pilot and SNAP.