The SNAP-Ed program, which provides those in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) with skills to stretch benefits, develop healthy eating and activity habits and prevent obesity, is set to close later this year.
The program, which has been run by the Nebraska Extension office since 1992, is set to close Sept. 30 following funding cuts in President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.”
The extension office had received roughly $2 million in funding annually to support the SNAP-Ed program and similar programs.
Because of the cut, 10 staff positions and seven student worker positions will be eliminated.
In 2024, SNAP-Ed in Nebraska worked with 120,000 recipients. Kathleen Lodl, associate dean of Nebraska Extension and state 4-H program leader, said the program’s research-based methodology for teaching wellness showed Nebraskans using SNAP how to make healthier choices.
“What we know from the research collected from the actual participants in our programs, we have more adults who meet the nutrition and physical activity guidelines. We have more young people committed to eating more fruits and vegetables,” she said. “We have more families that know how to shop smarter, cook more nutritiously and live healthier lives.”
Many of the families impacted by the cut don’t have an abundance of resources to learn about health and wellness, Lodl said.
“So while their SNAP benefits will stay, they will lose the education piece of that, and we find that, in Nebraska, many of those families are lower income. Of course, they may not have access to other resources,” Lodl said. "It's a bind for those families because they have these opportunities through SNAP-Ed to get this additional education that they might not otherwise have access to.”
Lodl said Nebraska Extension will continue to provide Nebraskans with access to nutritional education by looking into other statewide programs.