NASHVILLE, TN - Faith leaders, representing congregants and service organizations across the state from Nashville, Clarksville, Hohenwald, Memphis, Chattanooga, Knoxville, and several other cities, have issued an urgent public letter to Governor Lee. They called a multi-city press conference urging the Governor to utilize the state's substantial financial reserves, including the $2.2 billion Rainy Day Fund, to immediately restore full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

The suspension of federal SNAP assistance has left nearly 700,000 low-income Tennesseans of all ages facing an imminent hunger crisis that charitable efforts cannot contain.

The $72 Million Gap and Moral Cost

November SNAP benefits have been halved, and under the federal allocation formula for the reduced benefits, many households will receive no assistance at all. The leaders emphasized that this devastating loss of $72 million in critical nutritional aid this month alone threatens the health and God-given potential of the most vulnerable, particularly children and the elderly, who rely on these funds for specialized dietary needs that typical food pantry supplies cannot meet. The group is haunted by the potential for long-lasting, traumatic effects on the state’s children.

“We are tragically impacting nearly 700,000 low-income Tennesseans, including our congregants and neighbors. While we appreciate the Governor’s $5 million grant to food banks, it is impossible for non-governmental efforts to even begin to compensate for the $72 million in essential federal SNAP assistance that our families are losing this month,” the letter states.

State Funds and Proven Mechanism

The letter specifically urges Governor Lee to follow the recent example of governors in states like Louisiana and Virginia, who are using available state funds on an emergency basis to temporarily replace the lost federal SNAP benefits.

Fortunately, the Tennessee Department of Human Services already established an operational mechanism last summer through the Tennessee Summer Nutrition Initiative, which can be immediately activated to supplement federal assistance by adding state-funded nutrition aid to families’ existing SNAP EBT cards.

“We are haunted by the realization that, for many, the harms will be grave and long lasting. Experience of hunger traumatizes children, with potentially lifelong effects on their health and ability to realize their God-given potential. We respectfully urge Governor Lee to use Tennessee’s considerable financial capacity to do the right thing and ensure full SNAP allotments until federal funding is restored,” said Rev. Laura B. Kigweba, representing the coalition of faith leaders.

The Southern Christian Coalition is a nonpartisan grassroots, ecumenical organization. Across our country, politicians have hijacked the pulpit, often distorting the values of our faith as society weighs important decisions. We are a community of Christians, speaking up on the values of our faith.