Maryland's SNAP-Ed Program Defunding Leaves Nutritional Education Gap for Vulnerable Families

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) in Maryland has been defunded effective October 1, following President Trump's legislative action known as the "Big Beautiful Bill." This termination eliminates a crucial nutrition education program that served SNAP participants, low-income individuals receiving food assistance benefits, and vulnerable families across the state. The program's closure results in 70 SNAP-Ed employees losing their jobs and directly affects 700 community partners, including Judy Centers and Head Start Centers, with many initiatives being cut back or canceled entirely.

During fiscal year 2025, the program's final year of implementation, Maryland SNAP-Ed reached over 640,000 residents according to data from the University of Maryland Extension Program. More than 55,000 individuals participated in education programs, with participation numbers showing consistent growth since the program's inception according to impact reports created by UMD Extension. Antonio Silas, director of the Baltimore City Extension program that facilitated the educational program, emphasized that SNAP-Ed addressed critical gaps in food access and education. "There are a lot of places in Baltimore where people cannot get healthy food, and as a result, there's a pretty large gap in knowledge with respect to making good food choices," Silas explained. "SNAP-Ed makes these discussions more digestible for young people, so they can understand what it is to be healthy, eat healthy and how it improves quality of life."

In 2024, SNAP-Ed partnered with 541 youth education sites to promote healthy choices among children and families, while another 133 farmers and food pantries used the program to connect local food resources with families in need. The defunding has created particularly severe impacts in Frederick County, where Judy Centers—early-learning hubs serving children from birth to age five in Title I school zones—have lost critical nutritional support. According to Leslie Frei, supervisor of early childhood education and Judy Centers at Frederick County Public Schools, many families already qualified for free and reduced meals, with some schools showing up to 85% of students meeting eligibility criteria.

Through SNAP-Ed, each of the six Judy Centers in Frederick County received weekly fresh food deliveries. Program representatives offered cooking demonstrations, nutrition lessons, and provided families with small appliances like Crock-Pots to encourage healthy cooking at home. The program's reach extended to pre-kindergarten classrooms across the county, providing monthly deliveries of fruits and vegetables to more than 1,500 three and four year olds regardless of family income. Six community schools, 90 pre-kindergarten classrooms, and six Judy Centers have now lost access to these food resource programs. Other supporting programs like Blessings in a Backpack, which provides food for families every Friday to ensure weekend nutrition, will also feel the effects of the funding cut.

"Children are much more likely to try different foods if they're doing it in a social setting with their peers," Frei noted. "We've heard a lot of feedback over the years that children are now trying these healthy foods at home...we know that the impact, from a broad level, is that young children may not be as inclined to try these healthier and more nutritious foods, while at the same time their families are losing access to them." The program's termination creates a significant gap not only for families receiving SNAP benefits but also for ALICE families—Asset Limited, Income Constrained and Employed households that earn above the federal poverty line but cannot afford basic necessities like housing, childcare, and food.

In Frederick County, many ALICE families hover just above SNAP eligibility requirements. While they don't receive benefits, SNAP-Ed programs often served as a bridge—offering free classes, food drops, and nutrition resources to help stretch limited budgets. The total percentage of households in poverty and ALICE households in Frederick County exceeded 30% in 2023. "We have a lot of poverty, but then we do have a good amount of families just one problem away from being housing or food insecure, which is a huge deal for us as a county," Frei emphasized. The loss of SNAP-Ed removes a critical support system that helped vulnerable families navigate food insecurity while building nutritional knowledge that could break cycles of poor health outcomes.