Maryland's SNAP-Ed program to end after federal defunding. What it means for low-income families.

Maryland's SNAP-Ed program is set to shut down by October 1 due to loss of federal funding, meaning that dozens of nutrition education resources for low-income families and SNAP participants may no longer exist.

This move will also leave 70 employees without a job. 

What is SNAP-Ed? 

SNAP-Ed, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education, is a federally funded program that provides nutrition education and obesity prevention to low-income individuals and families who are eligible for food stamps through SNAP. 

"One of the things we do is we work with Food and Nutrition Services to highlight and promote fruits and vegetables on the cafeteria lunch line," said Amy Callahan, a project leader educator for Maryland SNAP-Ed. 

Callahan added, "We do this by teaching classes, assisting with the development of school gardens, training teachers, foodservice staff, and community school coordinators on school wellness topics."

Impact of losing SNAP-Ed

According to SNAP-Ed, the change will impact over 424,000 Marylanders who currently benefit from nutrition education programs and initiatives. 

In the Baltimore region, SNAP-Ed partners with more than 30 public schools in the county and city, which also includes Judy Centers, food pantries, farmers markets, and early education sites such as the Head Starts of Associated Catholic Charities and Y of Central MD.

SNAP-Ed educators also partner with the local agriculture community to increase SNAP benefit redemption at farmers' markets to help make healthy, locally grown food more accessible to individuals with SNAP benefits.

"To give you an idea of our reach and impact, in 2024, we reached around 9,000 participants through direct education classes," Callahan said. "It totaled over 2,100 hours of education, and that's in a year. We only have 5 educators on our team, and 3 program assistants."

How does Maryland's SNAP-Ed work?

Maryland SNAP-Ed is within the University of Maryland Extension and gets all of its funding from the federal government, money that will no longer exist after October 1. 

Soon, Callahan's job and many others like it across Maryland will be gone due to new provisions in what President Donald Trump called his "Big Beautiful Bill," which was signed into law in July. 

"It really takes a community to and we were one of those organizations that really helped people be healthy," said Lisa Lachenmayr, the director of Maryland SNAP-Ed. "At some point, I hope we will be able to do some of the work again, but I do not see it happening, you know, as of October 1.". 

"I wish we had something on the horizon," Callahan said. "I think right now what we're focused on is just working with our current partners and ensuring they have the materials and resources they need to continue the programming in our absence." 

Lachenmayr said that SNAP-Ed is working with its partners to make sure some resources are still available online.