BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – Local, state and national organizations are working tirelessly to bridge the food insecurity gap in central Alabama.

A recent study from Feeding America says the number of meals needed to close the meal gap is over 44 million.

Hundreds of thousands of people are facing food insecurities here in central Alabama, and at the local level, 1-in-6 people and 1-in-5 children experience food insecurities.

In partnership with Feeding America, the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama is constantly looking at how to get more food into counties to help these families.

“The great thing about the food bank is that we don’t do this work alone, we partner with almost 350 other nonprofit organizations right here 12 counties in central Alabama to get this work done,” said CEO Nicole Williams.

In addition to their efforts, Asbury United Methodist Church is making a change to their food pantry service.

“We are thrilled to say that we are now open every 1st Saturday of the month from 12:30 to 2. We have bags prepared and depending on the size of your family we give you as much food as you need,” said director of communications Amy Gonzalez.

This is on top of their already successful year-round food pantry service they offer on Wednesdays.

“And then on Wednesdays, if folks can come on Wednesday they get to come in and do shopping entirely on their own and they can choose from a variety of more than 25 items,” Gonzalez said.

That variety includes canned meats, fruits, and nonperishable items.

“We knew there were people in our area struggling with food insecurity, families who were struggling with food insecurity, people who have full time jobs that come to us and say I need help feeding my family,” said Gonzalez.

By now offering double the service, they hope to help those facing food insecurity and expand their reach.

For more information on donating, volunteering or accessing the food pantry services from the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama, tap or click here. For information from Asbury Church, tap or click here.

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The Alabama Crimson Tide play against the Tennessee Volunteers in the NCAA Softball Knoxville Super Regional today at 3 p.m. CT on ESPN 2. Fans can watch this game for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV Stream and Fubo TV. If fans have already used both of those streaming options, then Sling offers a first month discount to new users.

Both of these teams hosted a regional in the 2024 NCAA Tournament and went undefeated, which has led them to battle against each other in the Knoxville Super Regional this weekend.

Tennessee is the third overall seed at the NCAA Softball Tournament this year, making them one of the favorites to reach the College World Series. The Volunteers have played incredibly well at the tournament thus far, as they did not concede a single run in their regional. While playing stellar defense, Tennessee showcased their offensive prowess by scoring 21 runs during their regional. So, the Volunteers will be a difficult team to beat.

Tennessee and Alabama met for a three game series during the regular season, which also highlighted Tennessee’s great defense. The Volunteers won two games of the series and only conceded one run during all three games combined. In order for Alabama to upset Tennessee in the Knoxville Super Regional, the Crimson Tide must keep every game low-scoring.

Although Tennessee is a difficult matchup for Alabama, the Crimson Tide have gotten better throughout the NCAA Softball Tournament this year. They started their regional with a 1-0 win over USC Upstate, but they became increasingly dominant in their final two games. Alabama defeated Southeastern Louisiana twice by a combined score of 18-5 to win their regional and advance in the tournament.

Fans can watch this exciting matchup in the Knoxville Super Regional for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV Stream and Fubo TV. Alternatively, Sling offers a first month discount to new users.

On Thursday, the House Committee on Agriculture met to discuss amendments to the 2024 farm bill. The farm bill is a legislative package passed every five years that covers the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, agricultural research, billions in public subsidies for farmers, and other agricultural policy.

During Thursday’s meeting, Rep. Barry Moore, R-Alabama, said he was “pleased to see the fruition of the 2024 farm bill and especially pleased to see a strong farm bill that supports vital farm programs and safety net programs that are necessary to Alabama agriculture.”

“Since the last farm bill we passed, farmers, foresters, ranchers, and producers have fought tooth and nail to stay afloat against this administration and it’s consistently standing against them,” Moore said. “This legislation puts the farm back in farm bill.”

Democratic members of the House Committee on Agriculture were much more critical of the proposed farm bill, pointing to its projected effects on SNAP.

The Republican proposal would prevent the U.S. Department of Agriculture from increasing the price of its Thrifty Food Plan for any reason besides inflation; the Thrifty Food Plan is used to determine the amount of SNAP benefits. A proposed amendment removing this restriction from the farm bill was voted down by the committee along partisan lines.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated that this restriction would reduce funding for SNAP by almost $30 billion over the next ten years.

On May 20, the Urban Institute released a report stating that SNAP benefits already “did not cover the cost of a modestly priced meal in at least 98 percent of counties” in 2023. Without the last revision to the Thrifty Food Plan in 2021, according to another report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, SNAP benefits in 2024 would have been only $4.80 per person per day instead of the current rate of $6.20 per person per day.

The CBPP also calculated, using the CBO’s estimates, that the proposed cut to SNAP “initially would be equal to a day’s worth of benefits each month. It would rise to almost two days’ worth by the end of the budget window.”

“You may think that losing one day or two days a month worth of food is not significant, but I do,” said Rep. Shontel Brown, D-Ohio, during the meeting.

While Moore has not yet made a public statement regarding the proposed legislation’s effects on SNAP, he voted against the proposed amendment to allow the Department of Agriculture to update the Thrifty Food Plan and has criticized past expansions of the program. In February, Moore said that the Biden administration “play favorites with ERP [Emergency Relief Program], grab every tax dollar they can for SNAP, and pander to radical wealthy environmentalists.”

According to the US Department of Agriculture, in February almost 750,000 people in Alabama benefited from SNAP.

Alabama Arise’s communications director, Chris Sanders, told APR that SNAP “provides an economic boost for farmers, retailers and communities across Alabama and across the country.”

“SNAP cuts would harm children, older adults, veterans, and people with disabilities across Alabama, and they would make it harder for working families to keep food on the table,” Sanders said. “Congress should reject efforts to undermine SNAP’s effectiveness and focus instead on ways to build on its successes.”

The farm bill, including the proposed changes to SNAP, passed the House Committee on Agriculture in a 33-21 vote, with 4 Democrats joining the Republican majority. However, during the committee meeting, several representatives pointed out that the farm bill is unlikely to become law as is, due to likely opposition from the Democratic majority in the Senate and the White House.