University of Minnesota Extension laid off 60 full-time Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education educators in early July, effectively ending the program following federal cuts.
The University’s SNAP-Ed program, which has provided low-income families across the state with education on nutrition, budgeting and community resources, will lose over $7 million in federal funding this September as a result of the nationwide program being terminated.
Congress narrowly passed the Trump administration’s spending bill in early July, which substantially cut healthcare and nutrition programs. One of these programs was the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as the Food Stamps Program.
The bill eliminated SNAP-Ed, the federally funded program that provides nutrition education to families across the country receiving SNAP benefits, in its entirety.
According to research by the Urban Institute, 22.3 million families are expected to lose some or all of their SNAP benefits. Over 45,000 Minnesota residents are now at risk of losing SNAP benefits as a result of the bill passing, Sahan Journal reported.
University Extension educators received termination notices on July 7, just four days following the federal bill being signed into law.
University public relations said the terminations are not a reflection of the employees’ performance or the program’s effectiveness, but a result of the federal spending bill taking effect at the end of the fiscal year.
“It’s very sad,” said Patricia Olson, the head of Extension’s Family, Health & Wellbeing department, which runs SNAP-Ed.
Olson said many food banks and pantries are not sure how they will meet the demand for food in the coming year.
She said SNAP-Ed is a program that Extension has run for the last 35 years, with offices now in every county in the state.
Extension educators and staff are embedded in many communities, according to Olson. They serve and work in partnership with eight tribal nations running smaller educational programs.
Over the years, SNAP-Ed has helped grow initiatives like Cooking Matters Minnesota, a six-week healthy cooking class; Walk Towards Wellness, a walking program for veterans and military service members; and Veggie RX, a program providing individuals with locally grown vegetables and nutrition education.
“What we do in communities is we, as in the model for Extension, listen to community needs and see how we can add the resources from the university to help find solutions,” Olson said.
Extension staff have worked to help improve food insecurity and access to healthy foods through different programming focused on helping prepare nutritious meals and stay physically healthy, according to the SNAP-Ed website. The program has helped over 100,000 Minnesotans as of 2024, alongside its more than 700 partners.
Olson said the program aimed to help families make the most of their food dollars, improve food safety and access to community resources.
Olson added that an overarching goal of SNAP-Ed is to help build infrastructure and knowledge within communities. She said, these communities will be challenged and resources will be strained in light of federal funding cuts.
“The new bill that was passed, it not only cut our program, but it also now puts more weight on states to pay for SNAP or Medicaid and other programs that support low-income families,” Olson said.
Olson said, given how unlikely it is that the state will be able to make up for the loss in federal funding, Extension has been looking into other means of bridging the gap. She said this could be through philanthropy or charging more for programs in order to keep offering resources in communities.
SNAP-Ed wellness coordinator Susan Draves said her team works on food security initiatives in several counties in Southeast and South Central Minnesota.
Draves said her team’s work providing evidence-based nutrition education has been a critical investment in rural communities. Draves added that while they work behind the scenes, her team has built trusting relationships and does valuable collaborative work that now will not be possible.
“I supervise a team that is boots-on-the-ground, working in community, working with youth all the way through seniors, and elders,” Draves said. “It’s going to be a real loss.”
Wellness coordinator Donna Anderson has been with SNAP-Ed for nearly 20 years. She said her last day will be at the end of August.
Anderson said she has made an effort to partner with other agencies in Minnesota to reach as many people in need as possible. She said there are Minnesota programs that have been involved with SNAP-Ed for over a decade.
Anderson said she has found fulfillment through cooking classes and other nutritional support programs she helped start. Although she said she can retire after the cuts are issued, she is more concerned about the communities she has served.
“Now we won’t have the education part to go with the families,” Anderson said. “So to stretch those food dollars, it’s going to cost more.”
Correction: A previous headline said that UMN Extension was eliminating SNAP-Ed. UMN Extension is laying off SNAP-Ed workers because of federal funding cuts.
