Montgomery Area Food Bank
"Feeding Hope Across Alabama"
521 Trade Center Street | Montgomery AL 36108 | 334-263-3784
Since 1986
One out of five of us deal with Food Insecurity, which means four out of five of us could help!
MAFB is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and an equal opportunity employer and provider.
Any donations made through our website are done so through a secure server. We never sell or rent our supporter's names.
CDC /ADPH Guidance We've Gathered
Disaster preparedness is part of Montgomery Area Food Bank’s operational plan, and while measures are being taken to ensure the continuity of our operations, please continue to “watch this space” and monitor our social media for what will likely be fluid changes and adjustments.
The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) has set up a hotline; 1-888-264-2256 for the latest information regarding testing.
While developing the Hinman Building capital campaign, particular focus was placed upon delivering added value to donors. Community support of the MAFB mission through personalizing a Building Brick provides a unique means of ultimately receiving tangible recognition of that support, which will last. The community will quite literally be added to MAFB’s future and a donor’s generosity will be recognized as patrons, employees, volunteers and supporters enter our new E. Parke Hinman, III Building.
Capital Campaign Provides Visible, Lasting Recognition
All information in support of personalizing a Building Brick is available here - or by clicking on the brick logo on virtually every page of the MAFB web site. Corporate logos require an additional step of verifying trademark rights, but the entire process is direct and supported by customer service professionals to answer any of your questions.
Who We Are...What We Do
SNAP Public-Private Partnership Proven Economic Stimulus
MAFB Hours of Operation
Monday - Thursday 6 am - 4 pm
Friday 6 am - 10 am
WASHINGTON, January 22, 2021 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced several efforts today to expand nutrition assistance to hard-hit families across the country due to the coronavirus pandemic. In support of President Biden’s call to action on hunger and with authorities provided by Congress, USDA is increasing the Pandemic-EBT benefit by approximately 15%, providing more money for low-income families and millions of children missing meals due to school closures. Separately, in response to this national emergency, USDA is looking at ways to increase Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to all participants, especially lowest-income households and those struggling to afford a healthy diet for their families.
As a part of the end of year COVID relief package, Congress bolstered food assistance programs, including boosting monthly SNAP benefits by 15% and provided new funding for food banks and school and childcare meals. USDA is committed to implementing these changes, but the measures alone will not solve the food hardship so many Americans are experiencing. Today, some 29 million adults and as many as 12 million children live in households struggling to afford food. These numbers continue to worsen each month. USDA is committed to working with states and supporting governors, school districts, food banks and other key partners to deploy food assistance to struggling families, children, seniors and people with disabilities in the months ahead.
P-EBT Benefit Increase
Upon taking office, the Biden administration took immediate action to deploy the emergency resources and new flexibilities Congress has provided. Established
USDA Begins Process to Extend Emergency Allotments to States
under Families First Coronavirus Response Act passed by Congress in March, the Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) connects low-income families with kids with food dollars equivalent to the value of the meals missed due to COVID-related school and childcare closures. To date, the program has capped P-EBT benefit amounts at $5.86 per child per school day and many households have had trouble claiming benefits. USDA will increase the current daily benefit amount by approximately 15% to tackle the serious problem of child food insecurity during this school year when need is greatest.
SNAP Emergency Allotments to States
Separately, USDA will begin working with the Department of Justice (DOJ) to review its authority to allow states to provide extra SNAP benefits through Emergency Allotments to the lowest-income households. Last spring, Congress passed emergency increases to SNAP benefits to help address food insecurity during the pandemic. But those benefit increases have not been made available to the lowest-income households who make up 37% of SNAP households. Increasing SNAP benefits will not only help families most in need, but it is also a critical and effective form of economic stimulus. A recent USDA study found that in a slow economy, “$1 billion in new SNAP benefits would lead to an increase of $1.54 billion in Gross Domestic Product (GDP)—54% above and beyond the new benefits.”
According to the Center of Budget and Policy Priorities; the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, previously food stamps) is an important public-private partnership that helps families afford a basic diet, generates business for retailers, and boosts local economies. SNAP accounts for about 8 percent of the food that U.S. families buy for their homes.
By increasing low-income households’ purchasing power so they can buy the food they need directly from stores, SNAP integrates economically marginalized households with almost no government administrative overhead resulting from food distribution. Because most households redeem their monthly SNAP benefits quickly and because the program helps struggling households purchase adequate food, SNAP is one of the most effective forms of economic stimulus during a downturn.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Economic Research Service, every dollar in new SNAP benefits spent when the economy is weak and unemployment elevated would increase the gross domestic product by $1.54. In 2009, the peak year of the Great Recession, $50 billion in SNAP benefits were spent in local stores, generating about $85 billion in local economic activity, even as the overall economy was struggling.
