NORTH DAKOTA (Prairie News Service) – Anti-hunger groups in North Dakota fear that a proposed change to food stamps will lead to more people going without food.

U-S Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue says he wants to close a “loophole” in eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or “SNAP.” Under the current rule, qualified recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families are automatically enrolled in SNAP. North Dakota and 42 other states use the rule to streamline the process for receiving food benefits.

Coordinator for the Creating a Hunger Free North Dakota Coalition Karen Ehrens says changing this rule could hit seniors and children hardest.

Ehrens’ coalition has been ramping up its operations, including providing more fresh food options around the state and more summer lunch meals for school-age children.

But she says hunger has increased in North Dakota over the past decade and between 2015 and 2017, 28-thousand 700, or about nine percent of households, did not have enough food for a healthy lifestyle.

Ehrens notes that a drop in the number of people with food benefits also affects communities, such as grocery stores and farmers markets.

To celebrate its 10-year anniversary, the Creating a Hunger Free North Dakota Coalition is holding a summit in Bismarck on September 24th.

They’ll be looking at why food insecurity rates are increasing and proposing potential solutions.