Regardless of personal feelings about people who use government assistance, the data is clear. The majority of people who use supplemental help are children or those over 60 and are considered elderly. SNAP is not a program that gives free money to people without need. It is not giving money to people who are not citizens of the United States. It is a voucher program used to buy food.
All information to the contrary is used by those trying to prop up an agenda of racism, ageism, or a nativist one. For those going hungry, this misinformation adds to the harm of losing their benefits during the government shutdown.
It is our duty as citizens and community members to share information that will help our communities and not serve to damage or divide our communities over political agendas, because it is also a fact that in Kentucky, so many of those who will be hurt voted for the Trump administration that is refusing to use emergency funds to feed them during the government shutdown.
Regardless of that, our only focus now should be on making sure those who are hungry get fed. Food should be available to any who need it. Programs like SNAP have ensured that for millions of Americans since 1939.
The loss of these benefits will be felt not only by those who need food but the farmers, the shippers, and the sellers of food. This will then begin to affect each of us who lives in this country. Short-sightedness is deadly.
Here are the facts:
To apply for SNAP benefits, certain requirements must be met. Those requirements are clearly explained via kynect.ky.gov/benefits/s/snap-program website.
To qualify, the conditions that must be met are: citizenship, work registration, limited resources, and low income. People claiming otherwise are spreading misinformation, period. The facts are free and available to anyone.
The data is available to every Kentuckian. The Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services shares specific SNAP data, updated each month. The data breaks down who receives SNAP benefits by gender, race, and age. On the website, filters allow users to search data by the full state or each county in the state. The total recipients of SNAP benefits in Kentucky are 563,080. Those under 18 are 221,557 of those. The following data is for the month of September 2025.
Facts matter, and they are not optional. So does food.
