ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. \u2014 SNAP participation is continuing to fall nationwide, and Florida has seen one of the largest declines as local organizations in Central Florida report more families seeking help with food.<\/p>\n
New USDA data<\/a> shows about 36.6 million people received benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in May, down from more than 42 million a year earlier. In Florida, SNAP participation has dropped nearly 20% since July 2025.<\/p>\n In Orlando, Brianna Sawchuk said she and her son, Enzo, had relied on SNAP benefits until she was recently found ineligible after reapplying.<\/p>\n \u201cI was on food stamps. And then when I did my reapply, I didn\u2019t get approved,\u201d Sawchuk said. \u201cThey said I was ineligible and I uploaded all the documents that (were) needed.\u201d<\/p>\n Sawchuk said her only income has come from DoorDash. She said she submitted a work calendar showing how much she made each day.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was barely much anything at all,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd they still said it wasn\u2019t eligible.\u201d<\/p>\n The decline comes after new federal rules passed in July 2025<\/a> tightened SNAP eligibility and expanded work requirements. The Trump administration also pointed to efforts to reduce fraud.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause of these eligibility requirements, people are not going to fall off. At the same time, this is going monthly. So all the other people that are coming up in the fourth quarter, their eligibility might be, you know, at risk as well,\u201d said Anjali Vaya, executive director of United Against Poverty in Orlando<\/a>.<\/p>\n Vaya says they work with families across Central Florida through a grocery program that offers free membership to people below 200% of the federal poverty level. Vaya said the organization has seen an increase in new memberships, including families with children.<\/p>\n Advocates say the loss of SNAP benefits can also affect children who qualify for school meal programs.<\/p>\n \u201cMany kids that receive free and reduced meals during the school year are able to do so because they are eligible based on their family SNAP enrollment,\u201d said Sky Beard, Florida director of No Kid Hungry<\/a>. \u201cAnd so there is definitely a connection between families participating in SNAP.\u201d<\/p>\n As more families face challenges, food banks and other organizations are working to fill the gap.<\/p>\n