Michigan Families for Fair Care and Indivisible Host Food Drive and Protest SNAP Cuts Outside Rep. Bill Huizenga’s Office

On Friday, Michigan Families for Fair Care and Indivisible gathered outside Congressman Bill Huizenga’s Portage office for a food drive and a protest of the devastating SNAP cuts he voted for. Attendees brought non-perishable food items to donate to families who have been affected by the cuts, and called on Rep. Huizenga to reverse them.

With elevated grocery prices in recent months, families in Michigan’s 4th Congressional District are stretching their budgets to make ends meet. To make matters worse, Rep. Huizenga backed the Republican Tax Law that gutted SNAP, leading to a drop in enrollment in Michigan. As of August, 145,000 fewer Michiganders, a third of whom were children, were able to access food assistance through SNAP.  Neighbors who once counted on that help are now turning to food pantries and community drives to get through the month.

"I'm on a fixed check and the grocery store isn't. Too many people, including myself, find themselves having to  put things back in the aisle now, that's just the truth of it. Veterans like myself are just being forced into this situation because our electeds just don’t know what it is like to be in our position.," said Joe, U.S. military veteran and MI-04 constituent. "Congressman Huizenga voted to keep these tariffs in place and voted to cut food assistance. He should come explain that here and we urge him to reconsider his stance, before more families go hungry."xa

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Throughout the event, volunteers collected and distributed non-perishable donations to make sure neighbors had access to food at a time of growing economic pressure. The drive reflected a community-wide effort to step up where elected officials, like Huizenga, have fallen short and to make clear that residents of Michigan’s 4th Congressional District are watching how their congressmen vote.