Portage Community Rallies for “Hunger Doesn’t Take Summer Vacation” Food Drive as SNAP Cuts Strip Food Aid From 113,000 Michiganders
Michigan Families for Fair Care and community members gathered at Ramona Park in Portage on Thursday for the “Hunger Doesn’t Take Summer Vacation” Food Drive, collecting food and essentials for families across Michigan’s 4th Congressional District. With school out for the summer and the free meals many students rely on now on pause, volunteers came together to help neighbors struggling to put food on the table and to spotlight the local toll of the deepest cuts to food assistance in the program’s history.
The drive comes as new data lays bare how deeply those cuts have hit Michigan. According to a new analysis from the nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Michigan’s SNAP participation has fallen by 113,403 people, a nearly 10% drop through May 2026, including 41,174 children. Children now account for more than a third (36%) of the state’s total decline. Nationwide, more than 4 million people have been dropped from SNAP since the Republican Tax Law passed in July 2025, including an estimated 1.5 million children.
“After years in the classroom, you learn to spot a child who hasn't eaten. They can't concentrate, they're tired, and they're not learning. During the school year, at least they'd get breakfast and lunch. When summer comes, that goes away, and too many students simply go hungry," said Mary Jo, retired teacher and MI-04 constituent. "Congressman Huizenga voted for the largest cuts to food assistance in history, and now tens of thousands of Michigan children have lost their access to at least one good meal. Congressman Huizenga, stop putting tax breaks for the wealthy ahead of hungry kids and restore the food assistance these families depend on.
Congressman Bill Huizenga voted for the Republican Tax Law, which tightened eligibility and imposed new hurdles that have pushed working parents, seniors, and veterans off food assistance. He has also backed tariffs that drive up the cost of groceries and everyday essentials leaving MI-04 families to shoulder higher bills while their representative supports the policies behind them. Congressman Huizenga, restore the food assistance your constituents depend on and fight to lower costs for the people you represent.
