Prayers to End Hunger: Pray for SNAP

With all that is happening around the world, it can be easy to lose sight of the ongoing challenges of families facing food insecurity. People are now beginning to experience the impacts of cuts to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) from H.R. 1, or the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

As we consider our own response, we are reminded of Jesus’ words to his disciples when the crowd gathered to listen to his teaching.

When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” – Matthew 14:15-16

And so we want to pray for families who rely on SNAP to stretch their grocery budgets, but whose access to that support has changed.

Let us pray.

Gracious and Generous God,

We give thanks for leaders long past who put in place strong safety net programs to support families experiencing food insecurity. We know that programs like SNAP benefit not only the families who receive the support, but they benefit communities through nutrition education, better outcomes for children in schools, and investments in local economies.

We pray for families who struggle to make ends meet. We pray that they would feel support from advocates across the country who have raised their voices in support of strong food assistance programs. We pray that they will receive additional support when SNAP funds are reduced.

We pray for our elected leaders, that they would heed the words of Jesus to his disciples—you give them something to eat. That they might work to strengthen programs like SNAP so that more hardworking families can worry about one less thing.

We pray all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen.