On October 27, 2025, the Alabama Department of Human Resources framework—though never fully enacted—was designed to address exactly these vulnerabilities by creating a unified approach to family support. This approach aimed to connect affordable child care, nutrition, and workforce participation.
The current crisis underscores why those policies, or state-level equivalents, remain urgently needed. As Alabama families brace for a difficult November, local advocates and organizations are stepping up to fill the gap. But stopgaps aren’t solutions.
The long-term answer lies in stable, equitable public investment that ensures essential supports like food and child care are not used as bargaining chips during political stalemates. Families should never have to choose between feeding their children and keeping them in care. Likewise, educators shouldn’t have to shoulder the emotional and financial strain of a system that doesn’t prioritize them.
Families affected by the SNAP suspension are not alone. If you are looking for help, contact your local Feeding Alabama food bank at [feedingalabama.org](https://feedingalabama.org) for immediate food support. You can also call or text 2-1-1, call 1-888-421-1266, or visit [211connectsalabama.org](https://211connectsalabama.org) to find a multitude of services available in your community.
To ensure your benefits resume quickly, continue all SNAP recertifications and reporting requirements through [dhr.alabama.gov](https://dhr.alabama.gov). Additionally, reach out to local child care providers and community resource centers for further assistance or referrals.
For information on local food pantries, call 1-800-5HUNGRY (1-800-548-6479).
This moment is a reminder of how interconnected our systems truly are. When food assistance stops, hunger grows, and so does the strain on child care, health, and hope.
As a state and as a nation, we must choose to build a safety net that holds.
*Lenice Emanuel is the Executive Director of the Alabama Institute for Social Justice (AISJ) and founder of The Alabama Movement for Child Care (TAMCC).*
**SEE ALSO:**
Drama Surrounding SNAP Benefits Should Mark The End Of MAGA
If SNAP Benefits Get Cut Off, White Grievance Will Eat Itself
https://newsone.com/6593762/snap-suspension-puts-families-children-childcare-risk/