Georgia families are getting squeezed from every direction. A new statewide survey by our partners at the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute (GBPI) found that nearly half of Georgia voters say they’re worried about affording health care over the next year. Nearly 1 in 3 are worried about food and housing, specifically. This is why we’re holding the No Empty Plates: Community Lobby Day! Join us at the Capitol to share the truth about what families need and demand that our state budget makes sure people stay fed, housed and healthy.
What you can do
The No Empty Plates: Community Lobby Day on Feb. 4, 2026, is the day we bring our united voices to the Capitol. We’ll train advocates, meet with legislators and deliver a simple message: No Georgian should face food insecurity. Our state must ensure Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding continues to support families, without redirecting resources from other critical support programs. We want timely help, fewer delays and no unnecessary hurdles.
- RSVP to join us for Lobby Day on Feb. 4 and share the RSVP form with friends. Invite someone to join you!
- Join the virtual advocacy training on Feb. 2 so you feel confident in asking legislators to support the funding and, if willing, sharing your story. A link will be provided to everyone who RSVPs for Lobby Day.
- Contact your legislator and tell them why it’s so important that they protect SNAP access today. If you’re comfortable sharing your personal experience with SNAP or food insecurity.
Dates to remember
Advocacy Training (Zoom): Monday, Feb. 2, at 6 p.m. ET (60–90 minutes)
Lobby Day (in-person): Wednesday, Feb. 4
Location: Rand Chapel at Central Presbyterian Church (across from the Capitol)
How we got here
Georgia’s budget is a set of choices, and this year, those choices are colliding with new federal cost shifts that threaten basic stability for families.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, approved by Congress and signed into law in July 2025, shifts administrative costs for SNAP (food stamps/electronic benefits transfer, or EBT), previously funded by the federal government, to states beginning this year. Georgia’s Department of Human Services estimates the state will need to appropriate $62.4 million annually to keep the program running at current capacity. If the state does not backfill the loss, Georgia will be forced to cut the staffing and technology that keep SNAP services moving, risking longer wait times, processing delays and eligible families losing access to food assistance.
SNAP is a critical program in our state, relied upon by many of our neighbors facing food insecurity. In GBPI’s recent poll, 9.7% of voters report their household currently receives SNAP, 9.1% say they received it in the past, and 29.1% know someone who does. Georgians also support keeping the program functional: 60.4% support Georgia allocating an estimated $50 million in state funds to keep SNAP administration operating as it did last year, and a majority agree it’s the government’s responsibility to make sure people don’t have to worry about putting food on the table.
Image at top: In a photo from March 3, 2021, a protester stands outside of the Georgia Capitol building in Atlanta. (Credit: Megan Varner/Getty Images)