New Law Boosts Food Aid in West Virginia

AARP West Virginia and a coalition of other organizations — including anti-hunger advocates, farmers and businesses — successfully advocated this year for an additional $360,000 in the state budget to help older adults facing food insecurity.

The money funds the SNAP Stretch program, which boosts food assistance for recipients of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program when they buy groceries at farmers markets, farm stands and other outlets that support local agriculture. Participants receive an additional $1 in SNAP Stretch for every SNAP dollar spent, but adults 60-plus get an additional $2 and grandparents raising grandchildren get an additional $3.

State Sen. Ben Queen (R-Bridgeport), who championed the program, says the win-win-win element of it — supporting older adults, local markets and the state’s farmers — brought other lawmakers and the governor on board.

“It’s local cooks, it’s local farmers, it’s local produce, it’s local opportunities,” he says. “A lot of my colleagues, no matter where they are politically, are willing to admit that we have people that need help and it’s our responsibility to help them.”

Nationally, 10.4 percent of adults 50-plus — or 12.6 million people — faced food insecurity in 2023, the highest share in nearly a decade, according to AARP research. In West Virginia, that figure was nearly 9 percent of the 50-plus population.

The West Virginia bill, signed by Gov. Patrick Morrisey (R) as part of the fiscal year 2026 budget, added the funding as a new line item — enshrining the program and making it harder to cut in the future.

Farmers and farmers markets were some of the strongest backers of the increase. The extra funding for the program kicked in July 1. More at aarp.org/wv.

—Elaine S. Povich