LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — With the "Big Beautiful Bill passing a week ago, SNAP or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is facing billions of dollars in cuts.
A nationally-acclaimed chef was in Washington, D.C. urging lawmakers to support these programs.
"When you put yourself into your community, your community gives back," Sam Fore said.
From Tuk Tuk Snack Shop, her restaurant, to Capitol Hill, she's determined to make a difference.
"A cause as important as childhood hunger is actually important to everybody no matter what side of the aisle they're on," Fore said.
She's engaged in the process.
"Being able to advocate on a national level is a privilege and an honor but it's also a duty," Fore said.
She has this in mind as a chef partner with the No Kid Hungry Campaign while encouraging lawmakers to support federal nutrition programs.
"To use the platform that I have to speak out for things like this because a child can't advocate against their own hunger on the Hill and I'm somebody who understands food," Fore said.
She spent a packed 36 hours in D.C. going from policy meetings to Senate offices and meetings with House Representatives after the passage of the 2025 Budget Reconciliation Bill which cuts nearly $200 billion from SNAP, a program feeding nearly 16 million kids.
"A lot of people don't realize just how bad these cuts are going to be for the average American, for the average Kentuckian because there's so much rhetoric around it," Fore said.
That's in part why she's speaking out using her platform for good.
"If that's all I do today, than at least it's a good thing and a step in the right direction," Fore said.
The average SNAP benefit is at about $6 per person per day.
