‘That’s going to be a huge hit’: Mid-South Food Pantry expects rise in hungry mouths if ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ passes

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Millions of people are at risk of losing some or all of their food assistance, along with access to Medicaid.

If what President Donald Trump calls the “Big Beautiful Bill” passes, nearly $300 billion would be cut from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, and over $700 billion from Medicaid.

Nicole Willis, the marketing communications manager for Mid-South Food Bank, said they serve around 400,000 people across 31 counties. She said the need for help in these areas will most likely increase with the passing of the bill.

“It really hits home for them because a lot of people will call crying. They have nothing in their pantry, and this is before a bill. So, imagine after that. You’re at home, you’re hungry and you need food, and you don’t have the benefits you’ve been getting,” said Willis.

Willis said a lot of people who have SNAP benefits rely heavily on them to purchase groceries. She said that includes families, but also seniors. Willis explained that a significant number of SNAP users are seniors who aren’t working.

“The little bit of SNAP benefits they get, some of them don’t get but $60. So, think about that, that’s maybe all you have to actually purchase food for the month and to lose that $60, that’s going to be a huge hit for them deciding if they are going to pay for their meds or purchase food,” said Willis.

As of April 2025, according to the State of Tennessee, 687,668 individuals were enrolled in SNAP, which carried an issuance of over $142 million.

That same document showed Shelby County had the highest number of SNAP enrollment in the state, with 149,410 individuals enrolled. That carried an issuance of over $32 million.

“With us bridging the gap, we probably will see more people needing assistance from Mid-South Food Bank, and our job is to be available as much as we can to help them,” said Willis.

It’s not just SNAP benefits at risk, but also Medicaid. In Tennessee, nearly 1.5 million are enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP, or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, according to the Medicaid website.

That same website shows 816,385 are enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP in Arkansas. In Mississippi, the website shows 600,035 enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP.

With the current bill the Senate is voting on, the Congressional Budget Office said it would eliminate Health Insurance Coverage for 8.6 million people.

“They’re feeling it and we’re feeling it,” said Willis.

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