The upcoming holiday season is known as a time for gathering with friends and family over food. But November 1st marked the cut-off of SNAP benefits and the rapid increase of food insecurity across the nation as part of the Trump administration's continued campaign against immigrants, the working class, and the federal assistance programs which tens of millions depend upon.

In this episode of Mic Check, host Tyler Nelson speaks with Maggie Mitchell Salem, Executive Director of IRIS (Integrated Refugee and Immigration Services), a resettlement agency located in New Haven, Connecticut. Maggie provides an update on IRIS’s new location in downtown New Haven, the Trump regime's continuing erosion of America’s great legacy of bipartisan immigration policy, and what the loss of SNAP and other essential services means for immigrants and U.S.-born citizens. Their conversation concludes on the topic of hope, plus some tangible ways that listeners can help their sisters and brothers around Connecticut experiencing hunger and food insecurity.

Resources recommended by Maggie include:
IRIS Food Pantry (75 Hamilton St, New Haven) is open from 8:30-11:00am on Wednesdays. Donations accepted at irisct.org/donate.

Community Soup Kitchen of New Haven (84 Broadway, New Haven) provides healthy and nutritious meals to all persons. Information at csknewhaven.org.

Connecticut Foodshare connects people with mobile and local food pantries at ctfoodshare.org/find-food.