Teachers Unify: With SNAP Benefits About to Lapse, a Reminder About the Link Between Hunger and Gun Violence
Danbury, CT – Teachers Unify to End Gun Violence co-founder Abbey Clements released the following statement as SNAP benefits are set to expire November 1 due to the extended government shutdown:
“As soon as next week, millions of children around the country will go without food and start coming to school hungry. Hungry children are children who struggle to meet their potential,” said Abbey Clements, executive director of Teachers Unify to End Gun Violence. “But the ripple effects of hunger can be even more problematic. Studies have shown that when food insecurity rises, firearm injuries rise too. Congress must find a way to make sure our children do not go hungry during this government shutdown because if it does not, our communities will face the prospect of more hunger and more violence.”
Background:
In one multi-city study, each 1-point increase in county food insecurity was linked to ~56 additional gun-related injuries per 100,000 people. The study found that 62 percent of those injured in the study resided in counties with high levels of food insecurity.
Abbey Clements is the executive director and a Co-Founder of Teachers Unify to End Gun Violence. She is a survivor teacher of the Sandy Hook School tragedy in 2012, and was an elementary educator for over 30 years. She is a strategic consultant on gun violence issues for the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and a member of the ENOUGH! Plays to End Gun Violence National Advisory Council. Abbey has been featured in various events, publications, and documentaries including the 2024 DNC, Newtown, If I Don’t Make It, I Love You, Bullets Into Bells, AFT Voices, USA Today, AARP, Share My Lesson, The Hill, among others.
Teachers Unify to End Gun Violence envisions a future where every school in the United States is a safe haven and a safe learning environment for every child, and where all citizens live without the fear and trauma of gun violence.
October 31, 2025
Contact: Press@teachersunify.org