‘Big Beautiful Bill Act’ eliminates Cent$ible Nutrition funding
LOVELL — With the elimination of federally funded SNAP-Ed, the University of Wyoming’s Cent$ible Nutrition Program will end in September.
“For over 30 years, Wyoming SNAP-Ed, known as Cent$ible Nutrition Program, has been proud to serve the people and communities of Wyoming,” said Mindy Meuli, CNP director, in a press release. “The connections and relationships we’ve built with our communities have had a significant impact,” Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education funding will be cut on September 30 via the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. SNAP-Ed and Expanded Food and Nutrition and Education Program grants fund the University of Wyoming’s CNP, which offers education and resources to improve food security and help citizens stretch their food budgets further.
Community outreach food security education is a unique function of SNAP-Ed. In a press release, CNP stated that the elimination of the program creates a critical gap in public health infrastructure in Wyoming and across the country.
“I hope that another program will pick up there, I’m not sure,” said Big Horn County Extension Educator Gretchen Gasvoda.
CNP currently provides programs in every county in Wyoming and the Wind River Indian Reservation. The organization works with food pantries, childcare centers, senior centers, farmers markets and schools to teach about healthier food options on a limited budget.
In 2024, CNP participants saved an average $53 a month on groceries and 73% increased their physical activity. Ninety-five percent reported they had improved their diet quality and 92% reported improved food resource management skills.
CNP reached 14,032 people through food pantries, 1,303 K-12 students and 1,836 early education youth last year; 37,178 pounds of local food were donated to hunger relief organizations along with educational materials.
“With the loss of SNAP-Ed funds, CNP will have to end programming, including its community engagement efforts, in most of Wyoming,” a press release from the program reads. “CNP will continue in a limited capacity through the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) grant, focusing on nutrition education classes.”
In Big Horn County, CNP educators are provided through Washakie and Park County. Gasvoda predicted that the state would now operate off five regional positions through EFNEP funding.
“It will affect our county, of course,” Gasvoda said. “The Cent$ible Nutrition Program has been around for 20some years in our county. That’s where I started my career in Extension. From teaching low-income families to being in the schools, it’s a great program for teaching people how to eat better for less. So I know it will be a big change in our county for helping families stretch their dollars.”
The Department of Family Services, which administers CNP funding, is working to reconfigure the program, exploring the use of carry-over funds from SNAP-Ed with federal guidance.
“We are now looking toward the future and working to find ways to continue our good work without SNAPEd funding,” said Meuli. “It has been our honor to work alongside the incredible local and state organizations striving for a more food- and nutrition-secure Wyoming.”
This story was published on July 24, 2025.