Liz Wills-O’Gilvie is 16 days into a hunger strike to protest President Donald Trump’s food stamp cuts.
Wills-O’Gilvie, of Springfield, Mass, subsists on water, electrolytes and sugar pills during her hunger strike to bring attention to food insecurity caused by cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Four million Americans were removed from the SNAP benefits program amid sweeping changes by the government to cut down on fraud in the system.
The changes came amid reports that millions of cheaters were selling their food stamps for cash.
But Wills-O’Gilvie says food insecurity combined with high grocery prices put low-income families at risk of starvation and death.
“I know what (hunger) looks and feels like,” said Wills-O’Gilvie, director of the Springfield Food Policy Council and the food justice group Gardening the Community.
She said agency staff are overwhelmed and residents are losing aid because caseworkers cannot be reached.
“I can’t let people down,” said Wills-O’Gilvie, adding that she plans to continue her hunger strike indefinitely.