It is a struggle for me to hear conservative pundits decrying the foodstamp (SNAP) program.
My husband lost his job last year due to complications of health issues outside of his control. Our family of five, (dad, mom, 3 kids between ages of 5 and 7) has relied primarily on foodstamps for the past year to feed our family.
The foodstamp program is a marvelous thing. I have felt firsthand the stress a parent goes through twice in the last year as I wondered how I was going to feed my children. The first was after we were first approved but didn’t have the SNAP card for a few weeks. I went to the local foodbank and picked up food, but it wasn’t food that the children were accustomed to, and it was getting harder and harder to feed them, as the typical foods we stock in our home got lower and lower. It happened again over the first of the year because the workers at DES were confused by my work situation (I am self-employed, but it is an S-corp that we own and I receive a salary from it) and our foodstamps lapsed for over a month. Again, I went to the local foodbank, took advantage of some local church/government hybrid food programs, and I appreciated the food greatly, but it was hard to provide food the children were accustomed to.
Here are 6 reasons I have found to support the foodstamp program.
1) It enables recipients to purchase foods that they are accustomed to, in formats that they are used to. This may not be a big deal for adults, who can easily accept eating whatever is available, but it is huge for children. Yes, my children are regularly introduced to new foods, but it is a gradual process. They often reject a new food the first few times it is introduced, and acceptance happens over time. It works best when only a few new foods are introduced per week. A sudden, complete change in diet (because the only food is from a foodbank, and it is not what they are used to) causes a significant amount of anxiety for the children and the family.
2) It makes it possible to obtain food that is for a specific diet – such as diabetes, gluten-free, or avoiding artificial colors or dyes or high-fructose corn syrup. I have a son who is ADHD. To help support him, I avoid artificial colors, dyes, excessive sugar, and high-fructose corn syrup. I can’t be choosy about what we get when I receive food from a foodbank, and this doesn’t help his behavior.
3) Having a low income can be a very stressful affair. There is help out there – both governmental and non-governmental, but much of it is difficult to learn about and may be complicated to obtain while one is struggling to work, take care of children, and trying to find transportation. Foodbanks tend to be open during regular business hours, or at odd times, and may be located in out of the way places. I am fortunate in that I am self-employed and have flexible hours, enabling me to go to a foodbank during normal business hours, or a church based one that is open for one hour one weekday per month. I am also fortunate that our vehicles were both paid off and running well before my husband lost his job, so I can transport us to a foodbank to obtain food. Many people are not that lucky. Their jobs may prevent them from ever going to a foodbank. Church foodbanks are often not on bus routes, or are open at odd hours, and just finding out about them can be a chore. SNAP cards, however, are easy to use and accepted just about anywhere you can purchase groceries. Grocery stores are open early, late, on the weekends – some are even 24 hours. Grocery stores are often on major bus routes. Applying for SNAP typically only must be done once every 6 months, and can be completed online, by fax, by mail, or in person. Sometimes an in-person interview is required, but DES will work with you if you have a scheduling conflict due to work or transportation issues. Also, many interviews may be conducted over the phone. (I am aware of one church in the area that is very understanding of struggling household – the local Catholic Charities will actually go to the home to conduct interviews and delivers food boxes to the home. I haven’t used this service myself at this point, but I know people who have, and who appreciate it greatly.)
4) More and more, SNAP recipients are able to purchase food at local farmers markets. I know of one farmers market in the area that accepts SNAP, and I go there frequently. This enables SNAP recipients to purchase healthy, local foods, which also supports the local economy.
5) There are programs where low-income people can go to receive fully cooked meals, and they are very helpful. (I’ve been recently taking my kids 4 days a week to a local high school for free breakfast and lunch for kids.) However, there is a reason why even people who have the money for it don’t generally go out to eat every day. It usually takes more time to go out to a sit-down restaurant and eat than it does to prepare food at home. Once again, we are talking about low-income people who may not have their own transportation and who are juggling work, childcare, and possibly school as well. Places that provide meals usually have only a few options for the meal -- children, once again, may not be accustomed to the food that is offered, or it may not coincide with the dietary requirements of those coming for a meal.
6) SNAP also supports the economy generally! There are many areas that have a high concentration of low-income households that receive SNAP benefits. Without the SNAP benefits, they would be forced to rely primarily on charity for their food. All of those SNAP dollars would then not be going to local grocery stores and convenience stores – these stores would likely then stock less groceries and hire fewer workers. Foodbanks are often staffed with volunteers – the need would go up, and they would need more volunteers – I suppose out of work former grocery employees could volunteer…but that doesn’t help the volunteers that much, because now they are struggling to find work and food and pay their bills and live. Not to mention, the grocery stores would then likely have less food to donate to the foodbanks – it ends up becoming a negative mini-recession spiral.