There are millions of hungry Americans.
- In 2009, the last year for which there is official USDA data, 50.2 million Americans lived in food insecure households.[i]
- Just over one third of the country (17 states) have more than 20 percent of children living in food insecure households. The states of Arkansas, Arizona, and Texas, have the highest rates of children in households (24 percent) without consistent access to food.[ii]
- SNAP has responded to increased need during the current economic downturn. There are more than six million additional people enrolled in SNAP compared to just one year ago.
- Hunger has adverse consequences for all Americans, but particularly for children and mothers. It impedes growth and development. It is a significant predictor of adverse health conditions, and is associated with behavior problems among preschoolers and school-age children.
- SNAP currently reaches only 56 percent of eligible working poor households.[iii]
SNAP is effective, efficient and closely monitored.
- SNAP is efficiently targeted to reach people who have the most difficulty affording an adequate diet. Eighty-six percent of participants are households with incomes below the poverty level; 42 percent of households had a gross income less than or equal to half the poverty guideline.[iv]
- SNAP benefits are provided in the form of an electronic benefit card (EBT) which acts like a debit card and can be used in supermarket checkout lines for the purchase of food.
- SNAP error rates (overpayments and underpayments) have declined for six consecutive years and are at an all-time low, which is an extraordinary accomplishment for a program administered by thousands of eligibility workers in state and local offices across the country.[v]
- Changes to SNAP that reduce eligibility or benefits cannot be adequately replaced by food banks and other private charities, or by local communities suffering the loss of local jobs. These agencies are already struggling to meet growing demands driven by long-term unemployment, falling wages, and rising fuel prices.
SNAP benefits farmers, the food industry, and the economy.
- USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) estimates that each $1 billion of retail demand by SNAP generates $340 million in farm production, $110 million in farm value-added, and 3,300 farm jobs;[vi] and an additional $5 of SNAP benefits can generate $9 in total economic activity.[vii]
- Changes in SNAP policy have significant impacts on economic activity and household income across the economy, according to an ERS study finding that hypothetical cuts in SNAP benefits reduce food demand and farm production.[viii]
- SNAP participation closely follows the economic cycle. With few exceptions (notably 1981-1983 following substantial program cutbacks), SNAP caseloads have closely tracked the unemployment rate, rising as unemployment rises, and falling when it declines.[ix]
- Paired with unemployment insurance, SNAP is a vital part of America’s front-line defense against recession. They help to prevent hunger in families with unemployed and underemployed workers who fall into poverty, provide temporary support until these families can get back on their feet, and quickly get federal support into local communities when times are tough.[x]
SNAP helps individuals and communities hit by disasters.
- When natural or man-made disasters hit, the Food Stamp Program provides timely, critical resources to help people cope, and is an important resource for physical and economic recovery.
- In fiscal year 2006, the Food and Nutrition Service provided nearly $740 million in disaster food stamp assistance to disaster victims.[xi]
SNAP makes work pay and helps those seeking economic independence.
- SNAP helps low-wage workers make ends meet and assures that families are financially better off working than on welfare. A family with one adult and two children not participating in any federal nutrition assistance programs, without a vehicle, dependent care and excess shelter costs is eligible to receive $150 in SNAP benefits.[xii]
- SNAP promotes self-sufficiency. For every additional dollar a food stamp recipient earns, his or her benefits decline by 24-36 cents, thus providing a strong incentive to work longer hours and search for better employment opportunities.x
- In fiscal year 2009, 79 percent of all SNAP households with earnings were households with children. Four percent of all households with children received TANF and earnings combined. Of the 4.4 million single adult food stamp households with children, 20 percent received TANF, while nearly 38 percent had earnings (earnings such as wages, self-employment income, and or social security retirement benefits).iv
More must be done to strengthen and improve the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
- The 2012 Farm Bill reauthorization provides Congress with an opportunity to strengthen the reach of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Eliminating barriers to participation, increasing the minimum benefit provided, funding SNAP outreach activities and innovative access and enrollment efforts by nonprofit organizations are just a few ways the Congress can make this essential program work better.
For more information, please contact Brady Koch, Director of SNAP Outreach, at bkoch@feedingamerica.org or 312.641.6841.