Millions rely on SNAP to put food on the table, but their stories often go untold. Get to know a few of our neighbors who receive benefits, and learn more about the challenges they face and why SNAP is so critical.
Laurie built her career in the food and beverage industry around serving and feeding others with care and creativity – but now, in retirement, getting enough to eat can be a challenge. “For now, I do have SNAP,” Laurie said, but in her early 60s, she’s just below the new age cutoff for burdensome barriers imposed by Congress and could face the loss of her benefits going forward. Read More
For Anny and her family, SNAP isn’t just assistance; it’s survival. Anny works in a school cafeteria and her husband is a line cook. Every day, they serve food to others for a living, yet at home, making sure their own family has enough to eat can be a challenge. With three kids – ages 4, 6, and 17 – they must stretch every paycheck to cover rent, food, and other bills. Read More
During the school year, grandmother of five Mona works as a driver for kids with special needs. She receives unemployment over the summer, but under punitive new rules imposed by the recently approved budget reconciliation bill, three months without work could lead to the loss of her SNAP benefits for three years. “SNAP is a lifeline,” she said. “I don’t know what I would do without it.” Read More
Throughout her remarkable life, Sally built a distinguished career as an artist while raising two children on her own. Her talent and passion for sculpture took her to Philadelphia, New York City, San Francisco, and even Italy on a Fulbright grant for a year when her kids were small. Now retired at 87 years old, she manages her budget carefully, but the high cost of food has made that increasingly difficult. Read More
Germania receives $115 a month in SNAP and picks up healthy staples like vegetables, meat, and bread at the pantry to feed herself and her 18-year-old daughter, who’s heading off to college later this year to study art. Germania has diabetes and must carefully plan each of her meals to keep her blood sugar in check. “It would be really hard for me if I didn’t have SNAP,” she said. Read More