Is SNAP Enough? Reports from Caregivers Participating in Food Pantries and Their Recommendations

Background and Purpose

Food insecurity is a household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food, which often results in chronic undernourishment and hunger, affecting 842 million people worldwide (approximately one in eight people). More than 10 million U.S. households (8.4%) are estimated to be food insecure and youth are particularly vulnerable, with 1 in 5 children experiencing serious episodes of hunger and family food shortages.

The U.S. attempts to combat food insecurity through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides monthly benefits for eligible low-income households. In 2014, approximately 15% of households participated in SNAP.

However, an assault on the funding of the SNAP program is currently very pervasive, despite evidence that SNAP alone is not enough to adequately feed households in New York State.

This paper analyzes and compares SNAP participation and Food Insecurity of caregivers attending food pantries in New York State, and gives voice to their recommendations and suggestions regarding the best ways to improve emergency food services.

Methods

Convenience sampling was utilized across six food pantries in Dutchess County, NY and NYC, NY. Eligibility consisted of identifying as the primary caregiver of at least one child between the ages of 5 and 12. The larger study includes 103 caregivers who completed a questionnaire (including food insecurity, ACE) and of these, 59 also completed a semi-structured interview. Participants were predominantly mothers (74%), most were unemployed (69%), and there were at least 2 children living in the home (74%). The children included 42 girls and 57 boys (4 did not answer) with an average age of 8 years and 63% were of Hispanic/Latino/a origin. Risk for food insecurity was measured by a 2 item screener. Caregiver recommendations for addressing food insecurity were coded for relevance to family, service providers, policy, and other.

Findings

Data analysis reveals that over 76% of caregivers attending food pantries are receiving SNAP benefits and 89% of them are at risk for food insecurity. Families reported taking drastic measures to cope with the high prices of food, including regulating food consumption (19% percent of SNAP recipients) and compromising the amount of food consumed (21%).  

While some families may no longer qualify for SNAP, they still rely on food pantries to feed their households. Several recommendations were made during interviews with caregivers that included a voucher for anyone in need of more food (regardless of income levels), a SNAP grocery store, an increase in SNAP benefits, a fair distribution of benefits in split households, easier access to SNAP, and many others.

Conclusion and Implications

There are many sobering physical and emotional consequences of household food scarcity. Caregivers make significant sacrifices for their families that can have severe long-term consequences. Children living in households that are food insecure are 90% more likely to have fair or poor health, than excellent or good health. With statistics like these, we should not consider decreasing SNAP funding and may want to think about expanding it or other formal and informal sources of support.