Nutrition Programs Need Protected And Restructured

By: DeAntha Wright-Thornburg

Just a few weeks ago, our U.S. Congress had top billing in the news with its threat of shutting down. I had no idea how close to home this threat was until I visited our local FISH Pantry. What does Congress have to do with putting food on our table and paying our bills? This is just the beginning of a long and difficult road for many.

Unfortunately, many people struggle to make ends meet. FISH Pantry is a non-profit organization providing food assistance to needy people. The organization faces several challenges in delivering food to those in need, including limited funding, limited resources, and limited volunteers. The organization also faces the issue of people abusing the system by taking more than they need or selling the food for profit. Each Food Pantry can establish its guidelines based on need. They share information from different pantries from around the state. 

Our local FISH Pantry and Grace & Mercy Church are funded through donations from individuals, businesses and organizations. TEFAP (The Emergency Food Assistance Program) is a federal program that helped 193 food banks in the Feeding America network distribute 874 million meals in 2022. Providing food assistance to low-income individuals and families through food banks and pantries. These programs need to be streamlined, allowing the State to Prioritize Projects for Donated Food or Food Purchases at a lower cost from local growers.

SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) is the cornerstone of our nation’s federal nutrition programs. In 2022, SNAP helped feed more than 41 million, giving people access to nutritious foods. Again, this program must be protected and restructured while addressing the application process and its barriers.

Our SNAP programs must streamline their eligibility and enrollment processes. The program is complex, confusing, and difficult for seniors with disabilities. The enrollment process or criteria vary and do not reflect mobility and transportation challenges to get to the pantries.

The program is extended to those seeking employment. SNAP is one of the few food resources available during a job search. However, the policy is harsh in some cases. It increases food insecurity while having a positive impact on employment. When recipients find work, SNAP ends after three months of hire. The program needs to be fixed. The government can help SNAP participants find work by removing the time limit on benefits to allow participants to find jobs, improving state employment and training programs, and ensuring recipients are offered training opportunities.

At least long enough for the recipients to make a sustainable wage increase. Fifteen dollars an hour isn’t enough to support a family of two. That family of two would be eligible for SNAP benefits of $36,482. The only way this couple could live above the poverty level is to both hold a job. Each person makes more than $15 an hour. If that couple has a baby or loses their job, they could become a program recipient. In today’s job market, nothing is promised. As food costs rise and our elderly get poorer with their SSI pension, feeding America will become a more significant challenge.

Understanding hunger in America, it exists in every community, every state. Nearly 34 million people, including more than 9 million children, are hungry. In 2021, more than 53 million people turned to charitable for food. In 2022, food costs are 9.9 percent, and we predict they will continue to rise.

More to come, the 2023 Farm Bill Feeding America. Congress must strengthen our nation’s commitment to end hunger, and passing and improving the 2023 Farm Bill is critical. Will be sharing more about Feeding America in the coming weeks.  Oct. 16 is World Hunger Day. Support your local food pantry and make a donation.

– DeAntha Wright-Thornburg worked for the Indiana Department of Transportation for more than 30 years and is also a freelance journalist.