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Thinks SNAP is powerful, effective anti-hunger program

To the Editor:

As our members of Congress spend their August recess back home in our district, I urge them to listen to their constituents who call on Congress to protect funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and SNAP Nutrition Education (SNAP Ed). As a concerned citizen who has joined with the No Kid Hungry campaign to end childhood hunger in Iowa and across America, I know that SNAP fights childhood hunger and poverty.

In fact, SNAP is the most powerful and effective anti-hunger program for kids and it goes directly to families living in poverty. Nearly half (44 percent) of all low-income households with children in the U.S. living in poverty are also struggling with hunger. In our own state of Iowa, 19 percent of kids struggle with hunger. SNAP benefits ensure that these families can put food on their tables, even when times are tough.

With the right skills, eating healthy can be possible, even on a SNAP budget. SNAP Ed empowers families with the skills to get the most nutrition from their limited dollars. We should be investing more in education, not slashing it.

Feeding our children isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s the smart thing to do. It is an investment in the future success of America. Food purchased with SNAP benefits does more than provide children with essential daily nutrition-it helps the economy. Moody’s Analytics estimates that every $1 increase in SNAP benefits generates about $1.70 in economic activity, making SNAP benefits one of the fastest and most effective forms of economic stimulus in a weak economy.

We have to make sure we’re investing in programs that strengthen the economy, create jobs, and make our country a great place to raise a family. This August recess, I urge members of our congressional delegation to think about the families living right here in Iowa that need SNAP to ensure their kids don’t go hungry and to return to Washington dedicated to protecting funding for this poverty-prevention program.

Madeline Becker,

Cooking Matters Intern

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