The shut down of SNAP benefits, also commonly known as food stamps, affected many Americans who don’t make enough money to support themselves and their families’ food needs. SNAP, which stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, helps families all around America with buying ingredients they need for meals. SNAP benefits were not distributed to the majority of families who receive these funds in the month of November due to the government shutdown. Once the government reopened, these funds were eventually dispersed, with most Arkansans receiving their benefits on November 14th.
More than fifty BIC students responded to an anonymous poll which aimed to gauge the level of food scarcity that students at Buffalo Island Central face. Within those responses were the heartbreaking truths of how students are being affected by the pause in SNAP funding. In one response a student stated “I can’t keep the same weight as I used to keep when we had food stamps, so it has been tough for us.” After being asked about how the shut down has affected them and their family another student stated, “I live with a family of five, and my mom just got a new job that doesn’t pay very well, so we need the Food Stamps to pay for more food.”
When asked how the pause in SNAP funding would impact their families directly, one student replied with, “I’m pretty sure we would starve. My mom only gets paid $1,000 every month and the bills are about $900 a month. With the high prices there are today, a little under $100 wouldn’t be enough to pay for the amount of food for five people.”
An additional student noted that a lack of food security is a major problem for their family due to the pause in SNAP funding. “We haven’t gotten groceries in two weeks due to the fact we haven’t been able to go and get them. We are going to get some groceries, but we will not be able to get even a fraction of what we usually get, which will be hard since we have eight people in our house,” said another anonymous student.
Senior Vylan Walls works as a cashier at a local grocery store, and he explained how he has seen the effects of the SNAP funding delays, saying, “Very often people come through with EBT food cards. Many of them are there with large families or with children,” said Walls. “It’s really sad to see very kind people pay for their family’s food for the week with EBT, knowing about the SNAP shutdown. Before anything about the shut down, I already saw people struggling to get enough food for their families with the card.”
Walls went on to explain that everyday families get turned away because they can’t afford to pay for groceries without government assistance.
The SNAP shut down could potentially exacerbate the issues of malnutrition facing the families that rely on it. This is a particularly large problem in an impoverished state such as Arkansas, in which 7.8% of residents receive SNAP benefits. Due to the dire circumstances of food insecurity, there has been an increase of charitable donations across America to food banks and other food assistance programs.
In response to this serious issue facing our community, Buffalo Island Central is doing its best to address the needs of students by collecting donations during Homecoming week. Students who bring food donations to school will receive points towards their class Homecoming competition, in an effort to encourage as many students as possible to provide for the needs of their peers.
Now that SNAP benefits have finally been given to families in need, many American families are hoping to see an end to the food insecurity that their families face.
