Individual, family, and community well-being are the hallmarks of a stable and progressive society. The preamble to the Constitution of the United States says that our government will promote the general welfare. In other words, government should work to ensure that everyone is doing well, enjoying health, happiness, prosperity, and success.
Over the years, policies have been established to advance this aim, including those that focus on health, safety, education, and other factors that contribute to the well-being of families and communities.
One policy with a major influence on family well-being is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. SNAP is designed to meet the most basic of human needs: food. Its impact extends beyond food support to health, academic success, and future prosperity.
We heard a lot about affordability during the midterm election campaigns. The rising costs of gasoline and food were just two items cited as becoming less affordable for many families. SNAP expands affordability by providing additional buying power for food, which can free up funds for other essentials.
Of particular interest to us at PPS is the school lunch program, one of the SNAP benefits. It allows students to get a healthy meal at school, freeing up family income to address other needs. Cuts to SNAP threaten family well-being, and the first place families and schools will feel those cuts is at the lunch table and in the classroom.
Nearly 30 million public school students across the country rely on the school lunch program. New laws that made historic cuts to SNAP may affect this number, meaning a benefit that increased families’ buying power and well-being could go away. Some estimates show that families would spend an average of $1,000 per child to cover the cost of school-offered meals. This is just one example of how cuts to programs designed to promote affordability can have the opposite effect.
Share Your Story
We would like to hear from you about SNAP and its impact on your family, school, or community. Please respond to our brief survey and tell us how SNAP, or cuts to SNAP, affect your family.
Follow PPS as we continue the discussion of SNAP, the school lunch program and its value, and what cuts will mean for families, students, schools, and communities.
https://frac.org/solutions/federal-nutrition-programs/school-lunch/