Last year, nearly 500,000 Minnesotans used SNAP, but cuts are threatened in Washington

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The cost of groceries was front and center during this year’s election. And for good reason — families across the country, and certainly here in Minnesota, are feeling the stress of increased prices at the checkout line.

Since 2020, we’ve seen a steady, and alarming, increase in visits to food shelves statewide.

Part of the reason for this spike is that hunger is on the rise, but at the same time it’s also true that our food shelves have earned a sterling reputation for reliability — they’ve done an incredible job adapting, responding to and meeting the needs of Minnesotans.

But there’s only so much our food shelf partners can do. They are part of a greater ecosystem to help address rising food costs and food insecurity. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, better known as SNAP, is an incredibly efficient and effective program for low-income Minnesotans and a vital part of this ecosystem. For every meal a food shelf is able to provide, SNAP provides nine.

Last year, nearly 500,000 Minnesotans used SNAP — it’s a program that reaches and assists children, college students, families and seniors, the latter of which has seen one of the highest increases in food insecurity in our state. In Minnesota, senior food shelf visits are up 64% since 2020. But of all these numbers, there’s one that keeps me up at night: Right now, the minimum average SNAP participant in Minnesota receives just $5.16 per day. Certainly this is not enough for anyone to live on, let alone purchase fresh, healthy food.

There’s long been a myth that those who utilize food shelves, rely on SNAP or participate in other benefits programs don’t like or value healthy food. We know this isn’t true. What is true, is that fresh, healthy foods — fruits, vegetables, eggs, meat — are often not accessible or affordable when living on a SNAP budget. When you’re looking to maximize $5.16 per day, you have to make trade-offs. There are times where you might be forced to choose cheaper calories, not because it’s your first choice, but because economically, it’s smart.

SNAP is funded at the federal level as part of the farm bill, and incoming legislators are in talks to slash the budget for it — up to a $30 billion cut. This type of drastic cut would have an immediate and devastating impact on families already struggling to get food on the table. It would also send shock waves through the rest of the hunger ecosystem, straining food shelves and other hunger relief programs.

The impact of hunger is pervasive. We know that when people’s basic needs are met, starting with access to healthy food, they experience improved health outcomes, meaning fewer visits to emergency rooms, which reduces medical costs. We know when people are well-fed, they perform better at school or work. Additionally, research from the Food Action & Research Center (FRAC) shows that every dollar spent on SNAP generates about $1.54 in local economic activity.

Simply put, we can’t cut SNAP funding and expect people to be able to eat healthier. And if this cut comes, we can expect costs to rise in other areas. We know the intersection between health and hunger is real — and we know that when preventive measures are taken to keep our community well fed, it relieves the strain on our local health care systems.

The truth is, many Minnesotans are one unexpected bill or lost paycheck away from qualifying for, and needing, programs like SNAP or visiting food shelves to get food on the table. Raising awareness, empathy and support is needed now more than ever. So is building our community to support food security in Minnesota!

Donate to or volunteer at a local food shelf, talk to your friends and family about the issue, support organizations working in the anti-hunger space, write to or call your legislators to encourage smart policies that support (and fund!) anti-hunger initiatives. Hunger is a statewide issue, and the solution is multifaceted, takes all of us and definitely includes keeping SNAP funded.

Sophia Lenarz-Coy is executive director of The Food Group.