Running head: SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM 1

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

The University of North Carolina at Pembroke

Chyna Spencer
SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM 2

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

Abstract

The topic for this analysis will be food insecurity in America, specifically amongst the low-

income population. Food insecurity is the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient

quantity of affordable, nutritious food, which in children can lead to dangerous health issues such

as malnutrition, anorexia, or a weak immune system. However, there are several government

assistance programs that now aid the needs of less fortunate families and individuals by

providing the necessary means to help the people of America. For instance, the Supplemental

Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the nation's most important anti-hunger program, helped

more than 40 million families in America all within the year of 2017. The SNAP Program not

only acquires with the needs of society, but it also serves as a clutch for needy families, giving

them some relief from financial stressors.

Key words: SNAP, WIC, food insecurity

History of Food Stamps

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The beginning of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program came about in the

midst of the Great Depression and was represented as a part of the Agricultural Adjustment Act

(AAA). In which, the government bought farmers products and gave them to hunger relief

agencies in state and local communities. In 1939, Mr. Henry Wallace created the Food Stamps

Program, which was under the management of President Franklin D. Roosevelt as part of the

New Deal Program a series of programs and projects instituted during the Great Depression by

President Franklin D. Roosevelt that aimed to restore prosperity to Americans). The program

later ended due to World War II in 1943 and economic prosperity, causing a less amount of

people to live in poverty. Eventually, the Food Stamp Act was introduced again in 1961 by

President John F. Kennedy and later passed by President Lyndon Johnson. However, Prior to this

happening, America was suffering from economic depression during the late 1930’s through

1960’s. So, at the time of the crisis, the government took into consideration to create the Food

Stamps program so that families had the opportunity to buy dry goods as well as health products

like toiletries and such. However, the widespread issue of food insecurity in America expanded

well into the late 1980s. In 1981 SNAP experienced extreme budget cuts during President

Ronald Reagan’s term causing a societal outrage and hunger strike. Luckily, the funding was

restored in the year 1988-1990 making the program more accessible to those who were eligible.

However, a downturn to this was turning funds into block grants for the states, and making

stricter policies on who is eligible or not.

The SNAP program is used as government assistance to help all people who are in

need. Not only has SNAP made a huge difference in people lives, but there are also other

nutritional government assistance programs that have progressed over the past 20 years such as

the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), and Women,
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Infants, Children (WIC). The theory of social role would be an equivalent example in the matter

of food stamps because in the comparison to a social worker and a client there is an unspoken

understanding or role played by each party. For instance, a social worker is expected to serve the

public while clients are expected to abide by the rules of the law or seek help from a social

worker when in need of assistance. Boundaries are drawn without discussion and authority from

social workers are taken into account without question. Another theory that can be compared to

the food stamps program would be the systems theory, meaning that different foundation parts

are all working together on the same issue in order for the end goal to reach its success. When it

comes to food stamps in the systems perspective the government provides the grant, the social

worker helps the client, and the client gets the help they need.

In the social work field, one must uphold all of the of the core values and ethics of social

work at all times. It is a social workers duty to protect and uphold the social workers' code of

ethics providing service to the public while also bringing justice to the community. These core

values supported by social workers are the heart and purpose of the whole career field. When it

comes to being of service to the SNAP benefits Program one must obtain certain traits such as

integrity. Perhaps integrity is one of the most important principles because truthfulness is similar

to respect which plays a big role in leadership. Also, social justice is important when working in

the food stamps population, for it promotes equal opportunity and fairness. Social justice is a

way to give to your community by providing guidance and growth for others. Not only is

servicing your community important, but it is also rewarding for social workers and provides

positive experiences for clients resulting in stable trust and loyalty within society as a whole.

Target Population
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The target population for SNAP leans more towards low income individuals and families.

SNAP is based from residual policies, insisting that each member of the program are properly

counseled in eligibility, finances, and means. For example, a family or individual’s gross

monthly income is taken into consideration when determining if one is eligible for SNAP

benefits. The income must be below 130% of the poverty line, which is considered to be

anything that is $1,732 or below as of the year 2019. Also, other things are looked into such as

an estimate of much much money is spent on food every month in a household and owned

property like boats and such. Many Americans have benefited from the SNAP program. For

example, according to the United States Department of Agriculture, President Trump has looked

into the statistics of SNAP and has determined that there are about 43 million Americans

receiving food stamps since the year 2016, in which President Obama has left the country not

better off. Trump exclaims how the United States debt has doubled, yet nothing positive has

resulted from it, saying that roads and bridges are falling apart, the conditions of airports are of

that of a third world country, and 43 million citizens are on the food stamps program. Other

government sources make it known that it is an important goal of America to have a

predominately low government assistance rate.

Some ways to insure this happens include raising minimum wage, providing more jobs in

rural areas, and making job training and education more accessible. Throughout the years there

has slowly been an increase on minimum wages at selected companies in the U.S, for instance, in

2016 McDonald’s agreed to raise their minimum pay to at least a dollar more than the original

wage making some of the employees raises up to $9.90 an hour. As for education and job

accessibility in rural areas, schools should provide more motivation to parents encouraging them

to stay involved in the students academic career is, for it shall increase the student’s academic
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performance while empowering them to achieve to the fullest, according to Govinsider journal.

While this may seem small it is a factor that could very well lead to lowering the current rate of

citizens on government assistance.

Stereotypes

There are many stereotypes when it comes receiving government assistance. Stereotypes of

people who are considered to live in poverty are often judged because it is meant to believe that

the people who are on government/welfare programs do not budget money well and spend

government money on unimportant things. However, according to an analysis by the Bureau of

Labor Statistics families who receive public benefits such as housing assistance, welfare cash

assistance, food stamps, Medicaid and Social Security Income (SSI) for the disabled or low-

income elderly have much smaller spending budgets than those who do not receive benefits and

spend a bigger portion on basic needs such as food, housing and transportation.

Implementation

When SNAP was first proposed in 1939 by Mr. Henry Wallace it was originally

supposed to be a relief during the great depression where the government depended on struggling

farmers for agriculture to give to U.S. citizens who were suffering from poverty during the war.

When SNAP first came about people were able to buy food as well as other things like toiletries,

feminine products, and more just with the vultures provided. Later, the Program came to an end

after the war but got reintroduced by President Kennedy in the early 1960’s and still continues

today. The SNAP program has come a long way. Instead of having paper vulture slips that

normally held lines and caused glaring stares from people the SNAP program has now come out

with the electronic benefit card (EBT card). Unfortunately, unlike the past people who receive

SNAP benefits may not purchase any other items except food and produce items. Recently
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President Trump has made efforts to lower the amount of benefits each recipient receives. In the

proposition it states that Americans receiving $90 or more shall receive those benefits in care

packages with things such as peanut butter, shelf-milk, cereal, and pastas; but, no fresh fruits or

vegetables. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) believes it would only benefit

the state government, for it will reduce the cost of money spent compared to recipients using

EBT at retail stores. The overall goal is to cut the spending cost of the program by at least 30%

in whih is meant to be in the United States favor since the SNAP program is one of the largest

welfare program in America.

Policy Strengths

The SNAP benefits has come a long way through the many years when it first started in

1936. The SNAP program reduces hunger and food insecurity in America by providing low

income families and individuals with the necessary means to have a healthy nutrition intake.

Also, with improvement of dietary intake has also increased long lasting health of children.

SNAP strengthens the local economies by raising the amount of money spent at retailers and

markets. It has relieved millions of people from poverty. Without having the financial stress of

budgeting food people are able to save money or put it towards other necessities such as bills.

The SNAP programs helps the target population of people in poverty, the elderly, and people

with disabilities. Although, some may argue that SNAP is not necessarily helping the general

public. There are many who wish to eventually do away with government assistance programs

such as this one. Also, some people feel as though taxes should be spent on making the

community better not enabling people who suffer from poverty. In May of 2017, Trump

administration's proposed a 25% cut from the food and nutrition program in hopes of a stricter
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eligibility process in which should encourage employment (Santhanam). This is a reform meant

to take place within the next 10 years.

SNAP Response of Government Shutdown

The response of the SNAP program when compared to the government shutdown was

very appropriate and handled quite well. Under the circumstances, the Department of Agriculture

were sure to mention that food service programs such as SNAP were fully funded for the months

of January and February. However, local officials are concerned that if the government shutdown

continues citizens who depend on monthly benefits will soon turn to food banks, eventually

causing a shortage of supplies putting more of a financial stress on the federal government. For

instance, Baker and Andrew Morehouse, the executive director of the Food Bank of Western

Massachusetts (one out of the four largest food banks in the world) called the state

administration in support in temporarily funding SNAP benefits to in-state citizens, however

they did express how it would be impossible to continuously support the majority of people

without help from the government.

Policy Limitations

One would like to believe that in any good situation there are more good than bad things

about it. However when comparing pros and cons to SNAP benefits there just may be a tie when

it come to the advantages and disadvantages. For instance, studies have revealed that recipients

receiving benefits struggle with malnutrition and obesity. Even Though they are able to buy

things such as cereal, dairy products, vegetables, and meats, many choose to buy unhealthy foods

in order to savor expenses throughout the month. Furthermore, recipients of SNAP are not

allowed to purchase hot foods through their benefits making it harder for some people who do

not have an oven to enjoy hot meals. Not all stores and markets accept SNAP benefits which is
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not fair to recipients causing them to travel further distances to buy foods, in addition to this,

most people receiving food benefits are experiencing poverty already which makes them more

likely of not having necessities such as transportation. Social stigma is also a huge problem

within society when it comes to government assistance. People who receive government

assistance are constantly labeled as free loaders or lazy. When in all actuality the majority of

people who are approved for SNAP actually need it. Lastly, the SNAP program has and still is

experiencing major fraud issues.According to the USDA in 2012, Analysis of FNS' Supplemental

Nutrition Assistance Program Fraud Prevention and Detection Efforts, out of an average of 13.9

million monthly recipients in 10 States, 27,044 recipients continued to receive benefits even after

being deceased because their Social Security Number was being used illegally. Also, fraud is

committed by the recipients by selling their benefits in exchange for cash, and the same goes for

retailers when they exchange benefits for cash as well.

Conclusion

In closing, there are many Americans who depend on SNAP as well as many

other government assistance programs to survive. Food insecurity is a big issue for America at

the moment and hopefully in the near future there will be a major decrease in the statistics in

starvation in the U.S. Although, there are many who do not like the fact of government

assistance, including some republicans. Instead some feel as though tax money should go to

improving things such as infrastructure or paying off debt in America. However, this country is

still one nation and citizens who live in it must stick together to avoid corruption and continue to

thrive as one.
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