To alleviate hunger, SNAP is used by almost 44 million Americans. A proposal by certain congressmen would slash the program by an astounding $30 billion over the next 10 years.
I spent the whole weekend working with the American Red Cross in Madisonville, which is a small town a few miles outside of Chattanooga. Our main objective was to install smoke alarms for the locals, and most of the applicants for the free smoke alarm installation came from rural areas. Over 40 million Americans rely on SNAP to help put food on the table, and five of the households who received the smoke alarms were heavily dependent on SNAP.
A multi-year bill known as the Farm Bill oversees numerous food and agriculture initiatives. SNAP was created to help low-income Americans move up the economic ladder and improve their nutrition. SNAP has evolved into a safety net for low-income American families and the homeless in Tennessee, especially with inflation at an all-time high.
Food insecurity in Tennessee cannot be solved by volunteer work like mine at the Foxwood Food Bank in Chattanooga. To provide access to a greater variety of healthful food options, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) offers larger resources. I want to highlight the concerns of my community, which are frequently ignored, as well as my own experiences as a Results Fellow and advocate. I've seen the link between local and national food insecurity via my volunteer work with the American Red Cross, Foxwood Food Bank and results.
Antonet Domingo