Supplemental Assistance Program Essay

The Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program is a federal program helping those families of low-income combat food insecurity. This program was previously known as the Food Stamp program as many of us knew it by. In 2008, the USDA changed the name of the program to what we now know as the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP). The purpose of SNAP is to provide resources to those in need to be able to purchase nutritious foods.

The SNAP program is considered to be one of the largest food assistance programs. According to the USDA, “approximately 47 million persons participated in SNAP in 2012, at a cost of almost $75 billion.” The SNAP program goal is to help participants make healthier choices buy choosing and consuming foods according to the dietary guidance. In order to receive assistance of the program the individual must meet certain requirements. Eligibility usually goes based off of household income. “A family’s gross monthly income must be below 185% of the Federal Poverty Level in order to be found eligible for the program. Expenses such as rent and utilities are taken into consideration only after eligibility is determined.” (Foodshare n.d.) Those who are working for low wages or working part-time;

Participants who receive these funds are usually viewed as people nonworking people who live off of food stamps or welfare. Research done by Barnhill (2011) states that, “the USDA has taken steps to reduce the stigma of SNAP use, including changing the name of the program in 2008 from the Food Stamp Program to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, replacing paper coupons with EBT cards that work like debit cards, and, most recently, encouraging grocers who accept SNAP to display “We Welcome SNAP Benefits” signs.” All of this in order to reduce the social