Food Assistance Programs Provide Meals For Many Mississippi Families This Holiday Season
November 23rd, 2011
Earlier this week, we looked at the importance of SNAP, formerly Food Stamps, in lifting family incomes above the poverty level. And while SNAP supports low-income families in acquiring sufficient meals, many families in poverty will still struggle over the course of a year to consistently provide adequate, healthy meals for their household. In fact, 19.4 percent of Mississippi’s households were food insecure in 2010.¹
If a household is food secure, all members of the household have access to enough food for an active, healthy life throughout the year. In 2010, 80.6 percent of Mississippi households were food secure throughout the year. The remaining 19.4 percent were food insecure. Texas, Arkansas and Alabama all experienced rates of food insecurity that were above the national rate of 14.5 percent.
The USDA’s annual report on household food security found that “rates of food insecurity were substantially higher than the national average for households with incomes near or below the Federal Poverty Line, households with children headed by single women or single men, and Black and Hispanic households.”
SNAP ENROLLMENT IN MISSISSIPPI
The number of Mississippi families that rely on SNAP to buy groceries continues to rise in the state. In September 2011, 642,476 Mississippians received some level of allocation through the national SNAP program for nutrition assistance- up by 40,990 recipients since last September. SNAP remains a critical program for 1 in 5 residents and is particularly critical for families with children.
Spending through SNAP substantially benefits Mississippi’s economy. For every $1 in increased spending SNAP benefits, real Gross Domestic Product (GDP), a measure of the nation’s economy, increases by $1.73. Last month alone $79 million worth of food were purchased from food retailers in Mississippi through SNAP. As the state with the largest portion of residents in need of the program, any national decisions to limit funding for SNAP will impact the state’s residents and food retailers more drastically than other areas across the country
ACCESS TO HEALTHY FOODS
Ensuring children and families can afford and access nutritious meals often requires programs like SNAP to be buttressed with efforts taking place on a regional and local level. For example, many communities across the Mid-South experience barriers to accessing a quality grocery store near their neighborhood.
Efforts like the Fresh Food Retailers Initiative expand access to quality produce and foods in underserved communities. The initiative provides financing for the food retail infrastructure, increasing grocery stores that sell healthy foods. HOPE Enterprise Corporation participates in the initiative and is providing financing in underserved communities in Louisiana’s Orleans Parish. Strengthening investments in efforts like Fresh Food Finance can help build the number of families that have the opportunity to access quality foods regardless of the community in which they live.
As family and friends gather for the Thanksgiving holiday, many Mississippians also take the opportunity to make donations to those that need support to provide nutritious meals for their families. While that support is invaluable to many families, public programs like SNAP, WIC and The Emergency Food Assistance Program are equally critical for meeting family needs and should be protected.
¹U.S. Department of Agriculture. Household Food Security in the United States in 2010.
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