Cuts to Food Stamps

“SNAP has helped me out several times in my life. In college, it's how I ate. Now, I use it to help me buy food since I live paycheck to paycheck.” -SNAP recipient, Hub patron


In March, President Trump proposed $193 billions dollars in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps. These massive cuts would be a drastic blow to one of the most effective hunger and poverty prevention programs in the United States. A program that has:

• Lifted millions of households out of poverty: SNAP kept 10.3 million people out of poverty in 2012, including 4.9 million children.

• Helped families put nutritious food on the table.

• Promoted long-term health and well-being, especially for children.

• Provided a valuable safety-net, both during economic downturn and natural disasters.

In Indiana:

• It kept 224,000 Hoosiers out of poverty, including 111,000 children, per year between 2009 and 2012

How will these cuts affect Hoosiers in Monroe County?

In Monroe County, over 25,000 community members experience food insecurity - the second highest rate of food insecurity in the state of Indiana. Of those families and individuals, nearly 8,000 receive SNAP benefits, and it serves as a valuable resource for putting food on the table.


If these funding cuts go into effect, thousands of Hoosiers will no longer be able to afford a healthy diet. Nearly 75% of SNAP benefits go to households with children or have someone with a disability. While we would hope these would be the last groups to be affected by any changes, there is no guarantee when such a large sum of money is involved. If federal funds are cut, we will be unable to count on the state of Indiana to fill the gap with a tight state budget.


If SNAP benefits got cut...“[i]t would make it harder to pay the bills on time. Either a bill wouldn't be paid or I would sacrifice food for bills. I make less than what I owe. I am very fortunate to have found resources for food from my friends, from growing my own food, and from organizations like the Hub, but many people in a worse situation really struggle. They will get very low quality food if enough food at all.”


Sources:

https://www.snaptohealth.org/snap/the-real-benefits-of-the-snap-program/

https://www.cbpp.org/sites/default/files/atoms/files/snap_factsheet_indiana.pdf

Fresh, Local Produce in our Food Pantry--Even in Winter!

Thanks to The Healthful Food For All Fund, Mondays are looking good in the Hub Food Pantry. Our produce table is piled high with the freshest most beautiful food available anywhere! This week featured Cauliflower (in three colors!) oak leaf lettuce, diakon radishes, winter carrots (the sweetest kind!) turnips, kale, cress, scallions, spinach, apples and more.

The Healthful Food For All Fund (HFFAF) is a program that pays farmers half price for remaining produce that they wish to sell at the end of the winter farmers' market each Saturday, then donates that food to Mother Hubbard's Cupboard and other area non-profits. It is a win-win situation, if there ever was one; farmers don't take as big of a hit for food they didn't sell at market, and Bloomington families experiencing food insecurity get high quality produce during the winter months when fresh food is scarce.

HFFAF is run by a committee of the Bloomington Winter Farmers' Market, and is affiliated with The Center for Sustainable Living. This year, with a generous $10, 000 matching grant challenge from a private family foundation, the program has more funding available than ever before. More farmers are participating as well, and they also obtain fresh greens from Growing opportunities, a hydroponic greenhouse program run by The South Central Community Action Program (SCCAP).

To learn more about the program, or to make a donation, stop by the info table at the Winter Farmers' Market, or contact healthfulfoodfund at gmail dot com.

Make your own salad dressing

Spaghetti and tossed salad are prominent menu items for our Hub Family Lunches. The monthly lunches, held in our kitchen and classroom next to the pantry, are a delicious way for folks to gather, socialize and discuss issues related to community food access. For the May lunch we whipped up a quick salad dressing at the last minute. Participants kept asking for our dressing recipe. We shared it and received this response from an MHC patron, 

"Wow....the dressing worked really well. I use to have a little salad with my ranch dressing, but with my health issues I've had to start looking at what I eat a little differently now. I am absolutely thrilled that I now have a new way to dress my salads that is not only healthy for me, but cost effective as well..."

Garden fresh salad greens are in abundance this time of year. If you are looking for fresh ideas for jazzing up your greens, why not try making your own salad dressing? High quality dressing can cost a pretty penny, and the affordable ones usually have lower quality oils and other undesirable ingredients. If you make your own, you can customize the dressing using your favorite herbs and spices.

Here are the basics for a simple vinaigrette:

Three parts oil to one part vinegar or lemon juice, plus herbs and spices, chopped garlic or shallots, mustard, honey, soy sauce... anything that sounds good to you! For a creamier dressing, add a little mayonnaise. Combine all the ingredients in a jar, secure the lid and shake it up! You can store it in the jar in the fridge indefinitely.

Fresh greens, peppers and apples make a tasty salad for the Hub Family Lunch