SNAP Program and Food Assistance

   
On Tuesday, Nick Claussen from the department of Jobs and Family Services came to our class to talk to us about food assistance programs, specifically the SNAP program. Claussen holds the title of Community Relations Coordinator as a part of Jobs and Family Services.  I learned a lot about the dimensions of his job, and also how SNAP benefits are distributed. SNAP stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and I learned that it is truly intended to be a supplemental assistance program because it is designed in a way that eligible households receive food for about three weeks. These families and households typically turn to food pantries towards the end of the month when their SNAP benefits run out and food is often cut short.  

     The mission of SNAP is to provide food and nutrition education to people who are eligible and facilitate their ability to move towards and healthier and more self-sufficient diet. I find it interesting that this is the "mission" as stated by the USDA newsroom, because according to Nick Claussen, there are really no nutritional guidelines for food, and cheap food is typically not as healthy. This is contradictory in my opinion, and I wonder if the program is really carrying out their intended purpose and mission. The SNAP program is funded and monitored by the state and federal governments and serves about 14,000 people/year. Prospective participants of the program must apply and must have a job in which they work at least 20 hours/week, and have a gross monthly income at or under 130% of the federal poverty guidelines. I did not know that in order to be eligible for food assistance that you have to work a minimum number of hours per week. However, the speaker informed me that if a person that is in need of assistance is not currently employed, Jobs and Family Services will find a project or job for them to do so they can receive the assistance that they need. With the SNAP benefits, there are requirements on what you can and cannot buy. For example, you cannot buy pet food, alcohol, tobacco, or hot food with SNAP benefits. For households with children under five years of age or younger, they can be eligible for cash assistance in order to help may for bills, or other monetary expenses besides food assistance.

     Several roles of an R.D. in this program could be in the nutrition education process as well as the implementation of nutritional guidelines for the program, especially since Claussen stated that there are currently no nutritional guidelines in the SNAP program.