How SNAP helps families facing hunger stay stable
Across South Florida, Paco Velez is seeing more families turn to their communities for help putting food on the table.
Paco is the president and CEO of Feeding South Florida, a Feeding America partner food bank serving Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. The organization works with about 300 agency partners, including food pantries and meal programs.
“Families are coming in in larger numbers and a lot more frequently than they used to,” Paco said.
The rising cost of everyday life is putting more pressure on household budgets. After paying for housing, transportation and utilities, many families have less money available for groceries.
“Their dollars aren’t stretching as far as they used to,” he said.
SNAP helps families stay stable
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a government nutrition program that helps families buy groceries during difficult times. For many households, it serves as a bridge to stability when their income cannot cover every expense.
Paco sees how hard many SNAP participants are working to support their families.
“The majority of the families that we see with SNAP benefits are gonna be your working families,” he said. “One job, maybe two jobs, especially if it’s a single-parent household, just trying to make sure they’re putting food on the table.”
Feeding South Florida helps families navigate SNAP applications. Its food distributions and agency partners can also provide additional groceries when a family’s resources run short before the end of the month.
That support matters, but Paco says food banks cannot take the place of SNAP.
“It’s the first line of defense against food insecurity,” he said.
SNAP also gives families the freedom to choose the foods that make sense for their households.
“They can go out to the grocery stores and get what they need, what they want, something that’s culturally appropriate for their families,” Paco said. “We’re just here to supplement as much as we possibly can.”
Food banks and SNAP work together for families
Paco’s experience is rooted in South Florida, but the system he describes extends across the country. SNAP and food banks serve different roles, and families may rely on both when money is tight.
Feeding South Florida brings its local knowledge and relationships to that larger effort. Its staff and agency partners understand the needs of their communities, while government nutrition programs like SNAP provide assistance on a scale that is unparalleled.
“We cannot do this alone,” Paco said. “We need our local network, we need our state network, and we need our federal national network in order to make sure that no one goes hungry.”