SNAP is Working to Meet Increased Call For Assistance

Published by Lawayne Childrey on 15 Oct 2009 6:06pm
Willie Humphries has filled his basket with fresh meats, fruits and vegetables. He says SNAP feeds his family and saves him mon
Willie Humphries has filled his basket with fresh meats, fruits and vegetables. He says SNAP feeds his family and saves him money.
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Mississippi's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program has swollen by nearly 90 thousand new clients. MPB's Lawayne Childrey reports.

The painful mix of layoffs and rising food prices has caused a big jump in the number of Mississippians using the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program also known as SNAP. Richard Berry, with the Department of Human Services says a big part of the increase comes from north Mississippi.

“You know with the loss of manufacturing jobs especially in Desoto County right there around Memphis. So it’s a tremendous amount of construction going on so that the downturn finally did hit the south those construction workers were displaced and were in need of snap benefits. Because you know SNAP is really the safety net during those times of economic downturn.”

“You get in the grocery store you don’t realize what you done spent until you spend it.”

At a discount food store in Jackson, Willie Humphries has filled his basket with fresh meats, fruits and vegetables. He says SNAP feeds his family and saves him money.

“You know the way the taxes is going on grocery know and high as groceries is now, if you getting food stamps you ain’t got to pay all the taxes you know, you know when you buying groceries.”

Nutrition and poverty experts praise SNAP as a vital safety net that helps families get proper nutrition. That's one of the things that attracted Chris, a Jackson construction worker who has recently found himself out of work.

“You know a pound of fruit ain’t really gone be too much by time they weigh it up. So you have to get a lot of it for to make sure the kids get they vitamins and nutrition and stuff like that. So it’s better paying for it with SNAP than just buying cash. You know you can use that for your bills. So I feel like SNAP really play a big part in the situation. You know some people get it to get it and some people get it ‘cause they need it.”

SNAP officials say the program will pay approximately 288 million dollars more in food assistance this year than in 2008. For MPB news, I'm Lawayne Childrey.