A Duty To Help Those Who Served
By Kate Maehr, Executive Director and CEO Of the Greater Chicago Food Depository & member of Feeding America’s Board of Directors
Rafael Rosario and his young daughter Caridad quietly wait for their number to be called.
Rafael hugs her tight while Caridad bounces on his leg. From underneath his “Purple Heart Wounded” hat, Rafael smiles at fellow veterans bustling around them. The pair are at the Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital food pantry, a collaboration between the VA, AmeriCorps and the Greater Chicago Food Depository in the Western Suburbs of Chicago.
Rafael and his family didn’t always need help from the veterans food pantry. But that changed a few years ago.
As a soldier in the U.S. Army, Rafael was deployed to Afghanistan. While there, he was injured in combat, twice. He received two Purple Heart medals and was on active duty until 2013. But since returning home, his injuries have prevented him from working.
His wife, also a veteran, is working, but the family’s budget is tight with only one income. That’s why they turn to the pantry.
“We come here once a month to get fresh fruit, vegetables and more,” he said.
But, the pantry only goes so far for Rafael and his family. They also receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. With the help of SNAP, they can afford the groceries they need to put food on the table every day and ensure Caridad grows up healthy and strong.
“SNAP helps us afford the best food,” he said. “It’s an incredible relief.”
If it weren’t for SNAP, Rafael, his wife and Caridad would be hungry. In Illinois alone, an estimated 52,000 veterans are receiving SNAP. It is a vital, effective program that enables our neighbors in need to feed their families and overcome poverty.
The House version of the bill includes proposed changes to SNAP eligibility. The measure would dramatically cut SNAP benefits by $20 billion over the next decade and increase the age range of adults required to work, as well as mandating employment hours for parents with elementary aged children.
Rafael is not legally disabled, but because of his service injuries, he cannot work. If the House Farm Bill were to become law, Rafael could lose his SNAP benefits. He, his wife and Caridad — and people like them in Chicago and across the country — would no longer be able to afford the food they need every day. That cannot happen.
Helping our neighbors get trained to work and find jobs is incredibly important. But imposing cruel and restrictive work requirements on people who face barriers to employment is simply not the solution. In fact, it completely disregards the reality of those who receive SNAP benefits. Most SNAP recipients who can work, do work. And of those who don’t, the vast majority are children, older adults or people with disabilities.
The Senate version of the Farm Bill keeps SNAP intact and would not cut anyone from the program. In fact, the Senate’s bipartisan bill would strengthen the program’s integrity and would make targeted investments in SNAP to help seniors and people with disabilities.
In this, the richest nation in the world, no one should go hungry. No veteran, no child, no one. And for the sake of those like Rafael and his family, we must support the Senate SNAP provisions of the Farm Bill to ensure the program is not cut. Together, let’s lift our collective voices to remind lawmakers that SNAP works. And that building a healthier, more prosperous, hunger-free community begins with a mighty foundation — it begins with SNAP.
