Stretching a food budget, when SNAP's uncertain

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0:31Oh, I know. They love chips. Early Monday, Post reporter Molly Hennessy Fisk met 59-year-old Paula Jones. Paula was with her two-year-old granddaughter at a family dollar in Houston, Texas. And so what were you shopping for today? What do you call this? Coffee, Tide Pods, and chips. And with Snap, you just cover that? Snap would cover like chips and also a cold coffee. Paula told Molly that she makes$12 per hour in her job as a customer service representative. She relies on SNAP benefits to buy her groceries. That's the Federal Program for Food Assistance, formerly known as Food Stamps. And these SNAP funds usually allow Paula to stock up for the month.

1:21So what would you normally get at the beginning of the month? Bread, eggs, milk, chicken, fish, vegetables. All the things that we like to eat. Like staples, like the basics. Basics. Because you're getting like the foundation of your diet. But those funds didn't come in for Paula over the weekend, like they normally do. Snap technically ran out of money over the weekend because of the Trump administration's refusal to release the funding during the federal government shutdown. There are ongoing legal battles to fund the program. Right now, as of Monday afternoon, it looks like half the money will be made available for Snap.

2:03But as people anxiously wait for full Snap payments to resume, they're turning to community resources like food banks for support. And some have turned to another source for help, online influencers. So we're seeing on sites like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok that a lot of creators are taking what's normally, you know, general food content, and they're trying to scale it to the issue at hand, is people having enough food for the next month, the next two months. And there's a lot of creators who have maybe suffered from food insecurity themselves, who've been on Snap, and they're giving really practical advice on how to make ingredients last.

2:38From the newsroom of The Washington Post, this is Post Reports. I'm Kolbiechowicz. It's Monday, November 3rd. Today, technology reporter Heather Kelley explains the current state of the country's landmark food assistance program. and how online content creators have become a lifeline for people trying to figure out how to feed their families.

3:04Heather, thanks so much for joining me. Thanks for having me. So for our listeners who haven't been following this, very basic, what is SNAP? So SNAP stands for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. It's a program that's about 60 years old run by the federal government to give people money to help them afford groceries to feed themselves and feed their families. It's also sometimes called food stamps or referred to as EBT, which is actually the debit card that the money goes on. And it's how around 42 million Americans sometimes cover some of the food every month. It is a government program that helps low-income families and individuals buy groceries at grocery stores.

3:43And on average, how much might a person get in SNAP benefits? So according to the USDA, it's about$187 a month for people on SNAP or about$332 a month per household that they are using to cover groceries. Obviously, if you've purchased groceries in America recently, you know that's not exactly enough, but it is a real sort of a fallback fund for these people in need. And it's also often used with things like food pantries, with other government programs, state programs, even far more local programs to feed a family. Last week, two federal judges ordered the Trump administration to use other available government funds to ensure people don't lose these benefits.

4:24We're not sure how these court orders will ultimately play out, but today the Trump administration agreed to partially fund SNAP. And there was a discussion in our politics roundtable last week about the politics around using this funding, the politics of funding SNAP at all, the fight in Congress over all of this. But I really want to talk about the people affected and this funding that the administration seems to have agreed to. Is it enough? There will likely not be enough. And what's also interesting is even if it does get fully funded, there's been this uncertainty sort of laid out there where people who have depended on these SNAP benefits haven't been stopped before.

5:02So this is sort of a first time for a lot of these people where they're thinking, oh, I need to plan ahead in case this stretches on until December and I have to go through this whole thing again. So it's created this real sort of panic mindset among people who do rely on the SNAP program that goes beyond just whether or not we can fund it for this one month. Right, because even if they extend some funding for the month of November, if the government stays closed, if it doesn't reopen soon, and this fight over funding continues, like, what's going to happen? So what I think you'll see is a lot more pressure going on sort of these emergency backups we have, like food pantries and food kitchens.

5:40And these places tend to be extremely active around the holidays, which are also coming up at the end of this month and in December. So there's just going to be increased demand on these already sort of maxed out systems, people trying to get food. I've talked to some parents for my reporting that have said one of the first things you do is you make sure your kids get fed first and that moms will skip a couple meals here or there. So you'll really see people stretching things as far as possible, trying to make sure their kids are fed, trying to make sure, you know, their elders are fed and things like that.

6:13and a lot of strain on public resources that were not meant to be a first-line resource here.

6:22After the break, how influencers are stepping in to help Americans put food on the table. We'll be right back.

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7:43So Heather, you've had some reporting on this rise of online influencers on places like TikTok and YouTube. trying to help those who are struggling, you know, who are facing the loss of their SNAP benefits. And you've reached out and talked to some of those influencers. What have you been noticing? What are they saying? I am seeing so much activity in different groups, both things in local communities and broader sort of these online creators who maybe used to make regular food content or, you know, just talk to young people about classic adulting tips. And they're all turning towards, hey, here's what to do if you don't have enough food to feed your family this month.

8:25Here's how to stock a pantry. Here's why you should buy frozen vegetables. If you know your produce is generally going to go bad, like fresh broccoli and things like that, freeze it. Buy the frozen bags. These are like a dollar, okay? I'm not kidding. This one thing was like$2. I've seen tips on how to navigate a food bank if you've never been to one for the first time. You know, many people don't know that you usually have to register, but it's pretty easy and quick. To those of you who have never been to a food bank or a food pantry before, let me explain what it's like so you're not as freaked out.

8:55First of all, nobody there is going to be judging you. Everyone there is either in the exact same situations you are or they are there to help you. There will probably be a waiting room. You take a number. When the number is called, you go up, you have your ID. You're seeing a lot of very practical advice and a lot of it is coming from people who have been in the situation, who have learned from having food insecurity or from being on SNAP themselves in the past. Yeah, so tell me about some of the content creators you spoke with. Yes, I reached out to a number of people kind of putting up these posts, especially one with really lively comment sections who have big followings.

9:28I talked to one woman named Natalie Redis, who is an entrepreneur. She works in real estate, but she said in her words, she's been broke in the past and she wanted to sort of pass some of that knowledge on. So I have been in the real estate industry for over two decades. And during the housing market crash of 2008, that is when I really, really struggled. And I remember going to the grocery store to buy food and deciding to buy food instead of paying the light bill. And I brought the groceries home, put everything up, and two hours later, my lights were cut off. And so, like, you know, being a mom and making that decision, that was the decision that I needed to make.

10:13and she'll do a post where she says you only have$10 this week and she'll break down exactly what you need to buy at the grocery store to keep your family fed for that whole week. If I had$50 and I needed to feed my family, these are the things that I would be buying. First thing would be rice. Right now, this week at Kroger, there's a five-pound bag of rice for$2.99. That's the first thing I'm going to buy. Next thing, I'm going to buy some beans. I always buy my beans at Dollar Tree because you can get either a 12-ounce bag or 16-ounce. One post is, you know, beans and rice is a really nutritionally complete meal that doesn't require paying for meat.

10:41Here's how to make it taste different with just some small changes for three nights in a row. And I also do the same thing with chicken. If I have a pack of chicken breast, then I may go ahead and cook all of the chicken at one time. I may slice some to use for fajitas, and then I may cube some to use in casseroles or any other type of dish. You can cook one thing, but cook it different ways or add the seasonings to it after you've got everything cooked. And then flavor it for fajitas or for a casserole or for chicken spaghetti or for whatever else you're going to do. And that'll cut down on your prep time.

11:13What other advice did Natalie have for her viewers? So Natalie talked about shopping really strategically and making sure that your dollar goes as far as possible. So the most important thing is to shop the sales. So different grocery stores have different things on sale every single week. And so if they have a really good sale on chicken this week, it may be beef next week. Or if they have a really good sale on oatmeal this week, it may be rice next week. And so you've got to pay attention to the local circular papers for your sales. She also talked about being really practical and single-minded about your grocery list.

11:46And I map out what I'm going to purchase before I even go to the store, because that's what allows you to feed your family, provide enough, and then also stay within budget. Another person I spoke to was Kiki Ruff, and she's also been on food stamps in the past when she had to drop out of college for a brief period of time. When I had access to SNAP, they only gave me$40. And that's what, just a little bit over a dollar a day. So stretching that$40 amount became like a necessary gain for me, a really unfortunate life Tetris where I had to figure out how I was going to make this work. And she was working full time then, but she was making, you know, less than the limit and she had to have help from food assistance.

12:34And she really learned how to cook and she's sharing all of her skills also on TikTok and Instagram with her followers, hoping that it helps them stretch food a little bit further. I started making TikToks related to recession cooking back in about February, March. Today we're going to turn some beans into burgers. If this is your first time being poor, I'm Kiki Ruff, and I don't know when it became a luxury to have protein, but we're going to work on that today because we don't have any other choices now, do we? A lot of my recipes are duped. So I've got like a Pop-Tart dupe. I've got a really popular Hamburger Helper dupe, which I'm not going to lie, it's Mac's.

13:16It's so good. I've got a Mac and Cheese dupe. Bagels and cream cheese are my favorite thing to bake. And Heather, what has the reaction been like to these videos? Everybody said there's, first of all, there's just been more traffic to these posts, which shows that, you know, there's sort of an organic interest in it. Their comment sections are super interesting. They're filled with people sharing their own tips from their, you know, own current or past experiences with food insecurity, substitutions that are less expensive, flavor tips, things for kids. And they're also kind of inspired to help in their own communities.

13:48So they're also getting DMs from people who are really upset that they're in this situation, who feel maybe guilt for their families, and they're reassuring them one-on-one. They're kind of turning into influencers and part-time therapists, which is an extremely interesting turn. I just want them to know wherever they are, whatever they're doing, they deserve to eat, and they are loved. They may not know it. They may not feel it. They may feel discarded. They may feel discouraged. They may feel like they don't have choice, but they still deserve a meal and to know that they are loved. And you talked to some of the people, you know, to some of their followers, right, directly?

14:29I did, yes. Who are actually about to maybe experience this insecurity. What did they have to say? So I talked to one young mother named Chanston who is on Snap. My name is Chanston. I'm 22 years old. I'm a mom of a two-year-old little girl and a six-month-old little boy. And I live in Iowa, a pretty low-income area in a food desert. She's also on WIC, which is the benefit for women with infants and children, because one of her children is under a year old. And she is planning ahead. She's following Kiki Ruff and some other creators. I found the recipe for taco soup on there, and that can feed us for a good four days.

15:09She last week went to the store and she got as much as she could. So I've been buying a lot of like canned goods and a lot of like canned meats. And I have a deep freezer I got on Facebook Marketplace that we have pretty full of like chicken and pork and stuff. She got bread to put in the freezer because if it's sliced, you can take out one slice at a time. And then you don't run the risk of the bread going bad too soon. and she's really worried about what happens next, but she wants to make sure she's in as good of a position as possible to make sure her two young children are fed.

15:44For myself, I'm, you know, as a mom, you're going to do what you need to do for your kids, but I'm more scared about having formula for my son, who is six months old, and a$28 can of formula left a day and a half in our house because he's quite a bit. Chanston has already started looking other places as a way to get extra food for her family. She's looking at food pantries, but her biggest concern is getting formula for her youngest child, who is just now starting solids. And formula is very expensive when you don't get it through a lot of these government programs. We have a food pantry that's about 31 minutes away from us that we frequent often, but I'm only allowed to go to the food pantry twice a month and they're only allowed to give out one can of formula per time you go.

16:37And when we're using like 15 cans of formula a month, it's kind of a lot. So formula, my understanding was that formula is usually something that you get through the WIC program, which is something you mentioned earlier. Is the WIC program also at risk of losing funding? So it's another thing that's still unclear. But what you're seeing is a lot of this uncertainty with the SNAP program is spreading to other programs. You know, people are saying, oh, if this could suddenly come to a halt, what about the benefit that gives me formula for my babies? And so people like Shanson are also worried about stocking up on formula, stocking up on anything these young children would need, like baby food, just for that worst case scenario.

17:20Without SNAP, you know, and I'm actually seeing this on my social media, too. I feel like my Instagram stories are filled with people giving advice on how to help, right? Like how to donate, how to send food to people that might need it. But the people that need the help, like how do they know where to turn? Who are they turning to for additional assistance? I think what I'm seeing online is I'm seeing a lot of people, again, in online communities, in neighborhood groups on Facebook and by nothing groups, which have organically sort of started filling this niche. People are posting, hey, I can afford to feed my family this month.

17:59I would love to help out a family that's going to be missing SNAP benefits. And there's these giant threads where they're getting matched with people in need. There's people organizing food drives near me. There is a woman organizing in the Safeway parking lot a way to get free food that maybe isn't available to the pantry, a way to get gift cards to feed families. So you see a lot of really organic activity just coming from regular people, not even local governments, just people who really want to help and really feel this deeply. You know, Heather, I think people will hear about the kind of private, organic, community-based assistance and help that is, you know, emerging in the absence of the government doing its job.

18:44But the fact that they have to do this at all, like, says a lot about, I think, where our government is right now. It's interesting because it is, you know, it is inspiring to see this many people stepping up and wanting to help. But it's really organic for these things to start out big with a lot of concern. But you do, you know, you lose interest over time. You'll lose funding over time. If this stretches on for a while, food banks will likely start to get fewer donations. And then you're sort of left in a difficult position again. So it's also how much can individuals on Facebook really do to feed 41 million people across the United States?

19:19and is that the job of people who live in these communities and want to help their neighbors? And it's just sort of unclear how sustainable that is. How long will the government shutdown be going on? How long will people need this sort of community effort to help keep their kids fed? And will we be able to do that for the long run?

19:45Heather, thanks so much for sharing your reporting with us. Thank you for having me.

19:53Heather Kelly writes about the ways technology affects everyday life, from family to finances. You also heard excellent reporting from Molly Hennessy Fisk in Texas. That's it for Post Reports. Thanks for listening. If you're looking for the latest updates on the big news of the day, check out our morning news briefing, The 7. We bring you the seven stories you need to know about every weekday morning by 7 a.m. You can listen to it wherever you listen to podcasts. Today's show was produced by Rennie Svarnovsky. It was edited by Ariel Plotnik and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks also to Mariana Alfaro, Jen Liberto, and Yeonhee Kim.

20:33I'm Cole Bierkowitz. We'll be back tomorrow with more stories from The Washington Post.

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