Why SNAP Matters and How We Can Help

Coming cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are going to increase hunger in America, according to Johns Hopkins faculty and students who work in food assistance. These policy and budget changes carry very real consequences for families, especially those with children. As food prices continue to rise and federal support shrinks, communities are being forced to step up and fill the gap.

“For every meal provided by a food bank, SNAP provides nine,” says Allison Duda, Bloomberg Fellow and Healthcare Pilots Specialist at the Capital Area Food Bank. “SNAP is a vital source of nutrition, providing support to more than 480,000 people in our area.”

According to Kristin Mmari, Bloomberg Professor of American Health in the Department of Population, Family, and Reproductive Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the households most affected by SNAP cuts are those with children, especially larger families with older children. 

“Adolescents have different food needs compared to their younger siblings,” Mmari explains. “In many of the families I study, the adolescents are the ones responsible for getting food—but they don’t get SNAP benefits directly.”

Because adolescents are often overlooked in food policy, they fall through the cracks. Adolescents are less likely to access food pantries due to stigma, and if they’re disconnected from school or work, as many “opportunity youth” are, they lose out on school meals and employer-based food programs. The result is a population of young people with nowhere to turn.

“We’ve seen adolescents engage in risky behaviors just to get money for food,” Mmari says. “This isn’t hypothetical—it’s happening now.”

Loss of SNAP benefits often means a shift in household spending.

“If families can’t rely on SNAP, they have to use their limited income on food—which means cutting back on medical care, rent, or utilities,” Mmari says. “That’s a cycle that worsens poverty.”

And hunger doesn’t stay at home; it follows kids to school. Children who are hungry can’t focus, can’t learn, and often struggle with emotional regulation. Mmari’s research has further highlighted the link between food insecurity and poorer mental health outcomes in youth, compounding long-term educational and social challenges.

Consequences for Food Banks

Organizations like the Capital Area Food Bank in Washington D.C. are seeing an alarming increase in need. “We’ve been distributing more than twice the amount of food we did in 2019, serving 64 million meals last year alone,” says Duda. Yet with major SNAP cuts looming, food banks will be asked to do even more.

It might not be possible. If 50,000 families in D.C. lose an average of $171 in SNAP benefits per month, as the food bank projects, local nonprofits could be swamped.

“We rely on the support of our community,” Duda says. “But we also need people to spread the word and push for more sustainable policy solutions.”

Taking Action to Address Hunger

There are ways to help, both in the short and long term.

1. Donate Smart: Shelf-stable proteins like beans, canned fish, peanut butter, and cooking oil are always in demand. Spices and whole grains go a long way. Financial donations are even more effective, because they allow food banks to buy in bulk—for every $1 donated to the Capital Area Food Bank, they can provide two meals.
   
    
2. Volunteer: Help pack food boxes, tend a community garden, or serve after-school meals. Food banks depend on a network of hands-on support. Last year, 14,000 people volunteered nearly 40,000 hours in the D.C. region alone.
   
    
3. Support Youth-Driven Solutions: In Baltimore, Mmari is piloting a project called Fresh Funds, which gives adolescents their own digital grocery stipends.
   
    
4. Elevate Community-Led Programs: Groups like HeartSmiles and Grow Home are already feeding youth as part of their programming. “Any youth program—no matter the focus—should include a meal,” says Mmari. “It’s that simple.” Programs like these build trust and reduce stigma, and they’re run with the community, not just for it.
   
    
5. Advocate for Targeted Policy Changes: Mmari urges policymakers to prioritize families with adolescents, large households, and opportunity youth. “We need to stop seeing all households as the same,” she says. “Some are more vulnerable and need more tailored support.”

The solution isn’t charity alone. It’s community power, policy change, and a refusal to accept that hunger is inevitable.