Filling the SNAP Gap in the Mississippi Delta with Good Food at Home

When the federal government shutdown last year, Wendy Foster lost her SNAP benefits for a month. It was a very difficult time for her and her 11-year old son.

“All over the United States, there were a lot of hungry people,” said Wendy. “I was one of them.”

Wendy lives in Bolivar County, Mississippi. There are no grocery stores near her, and she doesn’t have a car. There’s also no public transportation. To get groceries, Wendy has to ask a family member for a ride to Walmart, which is almost 20 minutes away.

To better serve individuals like Wendy, Southern Poverty Law Center partnered with Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) to launch a rapid response Good Food at Home program in the Mississippi Delta. From January through March, PHA worked with the Delta Health Center and Quitman Economic Development Organization to distribute 540 boxes of fresh produce to local families. Each box contained about 10-12 pounds of food that was locally sourced by Happy Food Project.

Wendy found out about Good Food at Home through the Delta Health Center. She has high blood pressure, asthma and arthritis, and her doctor recommended she sign up. When she picked up her box, she was surprised at the quality of the food.

“The fruits and vegetables were so fresh,” said Wendy. “I couldn’t even get an apple for myself from the box because my son ate them all!”

A selection of fresh produce sourced by Happy Food Project for Good Food at Home participants in the Delta.

Wendy also received sweet potatoes, onions, cucumbers, and greens among other items. She loves sweet potatoes, but she isn’t always able to get them because they’ve gotten so expensive.

With the cost of food increasing and funding for federal programs decreasing, families like Wendy’s who are on tight food budgets have to make tradeoffs every day between eating well or stretching their dollar as much as possible.

“We don’t get that much in food stamps,” said Wendy. “The [Good Food at Home] boxes help a lot because everything is so expensive.”

At PHA we believe everyone in America, no matter their zipcode, should have access to affordable, nutritious food to live a healthy life. Through programs like Good Food at Home, we’re making that a reality by helping families like Wendy’s make the healthy choice, the easy choice, so they don’t have to sacrifice their wellbeing during difficult times.