Opinion: The Farm Bill is about fair food. Congress should listen.

Congress must prioritize the health and well-being of families in rural Michigan and across the US by fully funding food assistance programs and increasing access to healthy and affordable foods.

Food is life – it’s as simple as that. The wide-ranging Farm Bill that Congress passes and the President signs into law should reflect this important value. 

With so much at stake for many Americans in this legislation, our elected officials must do right by communities like mine and ensure that dollars for food assistance are kept intact. As a second-generation licensed social worker, I’ve seen up close how my rural community in Michigan’s Eastern Upper Peninsula struggles with food insecurity including the impact it has on all of us. I’ve spent the past few years coordinating a mobile food pantry that has fed over 37,000 people since starting in 2017. 

We wouldn’t be able to have the mobile food pantries without our incredible volunteers. They work their tails off, and whether they’re three years old or 83 years old, when it’s 30 below or 80 and sunny, we provide this critical lifeline to our neighbors. 

To say that our location is difficult would be an understatement. Our community in the U.P. is spread-out, with minimal public transportation, and many islands with year-round residents who must first take a ferry to the mainland before driving to the distribution. Despite this, the need has been so dire that we have had people travel over 100 miles to get food from our mobile pantry.

I started running these food distributions because you don’t need to receive SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps) or tribal benefits to attend a mobile pantry, making these distributions accessible for everyone. Unfortunately, we live in a society where there is so much stigma around getting assistance. It’s important to recognize that getting help is a hand-up, not a handout. 

From our grandmas and grandpas to the kids that are growing up, there are more than 42 million people who use SNAP. Four out of every five dollars that Congress spends on funding the Farm Bill goes towards this program and ensures that folks can access this lifeline. Despite the fact that creating unnecessary barriers to getting access to SNAP (like imposing work requirements) are actually proven to backfire and hurt low-income people, many Republican lawmakers in Washington, D.C. are trying to force this plan forward. 

At a time when food costs are at an all-time high, Congress should be working to reduce the pressure that families are facing, which means that more money should go towards food assistance––not less, as many legislators working against our interests suggest. People are still trying to keep up with the gaps left by the pandemic emergency funds that expired last year. Putting more restrictions on food assistance at this time is a step backwards. 

In addition to fully funding SNAP, Congress can and should look towards other solutions that increase access to healthy, affordable foods. One step they can take is to increase GusNIP funding (the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program) that helps facilitate fruit and vegetable purchases for low-income folks. 

The Farm Bill is really about food, which affects all of us. Unfortunately, there is still work to be done in order to convince our legislators that we should be protecting food assistance dollars instead of taking them away from the families who need them to get by. Everyone has a chance over the next few months to let your members of Congress know what they feel should be a priority in this massive piece of legislation that gets passed about every five years. 

Make no mistake, communities across the country like mine will hurt if SNAP funding gets cut in the upcoming Farm Bill. Congressional Republicans, President Joe Biden, and Vice President Kamala Harris, have a responsibility to act on ensuring that all families can receive equitable outcomes by passing a fair Farm Bill.