Children need reliable access to nutritious food to reach their full potential

The SNAP benefits that millions of low-income Americans use to buy basic groceries have been in the headlines every day recently. Cuts. Delays. Court decisions. A political football in the U.S. government’s longest shutdown. The key issue seems to be when and whether millions of qualified recipients will get the dollars they need to replenish refrigerators and cupboards.

The way I see it, though, the key issue isn’t about dollars; it is about brains.

Among the 42 million people who benefit from SNAP, as many as 17 million are children. SNAP — the federally-funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — is the nation’s longest running and largest program to combat hunger in America.

But SNAP is not only about alleviating hunger. It is about ensuring children’s brains develop in a healthy way.

Every day without enough food puts a child's healthy brain development at risk

The science on this is clear: When children do not get consistent, nutritious food, it affects the formation of neural connections in the areas of the brain involving learning, memory and emotional regulation. This can lead to poorer language, cognitive and academic skills. Nutritional deficits may lead to less efficient brain-cell production, impaired communication between brain cells, slower language development and lower IQ. Food insecurity is clearly linked to lower cognitive outcomes in language, math and reading.

In addition, in food-insecure households, parental stress and depression often increase, which can make it harder for parents to be emotionally present, patient and responsive with their children, reducing the consistency and warmth children need for healthy emotional and social development.

Let’s boil it down: Access to adequate food and nutrition is essential for children to have a chance to reach their full potential.

The economic case for protecting SNAP benefits is as compelling as the scientific one

Back to the issue of dollars, SNAP is not only important for the families who depend on it. The economic case for protecting SNAP is as compelling as the scientific one. Economic research tells us every dollar invested in providing SNAP benefits to children produces a $62.25 return on investment through improved health, educational, economic and social outcomes over the life of the child. Beyond that, every dollar in benefits generates between $1.50 and $1.80 in local economic activity, providing a direct boost to local grocery stores, farmers and small businesses.

In what world would we risk all those benefits to children, local economies and the future of our nation?

In our divided and polarized world, I guess. First, major cuts to SNAP were part of the big budget bill Congress passed and the President signed earlier this year. Then, remaining benefits were delayed as part of the government shutdown. We need Congress to do its part and restore this critical federally-funded program immediately.

Congress needs to restore critical funding for SNAP

This past Fall, UNICEF USA urged Congress to restore and expand access to SNAP and help protect children .

Look, this is a large federally-funded program ultimately administered by state and local governments. Can it be improved? Certainly. Is there some abuse in the program? Probably. But all that is on the margins. SNAP should get a close look. Any problems should be addressed. Cut out any fat. Fix anything broken. But don’t stop it, or delay it.

The brains of children whose families depend on SNAP continue to develop. Every day without enough food puts that development at risk. We all want children in low-income households to succeed, to rise above the poverty their families have been trapped in. To do that, they need to do well in school. To do that, they need to be alert and at their best. And to do that, they need adequate nourishment from the day they are born.

We can do a lot of things as a country: build incredible infrastructure, send space probes to other planets. We certainly can also feed all of our children.

UNICEF Clubs took action across the country 

Along with the SNAP program, local food banks and their donors and volunteers play a key role in making food available as well. They are being called on more and more.

 At UNICEF USA, we are not only advocating for full restoration of SNAP, but mobilizing our UNICEF Clubs across the country to take action in their local community.

At Fordham University in New York, the UNICEF Club already regularly volunteers with a local organization called Part of the Solution, Inc. that provides emergency food and other services to low-income families in the Bronx. As the club learned, over half the households in the neighborhood around the university have received SNAP benefits.

A high school club in Georgia is currently hosting a canned food drive to support their local food bank. The club president said: “We were absolutely disheartened to hear about the changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, so we are hoping to garner attention for this issue in our school and community. We will be collecting canned food these two weeks before Thanksgiving Break. We hope to donate them to our local food bank and help families this holiday season.”

At Temple University in Philadelphia, the UNICEF Club spends Saturdays sorting, bagging and distributing food at a nearby middle school to families in need. The club’s social media chair said: “We were inspired to take action because every child and family deserves access to nutritious food. Supporting our community and ensuring no one goes hungry is always a top priority for us.”

Let’s follow their lead and continue to pitch in. Donate or volunteer with your local food bank and ensure your state restores SNAP benefits. Again, this isn’t only about the dollars. It is about healthy brain development. All children deserve that.