42 million people nationwide use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and about half of them are children. SNAP is the first line of defense for hungry families, including in rural America.

SNAP benefits average $6 a day per person. Most families run out of SNAP benefits before the end of the month.

Children who receive SNAP have better short and long term behavioral and school performance.

For every $1 spent on SNAP, about $1.50 goes back into local economies.

Families living in rural communities may have to travel long distances to SNAP state agencies to enroll. Families should be able to enroll via phone.

Families should have more choice in what they purchase because they know what their children will eat and to respect dietary needs and religious observance.

US international food aid programs save lives during humanitarian emergencies and strengthen communities’ long term resilience helping people manage chronic challenges and bounce back from sudden crises. These programs ensure they eat today and feed themselves in the future.

By investing in things like basic farming equipment, small agricultural loans, and water management training, we’re proactively preventing future hunger crises and saving millions of lives.

Every $1 invested in resilience-building saves $3 in humanitarian response – a particularly high return on investment. If we invest in resilience today, we’ll need less food aid later.