Food is a basic human need and 177,000 people in Utah struggle daily with hunger. Many rely on monthly government assistance to feed their families.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly referred to as SNAP, is a national organization that gives low-income individuals monthly benefits to help them purchase groceries. Normally, this program helps feed 41.7 million people around the country but, on Nov. 1, these benefits were halted due to the government shut down. This means that 41.7 million people were unsure where their next meal was coming from or if it was coming at all.
The government shutdown ended on Nov. 13, reinstating these benefits to millions of Americans including hundreds at Highland. Mindy Smith, Highland’s family support coordinator, estimates that between 700-750 students come from families that use SNAP benefits.
But the 12 days that the government was shutdown, many of these students were worried about getting their next meal.
That’s where Smith came to the rescue.
When the ban came into effect Smith was ready to go. She keeps track of political situations to know when she may need to step up. Smith began stocking the pantry at the beginning of the shutdown so she would be prepared, and no one would go without food.
“We have ramped up our pantry and we are doing food deliveries every Monday for families,” Smith said.
Smith spent countless hours coming up with ways to get food on tables. One program that Highland has is Monday food drops. Three days a week volunteers from Highland’s communities go to Macey’s to purchase fresh food, pack the boxes, and deliver them to families in need.
Smith isn’t the only one who wants to help. Highland’s surrounding neighborhoods also put in the work to keep others fed.
“Highland Park neighborhood just did a food drive in collaboration with their neighborhood Halloween party and Dilworth Elementary is doing a food drive for Highland as well as many different church groups,” Smith said.
Highland’s surrounding community really came together to make sure that no student went to school on an empty stomach.
“It’s really heartwarming to see the community come together and trying to help other people,” Smith said.
Even with SNAP benefits reinstated, the holidays can be a scary time for families that rely on school breakfast and lunch to keep their kids fed. Every week students get sent home with food bags from USANA Kids Eat that provides enough food to sustain them through the weekend. During long breaks, Highland receives an extra shipment that helps students stay fed while they are not at school.
“When kids are at school it makes me so happy because I know they are at least having two meals,” Smith said.
To help with the upcoming break, Smith and her team will be preparing Thanksgiving meals and delivering them to families. In addition to a meal for the holidays, she will be sending students home with non-perishable food to help fill any gaps.
Situations that have a great impact on student can be scary, but the Highland community stepped up, so everyone had access to resources and food for their families.
