First Impressions

As a dietetic intern interested in public health, I was more than excited to begin my experience at End Hunger CT! I realized that EHC! is deeply involved in nutrition legislation and advocacy, but what I hadn’t realized was how directly involved they are in their clients’ lives. We had the opportunity to sit in on several SNAP consults-what an eye-opening and moving experience. One of the families had their SNAP funds cut in half due to a misunderstanding of the family’s income. I felt myself becoming frustrated and even emotional as the mother explained how many times she had been to DSS to try and resolve the problem. Even as the ed to help, her phone calls to the DSS were met with answering machines and unanswered questions. I was shocked at how easily a family’s only means of feeding their family could be reduced or taken away – and all because of delayed paperwork and misunderstandings. One glance at the sixteen-page SNAP application and I knew there was a good chance I would make at least one mistake or have one question during the process. How could anyone, let alone someone who may have a low literacy level or language barrier, be expected to successfully complete the application process? Unfortunately, it seemed as though filling out the application is only half the battle. We discussed the overwhelmed workloads of the DSS social workers, the increased number of SNAP applicants, and the all-too-frequent problem of lost or delayed applications. Even emergency applicants, who are supposed to receive assistance within 7 days of applying, are waiting weeks or months to receive funds. The entire process seems to be overwhelmingly frustrating- I cannot imagine being in the shoes of a person unable to feed their family because of incorrect paperwork and bureaucratic delays.
The services EHC! offers to its clients are so valuable. Without the help of the SNAP outreach workers, many clients would be unable to apply for SNAP assistance or know what funds they are eligible to receive. As the mother of a family of 6 sat in the office, crying because her SNAP funding was nearly cut in half, the SNAP counselor placed phone calls to the supervisor and manager at the DSS explaining the problem and asked that the woman’s case be reviewed. The woman left frustrated, but learned later that day that that she would receive her full funding. Had the SNAP counselor not made those calls, her family of six would still be without adequate funding. I am amazed at the impact EHC assistance can have on the lives of its clients.