SNAP enrollment through Comprando Rico y Sano has helped this family stay healthy
By Stephanie Presch, Content Specialist, UnidosUS
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) helps 40 million Americans—including 10 million Latinos—put food on the table every day. As a result, UnidosUS has introduced the SNAP for Health video series to show the faces of those individuals who are part of the program and the impact that SNAP has had in their lives and the lives of their families.
Rodolfo Lopez and his family are just a few of the millions of people who are helped by the program every single day. Rodolfo used to be a taxi driver, but now works part-time as an Uber driver. Even still, he and his wife struggle to put food on the table for their family.
Being food insecure can not only affect an adult’s health by making it more likely that they’ll develop obesity, diabetes, or heart disease, but it can also affect a child’s ability to focus and learn in school. SNAP has been a vital program for Rodolfo’s family.
“SNAP has helped us feed our children, because the income we have from our work isn’t enough to pay rent and buy food,” Rodolfo says. This is a common situation for families that are enrolled in SNAP—44% of SNAP recipients are children, and 55% of households with children work and earn wages—sometimes still coming up short while working multiple jobs.
Comprando Rico y Sano also helps families learn more about nutrition. Rodolfo briefly describes this experience: “It has really helped me because I learned a lot. They teach you about a lot of things that nourish and strengthen our body.” Rodolfo added that the program helps his son stay healthy, so that he can play sports, study, and have the opportunity to live a good life.
“I would say that Comprando Rico y Sano is very important for our children, for the community, and for ourselves, because due to this, we stay healthy and strong,” Rodolfo concludes.
You can watch the rest of Rodolfo’s video interview below:
Comprando Rico y Sano is proudly supported by the Walmart Foundation. Below, listen to Eileen Hyde, Director of Hunger and Healthy Eating at the Walmart Foundation, explain the power of the Comprando Rico y Sano program in communities across the country.