[Martina Santos shopping in a grocery store]
Martina Santos (interview): “I use SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) to buy my necessities in the supermarket.”
[Santos shopping]
Martina Santos (interview): “Before, I used to eat candy, yes, why not? And buy me a soda. But not anymore.”
[Santos using an EBT card to purchase groceries]
Martina Santos (interview): “I started to eat healthy because all my family suffering from high blood pressure and heart disease. And I need to take care of myself because I need to live lots longer.”
[Food being bagged]
[Santos swiping her EBT card]
Martina Santos (interview): “For me, SNAP is to be used toward healthy food, to get people to avoid all the disease they’re having around right now.”
[West Side Campaign Against Hunger food distribution site]
[Woman accepting a bag of food]
Greg Silverman (interview): “We have a large number of people who are eligible for food stamps, whether it’s the parents and their children and their families. And people use a wide array of tools to feed their families throughout the month. They come to pantries, they use SNAP benefits.”
[Cartons of milk]
[Bin containing bags of food to be distributed]
Greg Silverman (interview): “We find a lot of this question of restricting choice is – to me, it’s counterintuitive. People know what’s best to do with their dollars for their health and for what their family wants. The problem is that their dollars don’t go far enough.”
[Tent over food distribution site]
Greg Silverman (interview): “You know, maybe you’re shopping for groceries, and you want to buy a soda with your SNAP benefits because, guess what, it’s your kid’s birthday and you want to have some–a sweet treat when you make a cake for your kid. Like, these are choices that people should be able to make.”
[Santos volunteering at West Side Campaign Against Hunger]
Martina Santos (interview): “Right now is difficult because everything is expensive. Right now is ridiculous. One dozen eggs, 12-13 dollars. It’s totally upside down. These food stamps are not helping like the way they’re supposed to be helping, because it’s not enough to be the whole month. You need to go out, to go into the pantry and to get, like, fresh vegetables and fresh fruit, like here.”
[Santos volunteering at West Side Campaign Against Hunger]
Greg Silverman (interview): “We have a health issue in this country. So if you want to fix the health issue, give people the dollars they need to buy the healthy food that they want.”
[Sign]
Greg Silverman (interview): “I don’t really think that individual choice is where we’re going to make public health outcomes better.”
[Food on shelves at a grocery store]
[WIC sign]
This script was provided by The Associated Press.