People Who Feed People Should Never Go Hungry

Photo: Clay Williams

It’s easy to think of those who toil in professional kitchens as being surrounded by food—facing a stack of orders to expedite, breaking down a whole animal into cuts for the menu, or taking on the unenviable task of peeling a pile of onions. But there are roughly 40 million people in the United States currently enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)—including some of the chefs and restaurant industry professionals behind your next restaurant meal. Over the next few months, we’ll be sharing stories from chefs who’ve experienced food insecurity, and the impact of SNAP on their past, present, and future.

Below, chef, educator, advocate and Chefs Boot Camp alum Phil Jones draws connections between the food stamps he received on and off from childhood to college and his personal growth and success, and how imperative it is to offer that same type of opportunity to the workers who feed our nation today.

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As a kid, we had “caps or snaps,” as we would call our sophomoric insults meant to entertain and impress friends, family, and anyone who would listen to our emerging wit and a blooming self-awareness. One of my go-to wisecracks was, “you’re as worthless as a wet food stamp.” It was always good for a laugh in a rousing round of “the dozens” in the schoolyard. At that time, I had a limited understanding of the value of food assistance in my life, community, and country.

As I got older, I learned that increased nutritional intake fueled the growth of mankind both mentally and physically. As we left our primarily meat-eating ways behind with advances in agriculture, human development continued at an ever-increasing pace. For example, the average height of European males has increased five inches over the last 10,000 years—5’4” compared to today’s 5’9”. At its most fundamental level, access to good nutrition equals growth. This basic understanding is what undergirds the need for programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).

I’m one of those kids who benefitted from food stamps from time to time growing up, which helped keep me moving forward, full and healthy when my family found itself in need. In addition to food stamps, which we now know as SNAP, I partook in school lunches for 15 meals a week—breakfast, lunch, and a snack. After I left dorm-living in college, I qualified for food stamps as I began looking to the food industry as my source of income.

The subject of food stamps and their continued need is personal to me, but the influence of the program is far greater. SNAP provides benefits to eligible low-income individuals and families. Among the 44.2 million people who rely on SNAP are a large number of food workers whose wages are low, who face unreliable hours, and who are saddled with poor public policies that further weaken their financial standing. Just look at the COVID-19 crisis. You will see the personal finances of folks like seasonal and tourism workers threatened by the growing number of travel restrictions.

To make things worse, on April 1, 2020, SNAP’s work requirements change. Previously available exemptions will be virtually eliminated. These changes will potentially cause nearly 700,000 people to lose their eligibility for the program.

My efforts in the Detroit food system gives me the opportunity to hear about the needs of food workers from people in many different sectors of the system. It’s ironic that those who feed the nation are challenged feeding their families and themselves.

I live a good life. I’ve had the same ups and downs as most folks, but overall it’s nice. Access to good food was key to my development. Food stamps allowed me to get the food I needed to grow. Many in my professional community deserve that chance, too. While there is still plenty of work to be done around compensation in the industry, we can’t take our eyes off SNAP, and need to protect from even more attacks that are soon to come.

Most of my work is aligned with food justice and workforce development, so I see the need for food assistance daily. I have had some of my students benefit from having access to healthy food which allowed them to make other needed purchases—from furnishings for a first home to the fees associated with extracurricular activities for their children.

Many others in Detroit that advocate for change, grow fresh produce, deliver the goods, stock the shelves, or participate in the food system at any level are the working poor, and the impact of this assistance cannot be understated. These are the people I serve, and we all need to recognize that they serve us, as well. SNAP is not just a charitable lifeline for individuals. It is the lifeblood for us all.

We need to stand up for those who stand by our sides in the good food war daily. People who feed people should never go hungry. The children of our coworkers need a chance to thrive. The need is real and continues.

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Phil Jones is a chef, food educator, food system advocate, workforce development specialist, and storyteller.