More than one in four Latinos are food insecure, and low participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) puts Latino families at greater nutritional risk than families in other demographic groups. This is due, in large part, to misconceptions around the rules governing program eligibility. In order to increase awareness of and participation in SNAP among Latino families, Feeding America is partnering with the ConAgra Foods Foundation. Together with Feeding America food banks in targeted communities, this initiative will work towards the goals of increasing the number of SNAP applications submitted for benefits from Latino households and decreasing barriers in accessing the SNAP program by expanding the number of access points where families can learn about benefits.

In fall 2010, ConAgra Foods Foundation funded a joint research project by the Urban Institute and Feeding America that showed that nearly one in three Latino children in the United States received services from Feeding America food banks. Because Latino children and their families are significantly less likely to receive SNAP benefits, Feeding America and ConAgra Foods Foundation are committed to doing more outreach because of the high need in the Latino community. ConAgra Foods Foundation will support the Latino SNAP outreach by providing funding for three to four food banks to test localized solutions in reaching Latino populations. The food banks will be selected via a competitive RFP process from “hunger hot spots” with the highest rates of Latino food insecurity. The SNAP outreach efforts by Feeding America, supported by the ConAgra Foods Foundation, will complement the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) La Mesa Completa initiative addressing program access and participation in the Hispanic community. For more information, visit www.fns.usda.gov/snap/ or www.dhs.state.il.us or call 1-800-843-6154.