About 13.5% of households were food insecure last year with 10 states seeing increases in food insecurity
What’s Happening and How Rellevate Can Help
The percentage of American households experiencing hunger challenges rose again, marking the second straight year of increases in food insecurity after nearly a decade of decline, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“When there are economic pressures that are squeezing household budgets, oftentimes it is the food budget that is the first to get squeezed,” -Kassandra Martinchek, Senior Research Associate at the Urban Institute
Fast Fact: TANF Households Who Shop Frequently Can Maintain A Better And Steadier Calorie Intake Throughout The Month
Families using food stamps tend to buy more food at the beginning of the month, with over 25% of beneficiary households redeeming their entire monthly allotment within the first week and 86% using their full benefits within the first two weeks (according to the Agriculture Department’s Food and Nutrition Service)
Bulk purchasing at the start of the month often results in families running out of food before the month is over. Research by economist Jesse Shapiro of the University of Chicago has found that caloric intake among food-stamp beneficiaries is 10-15% lower, on average, at the end of the month than at the beginning. For the other households who shop more frequently, calorie intake remains steady throughout the month
Rellevate Helps Drive Frequent Food Shopping vs. One-Time Bulk Buying
Rellevate’s award-winning Disbursement Platform is a transformative solution that dramatically speeds up the ability of Government Agencies to disburse SNAP funds evenly and instantly throughout the month through a combination of instant digital options and prepaid debit cards ensuring that TANF beneficiaries can buy food whenever they need
Rellevate is on the leading edge of providing innovative disbursement solutions to Cities and States across America: from keeping the traffic moving in downtown Baltimore, to $1.2 Billion in disbursements (in a record-breaking 2 weeks from approval time) in the State of Georgia, to the four corners of the world with UNICEF and paying America’s Teachers and Social Workers every day
