Marshallese community in Arkansas eligible to receive SNAP benefits

SPRINGDALE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — On Thursday, the Arkansas Department of Human Services announced the Marshallese community in Arkansas will soon have the ability to apply for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP benefits).

Michelle Pedro, policy director & communications specialist with the Arkansas Coalition of Marshallese says she feels emotional.

“I want to say happy, but also it’s bittersweet,” Pedro said.

SNAP provides food benefits to low-income families who are eligible for it, but before today, the Marshallese community was not included.

According to DHS , they have been excluded from receiving federal benefits like SNAP due to federal welfare reform laws that were passed in 1996.

Pedro says not having federal benefits, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, made it difficult for her community.

She says this should have come at a time when policies should have made a difference in helping to save people rather than bury them.

“A lot of folks were devastated when they couldn’t apply for or weren’t eligible for SNAP. And we were seeing a lot of families struggle,” Pedro said. “And if you see kids struggling for food or elderly people or sick people who can’t even go out of their homes because of COVID and they don’t have food, that to me is literally — you’re putting them to death.”

Pedro says being able to qualify for SNAP benefits is important because food not only helps people survive but also because it’s their culture.

“Big events in the Marshallese community is a birth of a child. So their birthday parties, the first birthday parties, weddings and death. And if you don’t have food, you’re not helping your family or your community, and it’s huge because we have this thing where we share food and that’s helped people to sustain their families,” Pedro said.

She says it helps people feel good to know that benefits like SNAP are helping them.

Pedro wants you to know that they’re people too. “And when you come to our homes or to our events, we will feed you and we can’t do that knowing that we’re struggling and you’re struggling. We don’t want anybody to struggle. We want everybody to thrive,” Pedro said.

DHS announced the Marshallese community in Arkansas will also be eligible to receive Transitional Employment Assistance benefits.

The SNAP and TEA benefits go into effect starting October 1.

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